Best Ebook Readers

Amazon Kindle $279 (£175)

Amazon is making its reader available for export to UK customers from October 19. Its 6in display is the best E Ink screen on test, capable of showing images that look like photographs. It’s the easiest reader to use too, thanks to a mobile-phone connection that lets you download digital books, magazines and newspapers from Amazon without a computer. The UK’s Kindle lacks the wider web access of the US version, but Amazon says it will soon be upgraded for browsing selected sites such as Wikipedia.

Verdict Simple to use — but you can buy books only from the US, and must pay shipping and import costs on the Kindle, a total of about $65 (£41). Amazon promises more UK-centric services “in the coming weeks and months”. Hold off buying until this happens.

Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-600 £250

The slim, all-metal Sony is the first E Ink reader with a touchscreen, letting you flip pages naturally and add handwritten notes to books with a small stylus. The screen is very easy to read, with attractive fonts and the ability to resize images. It works well with PDF files, and playback of MP3 tunes is slick. Like the Kindle, you can search books for specific words or look them up in a dictionary. Unlike the Kindle you can’t download books direct to the device, but must connect it to a PC, which is fiddly.

Verdict Superb value and easy to use but lacks the Kindle’s online access.

Cool-er £190

The Cool-er looks like the sort of ebook reader that Apple might make if it had only a quarter of its usual budget. The plastic housing feels cheap, with controls that are too small and no full-size page-turn buttons. Choosing pages or searching for words is painfully sluggish without a keyboard, and the (very average) MP3 playback requires an easily lost adaptor for use with normal headphones. Otherwise, the Cool-er is similar to the Elonex reader, except that it is flimsier, pricier and slower to respond. The screen is less distinct and lacks contrast.

Verdict A little too rough and ready.

Ebook Readers

The main advantages of electronic books are convenience and choice. You can carry an entire library of eBooks with you and pick and read any from them at any moment. Most advanced ebook readers, like Amazon wireless reader, allow you to download books anywhere and anytime. However, many depend on what reading device you use for reading. The selection of e-book reader that best suits your needs can be a quite difficult task. The below table compares the best ebook readers available at the market and intended to help you with to make right choice.