Very new and have some questions.

Grendel Rex · 01-28-2012, 04:04 AM

I've just thought about getting an ereader this week. I only want to read novels, mostly Sci-fi and Fantasy, either at home(mostly in bed) or on the bus on my way to work. I kind of thought having a backlit LCD would be good for in bed or other dark places but I think the E-ink screen might be easier on the eyes and I like the long battery life of dedicated ereaders. While I've seen features that look nice the only must have feature I want is to remember where I stopped reading(bookmark) since I've been reading books for almost 50 years with nothing more than that just fine. I tend to prefer buttons but I suppose I could get used to a touchscreen if it works which it seems to from what I've read in reviews. Internet access is unimportant, I can download books on my computer and transfer them but it seems that's a feature I'm stuck with with a new gen reader. Weight is not an issue, almost al the readers I've looked at weigh about as much as the small novel I'm reading now.

Now for the part that's confunded me. I've seen that there are various file formats and of course no reader can use them all(you'd think by now they would learn from 30+ years of multi format BS). I've also seen there are ways to convert most of them although perhaps with some issues. What I want to be able to do is to have the widest possible selection of titles that I can read on my reader.
I came down to either a Kindle or Sony PRST1 with the latter leading because I can go to a store and buy it. What I'd like to know is if I get the Sony am I going to be stuck with a reader that I can't read most of what's available? Are the books on Amazon only available through Amazon or can I buy them somewhere else in a more friendly format? Are there any other reasons to go with a Kindle over the Sony?

Also, being that I have zero experience with ereaders I'm assuming there are going to be features I may come to really want, so I'm not too sure about buying a cheaper older generation device to break into the market which to be honest isn't even really an option since all the stores I've looked at don't carry much in that regard.

Thanks for any help and advice.

HarryT · 01-28-2012, 04:10 AM

Amazon have the best bookstore, and the best customer service by a mile. If Amazon don't sell a book, then it's probably not available. You really can't go wrong with a Kindle.

The Sony PRS-T1 is also an extremely nice reader. It uses the ePub format, which is more capable than the Mobi format used by the Kindle, but that's pretty irrelevant for novels. Sony have pretty abysmal customer service, however.

Personally I'd recommend a Kindle, but you really can't go wrong with either.

iq6000 · 01-28-2012, 05:38 AM

I believe the question of which reader to use is also a question of how you are going to access ebooks.
Are you going to be buying them from bookstores or borrowing them from libraries?
Or both? Or something else?
I would like to suggest that you investigate ebook sources as part of the decision making process.
Personally I found that the criteria I used to decide which device to buy were not the things which mattered after I bought it. An example - I bought a reader which could use the widest range of formats and now I only use the EPUB format for the books I read.
I am still very happy with my original purchase, and I have since started to use my iPhone for when I travel light (since I will have it with me anyway). Everything I have on my ECO Reader I can also put on the iPhone, although I don't do this as a matter of course.

Angela

speakingtohe · 01-28-2012, 03:07 PM

As you can buy the PRS-T1 in the store, I would go with that one. If you don't like it you can return it. The Kindle is fine too. Other than buying from Amazon the PRS-T1 is the most versatile as you can download, sideload, borrow library books, sort collections easier IMO.

I have 3 Sony's and a tablet, and I bought my mother a kindle last year. I used the kindle extensively while I was setting it up for her and the reading experience is great for the most part, but no better than the Sony and the organizational experience leaves something to be desired if you plan to have a lot of books on your reader or even if you don't. Amazon's support and return policy are better than Sony's but having experienced both readers for a fair chunk of time I have to recommend Sony.

Kobo and Nook are probably excellent as well, I just have not had the pleasure

Other than that just buy one and you will be awed and amazed and wish you had bought one sooner.

Helen

ProfCrash · 01-28-2012, 03:27 PM

I don't know where you live but the Kindle is available in stores across the US and the UK.

