Used Palm
Ebook readers are becoming available from a number of manufacturers and in various formats for PC, mobile phones and PDA systems. Two of the more popular ebook readers are the Amazon Kindle and the Sony although competition is heating up, largely because of Amazon’s failure to dominate their niche by failing to offer the Kindle to the UK and Europe until sales started on October 19, 2009. That policy has enabled competitors to be knocking on Amazon’s door as genuine competitors.
Sony offers the PDF format PRS-505 and the ebook reader PRS-700, both smaller than the Kindle. Nevertheless, many prefer the Sony devices that are good to handle and very easy to use, and where Amazon once scored with the large range of titles they could offer, Sony is beginning to compete.
PRS users can upload directories of public domain books, offering them virtually free libraries, and also have access to the Google e-books libraries. Add to that the increasing range of books being added by Sony, and the Sony PRS now has a lot of titles to offer which makes its lower price look very attractive, and Google e-books has corrected its one-time weakness in technical books.
There is a large price difference between Sony and Amazon, with the Amazon products priced at least $100 above the Sony offerings. Although the choice would seem to be between these two, others are now becoming more popular, and the Cool-er is starting to interest many users due to its relatively low price. Retailing at $250, it is available cheaper from some online outlets, and the price more than compensates for its lack of wireless. For listening to, it offers MP3 capability from an SD card – far superior to the Kindle text to speech robotic type of sound.
However, although it is significantly less expensive than the Kindle, the Cool-er is only around $50 less than the Sony, so if $50 isn’t important to you the Sony is the better by far due to its better looks and ease of use. An additional setback for the Cool-er is that its books can be expensive to download in comparison to others. Though, as it was noted in the article “Cool-er: Intuitive Marketing or Blatant Copying”, it was marketed as being compatible with all eBook formats, and could operate with books from any store using the ePUB format, including its own eBook store that also permits its books to be shared (Digital Book Readers). The Kindle also wins hands down on battery life over these other two.
There is more competition to the Kindle than that however, and not only because of the Sony being the #1 eReader in Europe. The iRex iLiad and Hanlin are also assuming greater popularity on price. The iRex supports html, PDF, text and MOBI formats among others while the Hanlin is the ideal choice if you require an ebook reader with a wide range of file formats -17 in all, plus 5 graphics formats and MP3.
However, if the range of formats is important, BeBook offers 25! Capable with Mac and PC computers, it has an SD memory slot, stores around 1000 books and can play MP3 files. BeBook also comes loaded with 150 classic book titles, and the BeBook library offers around 20,000 downloads. Its main problem is the price, at only $30 less than the Sony, and what it offers does not warrant choosing that unless you need all these file formats. The Sony is technically and aesthetically superior.
There is more serious competition to all of these on the horizon, however. Mobile devices are increasingly being used as eReaders. Apple offers a free application to enable the iPhone to be used as an eReader. It is compatible with Kindle, and also others such as Clickwheel Comic Reader, eReader and Stanza. Of these the Stanza is the general ebook reader, and can compete with Kindle as an iPhone reader although it has been purchased by Amazon so its future is insecure.
The iPhone is not the only cell phone from which eBooks can be read, however, and you can use any smart phone, or even a PDA to read books. BlackBerry can be used with Mobipocket’s mobile format and eReader for Symbian smartphones is on free download, compatible with many Nokia models and some Sony-Ericsson models. Windows Mobile eReader is available free for the Windows Mobile Smartphone and their PocketPC, and the same is true for the Palm OS eReader. So smart phone and Palm computer users have the option of eReaders free of charge, and these are perfectly serviceable. They are obviously unsuited to serious reading but are perfect for traveling, and for use on planes, trains and in cars (as a passenger of course!).
If you own one of the small lightweight netbooks, you can also use that as an ebook reader – in fact these are getting so small that they may shortly be very serious competitors to eReaders such as those currently offered by Kindle or Sony. A small fully functional and featured computer that doubles as an ebook reader could definitely seriously harm the dedicated products, assuming that users also had a requirement for the small notebooks.
In conclusion, Kindle is still the top dog for range of features if not looks, with the Sony not too far behind because of its price. What is becoming evident is that cell phones are a good enough size of reader for some (because they cost nothing), and that the increasing size-reduction of ‘laptop’ PCs is rendering these a serious competitor to the dedicated eReaders.
Marco Gustafsson is author of articles on eBook Readers, e-inc technology and electronic books. Visit Digital Book Readers to find more information and discover new dimension of reading.
