Register Guidelines E-Books Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book General > News

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 08-01-2010, 08:19 PM   #46
banjobama
Busy Read'n
banjobama ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.banjobama ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.banjobama ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.banjobama ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.banjobama ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.banjobama ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.banjobama ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.banjobama ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.banjobama ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.banjobama ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.banjobama ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
banjobama's Avatar
 
Posts: 980
Karma: 5039283
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Auburn, WA
Device: Pocketbook Touch Lux 5
Quote:
Originally Posted by cfrizz View Post
I have NEVER had a problem with a fading screen in sunlight. It's just the opposite, it is nice & sharp & clear.

Just yesterday I sat on a bench in bright sunshine reading my Touch with a nice clear screen.
Same here.

You can't really go by the number of complaints on a forum to gauge how many people have a problem. The ones that don't have it don't post about it in the first place.
banjobama is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-01-2010, 08:49 PM   #47
SensualPoet
Wizard
SensualPoet ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SensualPoet ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SensualPoet ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SensualPoet ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SensualPoet ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SensualPoet ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SensualPoet ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SensualPoet ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SensualPoet ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SensualPoet ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SensualPoet ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
SensualPoet's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,302
Karma: 2607151
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Toronto
Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Asus ZenPad 3, Kobo Glo
Quote:
Originally Posted by GA Russell View Post
I'm guessing that American folks who enjoy reading are indeed curious. I also suspect that you are indeed correct when you say that the public isn't curious, because the public doesn't read many books.
Folks who are the Kindle / Kobo / Nook / Sony e-reader target consumers are those who read (and buy) 2 or 3 books a month. In another thread, it was said Amazon believes this represents about 30 million Americans. While this will skew to a better-healed income bracket, it does cross many socio-economic groups -- the commonality being dedicated readers. It's really hard to believe close of 100% of this group is not aware of Amazon as a viable source of books -- by price, by convenience, by selection ... and also therefore have an awareness of the Kindle (you can't log into Amazon without being smacked front-and-centre by Kindle info).

Sony needs to be in this game: reaching 100% of the dedicated readers in every market it considers important. In the US, that is that 30 million or so Americans. Sony is correct in this point: an e-reader is not a "typical gadget" that has a life-cycle from premium to mass to bottom-scraping knock-offs. The challenge for Sony is it isn't reaching the full audience -- but it does reach a lot through book stores and big box electronic outlets.

An e-reader needs to deliver content and -- unlike TVs and DVD players and computers -- the content is tied to the e-reader and its ability to source DRM books. As much as ePub folks try to characterize ePub as "open", it isn't. B&N uses a credit card to vouch for the DRM; Sony and Kobo books require logging in to separate systems to "protect" your investment.

Here's where the rubber hits the e-reader: when new titles come to market, where do most of those 30 million Americans go to check out the best-sellers? Amazon, or Best Buy? By attrition, over time, Amazon has this upper-hand. B&N and Borders and Indigo and Waterstones have a similar advantage ... but that only puts them on par with Amazon. And Sony is only another choice to play content -- Nook, Kobo, Pocketbook, Astak ... Sony isn't exclusive or even first choice.

Sony's silence throughout 2010 -- which has seen extraordinary upheavals in market offerings -- has left it in the sidelines. It simply must respond, and soon, to stay in the game. Yes, outside of the US its prospects are stronger ... but even there it has not extended product capability an iota this year. If Sony has a magic bullet, surely it must load and pull that trigger very soon or, like the tree falling in the forest with no one around, the shot will not be heard.
SensualPoet is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-01-2010, 09:53 PM   #48
porkupan
Fanatic
porkupan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.porkupan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.porkupan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.porkupan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.porkupan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.porkupan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.porkupan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.porkupan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.porkupan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.porkupan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.porkupan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
porkupan's Avatar
 
Posts: 556
Karma: 1057213
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: North Eastern U.S.
Device: Sony Reader
Quote:
Originally Posted by sigmax View Post
you are lucky !
Actually, that's you who is lucky. Or unlucky, whatever it may be. Most Sony Reader owners don't have a problem with their readers fading in the sunlight. And when they do, all they need to do is call Sony and get a replacement reader. That's the whole trick.

And by the way, the problem doesn't have anything to do with Sony. This was an eInk screen manufacturing defect, which is just as likely to affect the other eInk models such as Kindle, Netronix (PocketBook, Astak, Kobo...), etc.