If you live in the US you can check out books from the library, buy books, and side load books. Collections are easily dealt with.

The big difference between the Kindle and the Sony is customer service and the in huse bookstore. Amazon wins in both of those categories.

There are many books stores that you can buy books for the Sony from but the largest of the EPub stores, Barnes and Nobles, will require that you remove the DRM before you can put it on your Sony.

Personally, I would buy a Kindle. Obviously I have three of them so I am biased. I love the bookstore and the ease of buying books.

jojoba · 01-28-2012, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Amazon have the best bookstore, and the best customer service by a mile. If Amazon don't sell a book, then it's probably not available. You really can't go wrong with a Kindle.

The Sony PRS-T1 is also an extremely nice reader. It uses the ePub format, which is more capable than the Mobi format used by the Kindle, but that's pretty irrelevant for novels. Sony have pretty abysmal customer service, however.

Personally I'd recommend a Kindle, but you really can't go wrong with either.

Agree with this. I have both and slightly prefer the Sony, but DEFINITELY not their "customer service". Both both are perfectly good readers.

Grendel Rex · 01-28-2012, 06:47 PM

Thanks for the input everyone. I'm still investigating this whole ebook thing so I don't yet have enough information to make an educated guess as to what to buy but at least I know there's no fatal issue with either the Sony or Kindle that I didn't know about.
As far as where I'll be buying them I have not looked around a lot but I assumed online sources like Amazon would be the primary place I'd be buying them from. Also, I was talking to a friend today who I used to swap books with and he said he has a thumbdrive full of novels he can lend me, didn't say what format they were though.

Just wondering about this customer service issue though, I've seen it mentioned in regards to most of the ereader brands many times here and other places but I'm wondering why it seems to be such an issue? Do ereaders have a lot of problems or something? While it's nice to know a company is good to deal with it's not something I've really worried about with most other electronic equipment. Other than a possible defect with the reader what do you need to deal with the manufacturer for that it's such an issue?

ProfCrash · 01-28-2012, 07:45 PM

It is nice to have good customer service if you do have issues. Like all products, there is going to be some percentage of devices that do have issues. It is nice to know that those issues will be resolved as quickly and as professionally as possible.

Amazon has been known to replace Kindles that break outside of the warranty for nothing or a nominal charge. Also, Amazon has been able to send people replacements while on vacation because of their international reach.

Pomtroll · 01-28-2012, 08:17 PM

Amazon's customer service is great for any problems with your kindle & for returning e-books if for example you download one by accident. I have done that a few times on my kindle K3 & Kindle touch (never have done it on my Sony or Nook though).

I never had trouble with Sony customer service & they readily took my defective T1 back when I had problems with it in October.

I will say their support service is not as knowledgeable as the people here at mobile reads.

Once again as the others say, it is all in what you want in a reader. I like the book store & ease of shopping through Amazon. I do not like the Sony bookstore but love the dictionaries, wiki & google search on my T1. I like the tap touch screen on the Kindle Touch, but like that the T1 also has buttons if I should need them (the Nook does too but the turn buttons are stiff)

The thumbnail covers for books are nice on the T1, but I like that I can hide my books in the collections on the kindle.

The list goes on. You wont really know what you will like till you try one for a few days. But I bet you will pretty much like whatever you choose.

Oh & good idea to find out what format your friends e-books are in. Though calibre is your friend for switching formats from what I understand. Since I have both types of readers, I don't bother switching.

as for reading experience, they are all nice. Even the Nook is a nice basic reader. I have not tried the Kobo so I can't say anytime about it.

HarryT · 01-29-2012, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grendel Rex

Also, I was talking to a friend today who I used to swap books with and he said he has a thumbdrive full of novels he can lend me, didn't say what format they were though.

Please do take care. It sounds as if your friend is offered to give you pirated books. I'd very strongly discourage you from accepting his offer.

