The third-generation Kindle's winning combination of noteworthy upgrades — an improved screen, better battery life, lighter weight and lower price — vaults it to the top of the ebook reader category in Australia.
AU$189 Rating: 8.3/10
The Good: Slimmer, more compact design than previous Kindle • Improved screen with higher contrast and faster page turns • Native PDF support • Large library of hundreds of thousands of ebooks, newspapers, magazines and blogs via Amazon's familiar online store • Built-in free 3G wireless "Whispernet" data network, plus Wi-Fi • Built-in keyboard for notes, With 4GB (3.3 usable) of internal memory, it's capable of storing 3500 electronic books • Eight fonts available, including two new extra-large sizes • Excellent battery life • Displays image files and plays MP3 and AAC audio.
Best ebook reader In Australian
The Bad: No expansion slot for adding more memory • No support for ePub book files • No Nook-like lending feature • No protective carrying case included • Battery is sealed into the device and isn't removable • Locks readers into dealing with Amazon • Flimsy build, breaks easily.Best ebook reader for kids
When my daughter turned nine last week, I contemplated just how many trees would need to be sacrificed to produce her birthday presents. She is drowning in books. She has books about space and books about horses and books about wizards and books about adventures. She has books about books. Sometimes I literally can't find her because she's lost under a pile of tomes up to the ceiling. Literally. Rainforest guilt turned my thoughts to an eBook reader, and I immediately liked the idea. My daughter would be able to carry as many books as she liked without straining her girly arms, and I would save a fortune on paperbacks that were finished in mere hours. I asked the Twitterverse for its opinion: was nine too young for a gift like that? Should I stick to the paper version? To my surprise, it was widely championed - but with so many options, which was the best for my tween?
Kobo - from $138
The Kobo is the only independent reader on the list. Formerly stocked by Borders and Angus & Robertson, it is now sold completely separately from book retailers. In theory, you can read anything you like on a Kobo. However, the support and resources available online are not nearly as widespread as they are for the other three devices listed here. There is no specific library for children's books, nor games designed to run on the device. The top of the line Kobo Vox is hot to trot, but at $250 it is heading into dedicated tablet territory.