Gadgetbuyer

I recently got a PRS-600 model e-ink reader from Sony. It's the 6" touch model and replaces my older e-ink reader. I have a family full of readers who like technology so among us there are Kindles, iPads, B&N Nook, NookColor and Sony readers. It's hard to say which is the best but if you like an easy-to-use electronic ink device the Sony Touch is very good. I'll offer some pros and cons based on my experience with the devices.

My first electronic reader was a PDA, the Tapwave Zodiac. It had a good LCD screen and I learned to enjoy reading even though the screen was slightly bigger than the screen on an iPod Touch. Reading on an LCD screen isn't for everyone as some people have difficulty reading on one for very long but I appreciate the backlight which lets me read at night or in dim lighting without a separate light source. I also like reading on the iPod Touch and it's small enough to have with me everywhere.

The Sony Touch is larger and won't fit into anything smaller than a jacket pocket and it has no backlight so you need a clip-on light or other external source at times. The reading experience is very similar to a paper and ink book even though it's not the latest generation of e-ink. The touchscreen is resistive and not as responsive as I like so sometimes I have to swipe it two or three times to turn a page. On many touch devices you just touch the side of the screen to turn a page, the right side to go forward and the left to go back. The Touch requires a swipe instead so a good screen protector is essential though it does reduce the sensitivity of the touchscreen slightly.

The battery life is another big selling point for e-ink devices and the Touch is very good. It has never been as long as Sony claims but it's still more than enough to read even a good-sized book and I'm never that far away from an AC outlet. If you compare this to an LCD device the Sony wins easily as few LCD screens will let you read for more than 5 or 6 hours without a charge. If you compare it to traditional books on paper the Sony is a draw. You don't get quite the same sensation as you do with a book and if you lose or drop a book your loss is minimal compared to a fragile electronic device. But you can carry hundreds or even thousands of books with you if you want and thousands of books are available for free which is a huge benefit to the Sony and similar devices.

Compared to the Nook - I prefer the Sony. Against the Kindle it's a tie with all but the latest edition which has a better screen than the Sony. It's harder to compare the Sony to any iPod since they're multi-functional and the Sony only does one thing well but the battery life and reading experience is better on the Sony.

The iPad wins since it's got good resolution, color and a better touch design but it's much heavier and larger than the Sony so holding it in your hands to read a book quickly becomes a chore for most people. If you like to read comic books, magazines or newspapers the iPad is the clear winner.

The NookColor is much the same, heavier and with less battery life but it will let you do a lot more than read books. It does have a capacitive touchscreen and runs the Android OS so it is even more useful in some ways than the iPad since you can easily add micro-SC memory cards and swap them out as needed.

The Kindle is a great reader but if you don't need a keyboard you get one anyway which to me is a drawback as it makes the reader larger than it would be otherwise.

When matched against the other Sony readers I've tried I prefer the touchscreen but it's a close contest and the Sony 300 is even more portable than the Touch.