Franklin eBookman EBM-911
You're likely familiar with the name of this company because of the electronic translators and other digital products that they make, so when Franklink got into the e-book reader market, it made complete sense. The Franklin eBookMan EBM-911 is called an e-Book reader, but there's more to it than that. Not only does it do a great job of reading digital e-books, but it also has some of the functionality of a PDA, which makes this device a real winner. Instead of calling it an e-book reader, it might be more appropriate to call it an entertainment device.
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 NEW CLASSIC Factory Sealed FRANKLIN eBookMan Handheld Electronic Book EBM-911  US $69.99
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 FRANKLIN ELECTRONIC EBOOKMAN EBM-901 8MB. US $74.99
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When you first get your hands on a Franklin eBookman you might think that it's a PDA because it looks much like a Palm PDA. With a 200x240 pixel screen, it's easy to mistake it for a PDA and it goes have some functions that are common to a PDA. For example, if you want to sync your Outlook contacts and email with Intellisync, you can certainly do that with the eBookman. Even though it does have this functionality, it cannot connect to the internet, which is a disappointment.
For a low price the eBookman really gives you a lot for your hard earned dollars. With 16MB of internal storage, you can store books and newspapers, but with the SD slot in the back you can quickly add much more storage. The eBookman has the ability to play MP3's as well which makes it great for audio books and adequate for music if you choose. It's certainly not going to sound as good as your iPod, but if you don't want to carry two different devices, it will do.
The eBookMan EMB-911 was originally released all the way back in 1999 and when it was first released it was really a great product as there just wasn't much competition. As technology advanced and more and more companies started to develop e-book reading devices, the eBookMan became obsolete and is not longer in production. You may have the option of purchasing one of these devices used through websites like eBay. If you're a casual e-book reader and you don't need to store a large number of e-books, the Franklin eBookMan is still a decent value if you can find a deal. Since the Kindle and other similar products have flooded the market today, the eBookman-911 may not be worth as much as it once was, but this certainly doesn't mean it's useless. For example, if you like the small form factor rather than a larger 6 inch or 9 inch screen, this device is a good fit for you.
Ever since the eBookMan ceased production, a very talented and loyal following as kept the eBookMan alive by releasing various programs to run on this old gem. It certainly wasn't because this was an inferior product that this device is not longer in production, but it was due to poor marketing by Franklin. It appears now that they may have been a little too early to the game since other big companies are just now starting to get into e-readers and they're selling well.
Sony PRS-700BC Digital Book Reader with touch screen
The Sony PRS-700BC takes the best of a number of digital book designs and adds them into one unique reader. With a nice 6 inch touchscreen that exceptionally easy to read, the PRS-700BC works well whether you're reading outside on a sunny day or at home in the evening in a room with little lighting thanks to its built in light. The light is not a backlight, but an LED reading light which makes it fairly easy to read in poor light.
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 Sony Reader US $60.00
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 Sony EReader PRS 505 Digital Book E-Reader 250MB 6in - Blue Factory Sealed US $110.00
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 Sony PRS700 eBook Reader US $51.00
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 OtterBox Commuter Series Case For Sony Reader Touch Edition US $45.99
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 6" Sony Touch Edition PRS-600/RC eBook Reader W/E Ink US $144.99
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 Rose 5" Sony Pocket Edition PRS-300RC eBook Reader US $109.99
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 Sony PRS-900 7.1in Daily Edition eBook Reader ~ Black * BONUS HUNDREDS OF BOOKS* US $130.00
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 Sony Reader Pocket Edition PRS-350 US $69.99
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 Sony E Reader PRS-505 Silver US $90.00
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While some e-readers make sure of buttons to operate the device, the PRS-700BC has a handy touchscreen that allows you to turn pages, or even bookmark with the touch of your finger. The stylus pen that's also included will allow you to highlight text and you can easily adjust the size of the font to make it easier to read.
Response time is always an issue with digital readers, but the PRS-700BC is exceptionally good at turning pages quickly and refreshing, giving you the feeling that you're reading a real book. For those on the go or readers who want the ability to store a lot of books, you will love the 512MB of storage space and the ability to add even more storage space with an optional SD or Memory Stick Pro.
