Going from a Sony 505 to a Kindle 2. Why I think I made the right choice.

[pixelbased]

Hey everyone, just a short intro here. Been lurking the forums for some time now, but I decided to join amidst all the excitement of the Kindle 2 on it's way to us!

As the title says, I owned the Sony 505, but decided to return it. My problem was this: I couldn't look up a word I didn't know. The device, admittedly, was drop dead gorgeous. That screen was magnificent and the ergonomics perfect. I could hold the device with my right hand, but on the lower left hand buttons. Perfect for train rides!

So then I went to the Sony store, returned my device and took a look at their PRS-700. What a pile of garbage in my opinion. That screen - I mean, how could they have let that out of their factories thinking it was acceptable? The letters were hardly legible! Selling them side by side I can't think of a single person who'd pick the 700 over the 505. Even the salespeople were knocking it!

What I did discover was that reading on the 505 was a pleasure. The screen, the device, the (limited) convenience - it all opened up a world for me. I was reading much faster, reading more and enjoying the process of actively looking for things to read. I graduated with a degree in English lit, but once university was over, I couldn't find time to read, and when I did, I found it a hassle to shlep around a huge book on the train, and if I went out at night, I'd have to leave the book at the office and miss out on reading material, and well, you get the point. All in all, the 505 is a beautiful device, but it wasn't connected enough to the world of reading (ie: dictionaries, store, etc...)

Now my Kindle2 is on it's way. I am so excited. It's so rare for me to get excited about a gadget, but in all honesty, I do think that e-readers are life changing devices. Between emailing myself documents to save paper, carrying around a library of books, having an attractive device with good specs, being able to look things up on the fly - which a lot of people don't do, many people I've seen just skip things they don't know. I think I'm going to be really happy with the kindle2.

The specs seem great, the size seems perfect, the 16 levels of greyscale is awesome and the design on this one (personally) won me over. Sure it's nice to think that everything can be one giant touch screen, but in execution, it hasn't been "perfected." The purpose of a reading device is to read, and if it's a pain and a strain, then the device is purposeless. Not so with the Kindle. Purpose and effective!

I can't wait!!! The 25th doesn't come soon enough!!! Ahhhh!!!

[pixelbased]

I do want to add this though:

The idea of just packing this device in my bag without having to worry about the content is great. The newspaper delivered, the magazine on time, and I can just run to the train and start my day with current events. It's a no hassle device. That's what I think is so futuristic about it and is the true appeal in some sense. A world is just waiting there at ones fingertips.

People say it requires too much a learning curve and will never replace a book, but it's truly amazing that I don't ever have to worry about getting the papers and blogs and magazines because they'll just show up. That's awesome and it allows me more time to do other things. Like read!

[daffy4u]

Welcome to the club! I can't wait to read your review once you've had a chance to play with your new Kindle. I love my Kindle 1 and fully expect to love my Kindle 2.

[pixelbased]

Thank you, thank you. I love the wiki you have posted in your signature, I have already begun prepping some content. I have about 25 books set to be read. I promised myself to read all the classics I missed out on by the year's end. Oh boy, Anna Karenina is going to look REALLY good on that screen

I'm going to write the most accurate review that I can once I receive the device. The wait is killing me!!!

[detacht69]

I'm with ya, the 700 is an embarrassment! What advantage does it have?? Touch screen? Ugly. Search? K2 is much more intuitive.

As far as the K2 goes.. I'm set to buy it, I'm just waiting to see everybody's review to make sure it's everything it's hyped up to be. You hit the nail on the head as far as this gadget keeping you in tune with the world, ease of access to something you wanna read, and the infinite (?) learning potential with access to wiki.. one of my favorite sites!

A quote from the Simpsons: "Better than the moment, better than the memory, the moment... of anticipation!"

So that's where I'm at now, it's a nice chunk of change and I wanna make sure people love it before I blow it.

[lisreed]

Welcome. I have a kindle (which I will be giving to my Dad) and a kindle 2 hopefully arriving tomorrow. Can't wait. I had a Sony 505 and overall liked it but I don't need 2 readers so I recently sold it on ebay. My main problem with it over the kindle is book prices and content at amazon are better and I do really like dictionary look up. My other grip was the fonts. 3 font choices are opposed to 6 for kindle was limiting. I too often depending on the book or where I go the book- found medium to be to small and large to be to large and sometimes medium and large both were to small. On the kindle most books on font size 4 seem to be perfect.

I did actually purchase a sony 700 but returned it within 2 days . Beautifully made and loved the idea of a touchscreen but that screen glare and lack of clarity was bad imo.

Anyway, welcome and enjoy your kindle.

[spec2]

If you returned your 505 then I gather you used it for less than 30 days, and that it wasn't right for you in the first place. You really wanted a Kindle all along. That is different than being a happy long time 505 users and then switching to the K2.

