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There are many e-book reader reviews on the Internet right now. You can also find them in magazines and newspapers from time to time. This simply reflects the fact that e-book readers have really taken off – powered, to a large extent, by the release of the Amazon Kindle 2.0 in February of 2009. Today there is a wide variety of e-book readers to choose from and many people are looking for guidance to help them choose the right reader for them.

Many reviews, understandably perhaps, concentrate very strongly on the hardware – the size of the Kindle screen is this, the Sony Daily Edition screen size is that, this reader incorporates touch screen controls, that reader has a wireless connection etc. Which is fine, but if you’re looking for your first e-book reader then the chances are that you will be making a mental comparison between e-books and conventional books rather than between different types of e-book reader.

Firstly, to put your mind at rest, a recently conducted survey of American e-book reader owners found that 80% of them prefer to use their e-book reader rather than to read a traditional book. Based on that type of feedback it doesn’t look as if those who have changed from paper to electronic books are missing the feel of a real book too much. It appears as if manhandling large, paper books is not an attractive prospect for those who already have experience of e-book readers.

The display is one of the key things that you should consider when selecting your e-book reader. Assuming that the main purpose of your e-book reader is to read books, as opposed to surfing the web or watching video, you will certainly want to go for a reader which has an e-ink technology display. These really are very much like reading normal text printed on normal paper – much more so than reading on a backlit computer screen. They also require very much less power and this means you can go for a long time between charges. When you turn the page, the screen will flicker and go black very briefly. This is not a big problem. In the beginning you will notice it because it is something new but, after just a couple of reading sessions, you will be completely unaware of it.

Another important factor to consider is the controls and the ease of use. The controls of the Amazon Kindle for example, are well laid out and easy to use. It’s very easy to operate the Kindle using only one hand, which makes it ideal if you’re sitting propped up in bed or on a crowded train or bus. The Sony reader has touch screen controls – but this comes at the expense of a slightly poorer display as current touch screen technology is not completely transparent and also requires a slightly more reflective screen.

Finally, do not make the mistake of thinking that e-book prices are the same for different readers. A recent survey carried out by the New York Times showed that there were some very significant differences in the price of e-books for different readers. In some cases the difference was so large that someone who reads a book a week could save $300 a year – enough to pay for the e-book reader in other words. Book pricing is very volatile – so be sure to check on the price of e-books for the reader that you are considering buying.

Discover the Amazon Kindle for yourself – and don’t forget to pick up a Kindle cover – it’ll customise and protect your device.

The Amazon Kindle has established itself as the leader of the e-book reader pack. It has a 60% share of the U.S. e-book reader market – Sony’s PRS reader comes second with 35% – and both the Kindle 2.0 and the Kindle DX are now on sale internationally. The fact that almost every new e-book reader which shows the slightest promise is immediately christened the “Kindle Killer” only serves to underline the fact that the Kindle is not only the market leader but the benchmark against which all new readers will be measured.

Given the current dominance of the Kindle, it’s easy to overlook the fact that it is a very recent addition to the e-book reader scene. The eBookman, by Franklin, was launched in 1999 – over a decade ago. Sony’s PRS reader launched in 2006. The original Kindle wasn’t released until November 2007. February 2009 saw the upgraded Kindle 2.0 released and the larger DX followed in June on the same year.

Meanwhile, Amazon’s competitors have been busy. Sony’s Daily Edition reader and the Nook from Barnes and Noble were launched just before Christmas. The new Apple iPad is also perceived as a threat to the Kindle by many industry watchers. There are numerous other e-book readers available now, and many of the newer ones include features which are absent in the current Kindle version – color screen, touch screen control functionality etc.

How will Amazon respond? Thus far, apart from some firmware updates, Amazon’s main response to higher levels of competition has been to cut the price of the Kindle 2.0 by $ 100 to $ 259. However, there are rumors aplenty that the next Kindle version will be released in the first six months of 2010. Which prompts the question – what enhancements will the new Kindle incorporate?

One of the key factors in the success of the Kindle to date is the fact that it provides a great user experience. It’s very easy to use with one hand, the controls are excellent and the e-ink display is easy to read in a wide range of different lighting conditions. In a way, it would be something of a shame if Amazon were to follow the course of Sony’s Daily Edition reader by introducing touch screen functionality. If your main intent is simply to read books then this may not be regarded as a huge advance. If anything, one handed operation will become more difficult and, because touch screens have a more reflective surface, it may be harder to read in certain lighting conditions.

