Deciding between 3

[BTaylor]

I am so grateful to have found this board. I have been reading for over three weeks all the information I can find about ereaders, trying to decide which is best for me. Thanks in advance to any of you who have the time to help.

I am not an avid reader but do like to read. I am looking for a reader that will offer me good customer service, reliability, and the ability to read newspapers and magazines. Also, my eyes are not what they used to be so I need a device that I can change the font when the print is too small, and I need a device that will be easy to use. I will find it difficult to convert files like I have seen talked about on the boards, so I am concerned if the process is too difficult or time consuming, I won't use my reader as much as I would like.

I didn't know ereaders even existed until I went to Amazon's site one day and saw the Kindle. I read all I could and then ordered it. I have been on a waiting list for over 3 weeks with no sign that my Kindle will be shipped to me anytime soon. In the meantime, I have been researching other devices so that I can make sure I get the right one for me. I am currently looking at three...the Kindle, the Sony 505, and Cybook.

I like the Kindle because of the automatic download feature so I wouldn't have to get the files first onto and then off my computer. I also like that I can subscribe to newspapers and magazines, and I like that there are 6 different fonts. I also like that you can sample chapters before purchasing the book.

All of that would be enough for me to decide on the Kindle, but I have been faithfully watching the Kindle forums on Amazon and I see an awful lot of posts where people had to get a replacement due to the Kindle freezing up or the battery being bad. And the worst part is that a lot of those people are not just on their second Kindle but sometimes even on their third with both their first and second being bad.

They do say that Amazon provides great customer service and replaces the Kindles with no hassle, but after waiting so long to finally get the product and then possibly having to exchange it and maybe even more than once, that would be a hassle in itself.

My second choice is the Sony Reader. The big advantage to the Reader for me is that I can go to my local Borders and buy it immediately...no more waiting like I have done for 3 weeks for the Kindle so far. But the big disadvantage is there is no way to read newspapers or magazines and there are only 3 font sizes. Book prices seem to be higher than the Kindle also. And there has been some question about their customer support.

Lastly, I have been looking at the Cybook. That seems like a nice little reader to me...it offers multiple file formats and many fonts. But I don't know again if there is a way to read newspapers or magazines, and I have read that their customer support is horrible. I also don't like that you can only contact them through email. And there appears with them to be a wait time too.

I have been going back and forth with these three for three weeks, and I am not any closer to making a decision so I am hoping someone here can help me. I do appreciate any feedback you can offer. Thanks very much for taking the time to help!

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by BTaylor

I will find it difficult to convert files like I have seen talked about on the boards, so I am concerned if the process is too difficult or time consuming, I won't use my reader as much as I would like.

How do you know that you'll find it difficult? Have you tried it? Believe me, many of these tools are VERY easy to use.

I like the Kindle because of the automatic download feature so I wouldn't have to get the files first onto and then off my computer. I also like that I can subscribe to newspapers and magazines, and I like that there are 6 different fonts. I also like that you can sample chapters before purchasing the book.

A slight correction. The Kindle only has one font, but you can display the text in six different sizes (as opposed to the Sony's 3 and the CyBook's 12).

My second choice is the Sony Reader. The big advantage to the Reader for me is that I can go to my local Borders and buy it immediately...no more waiting like I have done for 3 weeks for the Kindle so far. But the big disadvantage is there is no way to read newspapers or magazines and there are only 3 font sizes. Book prices seem to be higher than the Kindle also. And there has been some question about their customer support.

If displaying text in a large font size is important to you, it would probably be as well to avoid the Sony. It has the most restrictive font sizing of any of the 3 readers you're considering.

Lastly, I have been looking at the Cybook. That seems like a nice little reader to me...it offers multiple file formats and many fonts. But I don't know again if there is a way to read newspapers or magazines, and I have read that their customer support is horrible. I also don't like that you can only contact them through email. And there appears with them to be a wait time too.

