In an era when technology seems to be moving too fast for the average person to keep up, the book is the latest relic rendered obsolete by computers.

And like the iPod dominated the post-compact disc music world, the e-reader market appears to be exclusive, Jay said, an employee at Arden Fair’s Best Buy. He said the Amazon Kindle and the Nook by Barnes and Noble are the class acts in the industry.

“Both sold out during Christmas time,” said Jay, who was forbidden by company policy from revealing his last name. “Sony does not sell as well.”

Using the Sony Reader, it is obvious why not.

First, the Sony is far more expensive than its counterparts. While there are a couple of different sizes available, the one comparable to its competitors costs almost $300. It does have a built-in 3G internet connection that comes standard, but the Kindle and Nook with their respective 3G add-ons are still under $200.

Second, the display on the Sony falls well short of the competition. The standard Kindle and Nook both feature screens with E-Ink technology; they look basically like a paper page with black “ink” on it. To control the device, the Kindle sports a keyboard, while the Nook has a smaller, color touch screen underneath the main display.

The Sony also uses E-Ink technology, but attempts to integrate a full touch screen into the mix. The result is awkward. The E-Ink does not appear to work well with the touch screen, often requiring a lot more pressure than the average iPhone user might be used to.

The Sony is a bit bigger and has a sleeker, shinier look than the other two, but it just does not cut it.

Jay said most of the customers who are interested in the Sony Reader are “hating on the bigger names because they do well.”

The Nook has the largest number of titles available for download, with more than 3 million, whereas the Kindle only has just over 800,000. This is because Kindle users can download only from Amazon’s library, whereas Nook allows users to gather literature from other services, like Google Books. Sony also can use Google Books, although its library only features 600,000 titles.

The Apple iPad, however, with its iBooks feature, is the best in this regard. Apple offers both a Nook app and a Kindle app, which actually allows users to download every title that either service offers, and read it on their iPad. With a price starting at around $500, however, it is by far the most expensive option.

Now that the old-fashioned book may be on its way out and technology has been introduced to the medium, do not expect it to remain stagnant for long.

The new Nook Color, which is bigger than its predecessor and features a full-color touch screen, appears to be on the cutting edge of e-readers.

While almost $100 more expensive than the classic Nook, this new device features a backlit screen and intuitive controls, which are two things no other e-reader on the market offers. The full-color display and fluid, finger-drag interface will feel familiar to the modern smartphone user.

This level of technology, however, might feel intimidating to the average buyer of e-readers, Jay said. He said the typical consumer appreciates the adjustable font sizes and light weight of the devices, but might not be quite so welcoming of a truly high-tech experience.

“Honestly, 70 percent of my customers who buy these are old people,” he said.

Barnes and Noble store manager Kyle Mitzel, however, thinks the younger crowd will appreciate the Nook, particularly the NookStudy feature, which allows for the download of some textbooks, allowing students to save money by skipping the paper.

He also said the Nook Color, which runs on the Android Operating System, may soon be able to access the Android marketplace, essentially turning the e-reader into an Android tablet computer, similar to the iPad. And at about half the price, it could be a steal.

All things considered, the Nook is the best option, especially if you have the extra money to spring for Nook Color. It simply offers more.

Alex Gotewohl can be reached at [email protected]