Over the past ten years, I’ve owned about a dozen different e-readers and tried e-reader applications on many PDAs, cell phones and smart phones. Of all those devices, the Sony Reader Pocket Edition is hands-down the best such device I’ve used.
The Pocket Edition is basically just a slimmed down 5″ version of Sony’s larger e-reader products. The screen is awesome (though comparable to other e-ink devices), and the Pocket Edition is one of the few e-readers I’ve used where the battery life actually comes close to the manufacturer’s claims.
The relatively small form factor means I can easily take it anywhere I could take a paperback, whereas with the Kindle and Sony’s larger e-readers, there were times I would leave it behind due to the large size (and, with the Kindle, because the damn thing was constantly needing recharged).
There is no SD card slot, which I miss, and I have no clue how well Sony’s software/bookstore work as I only read non-DRMed epub files on it.
Currently, the Pocket Edition reader can be had for $150-$170, and is a steal at that price.
