Posting about the 1st gen Kindle the other day got me thinking about the first ebook reader I ever bought.
It wasn’t the first Kindle or even the second generation Kindle. I didn’t know Kindles existed until mid-2009. When I first came across the 2nd gen Kindle listed on Amazon’s website I thought it was a great idea. Until then I didn’t know ebook readers were a thing. After that I decided to launch a website dedicated to ereaders because there wasn’t much information about them at the time.
I still wasn’t sure about the different brands back then, but I remember liking Sony’s ereaders better than Kindles. I was going to get a Sony PRS-505 but it had already been out for a couple of years.
Then Sony ended up launching 3 new Sony Readers in 2009, the 5-inch PRS-300, the 6-inch PRS-600, and then a couple months later the 7-inch PRS-900.
I ended up buying all three of them to try out and review, and that’s how this website came to be. Then I bought the Kindle 3 when it first came out in 2010 and I’ve bought every new Kindle since then.
Unfortunately Sony stopped making ebook readers in 2013, with the PRS-T3 being their last model. They never released it in the US and then they closed their ebook store in early 2014.
I no longer own any of the first Sony Readers that I got, but I have a Sony PRS-350 that came out a year later and still use it occasionally. The screen isn’t quite as nice as today’s ebook readers but the design is still one of the best, and it’s more pocketable than any of the current models. It’s a shame Sony stopped making them.
What about you? What was your first ebook reader? Do you still use it?
Kobo Reader, and after 12 years I still use it 🙂
My 1st ereader was the eBookwise ETI-2 (aka ebookwise-1150). I used it until I dropped it and shattered the screen. Even though it was a few weeks out of warranty and I told them how it broke, the company was awesome enough to send me a free replacement. I used that one until it started having software glitches and, at that point, I traded it in for a Sony PRS-650. I still own the Sony and it still functions, but I don’t use it because it doesn’t have a front-light. I switched to tablets for a long while, then Kindle paperwhites, then Kobos). Even after all that, I have fond memories of my first ereader and use what I liked about it (the ergonomics, the buttons and the user interface) as the basis for judging other ereaders.
This was my first ereader also. I still have it and I assume it would still function if I could find the the charger. I replaced it with the first Nook Simple Touch.
I had an original RocketBook. When they sold to RCA, they swapped it out for a eBookWise 1150. I still have that in a drawer but I don’t use it.
Oh, just remembered, before the Rocketook, I used to read on a Palm III.
My first was the original Nook when it came out at the end of 2009. I still have it, but don’t use it. It’s stored away, and I’d be stunned if it still turns on. I moved on to the Nook Simple Touch. Next I switched to Kobo with the larger Aura HD. Then the H2O, Aura One, and now the Forma is my main reader. I also have the 1st 7-inch Kindle Oasis and the newer, larger Nook Glowlight Plus, but I don’t use them as often. In case you couldn’t tell, I have a weakness for 7 to 8-inch screen ereaders!
Several years ago, B&N said that it would no longer link to original Nooks, and offered to exchange original Nooks for a Nook Glowlight 3 at the bargain price of $59. I took them up on the offer, as the 50% off the Nook Glowlight 3 was hard to resist.
The original Nook had several advantages over the Nook Simple Touch. First, it was much easier to change batteries. Second, the original Nook’s hard plastic surface is much more durable than the rubberized surface of the Nook SimpleTouch.
I had one of the original Nooks and gave it to a friend when I upgraded to a glow light. I wish I had it back….that was a great ereader, my favorite by far. The screen didn’t have the resolution of later readers but it did have an SD card slot, on which I carried a lot of tech books.
Big Sony eReaders fan , own PRS 300, 900 and 350. PRS 350 until recently favorite eReader. Present time PocketBook Touch HD 3
My first ereadr was the palm m505, it wore out eventually since at the time touch screens sensed actual pressure and buttons had a shorter life time, I think I still have the m515 that replaced it somewhere but by todays standards its useless.
