When the Kindle came out, I ordered it thinking I would sell my Sony Reader 505 on eBay. After spending about 2 weeks with both machines, I'm returning the Kindle instead. The reasons are:

1. Kindle formatting is static. With Libprs500 or Bookdesigner 4.0, I can create lrf files that have the formatting I want. This means I can put more text on a page and have a much clearer font.

2. Esthetics. The ungainly wings on the Kindle and its plasticky feel -- and its overall ugliness -- detract from the experience.

3. The Amazon people say the aim of the Kindle is for the device to disappear so you can be unaware you're reading on an electronic device. This never happened for me with the Kindle, though it does work with the Sony.

4. General awkwardness. To put the Kindle to sleep, you have to push the two buttons at the bottom, and in the process I almost always inadvertently pushed another button. The Sony goes to sleep by just pulling the on/off switch once. If I was reading the Kindle and wanted to put it down, I would always push some button or another. This usually means that the page display changes and you have to take the time to get back to where you were.

5. Intangible. The Sony just seems far better designed. Obviously it doesn't have wireless access to books, but it's scarcely a big deal to download books to my computer and transfer them. I used Kovid's program to download some magazines and papers to the Sony and found it works quite well -- though it's not as simple as the Kindle.

I'm not entirely sure which of these things is the most important. I downloaded the same public domain books to both and found I gritted my teeth every time I went to read one on the Kindle, while I looked forward to using the Sony. I certainly hope the Kindle doesn't cause Sony to neglect its own far superior (in my view) ebook reader.

I agree with every point. I sold my Kindle on eBay for a nice profit and got myself a Sony Reader. If Amazon redesigns the Kindle into something more Sony-like, I'll definitely purchase it.

I would encourage everyone to email the Kindle feedback group with suggestions on improving the Kindle. I also asked them to make their eBooks available for the Sony.

I agree with every point. I sold my Kindle on eBay for a nice profit and got myself a Sony Reader. If Amazon redesigns the Kindle into something more Sony-like, I'll definitely purchase it.

I just talked to someone on the subway yesterday who said he was returning his. He had his Kindle and I had my PRS-500. We exchanged the usual "how do you like it"s. His was a litany of all the things that have shown up on so many reviews: too easy to hit the buttons by accident, weird shape, uncomfortable to hold, etc. He said he was sending it back.

If this keeps up, Amazon will have plenty of units to ship.

I just talked to someone on the subway yesterday who said he was returning his. He had his Kindle and I had my PRS-500. We exchanged the usual "how do you like it"s. His was a litany of all the things that have shown up on so many reviews: too easy to hit the buttons by accident, weird shape, uncomfortable to hold, etc. He said he was sending it back.

If this keeps up, Amazon will have plenty of units to ship.

As i posted elsewhere, I'm thinking hard about getting rid of my 505 because the book buying via Connect is a drag (to put it politely) for me. I've only bought one book because its so...painful.

The choice for me then leaves the Gen3 and the Kindle...and while I'm not thrilled about the price, I don't have to worry about they book buying experience.

'm seeing a lot of the same things repeated about the Kindle tho and not a lot of "unhappy with my Gen3" stuff.

I'm gonna think on it a bit more, perhaps.

As i posted elsewhere, I'm thinking hard about getting rid of my 505 because the book buying via Connect is a drag (to put it politely) for me. I've only bought one book because its so...painful.

The choice for me then leaves the Gen3 and the Kindle...and while I'm not thrilled about the price, I don't have to worry about they book buying experience.

'm seeing a lot of the same things repeated about the Kindle tho and not a lot of "unhappy with my Gen3" stuff.

I'm gonna think on it a bit more, perhaps.

I'm really confused. I'm not the sharpest pencil in the box but I found buying books on Connect very easy. I purchased the books, they downloaded to my computer and I drag and drop them to my reader. The whole process takes less than 2 minutes?:bulb2:

I don't run Windows.

Returned? Dude, should have just sold it on ebay - $800 seems to be the going rate! :)