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Announcement Cards Palm Beach White Pkg 10 $5.65 Perfect size for formal business announcements, invitations and thank you’s. Ideal for matching with Strathmore standard size Blank Greeting Cards for R.S.V.P. Can be used with pen, pencil, charcoal, paste, light washes, silkscreen, crayon, wood block, stamp prints and rubbings…. |
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Pantone Original Swatch 17-0839 Golden Palm $4.95 Actual 4×4 inch cotton fabric swatches of individual Pantone fabric colors. Each dyed cloth square is individually mounted on a specifier page. Used by fashion designers and interior decorators to effectively communicate with clients and vendors. The swatch illustrated may not be representative of this swatch’s color…. |
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Pantone Smart Swatch 15-0535 Palm $8.75 Actual 4×8 inch cotton fabric swatches of individual Pantone Fashion and Home textile system colors. Each dyed cloth piece is folded back on itself to make a 4×4 inch two-ply presentation in a hermetically sealed UV protective envelope. Used by fashion designers and interior decorators to effectively communicate with clients and vendors. The swatch illustrated here may not be representative of swa… |
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Palm Treo 680 RB PDA GSM Smart Cell Phone (Refurbished) $143.49 Palm Treo 680 is a great gift for the business person in your lifeCell phone boasts ease of use, large software library and powerful functionalityElectronic device also acts a planner and organizer |
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Palm Treo 650/ 700/ 680/ 750 Original Data Cable $6.99 Transfer data and charge your phone simultaneously with this Palm data cable. The data cable can be used to synchronize your phone with phonebook contacts, emails, appointments and more. |
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Tropical Palm Wheat Large Outdoor Floor Pillow $23.99 Large pillow is at home on your living room floor, or outside on the patioThrow pillow may also be used as a decorative accessory for your couchBright colors and delightful design on pillow are sure to complement any home decor |
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Tropical Palm Black Large Outdoor Floor Pillow $26.49 Large pillow is at home on your living room floor, or outside on the patioThrow pillow may also be used as a decorative accessory for your couchBright colors and delightful design on pillow are sure to complement any home decor |
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Set of 4 Palm Leaf Round Baskets (Bangladesh) $31.99 This colorful set of four baskets is handcrafted of palm leaf in Bangladesh. The baskets come in four different sizes so they can be stored within each other when not in use. |
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Palm Pre 2000 mAh Extended Battery and Battery Door $27.99 Replace your used battery or keep a spare handy with a Palm Pre extended batteryCell phone accessory has an large 2000 mAh capacityLong-lasting extended battery also comes with a replacement battery door to accommodate its size |
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Nature’s Call Palm Leaf Basket (Indonesia) $30.49 Weaving tradition with the grace of innovation, Desak Putu Rai creates this alluring basketInspired by those once used to make offerings to the godsPutu Rai dyes the palm leaves with clay to achieve a brown, earthen color |
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Palm Pre 4-piece Accessory Kit $6.99 This Palm Pre combo includes a black silicone skin case, screen protector, car charger and USB data cable. This cell phone accessory kit keeps your phone safe, protected and always ready to be used. |
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Stately Palm by Mindeli Stretched Canvas Art Set $193.49 Add contemporary design to your home or office decorCanvas art titled Stately PalmMindeli’s rich use of earth tones harmonizes with textures to create a highly stylized piece of art |
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Car Charger for Palm Treo 650 / 700 / 750v $3.26 Charge your cell phone when you’re on the road Use the time you spend in your car to make sure that your phone is ready to goCar charger plugs into your car’s cigarette lighter and charges your phone while you’re driving |
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Palm Leaf Black Rug (1′11 x 7′6) $31.99 Showcasing shades of grey, black and ivory, the Palm Leaf rug is the perfect addition to any decor. This flatwoven rug is constructed of UV-stabilized polypropylene fibers to make this rug ideal for both indoor and outdoor use. |
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Karess Krafters Tea Tree and Neem Handmade Soap $8.99 The blend of Neem oil and tea tree gives this soap an aroma of its own class. The two combined oils make a magnificent bar of handmade soap that can be used all over. |
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Microsoft Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000 Keyboard and Mouse $38.49 Mouse with Tilt wheel has BlueTrack technologyCompact wireless keyboard with Quiet-Touch keys and a large palm rest for comfortable use |
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K. Denis Classic Palm Stretched Canvas Art Set $51.99 Kathleen Denis uses earth tones to harmonize texture resulting in a highly stylized piece of artSet includes Classic Palm I and Classic Palm IIIndividually handcrafted and recreated in amazing detail |
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Small #1 Zulu Herb Basket (South Africa) $12.89 Spice up your home decor with an exotic small basket from South AfricaDecorative accessory in the shape of an Ukhamba or beer basketBulb-shaped basket with a lid is traditionally used to store the local brew |
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AC USB Charger with Two USB Slots $8.49 Perfect accessory for traveling, pint-size charger fits in the palm of your hand Powers two USB devices simultaneously without using a computer Simply plug charger into any AC outlet and your USB cord into the charger |
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How to Use Automotive Diagnostic Scanners (Paperback) $21.64 From hand-held, dedicated units to software that turns PCs and Palm Pilots into powerful diagnostic scanners, auto enthusiasts today have … |
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Karess Krafters Handmade Cranberry Spice Soap $8.99 The Cranberry Spice handcrafted soap has a beautiful fragrance that is ideal for getting you into a cozy mood. You will smell amazing and your skin will be luxuriously pampered after using this bar of soap. |
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Karess Krafters Hemp Lip Balm (Pack of 12) $21.99 The use of this Hemp Lip Balm from Karess Krafters will keep your lips healthy, luscious and protected from the harsh environmental elements. Hemp Lip Balm is, by far, the perfect prescription for dry and chapped lips and lip lusciousness. |
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Karess Krafters Hemp Lip Balm (Pack of 3) $12.5 The use of this Hemp Lip Balm from Karess Krafters will keep your lips healthy, luscious and protected from the harsh environmental elements. Hemp Lip Balm is, by far, the perfect prescription for dry and chapped lips and lip lusciousness. |