Here’s a detailed comparison of Ebook Devices vs. Printed (Paper) Books:

Advantages

• Text can be searched automatically and cross-referenced using hyperlinks.
• A single e-book reader containing several books is easier to carry around (less weight and volume) than the same books (or sometimes even a single book) in printed form. Even hundreds or thousands of books may be stored on the same device. Using removable media even more can be carried around easily.
• Also at a fixed place such as at home it can be an advantage that an e-book collection requires very little space.
• Mobile availability of e-books may be provided for users with a mobile data connection, so that these e-books need not be carried around.
• E-books can allow non-permanent highlighting and annotation.
• Font size and font face can be adjusted.
• E-books may allow animated images or multimedia clips to be embedded.
• E-books allow for greater fidelity in colour reproduction compared to CMYK colour printing (although some e-book readers have only monochrome displays).
• Depending on the device an e-book may be readable in low light or even total darkness.
• An e-book can automatically open at the last read page.
• While an e-book reader costs much more than one book, the electronic texts are generally cheaper. Moreover, a great share of books are available for free, without any charge at all. For example, all fiction from before the year 1900 is in the public domain.
• Text-to-speech software can be used to convert e-books to audio books automatically.
• An e-book can be offered indefinitely, without ever going “out of print“.
• Depending on possible digital rights management, it may be easy and cheap to produce a back-up for the case that the e-book is lost or damaged, and/or it may be possible to get a free new copy if that happens.
• It is easier for authors to self-publish e-books.
• A free e-book can stimulate the sales of the printed version.
• The production of e-books does not consume paper, ink, etc.

Disadvantages

• Reading e-books requires an electronic device and software. Even in the case of reading it on a personal computer one already has, it may require additional software.
• A small book is easier to carry around than a typical e-book reader.
• E-book readers require electrical power; in the case of mobile use, the battery can get exhausted.
• E-book readers are more fragile than paper books and more susceptible to physical damage.
• E-book readers can malfunction and e-books can be damaged due to faults in hardware or software.
• E-book readers are more likely to be stolen than paper books.
• Depending on the device an e-book may be difficult to read in bright sunlight.
• Most publishers don’t produce the e-book equivalent of their printed books. In other cases the product quality is lower or it is released later.
• E-books can be easily hacked through the use of hardware or software modifications and widely disseminated on the Internet and/or other e-book readers, without approval from the author or publisher (piracy). This is a disadvantage for publishers, but at the same time an advantage for readers, since they don’t have to pay for reading a book.
• If an e-book device is stolen, lost, or broken beyond repair, all e-books stored on the device may be lost. This can be avoided by backup either on another device or by the e-book provider.
• There is a loss of tactility and aesthetics of book-bindings. Also lost is the ability to very quickly riffle through the pages to search for a particular section or to get a sense of the book merely by sight.
• Screen resolution of reading devices may be lower than actual paper.
• Due to the digital rights management reselling or lending out an e-book may have complications.
• Some books available as e-book cannot be read on some e-book readers because they are not supplied in a format those readers allow.
• While printed books remain readable for ages, changing technologies and less durable electronic storage media require e-books to be copied to a new carrier after some years.
• E-book readers require various substances to produce, and have to be disposed of properly for environmental reasons.

Source: Wikipedia

The MobileRead Wiki has an excellent matrix showing all the available electronic reading devices as well as a picture and details for each one such as:

• Display size
• Screen refresh time
• Battery life
• Weight
• Operating System
• Memory
• Support formats
• …and much more

Preview:

Many people have heard about about ebook readers but don’t know:

• What companies make these devices?
• What models are available, their features, and the pros & cons of each?
• Where to buy them?

Let’s start by looking at the current list of companies/models of e-book devices:

• FLEPia by Fujitsu (April 2009)
• Kindle 2 by Amazon (February 2009)
• eSlick by Foxit Software (2009)
• PRS-700BC Reader Digital Book by Sony (October 2008)
• Digital Reader 1000 by iRex Technologies (2008)
• Kindle by Amazon (2007)
• Cybook Gen3 by Bookeen (2007)
• GeR2 by Ganaxa (2007)
• Star eBook STK-101 by Star eRead (2007)
• Hanlin eReader by Jinke (2007)
• Sony Reader by Sony (2006)
• iLiad by iRex Technologies (2006)
• Libri� by Sony (2005)

Source: Wikipedia

As you can see, Sony pioneered these devices in 2005 which opened the doors for some healthy competition since then.

Note: There are other Ebook Readers available on the market but they have simply been rebranded from the original units listed above.

Portable Ebook Readers, also known as e-book devices, are used to display electronic (e) books. These devices are portable (well of course!) and typically have a long battery life.  Most PDAs can be categorized as e-book readers because of their ability to display text on a screen. (note – this site is devoted primarily to dedicated ebook devices; there’s plenty of other sites out there for PDAs )

E-book Devices are becoming more and more popular, and make great gifts for friends and family.  Some of the reasons for their increasing popularity are:

• More and more magazines and books are becoming available in e-book format (such as PDF files)
• Companies and consumers are embracing the movement to “green” technologies, and these devices are a great way to conserve paper (trees)
• The Ebook Reader technology is constantly improving, and devices are getting thinner, lighter, use less power and are easier-to-use
• Prices are coming down as more units are being manufactured at a lower cost