Bookeen seem to have got their act together in customer support terms recently - they are now answering their e-mail very quickly. How often, though, do you expect to have to contact them? The best place to get help with any of the readers you're considering is right here on MobileRead!

I have been going back and forth with these three for three weeks, and I am not any closer to making a decision so I am hoping someone here can help me. I do appreciate any feedback you can offer. Thanks very much for taking the time to help!

There is no "right" solution. If automatic delivery is important to you, I'd suggest the Kindle. If maximum flexibility is important to you, I'd suggest the CyBook (it's the only machine of the three you list which allows you to load any font you like onto it, and has superb dictionary support). If "getting it now" is important, get the Sony. There are pros and cons to each.

I'm sure you'd be happy with any of them. All are excellent readers.

[ProfJulie]

I agree with what Harry said and you can also sync the RSS feeds on your computer to your Cybook - so you can read some newspapers on the Cybook, but I don't think you'll have many choices for magazines.

Using the tools to convert from one format to another is easy and fast so this really should not be a problem for you.

[wallcraft]

The Kindle's must be coming in batches, because the delivery time was down to less than 3 weeks a couple of weeks ago.

All three devices use similar components, with the Kindle perhaps being the most complex. So I would expect hardware failure rates to be similar (and they are probably low - although no one ever releases statistics). Where the Kindle shines is in customer support, which is comforting with relatively cutting edge technology.

You would probably be happy with any of the three readers, but the Kindle is certainly the easiest to use from the point of view of format conversion. Almost every e-book published in the US with DRM is already available for purchase from Amazon. Most DRM-free e-books are available in the MOBI format, which works "as is" on the Kindle. Finally, Amazon's mail-in conversion service could not be easier to use.

I have never used a Sony or Cybook, but my impression is that the Kindle's software is the most full featured and polished. Strangely, the area where it falls down a bit is in displaying text. The Kindle has a single font, in six sizes. The size options cover a good range, but the spacing between lines is not adjustable (and is too large). There are (at least) two schools of thought about fonts: one is that a single good font is best for consistency and the other is that a choice of fonts is best. I like to use the same font for everything, but I also like to choose the font that best suits me. The Amazon font is ok, but I prefer a bolder font (or a bold everything option).

I suggest test driving your Kindle, which should arrive soon. I don't think you will be disappointed. If it breaks quickly, then you have the option of returning it and buying one of the others.

[BTaylor]

Thank you to all of you who have responded. Can you tell me what steps would be involved in syncing the RSS feeds to the Cybook so that I could read newspapers on it?

Also, just to kind of update this forum, for some reason Amazon has had a 3-week stall on sending out the Kindles with no explanation why. According to the forums, the last shipment went out Feb. 11 and no significant shipments since. Everyone on the boards are speculating why that would be but nobody knows for sure since Amazon isn't telling when you call customer service. There is a sense of frustration by Kindle buyers, not only because of the waiting time, but mostly because nobody has any idea how long it will be before they resume shipping, let alone until they get their own Kindle. So, without knowing whether the wait time will be 6 more days or 6 more weeks or 6 more months, is one of the reasons that I started to look elsewhere.

Thanks again for your feedback.

[ProfJulie]

Originally Posted by BTaylor

Thank you to all of you who have responded. Can you tell me what steps would be involved in syncing the RSS feeds to the Cybook so that I could read newspapers on it?

All you need to do is install Mobipocket Reader on your computer, then select eNews and select the RSS feeds you'd like to subscribe to or you can select the "Add a Feed" icon and reference other feeds. You can import feeds from whatever news aggregator you currently use (you'll export the feeds to an OPML file, and then import this file into Mobipocket - check your current news aggregator's help to find out how to do this).

