In looking at some reviews (mainly on Amazon) the Kindle 2 has received a significant number of 1 star ratings. A lot of spontaneous failures after a week or so. Broken displays. Questions around moving magazines from a Kindle 1 to a Kindle 2. One user who indicated theirs dropped 5 INCHES and the screen was trash after it was picked back up.

Is the general consensus that the Kindle 2 is very fragile? For example if I place it in a small laptop bag along with a Netbook for traveling on a plane do I risk breaking the thing?

The Kindle has the advantage of the vast number of books on Amazon, the wireless purchase of new books and Whispernet sync with my iPhone, and the first chapter samples. But, if the thing breaks if you look at it wrong, then all of these are for naught.

At the moment I am leaning towards the Sony PRS-505. Granted no wireless (and no direct Mac support), and it appears that books on the Sony store are consistently a dollar or more expensive than the same title on Amazon. But the reports I have seen on the Sony are indicating a more robust build quality (less plastic feeling). The availability of the dark blue (or even red) is claimed to help contrast as opposed to the white surround of the Kindle. And of course the Sony is cheaper than the Kindle. The Sony has both the Memory Stick and a SD card slot, I am amazed that Amazon removed the SD card capability on the Kindle 2.

So, any thoughts, for owners of a Kindle 2 is it as fragile as what I have seen? If I could find a Kindle 1 online that was in good shape would it be a better option than the Kindle 2?

Thanks,

The Kindle 2 is no more or less fragile than the Sony. If you put the Kindle 2 in a cover it will do fine in a laptop bag.

There have been quite a few Kindle 2s that have suffered from manufacturing defects: fading in sunlight during page turns, battery problems, or screens dying in a couple of weeks. However, you're hearing about them more often than Sony because you've got an easy place to read about the failures all collected, plus Kindle has sold many times the number Sony has. The good news is Amazon will replace all of these faulty Kindles for free, so there's no risk to your money.

If you're worried about breakage, buy the 2-year extended warranty which covers one accidental breakage.

Kindle has outsold Sony many times?? please state where this fact is listed

Kindle has outsold Sony many times?? please state where this fact is listed

It's not listed anywhere, but deduced from other known estimates of Kindle sales.

last time I heard, kindle sales were in the Half Million Area.

I doubt sony comes close. the numbers speak for themselves, there are many times more kindle ads than sony ads. or craigslist, or anywhere.

The financial estimates are that Amazon sold 400,000 to 500,000 Kindle 1s in 2008, and over 300,000 already in 2009. The estimates for Sony are in the 300,000 - 400,000 range. Okay, so that's only about 2 times more, not "many times', but Kindles will sell another 500,000 or so this year and Sony won't even come close to that.

The financial estimates are that Amazon sold 400,000 to 500,000 Kindle 1s in 2008, and over 300,000 already in 2009. The estimates for Sony are in the 300,000 - 400,000 range. Okay, so that's only about 2 times more, not "many times', but Kindles will sell another 500,000 or so this year and Sony won't even come close to that.

I have nothing against the kindle but Sony and Kindle each has its ups and downs. But Im' just curious you have predicted the sales of Kindle this year as against Sony.

Again, the predictions are analyst predictions. Amazon could sell a lot more. Who knows how popular the DX will be. Could Sony suddenly take off? You'd have to postulate some reason why it would, and a personal conviction that Sony is better than Kindle just isn't going to cut it. Sony has *nothing* to compete with Amazon's supply chain for ebooks, and isn't going to have anything in the next 6 months, either. That doesn't mean Sony can never defeat Amazon with newer and better ereaders in the future; just that it's not happening in 2009.