A color display would definitely be good – but not if it were done in the same way that Barnes and Noble included it in the Nook – which features color in the navigation menu only with the main reader display still being monochrome. In fact, a monochrome display is not a huge disadvantage for most readers – after all, 90% of the books we read consist of black text printed on white paper.

What Amazon may decide to do, and what they have done better than all of their competitors to date, is to provide a superior user experience. Instead of concentrating on gimmicky hardware enhancements, Amazon may decide to introduce options which will be genuinely useful for their customers. Faster page turns with less screen flicker and prolonged battery life may be enhancements which users would find desirable. Similarly, greater choice of e-books, quicker downloads and the potential to share Kindle books may be more important to some users than major hardware mods.

Amazon has assumed the position of market leader due to their ability to meet customer needs. Unsurprisingly they understand what people who read books actually want. As a result, the Kindle is now their number one selling product and, so far, they have not just led the market but pretty well defined it. The next iteration of the Kindle will show exactly which way the market will develop in future. On the balance of probabilities, it seems likely that Amazon will continue to lead the e-book reader market, not follow.

Have a look at the Amazon Kindle reader – and the wide range Kindle accessories available to help you customise and enhance it.

There are plenty of reviews on Amazon’s Kindle reader available right now. It’s way ahead of the other e-book readers available right now, and is very much the “must have” gadget of the moment. Most reviews concentrate on the Kindle’s technical aspects, which is quite understandable. It’s a piece of high tech personal electronics after all. Even so, a brief look at the actual user experience with the Kindle might not be a bad idea.

Firstly though, a very brief examination of the spec. The Kindle 2.0 costs $ 259. It’s about the same size as a typical paperback book and about as thick as a monthly magazine. It weighs just over 10 ounces and has enough memory to store 1500 books – give or take (depending upon the size of them and the number of illustrations, if any). One of the most important features is the e-ink display. This provides a very good reading experience and doesn’t strain your eyes. It also requires less power.

My first impression, when I got my Kindle a few weeks ago, was that the button positioning wasn’t right. There are two buttons on the left hand side – “prev page” and “next page”. There are a further two buttons on the right hand side – “home” and “next page” (again). At first I thought that one of the “next page” buttons was redundant. I thought that the left hand one wasn’t required.

After using the Kindle for no more than a matter of minutes it made sense though. Lying on a sofa reading, sitting in a cramped seat on a plane, or drinking coffee in McDonald’s, it’s perfect. You can hold the Kindle in one hand and leaf forwards and backwards through the pages using your thumb. It’s considerably easier to use one handed than a real book.

Before I got hold of my Kindle reader, I had tried out an e-book reader which was on display in my local book shop. To be honest, I didn’t really take to the way the page flickered slightly when it was “turned”. Once again, after I had been using the Kindle for no more than a few minutes, I quickly became used to this. For me, it feels just like turning the pages in a traditional book now.

When it comes to the actual reading experience itself, the e-ink display is fantastic. The background is a light grey instead of the traditional white or cream of paper – but you get used to this very quickly. Compared to reading on a back-lit PC monitor, it produces a lot less eye strain. All I can say is that, whenever I’m reading a good book on the Kindle, I’m totally oblivious to the fact that I’m using it rather than reading a conventional book.

The e-ink display’s low power requirement is another big plus point. I’m a fairly heavy user – I read a lot – and I find that, with the wireless turned off, the Kindle will last for about three weeks before it needs recharging. I only turn the wireless connection on if I want to buy a book. On the subject of buying books, the process is very simple, in fact it may be a little too efficient, I know I have made a few impulse buys. The Amazon publicity for the Kindle says that books download in just under a minute. I would say, based upon my own experience, that it takes a lot less than a minute for a typical book which isn’t packed with illustrations. It may not be a big deal – but it is all part of the positive user experience.

In summary, to try to give you an idea of just what a pleasant experience reading on the Kindle is, a couple of days ago I received an e-mail from Amazon which told me that my order had been shipped. I knew that I hadn’t ordered anything, so I went to check what had happened. I turned out that I had pre-ordered a book by one of my favourite authors some weeks ago and then forgotten about it. In all honesty, the idea of going back to reading a large heavy printed book (it’s a fairly hefty volume), albeit one written by an author that I really enjoy, is something of a disappointment. The thought of holding a big, clumsy book in my left hand and flipping pages with my right seems downright antiquated to me now.

Learn more about the Amazon Kindle for yourself and view the wide range of Kindle accessories available to help you personalise your reader.