Sony Reader vs Kindle

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by eerok

What I'm getting at is that if you have a preferred format in which to keep your ebook collection, then that will be an important criterion when you choose a reader. I have no problem breaking DRM in order to convert, though.

I also convert my journals and drafts of my writing projects to EPub. There are many more EPub tools around than for any other ebook format, except for PDF, which too often renders poorly on readers.

There's really no single best choice for everyone. Many of the reasons that I prefer EPub mean nothing to most others, but they matter to me.

If you already have several ebooks on an specific format that makes total sense, let's say an existing ePub collection. But unless you read technical material, a pure text novel or ebook will not get any advantage or using ePub format because is mere text.

[maurices5000]

Thanks! I'm going to give this a try.

Originally Posted by jocampo

Really valid questions and doubts.

I would not buy an electronic device with the fear in mind of any possible out of business problem, but stick to what we have now and what we can enjoy today. Market's demand and changes in technology can turn something that is not popular today in a real hit later.

Having said that, please based your decision based on the kind of books you like and need. I always suggest the following to people when buying an ereader so they won't make the same mistake I did: choose 20 books (10 you would like to have, 10 you already have) do a search on the ebook online store (B&N, Sony, Amazon, etc) and see how many hits you get. The store with higher hits should give you a good idea of the kind of ereader that you need for your own taste and preferences. The 2nd one higher hits should be the device to compare.

[maurices5000]

Originally Posted by eerok

I also convert my journals and drafts of my writing projects to EPub. There are many more EPub tools around than for any other ebook format, except for PDF, which too often renders poorly on readers.

I thought you could convert the PDFs to whatever format your eReader uses adn then use the new file the same as the others. IS that right?

Thanks!

[maurices5000]

Originally Posted by starrlamia

my point was that say, Just because I have a sony, doesnt mean I should have jumped onto the sony bookstore to see if they had books I wanted, because my sony can read books from just about anywhere. Thats why I suggested inkmesh, see if the books you want are available in the format you are looking at without looking specifically at one store. I would stress format over specific stores.

I wouldn't be totally dependent on InkMesh. Truth in Translation is available at GoogleBooks but it is not at Amazon. Futher, the book was not found at InkMesh either.

I do like this though! Thanks for sharing.

[eerok]

Originally Posted by maurices5000

I thought you could convert the PDFs to whatever format your eReader uses adn then use the new file the same as the others. IS that right?

I haven't been at this too long, but I've found so far that PDFs don't usually convert very well. You can filter the text with regular expressions to clean up the irregular line breaks, the headers and footers, the fractured flow, the page numbers and such, but I tend to take the easy way out and leave them as PDF. This way the text is laid out properly even if the font is (at least on the Sony) too small.

[Poppaea]

Originally Posted by maurices5000

I thought you could convert the PDFs to whatever format your eReader uses adn then use the new file the same as the others. IS that right?

Thanks!

You can convert PDF's but the outcome is very poor. And as they are not made for ereaders, but are a DIN A 4 format, they do not read well on ereaders. Some readers do reflow, still it is not perfect.

[madmaxmedia]

Originally Posted by eerok

The answer is simple from my point of view: it's not the formats you can buy that make a difference in the reader, but the formats a reader can render. I chose the Sony over the Kindle largely because the Sony can render EPub, the open standard ebook format. I don't trust proprietary formats.

I also don't like the stories I've heard of Amazon pulling content off readers. That qualifies as a showstopper for me right there. Last year I spent over $3K on physical books from Amazon.ca, so I'm not a hater. I'll keep buying physical books from them, but I don't trust their ebook side of things at all.

I believe the Kindle can read .mobi, which is open and a pretty easy format to work with? Calibre coverts between epub and mobi with ease.

[Caltsar]

I personally prefer any reader that can read ePub (specifically ePub protected using Adobe Digital Editions). I've found the public library to be invaluable in finding new books to read and having access to them on my eBook reader is awesome.

I do also buy books (I have a nook), and since bn.com doesn't have everything I want, I like having the option of accessing other stores easily. I'm not shy about ripping DRM though so Amazon's store is on my list but it is last due to the fact that I can't buy books in a format the nook reads natively. Even with good conversion, you can sometimes get small quirks so being able to buy in a native format is important.

Back to the original question though... While I have a nook personally (and it's by far my favorite eBook reader I've used), I've found the Sony offerings to be very good and I like the hardware better than the kindle. The PRS-350 is quite small and easily carried around, but the PRS-650 is around the size of a standard paperback. They are slightly more expensive and working with ADE on OS X can be hit or miss in my experience.

Ultimately it comes down to preference and the reading features you want. In my opinion you need to hold one in your hands before you buy as that is the most important part about these devices.

[Belle2Be]

Hey! I don't know if you've made your decision, as a Kindle owner myself, I love the next page buttons, it would bother me to have the screen dirty all the time from the page turns.

[ProfCrash]

Are you even more confused now?

[bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by OtterBooks

I've personally never found the wifi to be a distraction. I don't even have it turned on.

I have this unfortunate tendency to "forget" to plug in my electronic gadgets (most notably my mobile phone). A big reason I actually wanted a reader I had to attach by cable to my computer is that, that way I would manage to charge it whenever I needed to connect it to the computer for whatever reason.

Since I download the NY Times every Sunday, I "have to" charge up the reader at least once a week.

[ProfCrash]

Originally Posted by bevdeforges

I have this unfortunate tendency to "forget" to plug in my electronic gadgets (most notably my mobile phone). A big reason I actually wanted a reader I had to attach by cable to my computer is that, that way I would manage to charge it whenever I needed to connect it to the computer for whatever reason.

Since I download the NY Times every Sunday, I "have to" charge up the reader at least once a week.

And with a K3 you would have a problem with that once every 3-4 weeks. (winks)

[dordale]

Originally Posted by Belle2Be

Hey! I don't know if you've made your decision, as a Kindle owner myself, I love the next page buttons, it would bother me to have the screen dirty all the time from the page turns.

I have a Sony 650. Just want to point out a couple of things...first it does have page turn buttons, so you don't have to swipe the screen if you prefer not to. Secondly--the screen doesn't get dirty from regular use. Personally, I use the page turn buttons about half the time and the touch screen the rest of the time. I have absolutely no problems with my screen getting dirty. Of course, I wouldn't use my reader while eating cheetos either!

dordale

[DuskyRose]

Originally Posted by dordale

I have a Sony 650. Just want to point out a couple of things...first it does have page turn buttons, so you don't have to swipe the screen if you prefer not to. Secondly--the screen doesn't get dirty from regular use. Personally, I use the page turn buttons about half the time and the touch screen the rest of the time. I have absolutely no problems with my screen getting dirty. Of course, I wouldn't use my reader while eating cheetos either!

dordale

Just wanted to chime in and say that I, too, have a Sony 650 and have had it for months. Haven't once noticed the screen getting dirty. And I also use both methods of page turning about half the time for each.

I think if you can read without messing up the pages of a paper book, you wouldn't have any trouble not being bothered by a 'dirty' screen.

[Belle2Be]

Originally Posted by dordale

I have a Sony 650. Just want to point out a couple of things...first it does have page turn buttons, so you don't have to swipe the screen if you prefer not to. Secondly--the screen doesn't get dirty from regular use. Personally, I use the page turn buttons about half the time and the touch screen the rest of the time. I have absolutely no problems with my screen getting dirty. Of course, I wouldn't use my reader while eating cheetos either!

dordale

Yeah see, I do eat Cheetos while I read Its good to know they have a next page button as well though.