Quote:

Just wondering about this customer service issue though, I've seen it mentioned in regards to most of the ereader brands many times here and other places but I'm wondering why it seems to be such an issue? Do ereaders have a lot of problems or something?

The main reason it's useful is when it comes to returning books. At the Sony eBook Store, all sales are final. With Amazon, you can return any book for any reason within 7 days of purchase. If you find that a book has major formatting issues, or if you simply buy the wrong book, this can be very useful.

Traye · 01-29-2012, 09:13 AM

I wanted an e-reader for one thing - reading books. I didn't want it backlit, as paper books are not backlit. For reading in bed I use a lamp or I have a little booklight.

My first reader was an iriver story which I loved reading on, loved the way the books looked on it and the style of it too but it went kaput and is now in its box in the loft. It works intermittently.
I next got a Sony PRS-505 second hand from ebay in mint condition and is as good now as it was when I bought it. I love this reader but I wanted a new one because I wanted a standby in case it died.
I then bought a Kindle non keyboard, non touch. I adore it. So much so that with my constant raving about it most of my bookworm friends now own one too and they also love theirs. A steal at 90 quid in the UK.
The Kindle is so easy to use, linking it to an Amazon account is super easy and buying books for it is simple. I usually buy at Amazon on my laptop then send the books direct to my Kindle. I love shopping for books and spend ages browsing.
I shop almost exclusively at the Amazon store as it's easy and the user interface is friendly and tidy.

I did have Calibre and found it easy to use to convert books that I bought into other formats for my Sony, but I prefer reading on my Kindle. I think the pages are crisp and cleaner.

Good luck with your choice, and happy reading!

ProfCrash · 01-29-2012, 09:27 AM

Whatever you get, I strongly encourage you to back up all of your books on your computer and some other location so that you have them in case of a worst case scenario. There have been people who have used indie bookstores who changed the terms of service and no longer had access to their books or who have had an account hacked and lost access to their books. If you have them on your hard drive you will be able to decrease the pain that might come if something weird happens to your account.

This does not happen frequently but it has happened to a few folks.

CRussel · 01-29-2012, 09:56 AM

Since you say you read SF and Fantasy, may I suggest that whether you choose a Kindle or Sony, you take a look at the Baen Free Library. A great place to get started with your new reader. And, in general, Baen is a good source of eBooks, since all their books are DRM-free, and reasonably priced.

01-28-2012, 04:04 AM	#1
Grendel Rex Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: none	Very new and have some questions. I've just thought about getting an ereader this week. I only want to read novels, mostly Sci-fi and Fantasy, either at home(mostly in bed) or on the bus on my way to work. I kind of thought having a backlit LCD would be good for in bed or other dark places but I think the E-ink screen might be easier on the eyes and I like the long battery life of dedicated ereaders. While I've seen features that look nice the only must have feature I want is to remember where I stopped reading(bookmark) since I've been reading books for almost 50 years with nothing more than that just fine. I tend to prefer buttons but I suppose I could get used to a touchscreen if it works which it seems to from what I've read in reviews. Internet access is unimportant, I can download books on my computer and transfer them but it seems that's a feature I'm stuck with with a new gen reader. Weight is not an issue, almost al the readers I've looked at weigh about as much as the small novel I'm reading now. Now for the part that's confunded me. I've seen that there are various file formats and of course no reader can use them all(you'd think by now they would learn from 30+ years of multi format BS). I've also seen there are ways to convert most of them although perhaps with some issues. What I want to be able to do is to have the widest possible selection of titles that I can read on my reader. I came down to either a Kindle or Sony PRST1 with the latter leading because I can go to a store and buy it. What I'd like to know is if I get the Sony am I going to be stuck with a reader that I can't read most of what's available? Are the books on Amazon only available through Amazon or can I buy them somewhere else in a more friendly format? Are there any other reasons to go with a Kindle over the Sony? Also, being that I have zero experience with ereaders I'm assuming there are going to be features I may come to really want, so I'm not too sure about buying a cheaper older generation device to break into the market which to be honest isn't even really an option since all the stores I've looked at don't carry much in that regard. Thanks for any help and advice.