After That came a pocketbook ereader which turned out to be a mistake for me, after being used to the open development and wide spread community of the palm pilot where you could find an app to do everything and anything (I mean anything, one app even made the device start reading sdhc cards when it could only read sd); I was suddenly stuck with a device that compatible apps for could be counted on your fingers, and no front-light. I ended up giving it away.
The first portable device that I used to read ebooks was a Palm m105 if I remember properly. But I don’t considerr that my first ereader. And I read all of The Dragonriders of Pern series (what was available back then) on a Toshiba e-something Pocket PC.
My first good and proper ereader was the Kobo Wifi that I got from Borders bookstore. I loved it. Got a beautiful genuine leather slipcase to go with it as well. I sent it to my brother in Afghanistan when I got a new ereader where it promptly got run over by military vehicles.
In retrospect it had terrible contrast and reading it in many different lighting conditions was actually more difficult than print. But I still read like a million books on it. And actually discovered Greg Bear through it. I’ve read a bunch of his books now.
Daily driver is the 2017 Oasis these days. So much better.
Technically I first read ebooks on my Nintendo DS using some weird software on a cheater cartridge. . . this got me used to reading in the dark on a lighted screen, so I held out for the Nook Color! And yes, I still use it. I have owned several readers over the years, but other than my current primary reader, it still works best (or at all) out of all of them. I really loved the file management system and general user interface! I haven’t found anything I like quite as much, though I still don’t use it all the time, because I do prefer eink (lighted eink screens were not a thing yet when I got it, of course), and it’s a pretty heavy reader with questionable battery life. I especially like to use it to reread old American Girl books around the holidays, because the storage capacity easily holds them all, and it supports the color images within!
My first eink reader was a Kindle Basic that was a less painful alternative to reading on a Surface RT.
I ended up taking it back to Best Buy and exchanging it for a Voyage.
I bought a Rocketbook and a SoftBook in 1999. for an ebook project in my library.
https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Softbook_Reader
My first ereader was the original Kobo Glo. And I could be using it to this day, it was working perfectly fine and the only scratches on the display were because of my carelessness. But I enjoy “comfort light” on all of my screens be it on the computer, on the phone or while reading. So I asked for the Kobo Clara HD for my birthday half a year after its release. I gave the Kobo Glo to a friend of mine who uses it now and as far as I know also has no problems with it.
My first ereader was a Franklin eBookman. I loved it and spent time learning how to convert books into SGML formatted files as well as programming basic apps for it (funny enough, it was my entry into Linux and eventually system administration as I had to learn Cywgin to connect to it from my PC). Then it was the first Nook and later the first Paperwhite.
1st was a Sony PRS-300 which I returned to Best Buy two days later . It was glitchy and I just didn’t like it. Soon after I bought the iRiver StoryHD which I still have and use.
Mine was a Sony PRS-505. I still have it, but I don’t use it. The low contrast between the text and the background made it hard to read on for long. It was pretty good for its day, but as soon as higher contrast screens came out, I never used it again.
My first was the Fire 7, I still have it and still use it. As of now it’s been 31/2 years at least and still works great.
That’s a tablet not an ereader
Mine was a Sony Clié and it was fantastic. I figured out how to get it to auto-scroll at my exact preferred reading speed and could lay on my side, in bed, and read as long as I wanted without having to have an arm outside the blankets.
My first and only e-reader I own is the Kindle Paperwhite 3 that my lovely wife bought me on Prime Day back in July 2018. I’d never considered e-readers because I hating reading for long periods of time on my iPhone or iPad. I preferred physical books. Once I read for an hour on this Kindle I was hooked! No eye strain, no diversions and a battery that lasts a long rime!
To this day my Kindle PW3 has served as my primary reading device. I’ll keep using it until Amazon won’t let me download books on the device, it breaks, or the battery won’t hold a charge then I will buy the new model kindle that’s out. Maybe an Oasis??
The original Nook. I don’t have it, but it’s used by a friend who was interested in finding out about ebooks.
