An E-book reader, or E-reader as they are more commonly known, is an electronic device on which, E-books can be read. When the term E-reader is used it is mainly referring to the portable device, that uses electronic paper, however E-books can be read on computers or phones. E-readers use technology referred to as electronic paper (e-paper) and electronic ink (e-ink), and when this is used, the E-reader has an extended battery life and the screen is more clearly read in sunlight than on computers or phones, not to mention you won’t be interrupted by emails or messages. At the moment we’ll just focus on the specialized E-reader. There are so many colours, styles, accessories and programs that before you go looking for one, it’s good to compare different brands, so that you don’t get overwhelmed.

While there are hundreds of E-readers on the market, several brands and companies are better known than others, at this time. Like the Amazon Kindle, currently the most popular E-reader available, its size and its speed are what makes it so attractive, not to mention the host of accessories you can buy for it. This is closely followed by the BeBook and the Sony Reader; while the BeBook lacks dedicated content service it has massive storage capabilities and a great design, the Sony Reader is superior in its portability, light and comfortable, easier to hold for longer periods of time. Let’s not forget the Barnes & Noble E-reader, with fast Wi-Fi connection making downloading E-books much easier. Not all these are the answer to your E-book reading though with other companies making it almost as easy to read on your laptop or phone.

There are many features to take into account when considering an E-reader, such as the screen; its size, its type, how many pixels. Or the other options like, keyboard, touch screen, colour, storage and size and weight. If you want to read with a little more focus and magnify the words, you may want to have a greater amount of pixels, or if you want an E-reader that will be easier to carry around, you would choose a light-weight pocket sized model with a greater battery life. No matter what your needs there is an E-reader for every kind of person and every kind of reading style.

Now this is where things are a little more technical, each E-reader comes with a different Operating System, and each system may only use certain types of format. The main Operating Systems (OSs) are Android, Linux and Windows CE. Google Android gives it’s users access to thousands of Google digitalized books, and can use the Android Apps and Android is the most common Operating System. The second most popular OS is the Linux and this is the OS used by the Amazon Kindle E-reader and is most appreciated for its connectivity worldwide, and for its ‘no charge’ policy when downloading E-books. While Windows is not the number one player it still has plenty going for it, given the ease with which it connects with Windows Vista/7 and the fact that it is the main OS for Sony E-readers.

These are your main concerns for researching an E-reader, don’t spend hundreds on a super long battery life if you’re going to leave it at home, or on huge amounts of storage if you read about two books a week. I hope I have helped you out when it comes to all the problems of finding the right E-reader for you. Thanks for reading!