With all the recent hype regarding the forthcoming Kobo eReader, the most frequently mentioned perk, even by us, is the amazingly low price. This makes it an attractive option for people who aren’t quite sure of their need for such a device or even for those who want to give a really cool gift without breaking the bank. Some of us, however, are very impatient, and the Kobo won’t be around in the US until next month! Especially for those with students they know graduating, this can be an issue. Fortunately there’s another option.
The Sony PRS series isn’t exactly new, but they seem to have fallen by the wayside in the eyes of a lot of reviewers these days. Sure, they don’t have a lot of the bells and whistles that newer devices do, but they’re an established and proven brand. The reason I bring this up is the recent realization that you can find brand-new PRS-300 models for just $140-150 these days. They’re not quite as nifty as, say, the Kindle, but they’ll display books as well as anything. My only complaints about the design are the 5″ screen and the positioning of the page turn button. If you can put up with those, however, it might be an option for you! They’re cheap, they read ePub formatted books, they’ll carry a charge for weeks, and they’re affordable. Quite possibly the perfect gift for that holdout reader friend, grad, or relative to get them used to the idea of the technology before working them up to something a full featured as the nook or Kindle.