Hi, first post here. As I was packing six books before heading on a Caribbean cruise tomorrow I starting thinking about eBook readers again.
I'm a newbie in these parts, but I've looked through relevant postings for a few hours and am leaning towards the Sony PRS-505. I'll explain my reasons & hopefully folks will let me know if I've made the right conclusions or should consider another model.
Types of content supported - I don't initially see myself wanting to buy DRM-locked books. I'd like to read free classics and possibly free & legal books from other sources like
the Baen Free Sci-Fi Library.
Loading content - I'm an engineer & comfortable using the USB connection to upload to the Sony. I do realize the Kindle makes that easier, but I don't believe it would be any easier to upload my own free ebooks to a Kindle. I'm also comfortable using software to reformat pdfs, or convert text to pdf, etc.
Resolution - I definitely want at least the current 800x600 rez of E-Ink's latest displays, which I believe the PRS-505 provides. I like a larger screen but don't think I can find one for anywhere near the price of a Sony PRS-505.
Aesthetics - a friend has a Kindle and I actually object mildly to the full QWERTY keyboard taking up so much real estate. The Sony design is more pleasing to my eye, and I'm not particularly a Sony fanboy.
Size/weight - The Sony Reader is marginally smaller and lighter than the Kindle. This is important to me.
Cost effectiveness - I'm "frugal" (cheap?) so this is a big factor too. $200 for the PRS-505 from sonystyle.com if I apply for and use a SONY Visa, vs $359 for the Kindle. A minor point is that the Sony includes a cover but the Kindle doesn't. Also a resale consideration: if a significantly better technology comes out soon I would imagine I could sell the Sony at a small loss - $50 to $75, but the Kindle has a much higher starting price and I wonder how it would hold that value if, say, Amazon decided to start subsidizing the purchase price of a newer Kindle.
I'm not listing battery performance as a significant factor, since either the Sony or Kindle should be fine. Same with built-in storage, and I know I can add SDHC cards to the Sony if I chose to.
I'll be on vacation for a week, but I will check back after June 1 to check responses. Since I can't say thanks for a while, I'll just say thanks in advance!
- Jim in Austin