eReader Holiday Gift Guide: Lightweight Division ($200 and Under)

The Holiday season is fast approaching and, if the analysts are correct, eReaders will be the big gift item this year. But where to start? It seems that new eReaders have been popping up nearly every other day in the last couple of months. Who can keep track of this stuff? Best Tablet Review, that’s who.

In the coming days we’ll be laying out the Holiday eReader market in small bite-sized bits guaranteed to be easier to digest than your aunt’s fruitcake. We’re grouping eReaders into three categories: lightweight (those priced under $200), middleweight part 1 and part 2 (those priced $200-$300) and heavyweight ($300 and up). We’ll give you the breakdowns on each, their pros and cons and help you figure out what eReader will be the best gift for yourself or others. Also, for the purpose of this eReader roundup, we’ll only be talking about eReaders available in the U.S. market before the end of the year.

So let’s get this Holiday Gift Guide started. Now Kindle! Now iRex! Now Sony Reader and BeBook! On JetBook! On Astak! On COOL-ER and BeBook! From the top of the list, to the bargain bin eReader, we’ll talk about them all, so you can read by the heater!

The cheapest lightweight at $149

Rundown: The Lite has a 5 inch monochromatic reflective TFT LCD screen, supports ePub, Mobi, PRC, RTF, TXT, PDF, FB2, JPG, GIF, PNG, and BMP formats as well as DRM files from the Barnes & Noble online eBook store. Instead of a traditional internal battery, the JetBook Mini runs off four AA batteries which provides for 23 hours of continuous reading.

Pros: The price of $149, the LCD screen eliminates the familiar E-Ink flicker and speeds up page turns, ePub and support of DRM from the B&N online store means you’ll have access to the best of DRM and non-DRM eBooks.

Cons: Features an LCD screen instead of the traditional E-Ink screen which could create more eye-strain, battery compartment on the acts as a hand hold for the device but means it won’t lay flat, no wireless ability.

Verdict: If price is your limiting factor than you can’t beat the JetBook Mini. The idea of a monochromatic, reflective LCD screen seems like a good idea (and is certainly better than an emmitive full-color LCD on the eyes) but we haven’t been able to compare it side-by-side to a traditional E-Ink screen. The battery concept poses advantages and disadvantages but the way ECTACO worked in the housing as a natural handhold is impressive.

Where can I buy it: Currently available for purchase on ECTACO’s website for $149. It may show up on Newegg.com soon.

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Sony Pocket Edition Reader - PRS-300

Rundown: Sony’s cheapest offering features a 5 inch 800×600 resolution E-Ink screen with eight levels of grayscale. It has ePub and PDF support and allows you to download directly from Sony’s eBook store or check out ePub eBooks from your library. A single charge on its internal battery lasts up to two weeks or 7,500 page turns. Books are loaded on the device through the USB via PC or Mac and the Pocket Edition includes software to make download manageable and easy.

Pros: Sony Readers carry a great reputation and offer lots of support options, screen is considered to be best reading screen on the Reader’s model lineup, easy to read in direct sunlight, available in different colors, lots of good reviews.

Cons: Next page button slightly awkward, PDF orientation is sometimes suspect, no wireless connection, only 512MB of internal storage.

Verdict: It’s hard to find faults with the Sony Pocket Edition Reader. It’s a very well-made, compact device that does everything as intended. Until recently it was the cheapest eReader on the market and still is one of the most affordable. The screen quality represents the best E-Ink screen out of the lightweight group. It’s also a name brand and has all of the supports that entails.

Where can I buy it: The Sony Pocket Edition Reader (PRS-300) is available on Sony’s website for $199 or from Amazon which sometimes has it listed lower.

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BeBook Mini - eReader and MP3 player

Rundown: The BeBook Mini has a 5 inch 800×600 resolution E-Ink screen with eight levels of grayscale. It features support for all the common eBook formats (including ePub and PDF) and also can load and play MP3s. It has 512MB of internal storage but also comes with a SD slot that allows you to upgrade to 16GB. A full battery charge is rated for 7,000 page flips.

Pros: Features a very nice screen on par with the Sony Pocket Edition, doubles as a MP3 player, has expandable storage SD card slot.

Cons: Style and look is dated, no wireless ability, no name-brand support.

Verdict: The BeBook Mini is a quality eReader. In some ways it’s better than the Sony PRS-300 as you can expand the storage through the SD card slot. It also offers MP3 playback but we don’t view that as a large benefit. Still, if less style and more function is your thing then the BeBook Mini could definitely be the eReader for you.

Where can I buy it: It’s currently for sale on BeBook’s website for $199.

There you have it. Which eReader fits you or your intended recipient’s tastes the best? If you’re looking for something with a larger screen size or a device that features Wifi or 3G connections, stay tuned for our Middleweight ($200-$300) and Heavyweight ($300 plus) eReader Holiday Gift Guides coming this week!