Sony Reader vs Kindle

[Harmon]

If the issue is "what single EBR should I buy if I can only buy one?" then I think you should ask some physically oriented questions. This is because I think most people would be happiest with the EBR that they are actually most likely to have around to read when they want to be reading.

So I think that the first question you should ask is "what is the smallest EBR that I am comfortable with." The reason is that this EBR will probably maximize your reading opportunities, because the smaller the EBR, the more likely you will have it with you to read.

The second question you should ask is "what is the largest EBR that I will have with me in all the circumstances I would have the smaller EBR with me?" The reason is that if there is a larger EBR that you will have every time you have the smaller EBR, you will find the larger EBR easier to read.

The third question is "what is the heaviest EBR I can hold for extended periods of time without using something to prop my arm or the EBR up?" This is because you will reduce your use of an EBR that is too heavy.

This should narrow down your choices to the ones that you are most likely to have the maximum opportunity to actually read on, and still be comfortable reading on it.

Once you have these physical issues out of the way, then you can address the other issues people have mentioned on this & so many other threads.

[polly]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

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

Ah, but the Sony lasts about as long. Mine also lasts for 3-4 weeks or 4-5 longer books (300-400 pages). Battery life is not a significant difference between the two.

[teadonkey]

A lot of people have hit some really great points already, but I thought this might help, depending on the type of person you are. I spent pretty much all of 2010 wondering about the type of eReader I wanted to get. Most especially the brand. I won't go into major details, but these were the things that it really boiled down to.

- Books available for the eReader. I searched the Sony, B&N and Amazon stores for a list of books that I had on my Amazon wish list in paperback. (I live in the sticks and used Amazon to buy 4 or 5 paperbacks at a time before I got an eReader.) The store that had a majority of the books I wanted in an "e" format gave that company a clear advantage for me personally. If they have more of the types of books I'm looking to buy, I will get more use out of them.

- Size, weight, feel. I looked at eReaders in stores, most especially when the local Staples got a Kindle, to FEEL how they were in hand.

- Touch screens. I am a touch screen hater. Some people are touch screen lovers. This can really help the decision making process if it matters to you.

- Price. I do care about quality, but I want quality for the lowest cost possible.

- Customer Service from the company. I've worked in customer service for a while, and even though I no longer do, I still work directly with people. For me, customer service is so critically important to making my day smooth. There are few things that get me boiling mad faster than a jerk sales clerk or a poorly trained CS department. I want easy and fast access to help, returns, sales, anything. And I want to be treated with respect.

Those things were what got me to a Kindle. They could get anyone to any of the eReaders, depending on how they answer those questions and depending on the importance of each category. (For me, library access wasn't a problem - I have zero issue with renting a paperback from the library, even if I own an eReader. Plus... I live in the sticks. My library doesn't have eBooks. If that's something that's got you riled up, though, it should most definitely be a deciding factor.)

Format of book doesn't matter as much if you're unhappy with the product you're using to READ the book.

[viviena]

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.

Originally Posted by polly

Ah, but the Sony lasts about as long. Mine also lasts for 3-4 weeks or 4-5 longer books (300-400 pages). Battery life is not a significant difference between the two.

Mine tends to last for two weeks on average, but I tend to leave it for long periods on standby (which uses a little bit of energy, and in which the Reader will eventually shut itself down to conserve more energy), interspersed by heavy periods of reading, often up to 8hrs in a day. That's when I'm not taking it out and about. The battery indicator drops very quickly when I do these things, though I suspect that the battery indicator, especially in its lower levels, isn't very accurate at all.

I'm always keen to 'top off' a device's charge whenever possible, rather than pushing it to the limit of its suggested charge length. I also like to connect the Reader to the computer about once a week to top off the charge, as partial charges are a good way to prolong the life of a lithium-ion battery, and letting the battery fully discharge is usually a bad idea. I've managed to use devices with their original lithium-ion battery, with decent battery life, for a couple of years past the recommended two to three years.

Originally Posted by teadonkey

Format of book doesn't matter as much if you're unhappy with the product you're using to READ the book.

Yep. Especially in these habitual Sony vs Kindle threads, we seem to become overinvested in the need to defend the honour of our beloved products. As long as more people take up ebooks in general though, I don't usually care too much about the devices they prefer to read on. We should, after all, unite against our common enemies: agency pricing, overly restrictive DRM, and geo-restrictions.

[speedlever]

Originally Posted by viviena

snip
in these habitual Sony vs Kindle threads, we seem to become overinvested in the need to defend the honour of our beloved products. As long as more people take up ebooks in general though, I don't usually care too much about the devices they prefer to read on. We should, after all, unite against our common enemies: agency pricing, overly restrictive DRM, and geo-restrictions.

Absolutely. The more competition, the better our user experience is going to be. Go Nook! Go Sony! Go Kindle! Go Kobe! Go... whatever!

I like choices.