The other Sony bashers are simply annoying. Keep wining about how Sony blew the chances and missed the boat. Keep screaming about Amazon's big wins. Amazon is now firmly in the business of making it cheaper and selling it quicker. Well, that has always been their model, hasn't it? The Walmart of online retail, the bane of the traditional brick-and-mortar bookstore...

It's just ridiculous to keep comparing last year's Sony products with pre-announced Amazon's product. All we know about the K3 is that it's cheap and it has Pearl. So, what's the big deal? Oh, the big deal is it's cheap! Let's wait a couple of months, see what Sony has to offer next.
porkupan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-01-2010, 10:34 PM   #49
jcatl
Enthusiast
jcatl began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 29
Karma: 10
Join Date: Feb 2010
Device: Sony PRS-900
Sony has lost me not just on the hardware but on the relative inconvenience of buying books through their hard to navigate and limited offerings bookstore. Unlike many who have the PRS-900 for it's PDF and note taking capabilities, I just want to easily buy and read books in a comfortable fashion. With the 900 the buying experience is frustrating, the software is lame (yes I use Calibre instead for side-loading), and the sub-par touchscreen contrast becomes the deal-breaker for me. It's my fault for buying a reader that was inappropriate for my needs, but Sony has to improve on all facets of its ereader offerings to truly be competitive and win over the average consumer. Offering something that might have higher build quality at a slightly higher price doesn't win consumers unless the overall experience is easy and effective.

There will always be a niche market that buys Sony because they do offer some features that are attractive to some users. These are not appealing to the mass market (in the U.S. anyway) and won't change anyone's mind unless they already know that they need those features.

Last edited by jcatl; 08-01-2010 at 10:39 PM.
jcatl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-01-2010, 11:29 PM   #50
GlenBarrington
Cheese Whiz
GlenBarrington ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.GlenBarrington ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.GlenBarrington ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.GlenBarrington ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.GlenBarrington ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.GlenBarrington ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.GlenBarrington ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.GlenBarrington ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.GlenBarrington ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.GlenBarrington ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.GlenBarrington ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
GlenBarrington's Avatar
 
Posts: 1,986
Karma: 11677147
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Springfield, Illinois
Device: Kindle PW, Samsung Tab A 10.1(2019), Pixel 6a.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SensualPoet View Post
Sony's silence throughout 2010 -- which has seen extraordinary upheavals in market offerings -- has left it in the sidelines. It simply must respond, and soon, to stay in the game. Yes, outside of the US its prospects are stronger ... but even there it has not extended product capability an iota this year. If Sony has a magic bullet, surely it must load and pull that trigger very soon or, like the tree falling in the forest with no one around, the shot will not be heard.
Well, it may be that they saw the economic bloodbath that went with the rapid drop in camera prices that forced some long time players in that market out of the business all together and decided a 'go-slow' year might not be a bad use of their resources. After all, they are not a small company that HAS to be seen as constantly producing new products. And they do have the resources to 'buy' their way into market share once they decide on what they want to do.

By the end of the year, they should know what the hardware target prices they will need to engineer to, they will know if their move to ePub was economically sound (from THEIR perspective), and they will have a better understanding of what the average consumer expects in an eReading experience. They will also have a better understanding of the iPad and it's inevitable work-alike clones will do to the market.

Of course, there is always the risk that they will decide to abandon the market completely, which I think would be a shame, they've made a real contribution to eReading. But I think if I were in their position, I'd certainly consider a go-slow year.
GlenBarrington is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2010, 01:32 AM   #51
ebioman
Enthusiast
ebioman began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 31
Karma: 10
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Switzerland
Device: Kindle 3
Hmmm
I do like SONY a lot as well and my PRS-600 is really a nice piece of elegant tech. But it is a very nice and expensive piece of bricked tech now. I had 2 screens with fading - I got both replaced, but it took some time. And finally the screen broke, with very very few of pressure.