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01-28-2012, 04:10 AM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Amazon have the best bookstore, and the best customer service by a mile. If Amazon don't sell a book, then it's probably not available. You really can't go wrong with a Kindle. The Sony PRS-T1 is also an extremely nice reader. It uses the ePub format, which is more capable than the Mobi format used by the Kindle, but that's pretty irrelevant for novels. Sony have pretty abysmal customer service, however. Personally I'd recommend a Kindle, but you really can't go wrong with either.

01-28-2012, 05:38 AM	#3
iq6000 Enthusiast Posts: 29 Karma: 5000 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Deception Bay, QLD, Australia Device: ECO Reader, iPhone	I believe the question of which reader to use is also a question of how you are going to access ebooks. Are you going to be buying them from bookstores or borrowing them from libraries? Or both? Or something else? I would like to suggest that you investigate ebook sources as part of the decision making process. Personally I found that the criteria I used to decide which device to buy were not the things which mattered after I bought it. An example - I bought a reader which could use the widest range of formats and now I only use the EPUB format for the books I read. I am still very happy with my original purchase, and I have since started to use my iPhone for when I travel light (since I will have it with me anyway). Everything I have on my ECO Reader I can also put on the iPhone, although I don't do this as a matter of course. Angela

01-28-2012, 03:07 PM	#4
speakingtohe Wizard Posts: 4,812 Karma: 26912940 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: sony PRS-T1 and T3, Kobo Mini and Aura HD, Tablet	As you can buy the PRS-T1 in the store, I would go with that one. If you don't like it you can return it. The Kindle is fine too. Other than buying from Amazon the PRS-T1 is the most versatile as you can download, sideload, borrow library books, sort collections easier IMO. I have 3 Sony's and a tablet, and I bought my mother a kindle last year. I used the kindle extensively while I was setting it up for her and the reading experience is great for the most part, but no better than the Sony and the organizational experience leaves something to be desired if you plan to have a lot of books on your reader or even if you don't. Amazon's support and return policy are better than Sony's but having experienced both readers for a fair chunk of time I have to recommend Sony. Kobo and Nook are probably excellent as well, I just have not had the pleasure Other than that just buy one and you will be awed and amazed and wish you had bought one sooner. Helen

01-28-2012, 03:27 PM	#5
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	I don't know where you live but the Kindle is available in stores across the US and the UK. If you live in the US you can check out books from the library, buy books, and side load books. Collections are easily dealt with. The big difference between the Kindle and the Sony is customer service and the in huse bookstore. Amazon wins in both of those categories. There are many books stores that you can buy books for the Sony from but the largest of the EPub stores, Barnes and Nobles, will require that you remove the DRM before you can put it on your Sony. Personally, I would buy a Kindle. Obviously I have three of them so I am biased. I love the bookstore and the ease of buying books.

01-28-2012, 06:47 PM	#7
Grendel Rex Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: none	Thanks for the input everyone. I'm still investigating this whole ebook thing so I don't yet have enough information to make an educated guess as to what to buy but at least I know there's no fatal issue with either the Sony or Kindle that I didn't know about. As far as where I'll be buying them I have not looked around a lot but I assumed online sources like Amazon would be the primary place I'd be buying them from. Also, I was talking to a friend today who I used to swap books with and he said he has a thumbdrive full of novels he can lend me, didn't say what format they were though. Just wondering about this customer service issue though, I've seen it mentioned in regards to most of the ereader brands many times here and other places but I'm wondering why it seems to be such an issue? Do ereaders have a lot of problems or something? While it's nice to know a company is good to deal with it's not something I've really worried about with most other electronic equipment. Other than a possible defect with the reader what do you need to deal with the manufacturer for that it's such an issue?

