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Thread: Ebook reader advice

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    Bonnet mounted gunsight megah0's Avatar
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    Ebook reader advice

    My dad works overseas for much of the year and has decided he wants an ebook reader to battle the boredom that inevitably arises. (he is in the middle of nowhere in the middle east)

    He wants to spend a maximum of £150 but can't decide what to get or whether he would be better off with a netbook instead?.

    Has anyone got one of these devices? Can someone suggest something suitable, I've seen the Sony E-Reader PRS-505/SC at play which is in budget but is there anything better out there?

    Cheers
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    Re: Ebook reader advice

    Personally, if the objective was to read books, I'd say the ebook reader was by far the better bet, because of the screen technology. If he wants a generic machine for web browsing, maybe a few simple games, doing his email and basic office apps, then a netbook, or a full laptop, is a better bet, depending on precisely what his needs are.

    As for which one, I'm not the right person to advise as I think they all have sufficient compromises that right now, none interest me much.

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    Re: Ebook reader advice

    Does he really want to read, or would he like audible books he can listen to on an mp3 player.

    Audible has a huge number of books, from fiction to fact to learning. And they vary in length, I've had books upto 33 hours.

    http://www.audible.co.uk/aduk/site/i...cekjdfikdfij.0

    Make sure he checks that his player is compatable, most are (but not Sony, for some reason).

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    Re: Ebook reader advice

    Quote Originally Posted by vinnyT View Post
    .....

    Make sure he checks that his player is compatable, most are (but not Sony, for some reason).
    If Sony are acting in character, it's probably wither done to tight DRM or proprietary file formats. They have something of a track record (excuse pun ) with this type of thing, over the years. Having said that, it's just a guess as I haven't checked out the Sony reader that closely.

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    Re: Ebook reader advice

    He wants to read, he cannot concentrate on audiobooks.
    Recycling consultant

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    Re: Ebook reader advice

    There is the amazon Kindle
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...Brw_absolute=y

    but in all honesty I've no idea which are best
    And as for thoes intrested in audio books my starting places are
    http://librivox.org/newcatalog/
    http://www.podiobooks.com/index.php

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    Re: Ebook reader advice

    Kindle is no use outside of the US though is it?

    I've wanted one for ages but not until they bring it over here.

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    Re: Ebook reader advice

    Indeed, kindle is only available in the states and is double the budget anyway.

    The sony one looks the best bet so far then
    Recycling consultant

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    Re: Ebook reader advice

    Might be worth waiting to see if this is any good...

    http://www.plasticlogic.com/

    No word on price or release date yet though AFAIK.
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    Re: Ebook reader advice

    Well in the end we went for the Sony reader from play for £149.99 plus a 16GB SDHC card.

    He isn't back for a few weeks so I'll be "testing" it, will report back
    Recycling consultant

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