That said I've been using the 505 for about a year now, and adore it. Ironically it was the K1 that got me curious about eReaders and enticed me to buy it. The K2 looks to be a much improved system but still lacking the polish of the 505. Even still the functionality of Wispernet has finally gotten the best of me, after much self-debating, so I ordered a K2 to try out, though I won't commit to it until I've tried it for a week. At that point I should know which reader I'll keep.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by spec2

If you returned your 505 then I gather you used it for less than 30 days, and that it wasn't right for you in the first place. You really wanted a Kindle all along. That is different than being a happy long time 505 users and then switching to the K2.

That said I've been using the 505 for about a year now, and adore it. Ironically it was the K1 that got me curious about eReaders and enticed me to buy it. The K2 looks to be a much improved system but still lacking the polish of the 505. Even still the functionality of Wispernet has finally gotten the best of me, after much self-debating, so I ordered a K2 to try out, though I won't commit to it until I've tried it for a week. At that point I should know which reader I'll keep.

Sounds similar to me. I've had a 505 since October of '07 and don't really have any complaints (it does have its quirks). I've got a K2 coming this week and am pretty well convinced, for a couple of reasons, that it's going to end up my reader of choice & I'll be getting rid of the 505 but I won't decide for sure until it gets here.

[pixelbased]

Originally Posted by spec2

If you returned your 505 then I gather you used it for less than 30 days, and that it wasn't right for you in the first place. You really wanted a Kindle all along. That is different than being a happy long time 505 users and then switching to the K2.

That said I've been using the 505 for about a year now, and adore it. Ironically it was the K1 that got me curious about eReaders and enticed me to buy it. The K2 looks to be a much improved system but still lacking the polish of the 505. Even still the functionality of Wispernet has finally gotten the best of me, after much self-debating, so I ordered a K2 to try out, though I won't commit to it until I've tried it for a week. At that point I should know which reader I'll keep.

I used it for less than 30 days, but I read a tremendous amount on it. I majored in English Literature, so reading through the classics was a pleasure, but it wasn't connected enough. I couldn't just look up a word on screen, and I use a Mac, so the syncing was sort of a hassle.

The original kindle had too many design quirks for my taste, but I know plenty of people on here swear by it. Different strokes for different folks

But I'm really excited for my kindle. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the 505 at all, it is one of the most beautiful e-Reader devices out there. The screen is gorgeous and reading on it was a pleasure, but for my needs, it was lacking in some areas.

For me the choice was easy. Would I have liked a bigger screen? Sure. Would I have liked an SD card? Sure. But to be honest, I don't mind keeping a backup of all my books somewhere. Even my iPod music is backed up "somewhere" because hardware fails, even SD cards.

I played around with the 505 in the store long before I bought it, and so when I bought it I knew what I was getting into. It simply didn't suit my needs.

The wait for the kindle2 is killing me though

[pixelbased]

Originally Posted by detacht69

I'm with ya, the 700 is an embarrassment! What advantage does it have?? Touch screen? Ugly. Search? K2 is much more intuitive.

As far as the K2 goes.. I'm set to buy it, I'm just waiting to see everybody's review to make sure it's everything it's hyped up to be. You hit the nail on the head as far as this gadget keeping you in tune with the world, ease of access to something you wanna read, and the infinite (?) learning potential with access to wiki.. one of my favorite sites!

A quote from the Simpsons: "Better than the moment, better than the memory, the moment... of anticipation!"

So that's where I'm at now, it's a nice chunk of change and I wanna make sure people love it before I blow it.

Exactly. It's the future in a sleek sophisticated package. All my reading needs is one place just waiting for me, and I can spend my spring and summer in Bryant Park (Manhattan) during lunch reading on the lawn.

Wikipedia is great, I love to hit the random button and just read up on everything...

[MsAstoria]

Originally Posted by pixelbased

Exactly. It's the future in a sleek sophisticated package. All my reading needs is one place just waiting for me, and I can spend my spring and summer in Bryant Park (Manhattan) during lunch reading on the lawn.

Wikipedia is great, I love to hit the random button and just read up on everything...

So true. I have my 505 listed on Ebay and it will sell this week. I really liked it but I think the K2 is going to be awesome! I think it is going to be used a lot and I will have to chain it to myself or my hubby will be "stealing" it! We both are very curious people and the ability to look up subjects on Wikipedia and the dictionary is going to be great. And I already have a number of e-books on Amazon that I want to read the free samples on before considering buying. Geez, with 230,000 books, I can instantly download and read hundreds of samples just to wet my appetite!
Mine is scheduled for delivery on 25th, but haven't seen it "shipped" yet, on Amazon, just pending. And you are right, I can't remember the last time I anticipated a UPS delivery so much.

[Sydney's Mom]

Congratulations. As someone who is a recent kindle 1 owner, I look forward to your review. Not before Thursday, though!

