eReader Holiday Gift Guide: Middleweight Division ($200 to $300) – Part 1

It’s time for part one of our eReader Holiday Gift Guide for the burgeoning middleweight division ($200-$300)! Earlier this week we posted our lightweight class ($200 and under) but today we get to discuss some of the most popular eReaders on (or soon to be on) the market. Got more cash burning a hole in your pocket? Check out our $300 and up eReader comparison posts here.

The $250 price point is like the mosquito zapper light for eReaders — they all seem to be around it. The Kindle, nook, Touch Edition, COOL-ER and a few lesser knowns all hang right around the mid-two hundreds. For the sake of length (and short attention span) we’re going to divide our middleweight group into two parts. This post will focus on the more popular brands while the second will focus on eReaders you might not have heard of, but definitely want to check out if you’re in the market.

With that said, let’s see what Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Sony and Interead have to offer…

Let’s start with the most popular eReader on the market, the Amazon Kindle 2.

Rundown: The Kindle is the standard on which all other eReaders are judged. This second generation eReader improved upon the market-establishing first gen by being slimmer, faster and easier to use. The Kindle has a 6 inch E-Ink screen with full QWERTY keyboard. It features Wireless b/g connection and 3G which can connect to the Kindle store. The Kindle has 2GB of storage which can hold up to 1,500 books. The only eBooks available for download are DRM (unless you use a converter program) from the massive Kindle store

Pros: Plenty of reviews online to see it you like it, slim and stylish, 3G and wireless access to the Kindle Store, 2 weeks of battery life, Read-to-Me feature (if allowed with your book).

Cons: DRM copy protection, no touch screen, no SD card slot for additional storage or importing of titles, only available online.

Verdict: The Kindle is the most popular eReader for a reason — it was first to revolutionize the eReader field and does it well. For people that have no issues with their content being DRM then it’s easily the most accessible and popular device on the market.

Where can I buy it: Amazon or course! It’s currently $259.

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Now lets talk about the most anticipated eReader of this year — the Barnes & Noble Nook.

Rundown: The Barnes & Noble Nook is the only eReader to match the Kindle’s most popular option — 3G wireless store connection. It’s also the first dual-screened eReader to make it to market. It has a 6 inch E-Ink screen with a 3.5 inch LCD touch screen that acts as a menu system. The Nook connects to the Barnes & Noble online eBook store which boasts over a million titles. It features 2 GB of internal storage but has a MicroSD card slot that can expand storage further. It can play MP3s, supports nearly all eBook formats (including ePub and PDF) and has a battery that lasts 10 days on a three and a half hour charge.

Pros: 3G and Wireless connection to the B&N online store, dual-screen is practical and stylish, color touchscreen is innovative and offers nice control, expandable MicroSD, share feature with other Nook eReaders, support of nearly all eBook formats, ability to checkout eBooks from libraries, available in retail outlets so people can handle and test before purchasing.

Cons: Update: Reviews are in and they’re not particularly good, Barnes & Noble gift cards and certificates are not valid to buy Nook or eBooks (note: B&N has reversed this policy and cards/certs should buy eBooks starting mid-December), lawsuit with Spring Design (who says B&N stole the Nook’s design from) could possibly cause further delay in shipments or people who ponder ethical dilemmas, sluggish E-Ink screen, laggy LCD, software is confusing, free instore WiFi only allows for one hour of reading per book.

Verdict: The Nook represents the most thought out and thorough eReader to hit the market so far. B&N made it their direct goal to do everything the Kindle can do, but better. If you’re looking for an eReader in this price range it’s hard to not buy the Nook. The only real detriments are how B&N is handling the release. The release is now delayed well past the initial date of November 30th. Everything sounds nigh-perfect about the Nook, but let’s not forget that no one has been able to test it yet. Once independent reviewers get their hands on it we’ll really find out if it’s the Messiah eReader everyone seems to think it is. Update: not the Messiah eReader.

Where can I buy it: It’s available for preorder at BarnesandNoble.com for $259. Don’t expect to get yours until the first part of December if you haven’t preordered already.

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Let’s talk about an eReader that has been around for a while, the Interead COOL-ER.

Rundown: The COOL-ER features a 6 inch E-Ink screen that supports landscape or portrait reading mode. It comes in eight different colors that range from “ruby red” to “racing green” to “hot pink.” It has 1GB of internal storage but has a SD card slot that can upgrade to an extra 4GB. It supports all the traditional eBook formats (yes, that includes PDF and ePub), plays MP3s and has a battery life capable of 8,000 page turns.

Pros: Colors provide style for those with custom tastes, support of most eBook formats, very light.

Cons: No wireless connection, some online reviews mention the feel is rather cheap, price point is just slightly lower than eReader with a lot more to offer.

Verdict: The COOL-ER is a solid eReader, it’s just in a bad price point right now. Towards the beginning of the year when it was $50 lower than the next eReader, it was viable option. Now with the Kindle 2 dropping price to within $10 of the COOL-ER and the Nook coming out at $259, Interead needs to cut the price to be competitive again. That may be in the works, as Interead has announced they will be selling the COOL-ER through home shopping network QVC at a much discounted price in December. If you’re interested in getting a COOL-ER, that would be the time to pick it up.

Where can I buy it: Coolreaders.com has the COOL-ER for sale at $249. You may want to wait until December if interested and watch QVC where they’ll get a price reduction in time for the holiday season.

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Finally let’s talk about the only E-Ink touch screen reader in the category — the Sony Touch Edition Reader (PRS-600).

Rundown: At $40 more than the Kindle and Nook, the Sony Touch Edition Reader (PRS-600) has a lot to offer. For beginners its six inch E-Ink screen is touch capable. This allows the Touch Edition to be mostly screen with minimal buttons below the screen (page turn, home, zoom and options). You can also use the included stylus to add handwritten annotations and notes to your documents. There’s a dictionary feature where you can look up words by double-tapping them on the screen. It has 512MB of internal memory but has a SD card and Dual Memory Card for expansion. It supports both DRM and non-DRM formats and has a battery that lasts for 7,500 page turns.

Pros: Touch screen interface, high clarity on E-Ink screen, can store up to 16GB of files, good support, tap dictionary, very thin and light, access to Google and library eBooks.

Cons: No wireless, screen is somewhat reflective in direct light.

Verdict: Sony’s Touch Edition is a quality eReader and perfect for the person who wants a stylish eReader that isn’t necessarily seen as mainstream. The touch screen is a huge benefit, not just for interface, but for those that like to add annotations to their eBooks. However the lack of wireless is a huge blow to a otherwise solid device. You have to connect your Reader to a PC or Mac via USB to download new files or insert a SD or Dual Memory Card with eBooks preloaded on it. If that seems like a major hassle then the PRS-600 might not be the eReader for you.

Where can I buy it: You can buy it at the Sony store for $299 or at Amazon for a little cheaper (currently $289).

And thus concludes Part 1 of our eReader Holiday Gift Guide. Stay tuned for Part 2 of the Middleweight Division ($200-$300) where we’ll talk about the Astak EZ Reader and Mentor, Bookeen Cybook Opus, iRivier Story and Dulin PocketBook 360. See the Lightweight Division ($200 and under) Gift Guide here.