I have owned both Sony 505 and Kindle 2 and they are apples and oranges in a lot of areas. Both have the same e-ink technology so that is a mute point. I think that since the K2 is so thin, it is more likely for accidental breakage, but as previous poster states, keeping it in a cover greatly improves the odds of it not getting broken. The Amazon stock cover works nicely for the K2 and mine travels everywhere with me in my purse with no worries.
Certainly the advantages of auto downloads of my newspaper is a big bonus point with me so I am not tied to my computer for downloads. Nice when traveling. I recently became a Mac owner, so was thrilled to see that Calibre is Mac compatible! Yea!
And customer service with Amazon was top notch when I received one of the K2s that fades in the sunlight. They replaced it immediately and the replacement model works perfectly.
Sony going to have to up their game to be competitive with Amazon, as their reader is a good basic electronic reader, but Amazon has got the bells and whistles that makes their reader a step up model. As for the new DX model, I think it is geared more towards students and professional folks. Should be interesting to see how it does!

Regarding reliability--I take mine almost everywhere (I am seriously having to tell myself I *really* mustn't take it on the 7 day canoe-camping trip I have planned this summer). I have used it bicycling, walking and weightlifting and have never had a problem. I have read at the dinner table, in the bathtub (in a ziplock bag) and while walking in the pouring rain (ditto), and I have slung the kindle in a bag and had it read to me while I pulled dandelions for 2 hours at a time.

I would have no qualms at all about putting it in a bag with a netbook and getting on a plane.

On the other hand, I treat it with the same kind of respect I would treat a laptop or a netbook. I don't set a dumbbell (or even a teacup) on the screen; I don't toss it on the floor (though I will toss it on the bed), I make sure I don't sit on it, and I haven't (so far) dropped it or anything. So it hasn't been through any kind of serious test.

I hope that info is helpful as you make your decision.

Could Sony suddenly take off? You'd have to postulate some reason why it would

Perhaps a reason might be that Sony sells in quite a few more countries than the Kindle? And perhaps another reason might be that the book market of the UK and Germany combined are already larger than that of the US? And publishers in Europe have decided to go for ePub and stay away from Amazon?

There is life outside the US, really.

-maarten

?

There is life outside the US, really.

-maarten

There is? LOL

Course you are correct to point out that there is a huge market that Amazon ignores. Amazon needs to change their credit card policy so that non-US card holders can buy Kindles. But then , they probably don't ship internationally so until they welcome the global market, other e-book companies will be glad to fill the void.

My kindle lives in and out of it's Amazon leather book dealy. I rides in my laptop bag whenever I'm out of the house or at the gym. In the house it's usually naked.

No problems or worries beyond the normal, dropping, kicking, etc, but those worries extend to my iPhone, laptop, and my N800 when I had one.

Perhaps a reason might be that Sony sells in quite a few more countries than the Kindle? And perhaps another reason might be that the book market of the UK and Germany combined are already larger than that of the US? And publishers in Europe have decided to go for ePub and stay away from Amazon?

There is life outside the US, really.

-maarten

Copyright law, much less publisher attitude is vastly different in other countries. There are many, many Science Fiction and Fantasy books I have to order from Amazon UK because they are not available here. There is life inside the US, too.

I have owned both Sony 505 and Kindle 2 and they are apples and oranges in a lot of areas. Both have the same e-ink technology so that is a mute point. I think that since the K2 is so thin, it is more likely for accidental breakage, but as previous poster states, keeping it in a cover greatly improves the odds of it not getting broken. The Amazon stock cover works nicely for the K2 and mine travels everywhere with me in my purse with no worries.
Certainly the advantages of auto downloads of my newspaper is a big bonus point with me so I am not tied to my computer for downloads. Nice when traveling. I recently became a Mac owner, so was thrilled to see that Calibre is Mac compatible! Yea!
And customer service with Amazon was top notch when I received one of the K2s that fades in the sunlight. They replaced it immediately and the replacement model works perfectly.
Sony going to have to up their game to be competitive with Amazon, as their reader is a good basic electronic reader, but Amazon has got the bells and whistles that makes their reader a step up model. As for the new DX model, I think it is geared more towards students and professional folks. Should be interesting to see how it does!

Technically, the support chipsets in the Sony PRS 700 and Amazon Kindle 2 are a bit closer, not the 505, granted, the Sony PRS 700 has clarity problems, but you would get there a screen light and touch screen. K2 might be very slightly ahead, technology wise, but it's always a leapfrog thing, and when you get down to it, mostly it's minor differences, all are very similar.

