What is the best e-reader?

[[deleted user]]

I have an ereader but am forced to read paper and ink which I really don't mind as I prefer it. The problem exists with the availability of ebooks. There are a lot of regional restrictions which mean I'm unable to obtain the books I want to read. eg Animal Dreams the book I'm currently reading is available to US customers in ebook format but not Australians. Frustrating.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

That would be irritating.

[Jim]

It would be frustrating, why would e books have limited circulation?

[Phil]

I've decided that my e-reader will primarily be used for those books that aren't "serious" reads, or don't require the heft and feel of a real book to complement the experience.

For example, I'm reading a sci-fi trilogy on the e-reader now. It's perfect because I can carry the entire trilogy at once, and the story does not suffer by the frequent page turns. The Conn Iggulden books on Genghis Khan, however, are a more majestic read, and require more concentration than I can give the small screen.

[Michael]

The screen size doesn't bother me because the reading area is about the same as any mass market paperback and turning the page (at least on the color Nook) is a simple tap. I realized one of the nicest things about an ereader earlier this week when I picked up a copy of The Source at Borders and the type was so small, and printed so darkly and I literally couldn't read it. On an ereader that wouldn't be a problem. As to the LCD issue, I was also worried about that at first, but the color Nook's screen has some type of glare reduction on it which makes it a lot easier to look at than a regular computer monitor. And the color of the type and the background can be changed to make reading easier.

[Phil]

Barb, if that is your concern, stay away from Kindle.

[Sarah]

I guess I'm waiting til there's no tradeoff and certain things are a given: the ability to take out library books, easy on the eyes, good battery life, multiple formats.

[Sarah]

I'm feeling my first ever pangs of wanting such a thing, and it's really only because of one book. There's a book I'm reading on my desktop as a PDF because my family has multiple copies of it in Toronto and I refuse to buy another. My library doesn't have it either, but the publisher was offering it for free download, only I don't have anything to download it to, so I'm reading it as a 60 page PDF, which is the stupidest thing ever. But if I had a $100 e-reader then I wouldn't have to spend the $8 for my family's 3rd copy of the paperback. It makes perfect sense to me.