I had a death in the family before the holidays. My old Sony Reader kicked the bucket. I think it had something to do with me loading up a badly converted book from another ebook format. My poor device went into a virtual coma, not responding to even the power button. With the crazy battery life on that thing, it was a couple weeks before it took its last, long sleep.

I was sad to see it go but an estimated 50 books read at $8 savings a pop left me with a net gain.

I played with the two newer models in the Sony Store just before X-Mas. The PRS-505 is extremely light, stylish and FAST. Books loaded in a fraction of the time compared to the 500. At $299 CAD new, it's a very worthy device, way better than it's direct predecessor.

The PRS-700 on the other hand was a bit of a disappointment. I was initially very excited about the though of a touchscreen interface and an LED backlight, but the screen clarity seemed to take a big hit. The type on the 505 was crisp and contrast-y, while the 700 was blurry and washed out. I left the store puzzled by the choices.

Little did I realize, I had another ebook reader in my pocket all along.

Stanza, Easier than Amazon, and no Paper Cuts

I installed Stanza, a free app for the iPhone some time ago, but I never gave it a full shake since I had a dedicated reader.

Here I was with dozens of ebooks in half as many formats with nothing to read on my holidays out of town (paper books? I don't think so). That seemed a perfect reason to try reading on the slightly smaller screen.

I didn't realize the first time around how easy it is to load a book onto the iPhone. Just install the light-weight desktop app from the Lexcycle site (also free), which is available in Windows and OSX flavors. Just open a book file in one of the many supported formats. Sharing should be enabled by default.

So long as your iPhone and computer are on the same WIFI network, your iPhone is ready to suck some books down over the air!

If you don't have a lot of eBooks already, Stanza has built in support for over-the-air eBook purchases. Publishers like Harlequin, Random House and even free classic book repositories like Project Gutenberg are literally at your finger-tips. There's something amazingly satisfying about finishing a book, browsing for a new one for 30 seconds, and reading the first chapter of the next, all in less than a minute.

Reading 3.5 Inches at a Time

So we know books are easy to get, and many formats are supported (already two advantages over the Sony Reader). At $299 for a non-touch, non-backlit, but otherwise top-notch reader from Sony (PRS-505 recommended), or the same price for Apple's best iPod/Video watching/Game playing/Internet Browsing/eBook Reading pocket computer, the latter is a compelling deal. If you already have a Touch or iPhone, there is NO reason to get a dedicated device.

Yes it was an adjustment learning to read again on such a small screen again. I enjoyed reading on the PRS-500's 6-inch screen, but sometimes a font-size setting was too small, and the next one up was too large. I tried reading novels on the Kohjinsha SC3, but the UMPC was just too bulky. In the end the iPhone screen was "...just right."

The screen options are fully customizable. Not only can you flip from portrait to landscape, the font face, size and alignment are entirely up to you to edit. One options that gave me a joyous flashback to my earliest ereading days on a Palm with the eReader Pro software, is the fully customizable text and background colors. I often find myself reading in bed or on the balcony at night, so I prefer a black background, words in classic Georgia, and a less contrasting text color called "Bisque" (light brown in other words).

If you can get used to flipping the page every 30 seconds, you will find yourself breezing through entire novels. Not to worry though as you can have 20 or 30 loaded up on a device without eating into your MP3 and Video capacity at all. The best thing about reading on such as small device is that you can read a book in 2-3 minute spurts absolutely anywhere (on the bus, on a work break, waiting in line at a store). You never lose your bookmark, crease a page or cover while you slip it into a bag, or even have to fumble to answer your phone (cuz it's in the Book!).

Switching, it's Not Just for PC Users Anymore

I know ebooks aren't for everyone, but there's no barrier to entry if you have an iPhone or Touch. Two people in my life, one an extreme luddite when it comes to her love of the printed word, have made the switch in a big way.

Get the free apps and read a free book in less than 10 minutes. Benjamin Button is very popular right now. Even if you don't give up on paper books entirely, consider the joy of remembering you have a book with your the next time your bus is delayed by 40 minutes.

Go ahead. Ease into it. You can always keep the Paper books on the shelf so you look smart to your friends. I won't tell.