I just purchased the Sony prs-600 ebook reader, and prior to that my reader was the gemstar 1100, and prior to that it was the Original Nuvo Media Rocket ebook.

This is is just *ok*, I mean it's larger screened, aka bulkier. And at $400, get real, I had a hard enough time justifying to myself spending $300 on the 6in Sony touch screen reader. The thing all these companys fail to realise is, they arn't overly ergodynamic to hold. And 3g connectivity, whoopee-do, big deal. Anyone dumb enough to store only 1 ebook on the thing deserves to run out of reading material. Ebook readers should fall into 1 of 2 categorys, 1. Reading for pleasure which means it should be relatively inexpensive, and 2. School/business orientated, where price would be lesser of an object. And as Wonderful as e-Ink is supposed to be, come on guys get a grip people who read, really need a convenient way to read in bed, With The Light Off, some of us are married you know, and don't want to wake up our spouses.

For reading for fun:
Yea the 6inch Sony reader is about the right size, it can display more text per screen that you would get on a soft cover book. It's nice and thin, and not overly heavy, And has just enough text/hand writing ability to make it cool, if you suddenly have a brain storm, and want to leave yourself a quick note. Mine can turn pages with a touch, but when your snuggled down in bed (with a fracking head light on so you can see the screen) you might prefer using the buttons to turn the page, which are unfortunatly are very thin, and not comfortable to get at with your thumb. And what twit decided to shove the ear phone outlet on the BOTTOM of the book???? But still even with the issues I have with the Sony, i'd still prefer it over this Irex model.

(Don't even get me started on the kindle)

As for option 2, School and Business
Actually make the screen a little bigger, maybe even a 9in screen. Ability to read at night might not be as big a deal in this case since it would more likely be used in a classroom/office, home office setting. And, the 3g actually makes sense, at least from a business point of view, where you can D/L the latest copy of the wallstreet journal (etc et al). And maybe a usb port on the side for a REAL usable keyboard, since it would be more designed for School notes/business needs. Yet, don't dump handwriting notes either.

The best thing about the Sony AND the Irex is they both support the ePUB format. It's about time they started to standardize formats, or these ebooks will Never really get off the ground.

ok, i'll get off my soapbox now. And I'm sure later I'll read other peoples views that totally conflict with mine and generally think i'm nuts.

I actually like the look of this device but if the cost were around $300 instead of $400, it would have made a dent in Kindle sales. Anything that's priced over $300 will have a hard time selling just because the Kindle is so popular. Price will be a huge factor in people buying these devices. http://ZiggyTek.com/

I have the PRS550 and I love it. Never have tried anything else, so I can't say.

As far as features, all an ebook needs is:

1) E-INK - this is essential. the high constrast is a must to keep from getting a headache during long reading sessions. Color Ebooks should not even be considered. If you're going that route, put more power into it and turn it into a tablet pc.

2) Audio ONLY if it has text to speech capalities for the deaf, I don't need an mp3 player or music on my E-Book. That being said, the audio jack is on the bottom, so you dont have a cord hanging down in your display.

3) THAT'S IT!! NO MORE FRILLS.. maybe a memory card slot. no internet conectivity.. keep the price down.

I think an E-Book is a wonderful think to have to keep bulk down when travelling with multiple books and to be able to read sci-fi in public without all of your cool friends.
asking/bugging you about it :P

my 2 cents.

Funny thing I found at a thrift store today was a old ps2 style connected sketch tablet, and it is darn near a identical match to this.

"2) Audio ONLY if it has text to speech capalities for the deaf, I don't need an mp3 player or music on my E-Book. That being said, the audio jack is on the bottom, so you dont have a cord hanging down in your display."

If they are deaf they don't need audio lol

Thanks mike :P You knew what I meant, I'm sure ;)

I'm not fussed about internet connectivity. I would however, like an eBook Reader to become a replacement for notepads and diaries and the like. Nothing has really achieved that in the technology world, unless you spend £800 on a tablet PC, but even then the experience is not great.

All that's needed is some good note-taking software and some way of keeping it all organised. Perhaps some PIM syncing too.

Too high a price ($449.99 at Best Buy for about 5 hours), too few features, and too many promises for features in the future. My vote - Not yet ready for prime time.