I already own a Sony PRS-500 (the first one released in the US, and yes, it pre-dates the Kindle) and it and I have a tortured relationship. It does what it does but compared to newer models, the first-gen eInk is looking pretty faded.
Earlier today, in a local Bed Bath & Beyond I noticed a display of two different, dare I say, “off brand”, eReaders. The more interesting, to me, of the two was the Sharper Image Literati. It had a 7” color LCD screen, WiFi, and a keyboard. The most interesting part was the fact that I could have been mine for the low low price of just $79.99 after rebate. Now that got my attention. The associated store for this eReader is Kobo which means it supports ePub and therefore should support library eBooks from Overdrive.
Like I said, for that price I was sorely tempted but after what I spent on some limited edition codices(one of which is for sale on Amazon.com right now) the night before at Half Price Books, my budget for the week was tapped out.
Michael Sauers is the Director of Logan Library in Logan, UT. Prior to this he was one of the founding staff and Technology Manager for Do Space in Omaha, NE. After earning his MLS in 1995 from the University at Albany's School of Information Science and Policy Michael spent his first 20 years as a librarian training other librarians in technology along with time as a public library trustee, a bookstore manager for a library friends group, a reference librarian, a technology consultant, and a bookseller. He has written dozens of articles for various journals and magazines and has published 14 books ranging from library technology, blogging, Web design, and an index to a popular horror magazine. In his spare time, he blogs at TravelinLibrarian.info, runs The Collector's Guide to Dean Koontz website at CollectingKoontz.com, takes many, many photos, and typically reads more than 100 books a year.
Unless otherwise stated, all opinions are my own and are not to be considered those of the City of Logan, UT.
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I already own a Sony PRS-500 (the first one released in the US, and yes, it pre-dates the Kindle) and it and I have a tortured relationship. It does what it does but compared to newer models, the first-gen eInk is looking pretty faded.