So now that you have jumped on the the Ebook Reader bandwagon, and decided the advantages of owning your very own personal portable library, the question is - Which one? Yes,there are tons of new ebook readers coming out on the market. Which ones are really reliable and a cut above the rest? Which ones combine form and function to provide you with the best ebook reader for your personal needs?

Well, despite all the competition out there, I think that it really comes down to being a toss-up between Amazon and Sony. These two companies are the leaders in the ebook reader market... both companies doing exceptionally well due to a combination of brains and brawn, and each company having a selection of ebook readers out there to appeal to certain customers.

AMAZON KINDLE( KINDLE 2 and KINDLE DX):

The Amazon Kindle sparked a worldwide frenzy with the new concept of automatic downloading of books- wherever and whenever.Now, the Amazon kindle is a pretty piece of work with its sleek white packaging, Qwerty keypad, and 16 shades of gray, text-to-voice options, etc, etc... With all that plus the added convenience of an amazing selection of ebooks available from amazon.com, you are getting tons of features included. There as a negative however, that being that if you do not live in the USA, you cannot use Whispernet- the cellphone technology which has been the biggest advantage Amazon has over the Sony. Whispernet essentially allows the owner of the kindle to access and download ebooks, e-articles, e-magazines etc. at any time and any place as long as you are within the the coverage area. It means you can be sitting on the bus and decide you want to read a new book, then browse, purchase and read a book on your Kindle all in a matter of minutes or less. The convenience is legendary. However this extends only throughout the USA, and as of yet is not available elsewhere.

SONY PRS-505 & PRS-700:

Sony has done its best to keep up with the competition with some clever tactics. Although it does not have the Whispernet cellphone technology, Sony has come upwith the new PRS-700 model which is the first touchscreen ebook reader out there. It has 8 shades of gray, and has a touchscreen so you can do notetaking on a virtual keyboard. It also combines built in LED lighting, and a slick packaging with a leather cover,that looks like a real book,with a slightly larger screen and pageturning by merely flicking you finger across the screen in a mimic of a real page-turn on a book. Very inventive, very sleek, and very ahead of the game. The downside of this particular model is that since it is the first of its kind on the market, there is room for improvement.. namely in a better screen quality. With the addition of a touchscreen on top of the e-ink screen, it does slightly change the quality of the reading. But it is a tossup for a person who doesnt mind a slightly lesser quality reading experience but wants the addition of all the other fab features.

The Sony PRS-505 is the older model, yet still they kept selling it even with the addition of the PRS-700. It is a simpler model than the advanced touchscreen version. Yet the screen quality is clear, its function is simple, It LOOKS like a real book with a leather cover, and it (like all the Sony ebook readers) has an array of formats which you can use to read ebooks on it. The Sony is a much more open model than the Amazon Kindle, so if you plan on downloading ebooks from any place other than the Sony Store then this model is for you. Simple yet practical in function, and form.... genius. No wonder Sony stays at the top of the race.

CONCLUSION

Based on the comparison between the best Ebook Readers on the market, it really depends on what works for you. I would definitely choose either a Sony or an Amazon ebook reader from all the rest of the readers out there. Although there are quite a few new Ebook Readers coming onto the market with pretty colours, etc, I still like to go with the tried and true. If you like convenience in your downloading and you live in USA then go for the Kindle. If you like a wider range of formats, and a sleek packaging that looks like an actual book, go for the Sony. So good luck in your buying!