Starting with advantages, we have to bow to the practicability of ebook readers compared to the classic books. Think about the fact that they usually weigh less than a book and are easier to carry around, while in the same time a regular ebook reader can store hundreds of titles. In addition, you can have any book you have by downloading it in about a minute, usually at better prices and without having to make a walk to the library. And in case you use the same ebook reader for several years, it will even represent a “greener” solution for reading.

However, you must be aware that there are some disadvantages that have to be taken in to consideration. First of all, the initial investment made in an ebook reader is considerable: around 300 US Dollars. Then, there is the fact that there are still a lot of persons reticent in using them, meaning that you can’t trade or borrow books from your friends. In addition, schools are not yet interested in using ebook readers on a large scale and this would be a place where serious economy on paper can be made. In addition, using ebooks means that you won’t be able to have a nice looking library in one of your rooms, filled with quality titles.

Although at the moment ebook readers like the Amazon Kindle were launched some environmentalists claimed that they cannot represent a “greener” alternative to printed books because a lot of carbon dioxide was going to be used in the whole producing process, it seems that things are not like this at all. A recent scientific study revealed that using an ebook reader for a long period and for reading a reasonable number of books can result in a serious drop of produced carbon dioxide. For example, judging after official figures it seems that using a Kindle for his estimated lifetime of four years and reading three books per month, will save more than a ton of carbon dioxide compared to reading the same number of books in the same period but using the printed version.

Unfortunately you can’t think of an ebook reader as a 100 percent cleaner alternative to printed books because there are several components that do a lot of harm to the environment and the main one is the battery pack. However, if you keep in mind that only in the United States 120 million trees are cut every year just for producing paper for books, magazines and newspapers, using an ebook reader can really seem an environmentally friendly solution.

With the help of a revolutionary application called Stanza, you can turn your own iPhone in to an ebook reader capable of being a match for the expensive dedicated devices like the Amazon Kindle and the Sony readers. Of course, you won’t benefit from the electronic paper display technology that grants you hours of relaxant reading and up to two weeks of battery life in continuous use, but think about the fact that the iPhone comes with a color display capable of showing high resolution images. With the help of this wonderful application, which by the way is completely free, you can forget about carrying around books that can weigh quite a lot, or a dedicated ebook reader. It is now all on your iPhone.

The application is extremely easy to use and takes full advantage of the precise iPhone touch display, so turning pages or scrolling will be a lot easier even when you compare with dedicated devices. Books can be downloaded directly in to your iPhone from a collection of more than 100,000 titles. Impressive isn’t it? And when you think that you can turn your iPhone in to a proper ebook reader for free, it gets even better.

Starting with the construction, it is pretty obvious that the two are quite similar. However, despite the display that has the same dimensions, the Sony reader is smaller and weighs less compared to the Kindle 2, meaning that is easier to carry around. In addition, we reckon that the Sony also looks much better.

When it comes to comparing the displays, we have to start by telling you that they are the same size and both are very good. Reading a book or a newspaper becomes a pleasure for your eyes because of the electronic ink technology. However, the Kindle 2 has a better contrast which can be helpful in many situations. On the other hand, the touch screen display that comes with the Sony reader is a brilliant addition that has to be taken in to consideration.

Because we compare two ebook readers, we also need to talk about the books. Here is where the Amazon product gains advantage. The impressive WhisperNet and the fact that books can be downloaded in less than a minute are of great importance.

Sony Reader Touch lacks wireless internet connectivity, and depends on the touch screen for impressing the potential clients. On the other hand, the Amazon Kindle 2 comes with a classic keyboard that doesn’t improve functionality in any way.

When it comes to battery life, things are pretty similar, both provide about two weeks of continuous use which is more than enough if you would ask us.

The Kindle 2 comes with 2 GB of internal memory, but with no card slot, while the Sony Reader Touch has only 512 MB of internal memory, but it can be upgraded up to 16 GB by using a card.

Finally, the Amazon Kindle 2 comes with a smaller price of just 259 US dollars, which is a great deal judging after its internet capabilities. On the other hand, the Sony Reader Touch costs 299 US dollars but provides an interesting touch screen.

We decided to stop and take a look at the Sony Reader Touch Edition or the PRS-600 as it is better known. The main weapon of the PRS-600 in its battle with the rest of the competitors is the 6 inches touch display with 8 levels grayscale and 800x600 pixels resolution that is extremely easy to use and provides a great reading experience. This model is also comfortable to use and carry around because it is only 0.4 inches thin and weighs around 10 ounces. In our tests, performance proved to be very good, without any problems in page turning and scrolling. While some readers have problems when it comes to battery, Sony has fitted one that lasts even for two weeks of continuous reading, which in our opinion is exceptional.

The internal memory is limited to just 512 MB, but this should not represent a problem because it can be increased with the help of memory card slots that support both SD cards and Memory Stick Pro Duo. The price is also great in our opinion, at just around 299 US dollars, more than reasonable for a qualitative and easy to use reader like this one. 

After the large scale success recorded with the original Kindle, Amazon released the second generation in February 2009. Compared to the first device from the family, the Kindle 2 came with a 16 level grayscale display compared to only 4, a much improved battery life and better performance. Of course, the dimensions were greatly reduced so that the Kindle 2 is way easier to use. In addition, we consider that the truly revolutionary addition is represented by the “text to speech” function that can be of great use for a lot of persons. The original Kindle came with a storage capacity of only 256 MB and a SD memory card slot, which was considered enough by the large majority of users. However, the producer increased the internal memory for the Kindle 2 up to 2 GB, but instead dropped the sometimes useful SD card slot.

When it was launched, the Amazon Kindle 2 was priced at $359, but as the Kindle DX was released, the price continued to drop and you can now purchase one at a great price of only $259. And in case you are not from the United States, be advised that an international version of the Kindle 2 was launched in October 2009.