Forbes gives Sony Reader short shrift

Alexander Turcic · 11-26-2006, 02:09 PM

The Sony Reader has received a lot of unfavorable press in mainstream media. This week, Forbes correspondent and Digital Duo co-host Stephen Manes joins the crowd by declaring, "Sometimes analog is better. For now the iPod of the literary world remains a philosophical construct, not an electronic one."

It seems when Mr. Manes looked at the Reader, he was all consumed by negative psychic energy, and he couldn't help himself, but to point out a mass of shortcomings (yes, we heard them all before): the small screen, "painfully gray-on-gray" low contrast, "lethargic" interface, missing search, missing built-in dictionary, missing speaker, "only" 64MB, and a "skimpy" book selection.

I don't know about you, but personally I find mainstream journalism on gadgets pretty boring these days. Most of it lacks creativity, humor and spine, and it's sad to see how the notion of investigative reporting seems to have lost its appeal. Otherwise, I am sure, Mr. Manes would have discovered this forum and perhaps also one or the other positive aspect about the Reader.

Mycropht · 11-26-2006, 03:15 PM

@Alexander: Do you believe your view of the Sony Reader is objective? I tried to love that device enough so I would spend $500 (with sending cost + local tax) on one. I REALLY want an e-book reader I could be satisfied with, but finally I have decided to wait for a future model. My reasons:
- the resolution and dot pitch should be better
- it is not really black on white
- search ability and a context dictionary are a must
The last reason is really the most important one for me. Maybe you feel personally insulted by the text Manes wrote but what he wrote actually stands.

slayda · 11-26-2006, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mycropht

- search ability and a context dictionary are a must

Just for curiosity, when reading a book, which is what the reader was designed for, why would you need a search ability. I admit it would be nice, especially if/when reading periodicals, but for books it isn't really necessary - unless you are using other media to read the same book when you reader is not available. I've done this with PC, Palm TX & Sony reader. Now I make sure I'm in different books on different media. Makes life simpler.

Mycropht · 11-26-2006, 03:33 PM

@slayda: Sometimes while reading, I go back through the book to refresh my memory, check something or whatever. I can do it very quickly and I don't think that would be possible with few seconds per page turn the Reader needs. If I migrate my reading experience from paper to silicon, the idea is to improve that experience. I want to gain something while giving up nothing. Compromises are something I do if there is no choice.

Alexander Turcic · 11-26-2006, 04:26 PM

Mycropht, I don't believe my view is objective (since I haven't had the chance to test all alternatives out there) - but then again, I don't claim to be a professional journalist. A professional journalist should be able to address both positive and negative points when reviewing a product.

What worries me is that Mr. Manes ultimatively dismisses the Sony Reader, because of lacking features that are dear to him - features that are not necessarily dear to everyone.

small screen: Before the Reader, I read e-books exclusively on PDA devices. My last PDA was a Dell Axim X50v with a "large" 3.7" VGA display. To me, the Reader's 6" screen is a gigantic leap forward.
"painfully gray-on-gray" low contrast: So it's not really black on white. Big deal. My daily newspaper and the paperback book I bought yesterday aren't either. Does it bother me? Given the proper lighting the answer is no.
"lethargic" interface: The Sony Reader is not a Playstation 3. Why should it win any speed records? When you turn the page of a p-book, does it happen instantaneously? Had Mr. Manes visited our forums, he'd know the speed of flipping pages also depends on the document format and its complexity, and that there are ways to improve the speed by changing the format if it really bothers you. By calling the Reader "the most lethargic electronic device in recent memory" he demonstrates that he clearly missed the purpose of the device. Who cares if he had to wait "several minutes" for the device to restart after he "repeatedly pressed the reset button?" When Sony techs created the Reader, I am sure what they had least in mind were people who have the uncontrolled need to press a reset button.
missing search: Yes, I miss a search functionality too. I miss it a lot. But I am not going to return my Reader because I cannot search documents right now. In fact, I have hopes that Sony will add search functionality in an upcoming firmware upgrade. Let's forgive Mr. Manes for not mentioning that the Reader software is upgradeable.
missing built-in dictionary: My e-book device should enable me to read e-books. Anything else can be a welcomed or unwelcomed bonus. Personally I don't need a built-in dictionary, but I see how it could be handy for some people.
missing speaker: Guess what... the iPod doesn't have a speaker either.
"only" 64MB: It's too bad that the Reader is not suitable to store hundreds of 1920x1200 hi-res images of my puppy dog. But would it make sense? Perhaps to some people who also complain about lacking speakers and long reset routines. I have uploaded around ten e-books to my Reader and I still have plenty of room for more. And if things get out of control, I'll grab an SD card.
"skimpy" book selection: I agree, the Sony store needs a lot of improvement. But they're working on it, something Mr. Manes didn't bother to acknowledge.

