Electronic Ebook Readers

Generalities aside, not all digital ebook readers are the same. There's a few important things when shopping for your portable ebook reader. Storage capacity is but a small part of it. Here's some questions I think about when I'm going to buy an ebook reader.

Backups. Can I back up the contents onto my computer and how easy is it to reinstall the backup back to the ebookreader? This is especially important when looking at upgrades. PDF files aren't the issue, it's the way your ebook reader stores them that's the problem.

Accessability. How easy is it to download ebooks to the reader itself? Can your ebook download straight to the ebook reader? If you have to download the ebook to your computer first, how difficult is it to transfer it to your reader? Does your portable ebook reader include a cable and software (if needed)?

Readability. I don't know about you, but I can put up with a lot of shortcomings if the screen is really easy to read. How well does the screen handle sunlight? Is it going to get washed out? What about reading in low light levels? A really bright screen is painful to your eyes after a while, but if you have to have bright lights in the room, it doesn't help you much on overcast days. How does the screen handle large drawings, maps, charts, or pictures? The Amazon Kindle allows you to rotate the screen manually from portrait to landscape, and the Amazon Kindle DX auto-rotates the screen as you turn the Kindle on its side. For me, this is the biggiest issue I consider when I go to buy an ebook reader.