It's a versatile device that's capable of reading PDF files as well as Word Documents, RTF, TXT and it can even plan AAC and MP3 files for your listening enjoyment. Even pictures can be viewed in JPG, PNG, GIF and BMP formats and specific e-book formats like BbeB Book and ePub formats are readable.
For the avid reader, you will love the PRS-700BC since you should be able to get about two weeks worth of reading out of the device on a single charge, which takes just 4 hours when plugged into a USB port. For those that don't want to charge the device through a computer, you will need to purchase an AC adapter and charging time goes from 4 hours down to 2 hours.
Sony has it's own books service which, while not as large and extensive as Amazon's, it's quite acceptable. With over 100,000 titles available you should be able to find plenty of reading material. In order to download books you simply plug the reader into the USB port of your computer, surf to the book you want, download it to a folder on your PC. Once it's on your computer you can then transfer it onto the Sony PRS-700BC for reading while on the go, no matter if you're at home, at the office or at the beach.
For those who want an easy to use electronic reader that offers plenty of features and a great design the Sony PRS-700BC is the perfect device. With its great touchscreen, it much easier and more natural to use than readers with a lot of buttons and it's small, light and portable which is quite important to most electronic device users.
Sony PRS-505 Portable Digital e-Reader System
When it comes to portable electronic reading devices, the Amazon Kindle is a good start, but it's not the only device on the market. Although it seems to get the most attention, other electronic digital reading devices are available and offer consumers more choice and some interesting design features. One such device is the Sony PRS-505 Portable Digital e-Reader System. Made by Sony, this digital reader brings together the same quality designs and features as other Sony products and puts them into a great compact electronic reader.
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Sony Reader US $60.00
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Sony EReader PRS 505 Digital Book E-Reader 250MB 6in - Blue Factory Sealed US $110.00
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Sony PRS700 eBook Reader US $51.00
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OtterBox Commuter Series Case For Sony Reader Touch Edition US $45.99
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6" Sony Touch Edition PRS-600/RC eBook Reader W/E Ink US $144.99
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Rose 5" Sony Pocket Edition PRS-300RC eBook Reader US $109.99
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Sony PRS-900 7.1in Daily Edition eBook Reader ~ Black * BONUS HUNDREDS OF BOOKS* US $130.00
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Sony Reader Pocket Edition PRS-350 US $69.99
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Sony E Reader PRS-505 Silver US $90.00
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Sony has developed the PRS-505 with hardcore readers in mind and the device even looks like a book. Covered in leather, it resembles a thin day planner and is very attractive. In terms of the design, this Sony e-reader is much more attractive than the Kindle. At just 9oz, the Sony PRS-505 is light and it's less than 1 cm thick and while it's heavier than other e-readers, the weight just lends to the feel of quality and durability.
The Sony PRS-505 comes with 256MB of storage space which can easily store a number of books, but it has the ability to expand the storage capacity by adding an SD card up to 2GB, a High Capacity SD card of up to 32GB or a Memory Stick Pro of up to 8GB. Readers can easily adjust font size depending on comfort level and the device easily plays word documents and PDF files. For the music lover or audio book fan, the PRS-505 can even play MP3 files and AAC Audio files if you connect headphones. Even pictures in BMP, JPEG, GIF and PNG format can be viewed. The device runs on a version of Linux which makes it quick and light and it can easily be plugged into a Windows computer or a Mac for Sync purposes. Unfortunately an AC adapter is an added accessory as charging is done by plugging into a USB port of a computer. For someone on the go that doesn't often use a computer, this is not the best feature so keep that in mind.
With a nice 6 inch display, the screen is large enough for most readers and the screen has an 8 level grayscale, making it easy on the eyes. If you're not sure just how much text can be viewed on a screen that size, it's about ¼ of a regular 8.5 x 11 inch piece of paper. Connect the Sony PRS-505 to a desktop of laptop computer with the USB cable and you can sync it with a folder on the computer. Keep all your PDF's, e-book files and even word documents in this folder and you will have them with you wherever you go. The PRS-505 can be charged through USB cable as well and will give you around 15-20 hours of reading on a single charge.
For avid readers who want to express their style and not carry around a device that looks too “electronic”, the Sony PRS-505 is perfect. With a number of color options for the leather case, there's a color to suite just about every taste. While the Kindle seems to get all the press, the Sony PRS-505 certainly deserves your attention when shopping for a new electronic reader.