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From Tikkun Kelim: ( http://s3nt.com/b24 )
One thing I like about having the Wordpress Stat Analysis plugin is that it tells me what searches are being done on my blog. Which, in turn, I can use to address topics that interest the people who come here. Today's interesting search was about eInk. I LOVE eInk. The technology is basically not that different from the etch-a-sketch (I'm REALLY simplifying here, but bear with me), but it has fascinated me since I first heard about it. My personal first exposure was through reports of the Librie' device that was released only in Japan. Several things stuck out for me: 1) Long battery life 2) Screen that is readable in sunlight, and 3) Resizeable text. I actually wrote a letter to Sony about the device, asking them to update me when they had a version ready for North American distribution. As it turned out, I wouldn't have to wait that long.

The Librie' itself was designed as a Japan-only device. The legends under the buttons, the operating system, and all documentation were in Japanese. Nevertheless, Dynamism.com offered the Librie' with a translated firmware and enough instructions to get the book-loading software working. I went for it, and was extremely happy with the device. I still like it, actually. There's a small chip off of the bottom corner of the battery compartment that makes mine a bit fragile and subject to power weirdnesses if you mess with it, but the only reason I don't still use it is because Vista isn't compatible with the Librie' software. Memory sticks have to have a Linux-based file system to store books properly, so it can be awkward trying to load the device. But modders and device hackers have written apps aplenty for these tasks, so it's not really that big a deal. I was pretty satisfied with the device until the Sony Reader came out.

The Sony Reader addressed a lot of the complaints I (and others) had with the previous device. It had a pretty reasonable price point (relatively speaking) compared to the $600-700 Irex Iliad (a much more fully featured device) and the $400 Cybook (which at the time wasn't eInk). It supported TXT, PDF, and RTF files, which meant I could easily download file versions of books I'd already purchased and read them on the Reader (They've since added Adobe Digital Editions and ePub support). Since I already had a library of LRF files (the Reader and Librie's native format), it was a natural choice. The screen was also much improved with much less ghosting and a shorter page turn time. The Kindle and the new version of the Reader have improved this even further, but I haven't needed to upgrade.

Another path would have worked for me just as well, and that is the Mobipocket -> Kindle path. Because of the Librie', I never did get Mobipocket books for my Treo, but it was a very popular format, and something I considered at times. Had I done so, the Kindle would be a great choice, because it has Mobipocket support (Amazon bought the format). I did have a pretty negative experience with Amazon though. They used to have a digital book locker service, and I bought a couple that way. Later they dumped them and I basically lost my money and the use of those books. I haven't been really keen on testing Amazon's willingness to continue supporting it's customers since then. However, the Kindle is very popular, and I doubt it's going to disappear anytime soon, so it's probably a very safe bet. It has a very good screen, but I don't like the device shape itself. You may wish to see one in person before purchase to decide if it's the most comfortable shape for your hands.

My analysis of the current eInk offerings is as follows. The Reader has the best price point, if you don't mind hooking it up to your PC or dropping files on an SD card. The Kindle is great if you trust Amazon, and you live in a very urban area where EVDO is ubiquitous (Mountain folk are SOL). The Iliad has a huge screen and wifi, but has battery issues and may need some more firmware updates to be as fully featured as the marketing makes it out to be. The Reader and the Kindle have the best quality eInk screens, while the Iliad is best for PDFs because its screen is the largest. There are a couple of other devices, but I've only heard scraps of hearsay about them, so I won't comment on them at this time. Whoever you are, O Seeker of eInk screens, I hope that helps!