An at-a-glance look at the pros and cons of each of the main e-book readers on the market. For more on the pros, cons and specs of each model, compare ebook readers at www.electronicbookreaders.co.uk.

SonyPRS-505 Reader (the Ford of ebook readers)

Pros:

Very reasonably priced
Sleek, thin and light

Cons:

Everybody's got one
No search function
It's about time there was a second version so there probably will be soon

Amazon Kindle (The Toyota of ebook readers)

Pros:

Wireless connectivity / downloading
Amazon has an unparalleled library of e-books and an easy interface for browsing it.

Cons:

Only truly supports ebooks in its proprietary (.azw) format
Amazon 2 due out in Q1 2009 so you may be better off waiting for that.
Clunky controls and ugly design.
It's too large.

Bookeen Cybook (The Renault of ebook readers)

Pros:

Poorly-designed interface
150 titles pre-installed
One of the cheaper / best value readers
Disctionary lookup function

Cons:

Page-turn mechanism (very slightly) more awkward than for most readers

Hanlin V3 (the BMW of ebook readers)

Pros:

Very similar to Sony (in size, shape, weight and functionality) but seems more substantial.
High battery life (8000 page turns)
Comes with USB adaptor good for MS Office documents

Cons:

Overpriced

Beebook (the Fiat of ebook readers)

Pros:

Well-designed interface
Comparatively low price.

Cons:

Not so easy to read from away from sunlight

No outstanding features no element of it seems superior to the Sony reader

Irex Iliad (the Volvo of ebook readers)

Pros:

8 inch display (6 inches is standard)

Write-on screen
Great annotation and search functions.

Cons:

Exteremely expensive
Lowish 15 hours battery life