The most noticeable difference between SoftBook Reader and the other devices reviewed here is the process used to create and import ebook data. First of all, there is no way to connect the SoftBook Reader to your computer. An infocenter is a sort of clearinghouse maintained by SoftBook Press. It knows about you and your SoftBook Reader because of the Reader's serial number. The creation of ebook content is for SoftBook Readers is more complicated than the other options here, but the extra effort can pay off in better presentations of text.
Readers require strict adherence to a specification.
For an extra hundreds of dollars you can purchase an application that creates ebook content, but the content won't compile into something the Reader will understand unless the content is marked up correctly. Furthermore, you will not be able to distribute your content unless you have an NT-based Web server at your disposal. On the other hand, the specification is closely tied to the hardware and provides opportunities to exploit its specific features in ways plain text or HTML can not hope to achieve. The NCSU Libraries recently purchased a number of ReB's and SoftBook Readers for the purposes of garnering student and faculty input about these devices. The jury is still out on their use, but these purchases gave me the opportunity to explore ways content for these devices can be created on a large scale.