Quote:
Originally Posted by babalou
Always tracking your posts.....
I'm still not sure: Cybook Opus or Sony 300?
What's your recommendation, considering price, availability in Germany, nuber of books available, accessories, ...?  |
Price:
I've ordered Sony 300 from the US, Cybook Opus directly from Bookeen.
Although cheaper in the US, after costs for transportation, VAT and customs, Sony 300 is about the same price as Cybook Opus.
But honestly, even € 50 difference wouldn't have had any impact on my decision.
I'll use my readers at least for 2 years. Per hour of usage, a difference of € 50 will come down to cents only...
Availability in Germany:
I really hate it. Theoretically, we're in the "global village". But practically, electronic consumer products are way cheaper in the US and available months ahead. Sony 700 even never did make it to Germany (even the whole of Europe, as far as I know).
But I've had only positive experiences so far, either via eBay or from various sources in the US. Delivery within 5 days and about the same price as in Germany (when later on available for comparison).
Only handicap: Warranty. Another aspect I really HATE. I legally purchase a Sony product, but they only give warranty in the country of purchase? What the... (Not a Sony problem, same with Amazon and the others...)
But I simply risk it and hope, I'll never need the warranty.
No idea, whether I'd re-send it to the US or would pay the costs for repair in Germany. Will check when needed.
Accessories:
So far, I've only ordered covers for both of them.
SD cards respectively Micro-SD cards aren't bound to the manufacturer, no problem at all.
Over time, there probably will be a bit more accessories for Sony than for Cybook, but that's not really important to me.
Number of books:
That's an argument to me, really important.
Both do ePUB, and both do it very well.
But Sony, in addition still has their own bookshop and their own proprietary BBeB format.
I really like the Sony bundles which have significant cost advantages. And having another format simply doubles my chances to find the content of choice.
But there even is another advantage. Both Sony and Amazon do way more revenue in eBooks than in readers. And the margin probably is bigger as well for books than within the very competitive hardware market for readers.
So, to me Sony and Amazon are the most likely candidates to survive the "battle" for market share. Cybook to my knowledge "only" is an OEM product. What if they loose their OEM status? Or what if they simply drop out of the market because of revenue/margin? I don't say it's likely. But it certainly is more likely for the smaller ones than for Sony or Amazon...
And so far, neither Amazon nor Sony did disappoint me (whereas I'll be very careful about the rumored Apple tablet, given my experience with Apple products)....