I've taken my readers with me on my daily commute (public transit) for some time. The Sony devices have held up fine with their (addon) leather covers. I've had a K2 for about 3 weeks, so far that has also held up very well, but I do use the Belkin neoprene zippered case. I wouldn't say the Kindle 2 feels any less sturdy than my Sony devices though. Both have very good build quality in my opinion. The Kindle 2 has a nicer industrial design, in my eyes -- the tapered edges, like the Macbook Air, lend it a nice profile.

As for defects, I've never had one in any of my devices, and that's the way it should be. No complaints there.

I have read at the dinner table, in the bathtub (in a ziplock bag) and while walking in the pouring rain (ditto), and I have slung the kindle in a bag and had it read to me while I pulled dandelions for 2 hours at a time.

Wow, really? I'm very tempted to use my kindle in the tub, but I'd be scared the ziploc bags aren't as handy as they say. I guess I'm a little too careful with my electronics.

its asking for trouble playing in the bath with a k2, but if your a lawyer making $1000/day why not

Guys, you have to wait for a couple of years for your waterproof kindles. Currently there's no market for silly things like that. But things are going to change fast as time goes by and competition steps into the market.

Wow, really? I'm very tempted to use my kindle in the tub, but I'd be scared the ziploc bags aren't as handy as they say. I guess I'm a little too careful with my electronics.

In response to the last three posts:

I ordered the following product yesterday, so I can confidently take my Kindle 2 to the pool with me. I'm not planning on jumping in with it, though tests show I could. I just don't want to risk it getting splashed, or dripped on.

http://www.proporta.com/F02/PPF02P05.php?t_id=1090&t_mode=des&id=1090&ccur=true

I'll let you know if it fits (says it's for devices up to 8.5" by 5.5", the Kindle 2 is 8" by 5.3") and how it works. I WILL be testing the bag with tissue paper first to verify the seal integrity. I'm paranoid that way.

And in response to the OP, I carry mine (in it's Amazon leather case) everywhere I go in my leather backpack-style purse. It's in the back pocket, and I sling my purse around a bit in the car (it's even fallen off the seat into the floorboard several times) with NO issues. I also have an iPod touch in the purse, as well, and no issues there, either.

All my other electronics (Touch, cell phone) have Invisible Shields on them, but the screen cover just wouldn't work at all for the Kindle (too shiny.) I've got a skin on it from http://www.3acp.com/3acp.htm (mine is KindleSK-43, it's gorgeous!) and the ease of application is like no skin I've ever seen before!

They come with all pieces attached to a clear sheet that's about half an inch wider than the skin itself all the way around, so all you have to do is grab a friend to hold two corners, you take two corners, and line the thing up. Press it down, and peel the clear covering off. No skin oil or fingerprints under the skin itself, and the skin has little air channels to help you avoid bubbles.

And customer service with Amazon was top notch when I received one of the K2s that fades in the sunlight. They replaced it immediately and the replacement model works perfectly.
Sony going to have to up their game to be competitive with Amazon, as their reader is a good basic electronic reader, but Amazon has got the bells and whistles that makes their reader a step up model. As for the new DX model, I think it is geared more towards students and professional folks. Should be interesting to see how it does!

Right. And many don't know the Sony PRS-505 doesn't have an inline-dictionary or a searching mechanism for within a book and for an entire library, not to mention no highlighting and note-taking.

Those are serious drawbacks for me when the Kindle does have those and they work well. I also read on another forum that someone who called Sony re a reader that faded in direct sunlight was told they are meant to do that. All these companies have clueless reps as well as cluemore ones.

A case is necessary for both units if you're going to have it in movement against other objects.

- Andrys
http://kindleworld.blogspot.com

I find the Kindle sturdy enough, but I do NOT take it out of its leather Amazon cover. Again, treat it carefully.

Well, update on the Proporta Aquapac. It DOESN'T fit. It's too narrow by about half an inch (actually, probably by the thickness of the Kindle 2.) Darn it.

So, it looks like
http://trendydigital.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4_8&products_id=3

will be my next option for waterproofing my Kindle.