The wonderful Entourage Edge dual screen ebook reader – such a pity that this was not a success. I still use it although by modern standards it is a bit slow and heavy
My daughter bought me my first Kindle Fire in 2012 for my birthday. It cost $250 with all the accessories. I was so happy. Since then I have bought 4 more kindle fires and except for one which I traded in for a newer version, I use all of them. The first one that I got for my birthday lost its sound and I gave to my husband who fell in love with it and uses it every day, but only for reading. I use the other 3 dividing my ebooks on each of them into men and women writers and non fiction. I love every single one. i also got a Nook in 2012 from my brother, but it never caught on as the Fires did and I have since bequeathed it to my cousin.
I had a 2nd generation that cost hubby $300.He decided that was a good investment rather than him being the one to schlep multiple books for me while traveling. Was working fine 4 years later when there was a critical user error: I had left it upstairs and asked (normally tech smart) hubby to “toss it down to me”. You can guess the result of that. The very next day I signed up for Prime to get its replacement in 2 days. At that time Prime was $79/yr….
Mine was kindle paperwhite 2. I’m still using it although the battery drains quickly. I also use Kindle oasis 2 and kobo libra H2O ( bought to try kobo ecosystem and warm light). Waiting for my boox note air to be delivered.
I would say kindle paperwhite 2 has better contrast than kindle oasis 2 and kobo libra. Flushed screen kindles are not as good as old ones when it comes to contrast. I guess that’s a trade off for evenly lit screens.
The Kobo Libra doesn’t have a flush screen. Lower resolution screens end up producing a natural boldness to the fonts that give the illusions that they have better contrast. If you crank the boldness on a modern Kindle or Kobo you can make it look like your Paperwhite 2.
My first ereader was the first Nook. I liked the size and the interface. I stayed with Nook readers until I got away from ereaders completely. Now I’m back, and the Boox NOVA line is superior to anything Amazon offers. For one thing, I like the 7.8″ size; nothing smaller will do. For another, I like being able to take notes on my ebooks; for a third, I like having access to Android 10.
My first ereader was a 1st gen original Kobo. I don’t know how or why I stayed with it, since every system update would brick my reader in some way back in those days. But I’ve gone through various kobo readers now without major issue and it remains my go to reader for roleplaying game pdfs.
My first e-reader was a Sony PRS-505, I still have it and charge it once in a while out of nostalgia. I even bought back in the day (I think it was 2013) a cover with a frontlight which I used a lot, I used it until I discovered the Kindle and the Kobo.
My first one was Pocketbook 360, so cute and capable (it could reflow pdfs, and do many other tricks). But I had problems reading on it in a bad light, so I gave it to my wife and bought Sony 350 with the brand-new Pearl screen – the contrast was incredible, the software so stable (I somehow got used to the Pocketbook freezes and restarts), the IR touchscreen + dictionary wonderful, and the form best ever. I used it for quite some until the battery started failing, and I bought the original Kobo H2O, with the incredible Carta screen and a great frontlight. Still the best screen I have seen. Finally, on a whim, I got Kobo Forma (I wanted to have a plastic screen), and I love it, though I miss the portability of Sony 350. But my eyes got old, and a large screen is now important for me.
My first was also a Pocketbook 360. I found the large page-turn buttons too clumsy to use, so used the D-pad for page turning. When the D-pad wore out I bought an Onyx i62HD. I’m currently using an Onyx Poke2.
My first eReader was a Franklin eBookman. Bought on clearance for a song. It straight-up MURDERED the two AAAs it used for power, and the reader software’s page-reckoning system was glitchy, which led to it being retired. If I still have it, I don’t know where.
My first eInk reader was an Onyx… something. C67, I believe.
I do still have it, and keep it available as a backup in case I do something stupid, but it was initially purchased as a testbed to see if I would genuinely get mileage out of one before I spent “real money” on something better. Having determined that yes, I would get real usage out of one, I upgraded to a larger device a year later.
In between the C67 and the Franklin thing was a looooot of paper books.
Eight years ago a cousin gave me a used Kindle Fire. I still use it several times a month. It works fine. Battery is still going. If its software were more-up-to-date, I’d use it more.