This indeed changed my opinion about preferences a lot. I think next time I will go for a cheap one. I dont care anymore if it looks plastic - if you brick it, cheap is just better and they are sensitive.
ebioman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2010, 05:44 AM   #52
AprilHare
Wizard
AprilHare ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AprilHare ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AprilHare ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AprilHare ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AprilHare ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AprilHare ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AprilHare ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AprilHare ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AprilHare ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AprilHare ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AprilHare ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
AprilHare's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,981
Karma: 11862367
Join Date: Apr 2008
Device: Sony Reader PRS-T2
Sony need to get ahead of the game.
Colour eink displays, or eink displays fast enough for video, or both, would do it.
AprilHare is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2010, 07:20 AM   #53
m-reader
Guru
m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!
 
Posts: 785
Karma: 100000
Join Date: Dec 2007
Device: Sony PRS-300. PRS-650, PRS-900, iPad2, Iconia A500, Irex Iliad (sold)
Quote:
Originally Posted by AprilHare View Post
Sony need to get ahead of the game.
Colour eink displays, or eink displays fast enough for video, or both, would do it.
Indeed! Or at least catch up with the competition.
I had my PRS-900 next to a Kindle DX Perl. The screen quality is not even in the same league.
m-reader is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2010, 09:56 AM   #54
banjobama
Busy Read'n
banjobama ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.banjobama ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.banjobama ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.banjobama ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.banjobama ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.banjobama ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.banjobama ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.banjobama ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.banjobama ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.banjobama ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.banjobama ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
banjobama's Avatar
 
Posts: 980
Karma: 5039283
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Auburn, WA
Device: Pocketbook Touch Lux 5
Quote:
Originally Posted by m-reader View Post
Indeed! Or at least catch up with the competition.
I had my PRS-900 next to a Kindle DX Perl. The screen quality is not even in the same league.
This is comparing a year old device to a device that was released only weeks ago, with more than a hundred dollar price difference between the two. One is a touch screen and one is not. Of course they are going to look different.

Last edited by banjobama; 08-02-2010 at 10:01 AM.
banjobama is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2010, 10:04 AM   #55
astra
The Introvert
astra ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.astra ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.astra ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.astra ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.astra ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.astra ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.astra ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.astra ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.astra ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.astra ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.astra ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
astra's Avatar
 
Posts: 8,307
Karma: 1000077497
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Device: Sony Reader PRS-650 & 505 & 500
Quote:
Originally Posted by porkupan View Post
Actually, that's you who is lucky. Or unlucky, whatever it may be. Most Sony Reader owners don't have a problem with their readers fading in the sunlight. And when they do, all they need to do is call Sony and get a replacement reader. That's the whole trick.

And by the way, the problem doesn't have anything to do with Sony. This was an eInk screen manufacturing defect, which is just as likely to affect the other eInk models such as Kindle, Netronix (PocketBook, Astak, Kobo...), etc.

The other Sony bashers are simply annoying. Keep wining about how Sony blew the chances and missed the boat. Keep screaming about Amazon's big wins. Amazon is now firmly in the business of making it cheaper and selling it quicker. Well, that has always been their model, hasn't it? The Walmart of online retail, the bane of the traditional brick-and-mortar bookstore...

It's just ridiculous to keep comparing last year's Sony products with pre-announced Amazon's product. All we know about the K3 is that it's cheap and it has Pearl. So, what's the big deal? Oh, the big deal is it's cheap! Let's wait a couple of months, see what Sony has to offer next.
I don't care about the price. I don't buy ebook reader every 6 months. However, I do believe that Sony has lost it because of unhealthy touch screen obsession
astra is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2010, 10:58 AM   #56
m-reader
Guru
m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!
 
