E-Reader Buyer's Guide: Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Daily Edition, iPad

The mobile market is one of the hottest sectors in tech now, and one constant undercurrent in the wireless industry is the gaining popularity of e-readers. Amazon jumped out in front in this arena with the Kindle and its subsequent iterations, but Barnes & Noble and Sony have recently rolled out refreshes of their e-reader lines. Additionally, many consumers are poised to use Apple's iPad tablet as a digital reading device for magazines and newspapers.

All this competition means more choices for consumers -- and likely more affordable prices, according to e-reader industry expert Roger Fidler, program director for digital publishing at the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI).

To help figure out what e-reader is the best choice for you this holiday season, Fidler's E-Reader Buyer's Guide has been updated to address all the new products and factors influencing the market. The updated E-Reader Buyer's Guide provides insider insight from Fidler, and serves as a tool consumers can use to compare the newest trends among e-readers and tablets as well as their respective pricing and technology/features.

"Apple's iPad has certainly been a game-changer this year, but Amazon's Kindle and other e-readers are also expected to do well this holiday season. While the iPad and many of the me-too tablets rushing to market for the holiday season are not technically e-readers, the iPad has launched its own bookstore via iTunes and will share the market with the traditional e-readers.

"Those e-reader companies haven't rolled over dead in the face of the tablet revolution. While iRex dropped out of the market earlier this year, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Sony have updated their product lines, and in many cases cut their prices. It should be a good year for shoppers thinking of joining the ranks of e-readers," says Fidler.

Fidler's guide offers charts with side-by-side comparisons of e-reader size, price, features, navigation and connectivity for Amazon's three Kindle models, Wi-Fi only, Wi-Fi and 3G and the DX 3G version, B&N's Wi-Fi Nook and Wi-Fi 3G Nook, the Kobo from Borders and the Sony Daily Edition PRS-950 with 3G Wi-Fi and Apple's iPad.