I've been going through ereaders like a fiend these past few months - it seems that either Amazon or Barnes & Noble release a new one every few weeks - so I think it's time we talked a bit about which one of the latest crop is best for various users.

First, a little background. Right now there are really only four ereaders you should be thinking about. From the tablet family - meaning devices that are like iPads - Amazon makes the Kindle Fire and B&N makes the Nook HD. In the e-ink camp - the devices with black and white, high-contrast screens - you have the Kindle Paperwhite and the Nook Simple Touch With Glowlight. 

Apple's newest additions, the iPad mini and the fourth-generation iPad, are selling like hotcakes. People bought more than 3 million iPads and minis in the first three days they were available. That's a lotta iPads.

The new gadgets went on sale just last week, and so far only the Wi-Fi versions are available. The 3G and 4G ones will hit the streets soon. The iPad mini sports a 7.9-inch screen, smaller than the regular 9.7-inch iPad. It's thin as a pencil, 7.2mm wide, and weighs .68 lbs. Which is basically like weighing nothing at all.

It's a great alternative to the bigger iPad for the mom-on-the-go who wants to pretend she's checking her email while really reading Fifty Shades of Grey when waiting to pick up the kids. I think I need one.

As if your Christmas list weren't long enough, Apple is rumored to be about to announce a smaller, lighter iPad that may or may not be called the iPad Mini. It's expected to have a little 7-inch screen, making it a sort of entry-level mini tablet in the iPad family.

According to the rumors - and there are plenty - the new gadget will launch this coming week on the 23rd. While we initially expected to see this unveiled alongside the new iPods and the iPhone 5 earlier this fall, it makes sense that Apple waited on this tablet as the company usually saves these sorts of products for the holidays.

The question, then, is whether or not you're going to want to pick one of these things up.

Love them or hate them, e-books are here to stay, so why not invest in the Cadillac of e-ink readers, the new Kindle Paperwhite. I rarely heap praise on a particular device - I'm far too jaded for that - but the Paperwhite is probably the best e-reader you can buy (if you're an Amazon fan) and it really shows how far things have come since the early days of the first Kindle.

Why is the Paperwhite so cool? Like the Nook Simple Touch With Glowlight, the Paperwhite has a backlit screen for reading in the dark. The important thing to note is that this device uses e-ink technology to display text and graphics, so not only is it as bright as a tablet computer, it has excellent readability and contrast and can be used in direct sunlight.

Our house is strewn with various Leapfrog games of various vintages. The kids have played with almost every one - until the Nintendo DS came along - but they're great fun and a good way to keep the wee ones occupied when they have their eye on your cellphone.

Two new Leapfrog models add a few interesting features to the already popular (and inexpensive) line of electronics. 

With the rise of new Android tablets, and the LeapPad for kids, is there any reason to get an iPad anymore? After all, competition is good, and Apple hasn't updated their device for a few years, leaving a chasm of opportunity for better tablets to fill in the gaps.

Unfortunately, that hasn't happened: Nothing has really appeared that could give the iPad a run for its money. But things could change and, more important, it might be a good idea to shop around if you're thinking about picking up a new tablet or e-reader this year. Here are a few ideas to make your decision easier.

The 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) -- which is pretty much like Oscars season at the movies or Fashion Week in the world of haute couture -- is going on right now, and one of the coolest items to make its debut there is a solar-powered Kindle cover. And believe me when I say this isn't just some kooky accessory only a techphile geek could love. It's a revolution, baby! Or at least, it should be.  

Invented by a Taiwan-based company called SolarFocus, the case exclusively fits the fourth-generation Kindle, but it should be available for the Kindle Touch in the spring, they say. But back to the revolution part ... How would you like to never have to tinker around with annoying chargers and USB cords to charge your Kindle again? How about never having to charge any gadget -- smartphone, tablet, GPS, etc. -- again?

Everyone has books they read back in grade school that left a lasting effect on them. In my case, Fahrenheit 451 was one of those. For years author Ray Bradbury was against the eTimes, refusing to allow his prized book to be released in e-book format. And why should he have to? Just cause the times are changin'? The author once told The Paris Review: 

"Those aren't books. You can't hold a computer in your hand like you can a book. A computer does not smell ... A book has got to smell. You have to hold it in your hands and pray to it ... And it stays with you forever. But the computer doesn't do that for you. I'm sorry."

Welp. Yesterday, Bradbury caved. The e-edition of Bradbury's book became available yesterday on Kindle and Nook for just $9.99. 

If this isn't a sign that we officially live in an e-world, I don't know what is.