Soon after the Kindle Fire gift, I purchased a Nook Simple Touch. The rubberized surface has not been very durable. The rubberized surface around the page turns has worn off. Turning pages, either from the screen or the manual page turns, is hit-or-miss, and mostly miss. The 8 year old Nook Simple Touch is, for the most part, no longer usable.
That’s a shame, because the old Nook software is much better than the current Nook software.
Wow. My first ereader was a crappy Sharper Image Literati that died within months, followed by a Kobo Lookbook, and upgraded to a Kindle 3. I used my original Kindle 3 up until 2 months ago when my 3 year old broke the screen. Replaced it with another Kindle 3 since I’m teaching my 5 year old to read, and touching the screen helps her learn. I love how long Kindle ereaders last (unless jumped on!).
The Nook Simple Touch. For a 2010 model e reader, it still just works. And because it didn’t have the front light layer and used an infrared touch sensor, the visibility of the screen was a bit better than on the Glowlight or on most competition that offered touch control. It was solid, easy to use, and VERY easy to modify, both in terms of hardware and software. More recent readers do a better job, certainly, but the Simple Touch did it really, really well, really, really early on in the e-reader game. Too bad their ecosystem never got the traction that Amazon’s did. The feel of this reader was just right. Mine still works, and along with my Glowlight, it’s been unlocked and is running Android.
My first ereader was some form of a Nook tablet. I may have given it away. I still leave a nook tablet of some generation, a nook glow light, and a nook simple touch. I keep the latter 2 charged because I began buying the JD Robb In Death series through BN, so keep it up. I also download many of the free Fridays. I very seldom use them for 2 reasons: I borrow a lot of library books, and I don’t have any computer to fiddle around with to sideload, and Amazon has more choices AND I’ve been getting the KU for free for a long time. Even if I can’t get it for free, paying $10 for 1 month allows me to read at minimum 20 books. That’s a lot cheaper than buying them.
My first reader was the Sony 300, then the Sony 350, Sony T1, then Kobo, Kobo touch, Kobo Glo, Aura One and now Forma. i’m sure I missed several Kobo models in there somewhere.
I was given the Kobo 300 as a parting gift when i left the local Library Board. I was testing the model for the library. They were evaluating purchasing some as loaners to patrons. I was a reluctant tester not expecting to like it but some 11 years later I find 99% of the books I read are on a reader.
My first was a Bookeen Cybook Gen 3, I bought it on the off chance that ereaders might be useful, I was going to be stationed in Baghdad for Xmas 2007 for four months and reading 4-5 Books a week I thought it might be a good idea. Anyway it turned out to be brilliant, I used it until it wore out , I then bought an Iliad which cost 1000 AUD, but it became obsolete very quickly. I have tried many brands since the best being my Kobo Aura 1 which I currently use daily, of the obsolete ones I found the Sony models were pretty good and the Onyx the worst (slow and fell to pieces in a month) Kindle screens are too small and Bookeen became too hard to purchase in Australia
I had the original Nook STR, when I threw it away the electronics were still fine. However the skin had melted, and USB port became intermittently unusable, there was no way to continue using it easily.
I have since moved on to a KA1 after a brief H2O honeymoon, and the wife’s moved from a pink Kobo Aura to a bog-black Kobo Clara HD.
I have , and still use a sony PRST 1. It is still ok.
Nook Simple Touch in 2011, it has died, not sure what exactly killed it, it stopped charging at some point in 2013. I loved it so I’ve purchased the same which is functional to this day 🙂 But now mostly with Kobo AO and Libra H2O.
Before it was distributed in Germany, I bought a Sony PRS-505 March 2008 (!) from EBay for a wooping 290 Eur. Still have for sentimental reasons, and it still works, but with the low resolution, no frontlight, no WiFi, it very basic.
Liked my Sony PRS T1 a lot more, and rooted it, but since then (wether a defect or the rooting is responsible, I am unsure), it skips pages when using the buttons.
Otherwise it still works, and sometimes I charge it and use it for testing or a little with it.
Still the best firmware, PDF is way better, then all other ebook-readers I own(ed). Miss most that Sony got out of the the normal ereader business and nether built an updated one with frontlight.