01-28-2012, 07:45 PM	#8
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	It is nice to have good customer service if you do have issues. Like all products, there is going to be some percentage of devices that do have issues. It is nice to know that those issues will be resolved as quickly and as professionally as possible. Amazon has been known to replace Kindles that break outside of the warranty for nothing or a nominal charge. Also, Amazon has been able to send people replacements while on vacation because of their international reach.

01-28-2012, 08:17 PM	#9
Pomtroll Guru Posts: 822 Karma: 1341819 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Minnesota USA Device: Sony 350, Sony T1, Kindle Touch, Kindle PW1	Amazon's customer service is great for any problems with your kindle & for returning e-books if for example you download one by accident. I have done that a few times on my kindle K3 & Kindle touch (never have done it on my Sony or Nook though). I never had trouble with Sony customer service & they readily took my defective T1 back when I had problems with it in October. I will say their support service is not as knowledgeable as the people here at mobile reads. Once again as the others say, it is all in what you want in a reader. I like the book store & ease of shopping through Amazon. I do not like the Sony bookstore but love the dictionaries, wiki & google search on my T1. I like the tap touch screen on the Kindle Touch, but like that the T1 also has buttons if I should need them (the Nook does too but the turn buttons are stiff) The thumbnail covers for books are nice on the T1, but I like that I can hide my books in the collections on the kindle. The list goes on. You wont really know what you will like till you try one for a few days. But I bet you will pretty much like whatever you choose. Oh & good idea to find out what format your friends e-books are in. Though calibre is your friend for switching formats from what I understand. Since I have both types of readers, I don't bother switching. as for reading experience, they are all nice. Even the Nook is a nice basic reader. I have not tried the Kobo so I can't say anytime about it.

01-29-2012, 09:13 AM	#11
Traye Zealot Posts: 146 Karma: 18288 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: Kindle, Sony PRS505, Ipod touch, iPhone	I wanted an e-reader for one thing - reading books. I didn't want it backlit, as paper books are not backlit. For reading in bed I use a lamp or I have a little booklight. My first reader was an iriver story which I loved reading on, loved the way the books looked on it and the style of it too but it went kaput and is now in its box in the loft. It works intermittently. I next got a Sony PRS-505 second hand from ebay in mint condition and is as good now as it was when I bought it. I love this reader but I wanted a new one because I wanted a standby in case it died. I then bought a Kindle non keyboard, non touch. I adore it. So much so that with my constant raving about it most of my bookworm friends now own one too and they also love theirs. A steal at 90 quid in the UK. The Kindle is so easy to use, linking it to an Amazon account is super easy and buying books for it is simple. I usually buy at Amazon on my laptop then send the books direct to my Kindle. I love shopping for books and spend ages browsing. I shop almost exclusively at the Amazon store as it's easy and the user interface is friendly and tidy. I did have Calibre and found it easy to use to convert books that I bought into other formats for my Sony, but I prefer reading on my Kindle. I think the pages are crisp and cleaner. Good luck with your choice, and happy reading!

01-29-2012, 09:27 AM	#12
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	Whatever you get, I strongly encourage you to back up all of your books on your computer and some other location so that you have them in case of a worst case scenario. There have been people who have used indie bookstores who changed the terms of service and no longer had access to their books or who have had an account hacked and lost access to their books. If you have them on your hard drive you will be able to decrease the pain that might come if something weird happens to your account. This does not happen frequently but it has happened to a few folks.

01-29-2012, 09:56 AM	#13
CRussel (he/him/his) Posts: 12,159 Karma: 79742714 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sunshine Coast, BC Device: Oasis (Gen3),Paperwhite (Gen10), Voyage, Paperwhite(orig), Fire HD 8	Since you say you read SF and Fantasy, may I suggest that whether you choose a Kindle or Sony, you take a look at the Baen Free Library. A great place to get started with your new reader. And, in general, Baen is a good source of eBooks, since all their books are DRM-free, and reasonably priced.

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