Best eBook Reader Deals US,
Europe, and Canada

Recent Price Drops and Sales

Budget eBook Readers (US)

• The Sony PRS-300 Pocket Edition is one of the best ebook reader options for someone who doesn't need or want a bunch of additional features. With a durable design and long battery life, it has a 5-inch screen and is easily portable.

  The PRS-300 sells for as low as $140 from websites such as Buy.com and Amazon.com.

• The new Kobo Reader is another good starter device for someone who doesn't need a lot of extra features and just wants to read books. The Kobo Reader is a 6-inch device, larger than the other three listed in this section, and it sells online from Borders.com for just $149.
• The Astak EZ Reader is a 5-inch ebook reader that usually sells for under $200 from Amazon.com and Newegg. It supports more formats than any other ereader on the market and it offers more features than the PRS-300. This is a better option for someone who'd prefer their ebook reader to have a memory card slot and support image and audio files.

• The Libre eBook Reader Pro is a different type of ebook reader that doesn't have an E Ink screen, so it sells for just $150 or less. It has a variation of LCD that looks like electronic paper, and measure 5" diagonally.
  The downside is that the battery life isn't as good as traditional ereaders, but the screen reacts much faster. It supports a number of formats, including animated GIF, and works with Adobe Digital Editions for DRM'd PDF and EPUB.

Best eBook Readers UK and Europe

If you reside in the UK or Europe the Kindle International is very affordable at about £130 or €155 before fees. Even after various import charges and duty fees it's still cheaper than most other ebook readers.

But if you don't want a Kindle International because it doesn't support EPUB like many UK ebook sites, you still have a lot of options for non-wireless ebook readers.

• Sony Readers have a solid reputation and are by far one of the best ebook readers in the United Kingdom and Europe, and allow users the option of downloading DRM-protected ebooks from a wide selection of independent merchants using Adobe Digital Editions.

  Play.com is currently selling the Sony PRS-600 for £219.99 and the PRS-300 for £149.99.

• A new ebook reader on the market that looks similar to a Kindle is the iRiver Story. This ebook reader is competitively priced at £179 and supports ADE for EPUB and PDF files, so you can buy ebooks from UK websites.
• BeBook is another option that supports EPUB. They support more formats than any other ereader on the market, in fact. The BeBook Mini sells for £179 from Play.com, and it offers more features than similar ebook readers.
  The new BeBook Neo has Wi-Fi, a web browser, and a wacom touchscreen and sells for £279.
• The Cybook Opus is another 5-inch ebook reader that is very light and portable. It works with Adobe Digital Editions and supports DRM-protected EPUB and PDF files. Cybook is a popular European ebook reader that is based in Paris, France.
  The Cybook comes in several different colors and sells for around £175 from Pixmania.com.

Best eBook Reader Deals - Canada

With less ebook readers to choose from in Canada, the new Kobo eReader is the best deal at just $149, and it sells from Indigo Books & Music.

Another low-priced option is the PRS-300. It sells from Sony Style Canada for $199.99, but might be cheaper buying from the US for $150 and having it imported.

Another option for an ebook reader in Canada is the Barnes and Noble Nook. While some folks don't have any problem ording a Nook in Canada, others get declined, so you may have to get one through eBay or some other source.

The 3G wireless won't work in most parts of Canada, but the Nook has Wi-Fi that will work for connecting to B&N's ebook store and for browsing the web with the newly-added web browser.

The Nook has a large selection of ebooks available both through B&N and other EPUB retailers that sell to Canada like Kobo Books and the Sony Reader store (yes, you can buy ebooks from Sony and they'll work on a Nook).

The selection of ebook readers isn't very expansive yet in Canada, and buying from other countries often results in additional import and shipping charges, so an option for finding the device you are looking for is eBay.ca.

Best Overall Value: International

The Kindle International is one of the best ebook reader deals on the market, and especially now that Amazon has expanded their selection of applictions to include PCs and Macs, cellphones, Apple's products, and various others. You can read more about the Kindle International here for more information regarding Kindle in your country. Here's why it's one of the best overall values:

• Free wireless service allows for downloads in under 60 seconds in 100 countries all over the world, along with access to Wikipedia, and there's free internet in the US and several others countries.
• Free samples of any ebook; you can download and read the first chapter of a book before you decide to buy.
• Amazon receives a lot of well-warranted criticism for selling ebooks in their proprietary format and not supporting EPUB, but the fact is Amazon has the most comprehensive library of ebooks and newspaper and magazine subscriptions available.
• Free ebook promotions of popular titles are added monthly to the Kindle Store.
• At $189 new, the Kindle 2 is the lowest priced 3G wireless ebook reader along with the Nook, compared to Sony's new PRS-900 and the iRex DR-800, both of which sell for $399. And the 3G Apple iPad and the Plastic Logic both sell for over $600.

Visit Amazon for a closer look at the Kindle 2, or check out our Kindle 2 review.

eBook Reader Resources