(Ahem, Glory?!)
I'm not totally convinced yet I'm going to go to the digital age with books but possibly. I really want ePub support which Nook has and Sony Reader has but Kindle doesn't have. I like that Kindle and Nook seem to have a large assortment of books to buy but that also seems kind of dangerous to my budget.

Does anyone have a Sony Reader? How do you feel about the availability of books? Do you use it to access library books? Any regrets?

I have a Nook and I primarily use it to check out library books. If you go on the barnes and noble site, I think you can find a link to check if your library participates in digital checkouts. I bought the Nook before going on a six week Australian/New Zealand vacation, and it was completely worth the money. I did look at the Sony pocket reader and the Sony touch (tried them actually), and in my opinion, the Nook was much better. I thought the glare on the Sony touch was horrible, and I liked the interface better on the Nook. It's not perfect, but they've been coming out with firmware updates about every 4 -6 months, so I'm hoping they'll find a way to let you group your books into folders (instead of just having one long list - we'll technically two lists, but one is books purchased through barnes and noble, and I don't have many books on that list), or a way to create playlists with music. I did the WiFi only version, and I don't miss the 3G option at all since I have wireless at home and at work. Hope this helps

I love my sony reader. I have the pocket one, and the hot pink. It makes it so much easier for traveling/commuting. I also make use of my library's digital catalog.

Hey Nelie

Yes - I love my Sony Reader. I have the PRS-505 (from 2 years ago). The new models for this year - PRS-350, PRS-650 and PRS-950 are awesome. They use brand new touch screen technology. Combined with the eInk technology, the screens look fabulous. Some people are surprised that the screens are not backlit - but they are a true book-like experience, the screen is like paper! You can read it in bright sunshine, no glare, easy on the eyes, etc. Of course, you can't read it at night - it's like a book! The eInk techology also delivers exceptional battery life. A backlit device can run out of power in less than 10 hours, a Reader digital book lasts TWO WEEKS between charges - seriously!

The models are all very light and easy to hold. I tried out my coworker's iPad and it was WAY too heavy for my wrist.

The basic differences between the models:
All models have touch screen, eInk technology, built in dictionaries
PRS-650 adds a bigger screen, ability to play music files, expandable media (memory stick, SD)
PRS-950 has a bigger screen and wireless

If I were to buy one, I'd get the pink PRS-350. While I do think playing music is handy (and I have done so on my PRS-505, it's not a deal breaker). With the ability to store over 1K books, I don't really need expandable media. I don't really need wireless.

I have used my Reader to check books out of the library! My library system - San Diego County library system is participating. The selection is honestly pretty spotty right now (very random!) but I know as more books are digitized, more and more books will be available. It is VERY easy to find books, check them out. Another big plus - no late fees! After 2 weeks, the books just poof.

Last year's model had a touch screen overlay over the eInk. This overlay was removed for this year and the glare issue is resolved.

I have an e-reader and I love it. I download from kobo books, which I think is owned by borders but not sure. I miss having a back light but I love the size and really don't need a touch screen. I didn't really like the sony store.


I need to figure out the library thing, since I bought one I've been buying books like crazy.

I actually am pretty sure I'm getting the Red 650 I liked the pink 350 quite a bit but red matches my laptop! That and I like the overall size of it.

I also read that B&N uses epub format for their books so you can buy books from B&N to read on the reader.

Nelie - PM me before you buy.

I have a Nook, which is similar to a Sony reader, but by Barnes & Noble, and I love it. B&N has an agreement with Google for books out of copyright, which means you can get a lot of books for free, and check out books from the library if your library offers that option. I don't know much specific to the Sony reader though.

Serendipity, actually the Google thing isn't Nook specific, it is ePub specific from what I can tell. So any eReader that can read ePub books can get google books which means all but the Kindle. Which also means you can check books out from the library as well with all readers except Kindle.

Yeah, Sony does the Google book thing too. It's over 1M free books! Yeah, public domain books. So, if you love Treasure Island and Wuthering Heights, it's exciting. For me, it's kind of eh.

You can put all kinds of stuff on a Reader. It comes with software so you can just drag and drop stuff. For my PRS-505, I can put Word docs, PDFs, JPG images (they are black and white of course, but still neat) and DRM-free MP3s.