e-Book Readers Cheat Sheet: Amazon Kindles, Barnes & Noble Nook, jetBook, more

As digital bookworms hold their breath for the arrival of a sub-$200 Kindle, various manufacturers have encroached on Amazon's turf unleashing an array of impressive e-Book readers. We've outlined today's most popular models to see how they stack up next to each other. However, before you make your purchase, keep in mind that in addition to hardware, it's important to look at the e-Books in each manufacturer's respective e-Book store. Check to make sure the store carries your favorite books and that your e-Book reader supports multiple formats, which in turn gives you more buying flexibility. Here's a breakdown of the most popular standalone e-Book readers on the market today:

	Price*	Screen Size	Weight	Formats Supported	Storage	Wireless Network	Rated Battery Life
Amazon Kindle 2 U.S.	$259	6" (600x800) 16-level gray scale	10.2 oz.	AZW, PDF, TXT, RTF, Audible, MP3, MOBI, PRC, HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP	2GB	Whispernet Sprint 3G	4 days (with wireless)
Amazon Kindle DX	$489	9.7" (1200x824) 16-level gray scale	18.9 oz.	AZW, PDF, TXT, RTF, Audible, MP3, MOBI, PRC, HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP	4GB	Whispernet Sprint 3G	4 days (with wireless)
Barnes & Noble Nook	$259	6" (600x800) 16-level gray scale ------- 3.5" (480x144) color LCD	11.2 oz.	ePub, eReader, PDF, MP3, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP	2GB (microSD card slot)	3G (AT&T), In-Store Wi-Fi (802.11g)	10 days
BeBook Mini	$199	5" (600x800) 8-level gray scale	5.6 oz.	ePub, PDF, Mobi, Lit, TXT, PRC, FB2, Doc, HTML, BMP, JPG, PNG, GIF, TIF, MP3	512MB (SD card slot)	None	7,000 page turns
ECTACO jetBook	$199	5" (640x480) 16-level gray scale	7.5 oz.	ePub, PDF, Mobi, TXT, PRC, FB2, JPG, RTF, MP3	112MB (SD card slot)	None	20 hours
IREX Digital Reader	$399	8.1" (1024x768) 16-level gray	14.6 oz.	PDF, ePub, Newspaper Direct, Fictionwise, eReader, TXT	128MB (microSD card slot)	Verizon Wireless 3G	N/A
Sony Reader Pocket Edition PRS-300SC	$199	5" (800x600) 8-level gray scale	7.8 oz.	PDF, ePub, JPEG, BBeB, RTF, TXT, HTML	512MB	None	2 weeks
Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-600SC	$299	6" (800x600) 8-level gray scale	10.1 oz.	PDF, ePub, BBeB, RTF, TXT, HTML, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, MP3, AAC	512MB (Memory Stick Pro Duo/SD slot)	None	7,500 page turns

^{*Prices are MSRP as few deals can be found on these new eBook readers.}

Louis Ramirez is dealnews' Features Editor.