[bkilian]

Originally Posted by pixelbased

Hey everyone, just a short intro here. Been lurking the forums for some time now, but I decided to join amidst all the excitement of the Kindle 2 on it's way to us!

As the title says, I owned the Sony 505, but decided to return it. My problem was this: I couldn't look up a word I didn't know. The device, admittedly, was drop dead gorgeous. That screen was magnificent and the ergonomics perfect. I could hold the device with my right hand, but on the lower left hand buttons. Perfect for train rides!

So then I went to the Sony store, returned my device and took a look at their PRS-700. What a pile of garbage in my opinion. That screen - I mean, how could they have let that out of their factories thinking it was acceptable? The letters were hardly legible! Selling them side by side I can't think of a single person who'd pick the 700 over the 505. Even the salespeople were knocking it!

What I did discover was that reading on the 505 was a pleasure. The screen, the device, the (limited) convenience - it all opened up a world for me. I was reading much faster, reading more and enjoying the process of actively looking for things to read. I graduated with a degree in English lit, but once university was over, I couldn't find time to read, and when I did, I found it a hassle to shlep around a huge book on the train, and if I went out at night, I'd have to leave the book at the office and miss out on reading material, and well, you get the point. All in all, the 505 is a beautiful device, but it wasn't connected enough to the world of reading (ie: dictionaries, store, etc...)

Now my Kindle2 is on it's way. I am so excited. It's so rare for me to get excited about a gadget, but in all honesty, I do think that e-readers are life changing devices. Between emailing myself documents to save paper, carrying around a library of books, having an attractive device with good specs, being able to look things up on the fly - which a lot of people don't do, many people I've seen just skip things they don't know. I think I'm going to be really happy with the kindle2.

The specs seem great, the size seems perfect, the 16 levels of greyscale is awesome and the design on this one (personally) won me over. Sure it's nice to think that everything can be one giant touch screen, but in execution, it hasn't been "perfected." The purpose of a reading device is to read, and if it's a pain and a strain, then the device is purposeless. Not so with the Kindle. Purpose and effective!

I can't wait!!! The 25th doesn't come soon enough!!! Ahhhh!!!

Good luck with your Kindle. My wife loves her Kindle 1.

I've never understood why people look up words when they're reading, I generally just take it from context. I never read with a dictionary close by either when I was reading normal books, so I didn't have to change anything for the sony. Probably why I never noticed this problem in my Sony.

[Alisa]

I loved the looks of the original Sony but I just couldn't bear to buy it with all that wasted potential. It basically just displayed books. It didn't seem justifiable to me to make a product like that and not include the ability to search or use a dictionary. Since I'd already had enough bad experiences with Sony, I took it as evidence of weak commitment to firmware features, bought the Kindle when it came out and never looked back. To their credit, they have added some to features since then, most notably with format support, but here they've included touchscreen and search in the 700 and STILL no dictionary.

I know some people don't view a dictionary as necessary but I find it does add to my reading experience. Before, I used to just get words from context but now even when I'm only a little curious about a word or think an author may be using it in some nuanced way, I look it up. It often enhances my understanding. I could have enjoyed the book without, but it's improved this way. Besides, it's such a simple thing to include and it is so useful for students and non-native speakers, why not? Why bring together computing power and books and not try to add something more than just showing you the pages? That's what I appreciate about the Kindle. They tried to make my interaction with a book even richer than it was before.

[pixelbased]

Originally Posted by Alisa

I loved the looks of the original Sony but I just couldn't bear to buy it with all that wasted potential. It basically just displayed books. It didn't seem justifiable to me to make a product like that and not include the ability to search or use a dictionary. Since I'd already had enough bad experiences with Sony, I took it as evidence of weak commitment to firmware features, bought the Kindle when it came out and never looked back. To their credit, they have added some to features since then, most notably with format support, but here they've included touchscreen and search in the 700 and STILL no dictionary.

I know some people don't view a dictionary as necessary but I find it does add to my reading experience. Before, I used to just get words from context but now even when I'm only a little curious about a word or think an author may be using it in some nuanced way, I look it up. It often enhances my understanding. I could have enjoyed the book without, but it's improved this way. Besides, it's such a simple thing to include and it is so useful for students and non-native speakers, why not? Why bring together computing power and books and not try to add something more than just showing you the pages? That's what I appreciate about the Kindle. They tried to make my interaction with a book even richer than it was before.

Exactly. I generally can gain an understanding of a word from it's context, but sometimes a word is just nagging to be defined. It does enhance the reading experience and understanding to be able to look it up.

I can't go through life (personally) with a certain vocabulary skill set and expect to be able to derive definitions via context or thin air, it is amazing to truly understand the meaning of a word. After all, our ability to think and use words to convey our thoughts is what separates us from animals, so I figure why not use that to my full advantage?

In other news, my Kindle is in transit!!!!! WOOHOO!!!