krumpit

I have been using my eBook reader for about two months now, and, as some of you expressed an interest, I thought I’d write a little about my experience. I’ll try and point out a few features that weren’t obvious to me before buying an eReader.

The specifics: my eReader is a Sony Reader PRS-350. I use it for just under an hour a day. I’m very fond of it, but still haven’t given it a name – shame on me!

Above: a size comparison, and a classic one-handed pose.

The Good

Small form factor

The size of the Sony Reader, with its touch screen and no keyboard, was a large part of the reason why I chose it over other brands. The touch screen means the buttons are small and minimal, unlike those of some other eReaders (such as the Kobo). With a laptop and iPhone for my portable internet needs, using it for email and browsing wasn’t a priority for me, and therefore an eReader with a keyboard (such as the Kindle 3G) wasn’t a requirement. Overall, the Sony Reader is amazingly small, slim and light – it’s no heavier than my iPhone, and slips easily into my handbag.

This portability means I can take out my eReader for a quick read while waiting for a takeaway coffee. Reading while waiting feels much more casual than iPhone gaming, which was my previous “while waiting” entertainment. With the iPhone, I always felt rushed to launch a game, and it was a pain having to split my attention – to be ready to react to whatever I was waiting for – when most games are based on timing and visual cues.

The lightness and the design of the Sony Reader helps out here, too. I can easily hold it in one hand, and the buttons are positioned so I can easily push the page turn buttons with my thumb. It feels natural and comfortable.

Travelling

This is probably a more obvious benefit of an eReader, but I still felt pretty gleeful when, the first time I packed to go away for a weekend, I realised that I didn’t have the usual dilemma of which book (and how many) to bring, and – this was a concern I hadn’t realised before – where to pack them so they wouldn’t get bent.

The Dictionary

A small perk that took me by surprise was using the built-in Dictionary to learn new words. Now, looking up words in a Dictionary while reading isn’t something I’d normally do, but given it was so easy – double-tapping on a word brings up a definition – I didn’t really have an excuse not to do it.

For added nerdiness, I must admit that I did start highlighting each unknown word (using the editor feature), with the aim of glancing through the list later to see if I remembered them. Ahem. Moving on.

The Bad

Passive information

Two things I really miss are passively knowing how far through the book you are while reading, and passively sharing what you are reading with others.

On my Sony Reader, the current page and total pages are displayed at the bottom of the screen, but figuring out the ratio in your head really isn’t the same as seeing and feeling the weight of paper shift from right to left.

With myself and the boy both embracing ereading, I also miss us being able to know at a glance what book the other is reading. I like sharing books, and the enjoyment of books, and visually displaying what book you are reading is a nice shortcut. We can always talk, but, you know…

Inability to flick around

The one thing that really bugs me is how difficult it is to jump around in a eBook. You can’t easily flick back to the start of a section on a whim, or reference another page.

Referring to maps at the start of the book – a staple for fantasy novels – required bookmarking the page, tapping the custom zoom button, choosing a custom zoom level and dragging a finger around while the E-Ink struggled to keep up. Not very fun.

The Indifferent (your mileage may vary)

eBook prices

I was disappointed and a little surprised by how expensive eBooks still are. I understand that authors and publishers still need to make the same profits, but are the costs of manufacturing and shipping really that negligible? And, if so, why have book prices in Australia always been so extremely high compared to the UK and the US? I’m sure the pricing will improve gradually, but in the mean time… *grumbles*

E-Ink refreshing

E-Ink screens refresh with a split-second, full-screen flash, and I was worried I’d find this very annoying. I’m pleased to say that I barely notice it. The only time I find it annoying is when I scroll around a larger page or image (fantasy maps!).

Unlit screen

I found the non-backlit screen quite strange at first. I kept trying to read in dim light, wondering why the screen seemed so dark. Once I got over the “technology – screen -backlit” association, however, I stopped expecting it and didn’t mind turning on a reading light.

Frequency of page turning

Trying to choose between the Sony Reader PRS-350 and PRS-650 models, I was concerned that I would find the PRS-350′s smaller screen (5″) too small. I’m pleased to say that I really appreciate the small size of the PRS-350 (see above) and that the screen is a very comfortable size. I do need to turn the page more often than a real book, but, as the device is lighter to hold, I think it’s less strenuous overall. (I am amused by the idea of strenuous reading )

Phew! So that is that. I hope some of you might come away convinced to purchase yourselves an eReader. In hindsight, I still think the Sony Reader was a good pick. I would probably also recommend the Kindle 3G for those who want to download new books and do internetty things on the go; the free 3G service seems like amazing value.