When you set up the sync relationship with the Cybook, you'll opt to sync the eNews stuff as well as books - this option is under Reading Device > Edit Properties.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by BTaylor

Also, just to kind of update this forum, for some reason Amazon has had a 3-week stall on sending out the Kindles with no explanation why. According to the forums, the last shipment went out Feb. 11 and no significant shipments since. Everyone on the boards are speculating why that would be but nobody knows for sure since Amazon isn't telling when you call customer service.

That's an easy question to answer.

All the eInk readers get their screens from the same manufacturer - a company called PVI in Taiwan. Basically, given the surge in popularity of eInk readers, and the number of new ones coming onto the market, their production capacity is currently unable to keep up with demand. As a result, ALL the readers are in short supply. Every one (Sony, Gen3, Kindle) periodically becomes available in batches; the batch sells out, and there's a month's (or whatever) wait for the next batch. Bookeen at least tell you when their next batch is due in (it's due to ship in the week of the 17th-21st March).

That's the reason for the delay.

[kovidgoyal]

Originally Posted by BTaylor

My second choice is the Sony Reader. The big advantage to the Reader for me is that I can go to my local Borders and buy it immediately...no more waiting like I have done for 3 weeks for the Kindle so far. But the big disadvantage is there is no way to read newspapers or magazines and there are only 3 font sizes.

Umm you can get newspapers on the SONY Reader at the click of a button and unlike the Kindle, you don't have to pay for them.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

Umm you can get newspapers on the SONY Reader at the click of a button and unlike the Kindle, you don't have to pay for them.

You don't HAVE to pay for them on the Kindle either - as described in a previous post, the Windows Mobipocket reader does an excellent job of putting together a "customised" newspaper for you from RSS feeds. This works equally well with the Gen3 and the Kindle.

There's no doubt, though, that the wireless, automated, delivery of "big name" newspapers directly to the Kindle is a selling point for you if you are a reader of such newspapers (which I'm not) and if you live where such a service is available to you (which I don't).

[kovidgoyal]

Originally Posted by HarryT

You don't HAVE to pay for them on the Kindle either - as described in a previous post, the Windows Mobipocket reader does an excellent job of putting together a "customised" newspaper for you from RSS feeds. This works equally well with the Gen3 and the Kindle.

Yes you do. Have you ever actually used the Mobipocket RSS functionality? It very limited. It works only for a single RSS feed at a time (most newspapers have multiple feeds), it works only for feeds that have the content in them, most newspaper feeds link to websites with the content, sometimes including pictures. It is not at all customizable. So for instance, many news sites have a single webpage where they list all the articles in their current "issue" rather than an RSS feed. No way to use those kinds of websites with the mobipocket reader. Finally, it runs only on windows.

[BTaylor]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

Umm you can get newspapers on the SONY Reader at the click of a button and unlike the Kindle, you don't have to pay for them.

Can you tell me how you do that with the Sony? Thanks

[kovidgoyal]

http://libprs500.kovidgoyal.net

[tsgreer]

Originally Posted by BTaylor

All of that would be enough for me to decide on the Kindle, but I have been faithfully watching the Kindle forums on Amazon and I see an awful lot of posts where people had to get a replacement due to the Kindle freezing up or the battery being bad. And the worst part is that a lot of those people are not just on their second Kindle but sometimes even on their third with both their first and second being bad....

I wouldn't worry too much about the the chances of getting a bad Kindle. The reason you're reading about the bad experiences is because people are more likely to post their bad experiences. I would suggest that there are way more good stories than bad stories. It's just that many satisfied customers will tell their friends, family, co-workers, etc. about how great it is, but they may be less tempted to actually log on, and type up a review.

Now you take someone who is having a problem, and they want the world to know. I've had my Kindle since the second day that Amazon started selling them and haven't had any problems with it other than when I installed a software update several days ago.

Amazon support helped me fix it right away while I was on the phone with them--I just had to do a firmware reset (basically just pushing a few buttons). All in all, I think it's a great ebook reader. Actually the three you mentioned are good (I also have a Sony Reader), but Amazon offers me the most options.