Posts: 785
Karma: 100000
Join Date: Dec 2007
Device: Sony PRS-300. PRS-650, PRS-900, iPad2, Iconia A500, Irex Iliad (sold)
Quote:
Originally Posted by banjobama View Post
This is comparing a year old device to a device that was released only weeks ago, with more than a hundred dollar price difference between the two. One is a touch screen and one is not. Of course they are going to look different.
Sony is forcing this comparison unfortunatelly.
The problem is that Sony is saying "Tough, we're great just as we are, no need to change anything".
That's the problem with Sony at the moment. They will need to pull a fairly major rabbit out of their hat if they want to compete in the e-book reader market.
m-reader is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2010, 09:17 PM   #57
igorsk
Wizard
igorsk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.igorsk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.igorsk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.igorsk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.igorsk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.igorsk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.igorsk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.igorsk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.igorsk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.igorsk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.igorsk ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 3,442
Karma: 300001
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Belgium
Device: PRS-500/505/700, Kindle, Cybook Gen3, Words Gear
Quote:
Originally Posted by m-reader View Post
Sony is forcing this comparison unfortunatelly.
The problem is that Sony is saying "Tough, we're great just as we are, no need to change anything".
They didn't say "no need to change anything". They said "no need to race to the bottom price". We know that they and Amazon bought up the first half year of the Pearl production, do you think Sony is going to just give up that investment?
igorsk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2010, 09:51 PM   #58
SensualPoet
Wizard
SensualPoet ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SensualPoet ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SensualPoet ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SensualPoet ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SensualPoet ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SensualPoet ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SensualPoet ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SensualPoet ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SensualPoet ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SensualPoet ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SensualPoet ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
SensualPoet's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,302
Karma: 2607151
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Toronto
Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Asus ZenPad 3, Kobo Glo
Quote:
Originally Posted by GlenBarrington View Post
Well, it may be that they saw the economic bloodbath that went with the rapid drop in camera prices that forced some long time players in that market out of the business all together and decided a 'go-slow' year might not be a bad use of their resources. After all, they are not a small company that HAS to be seen as constantly producing new products. And they do have the resources to 'buy' their way into market share once they decide on what they want to do.

By the end of the year, they should know what the hardware target prices they will need to engineer to, they will know if their move to ePub was economically sound (from THEIR perspective), and they will have a better understanding of what the average consumer expects in an eReading experience. They will also have a better understanding of the iPad and it's inevitable work-alike clones will do to the market.
But this is precisely the point: Sony is sitting on the sidelines when the correct response in a rapidly evolving market is to ... evolve. I am surprised you are advocatnig Sony should not embrace innovation and merely wait-and-see and then buy smaller companies that do demonstrate they understand the market.

And any executive leading a division whose mandate is to "wait and see" without having a clear vision of where the market will be in six months time (and a plan B if that is wrong), ought not be in charge. Alas, you may well have identified the real problem at Sony.
SensualPoet is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-03-2010, 06:53 AM   #59
m-reader
Guru
m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!m-reader rocks like Gibraltar!
 
Posts: 785
Karma: 100000
Join Date: Dec 2007
Device: Sony PRS-300. PRS-650, PRS-900, iPad2, Iconia A500, Irex Iliad (sold)
Quote:
Originally Posted by igorsk View Post
They didn't say "no need to change anything". They said "no need to race to the bottom price". We know that they and Amazon bought up the first half year of the Pearl production, do you think Sony is going to just give up that investment?
Maybe they didn't say that, but that's sure as anything what I heard.
WTR Pearl screens, I don't know who-gone-and-done what, I'm just saying Sony need to offer us something. Cool factor alone just doesn't cut it any more - besides Apple's got game already.

And I fully agree what SensualPoet says here in his post:

Quote:
Originally Posted by SensualPoet View Post
But this is precisely the point: Sony is sitting on the sidelines when the correct response in a rapidly evolving market is to ... evolve. I am surprised you are advocatnig Sony should not embrace innovation and merely wait-and-see and then buy smaller companies that do demonstrate they understand the market.

And any executive leading a division whose mandate is to "wait and see" without having a clear vision of where the market will be in six months time (and a plan B if that is wrong), ought not be in charge. Alas, you may well have identified the real problem at Sony.
m-reader is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-09-2010, 01:30 AM   #60
JSWolf
Resident Curmudgeon
JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
JSWolf's Avatar
 
Posts: 73,645
Karma: 127838196
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
We shall see what happens when Sony comes out with the next batch of readers. I'm hoping by October we'll get word of new readers with pearl screens.
JSWolf is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Yep. It's official. Sony Reader has "ruined" books for me. A final "review." WilliamG Sony Reader 48 01-14-2011 03:49 AM
So überholt das "Kindle" Sonys "E-Reader" Marc_liest Amazon Kindle 6 10-23-2009 02:08 AM
CNN Story about Sony's "latest salvo" into eReader Wars purl4peace News 17 08-12-2009 02:11 AM
Sony's eBook Store begins "stocking" Short Stories! NatCh Sony Reader 13 02-04-2008 11:52 AM
The depressing history of Sony's Connect Software - CNET - "An Unmitigated Disaster" Fugubot Sony Reader 20 01-10-2007 10:20 AM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 08:57 AM.


MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.