Kindle is good, but PDF needs improvement, and while I like the Voyage, I am using a Tolino epos for the bigger screen. Would consider upgrading one or the other, but hate hate hate the asymmetric design of the newer readers – prices are also too high for both epos 2 and Kindle oasis 3 even with a black friday deal, but I would take one of them in a normal, symmetrical design.
Iriver story. E.-ink reader, mp3 player with keyboard back in 2009. Used until display becomes very dim and unable to read on. Then moved to kindle paper white. Now using Boyue likebook.
My first reader was given to me as a retirement gift. It was a Sony PRS 300 that i was testing for the local; Library Board. they were planning on purchasing several to loan to patrons.
I was a sceptical tester not expecting to like the experience.
I then moved to the PRS350, and T1. After Sony I moved on to Kobo- the Touch, Aura, Glo, Aura One and now the Forma.
My first ereader was the Kindle 3. My Father suggested that I buy a Kindle because I read so much that every few months I was carting boxes of books to donate to the public library. I remember when it first arrived. I thought that there was a screen protector sticker on the screen, the kind that shows you a picture of what the screen would look like. I kept trying to peel it off until I realized that it was the screen itself. I didn’t know that eink readers could just keep the same screen without using battery!
My first impressions was that it was thin and light and was easy on the eyes. Another positive thing was that if I read about a book I wanted to read I could immediately get it on the Kindle instead of waiting several days (it was hit or miss what the local bookstore would carry).
There were negatives too. The contrast was quite low. I never bothered before caring about what light I read in, but the Kindle led me to start seeking bright lights to read by. And at the time I was living in a very bright apartment too! Also I really didn’t like location numbers. I preferred page numbers. Several months after I bought the Kindle, Kindle released an update that added page numbers. But the publishers had to add page numbers on their end. That took several months. It is funny because I am used to and fine with location numbers now.
The Palm Handspring Visor was the first device I used to read ebooks. I had seven of these throughout the years and only just sold the bundle on ebay last year because i couldn’t get any of them to work any more.
The first dedicated ereader I had was the Kindle keyboard and I love it. I still prefer it over my paperwhite and since you can’t get them new, I’ve been stocking up on used ones from ebay to that I’ll always have one!
Paper White 1.0. Still fully functional. Now Oasis 2 and Boox Note2 for pdf and Kindle books.
I will not mention Fujitsu Siemens 12 incher Stylistic that is used for reading too 😉
PS
Any reason that Kindle e-books cost more than new paper editions of same title? Maybe I will return to real books ;).
It’s probably because publishers are sleazy slimebags. I’ve been reading some old Philip K. Dick stories and it sickens me to see the publisher charging $9.99 for his ebooks that you can read in a day when he’s been dead for nearly 40 years. They’re profiting more off of his work than he ever did while he was alive.
Amazon and third party sellers affiliated with Amazon don’t have to use agency pricing on new books. So those books end up priced cheaper than the equivalent ebook. If you factor in also buying very good condition books, ebooks will be more expensive 99.9% of the time. The publishers are really shooting themselves in the foot. If they made ebooks (at least back catalog) cheap or stopped with agency pricing they could make money. That is because they make nothing off of second hand purchases, and quite a bit off of ebook purchases.
But here is the pro tip: most ebooks eventually go on a deep sale. If you use ereaderiq, follow r/ebookdeals and are patient you don’t have to pay alot. I buy more $2 ebooks than I buy $10 ebooks.
You must be very patient person :). I did wait some books even several years. Of course there were some that are discounted but, in general, I do not wait to much for new books. However, it is fascinating that some books that are 50+ years old still keep their price. For example, Asimov’s Foundation series. One would expect that there is affordable bundle chronologically “bound”. But, noooo… 8$ average for each book in the series. Damned publishers… What else could I say.
Asimov’s books do go on sale occasionally. I snagged one of his robot books a while back for a couple of bucks, and Foundation was on sale too but probably only the first one. Another good tactic is to stock up on books through Prime Reading if you have Amazon Prime. Sometimes publishers will put popular books in Prime for a short time. That’s how I got several Philip K. Dick books before they jacked up the price. Once you have them you get to keep reading them even after they’re removed from Prime. The downside is you can only have 10 downloaded at once.
I put ebooks I’d like to purchase on my Amazon wishlist, and then sort my list by price from low to high. I try to check my list daily and have bought dozens of ebooks at a fraction of their regular price.
My first e-reader was a Sony PRS 600,but really fell in love with the PRS 650. It was so advanced for it’s time and a joy to hold and use. Eventually switched to Kindle Paperwhite, then Voyage and Oasis 2. Now I’m a big fan of the Onyx Note line where I can participate in the Amazon system through the Kindle app, or not. Also great for taking notes and reading internet articles and blogs. I still miss that PRS 650 though… Probably just nostalgia… There is a reason I moved on!
My first eBook Reader was a 2010 Kindle Keyboard (3rd Generation). It still works fine and keeps its charge longer than my other kindles. its downside was the lack of an integrated light. I just charge it up every 2 or 3 months when I think of it. I have since upgraded to a 2015 Kindle Paperwhite (7th Generation) and a 2016 Kindle Oasis (8th Generation). The Oasis is my go to favorite because of its featherweight heft. It’s like I’m holding nothing at all which is convenient when reading some of my longer books.
Kindle Voyage and to-date I still use it despite having each generation of Kindle Oasis. The form factor and quality of e-ink on the Voyage is yet to be matched by any other e-reader. The black is blacker and easier on the eyes.
My first e-reader was a Sony PRS505. I still own it and have the charger. It sits in a drawer. Stopped using it when Sony stopped supporting the device… seems to be Sony’s thing… create products and abandon them. Thanks Sony… Not only did Sony abandon e-readers, they abandoned their e-ink writing tablets… sold off the design to other companies. Once again, way to go Sony.
My first e-reader was a Kindle III (c. 2010)–I actually bought several of them because they were so cheap once their season passed. I still use them occasionally, and I do rate it as a an excellent early iteration of the ereader. Its main draw-backs are that it can’t handle pdfs and it only had a few fonts–but they were bold and legible, and I found the physical keyboard and menu routines very sensible and ergonomic. It had no front-light, but the stock case with a built-in light that used the on-board battery was clever and there was a light branded “Octovo” that was like a Bauhaus design–it was brilliant. These devices had built-in 3G that worked all over the planet. This is still a clever device, and it was a quantum leap over the Kindle II. I hate to admit it, but the “no frontlight” may have been better for concentrated, non-distracted reading. I took a lot of notes on these devcices, and they were easy to manage; for years I wished other readers could compete with Kindle’s note-taking ability as of the III.
My first eBook reader was my Apple Newton MessagePad 110 back in 1994.
Apple provided a desktop program that allowed one to make ebooks from text files, PDFs, .Html, and create a ,PKG file to load and open on the Newton. Worked like a charm.
I invested in my Frankllin eBookMan and still use it regularly today. The great thing is, even though I use it for more than just books, I can easily compile new books for it with the CDK suite that Franklin published for it. So, when ever I want more content, I just head over to Project Gutenberg, download what I want and compile it for the eBookMan’s reader.
My first eReader was the Sony prs-500. At the time I was travelling from the UK to the USA as often as once a month and carrying sufficient books to occupy me between London and Los Angeles was a sore trial. I first tried to buy one at Washington Airport. The borders there told me they only had the display one and no one had ever asked to buy one. Next visit to Los Angeles I bought one at Frys, and loaded it up with books from Project Gutenberg. Fry’s told me me that no one had asked them for one either and gave me a 15% discount on it. From the dust on the box I believe them. I then bought the bigger Sony which you could read magazines on if you were lucky enough to locate any. Because it used PDFs as a format I also used to put maps on it when travelling to save myself the hassle of carrying printed material around with me. I have now had Kindles for many years. I still have a drawer full of Sonys…
Sony PRS 300, and it still works (I later got a Kobo Touch, and I still use that too)