slayda · 11-26-2006, 04:30 PM

Ok Mycropht, I see your point & agree with it. However I have enjoyed my reader so much, even with its shortfalls, that I need a strong reason to go back to pbooks. I still read on computers and on my Palm TX. The palm is much more handy while waiting in lines, etc., and I do have several unread and re-readable pbooks.

TadW · 11-26-2006, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mycropht

@slayda: Sometimes while reading, I go back through the book to refresh my memory, check something or whatever. I can do it very quickly and I don't think that would be possible with few seconds per page turn the Reader needs. If I migrate my reading experience from paper to silicon, the idea is to improve that experience. I want to gain something while giving up nothing. Compromises are something I do if there is no choice.

Mycropht, it's obvious you're the "e-books-should-substitute-my-p-books " kind of person. What you (and the author of the review) forget is that many don't consider e-books as replacements of p-books, but as complements. For instance, there are situations when it's infeasable or impractical to carry around physical p-books, in which case the Sony Reader would be a practical alternative.

Mycropht · 11-26-2006, 04:39 PM

I will write a longer comment tomorrow but I just have to go to sleep now. No hard feelings.

unkilbeeg · 11-26-2006, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alexander Turcic

small screen: Before the Reader, I read e-books exclusively on PDA devices. My last PDA was a Dell Axim X50v with a "large" 3.7" VGA display. To me, the Reader's 6" screen is a gigantic leap forward.

Yup. Bear in mind that for most of the world dead tree books are the benchmark. So it's a huge leap forward for eBooks. <shrug> eBooks have to be better than paper, or what's the point?

Quote:

"painfully gray-on-gray" low contrast: So it's not really black on white. Big deal. My daily newspaper and the paperback book I bought yesterday aren't either. Does it bother me? Given the proper lighting the answer is no.

I probably agree with you here, but I haven't tried the Reader in a variety of lighting conditions. Again, paper is the competition. I occasionally read books on my Palm, but it's an availability thing (paperbacks don't fit in my pocket as well, I don't always have one handy.) Reading on the Palm is *never* a choice if I have a choice. For me, the contrast issue has always been the big reason why I didn't see eBooks as a viable format. The Sony Reader and its cousins are the first thing to come along that might make me rethink that.

Quote:

"lethargic" interface: The Sony Reader is not a Playstation 3. Why should it win any speed records? When you turn the page of a p-book, does it happen instantaneously?

Pretty much. An order of magnitude difference in time is enough to qualify as "relatively instantaneous." Is it a fatal flaw? Maybe not, but it is a flaw.

Quote:

Had Mr. Manes visited our forums, he'd know the speed of flipping pages also depends on the document format and its complexity, and that there are ways to improve the speed by changing the format if it really bothers you. By calling the Reader "the most lethargic electronic device in recent memory" he demonstrates that he clearly missed the purpose of the device. Who cares if he had to wait "several minutes" for the device to restart after he "repeatedly pressed the reset button?" When Sony techs created the Reader, I am sure what they had least in mind were people who have the uncontrolled need to press a reset button.

The first time I turned one on in the store, it took quite some time before I was certain it was even on. The power switch seems a bit flimsy to me, and there's no feedback for what seems like an eternity to let you know that toggling the switch did something.

Quote:

missing search: Yes, I miss a search functionality too. I miss it a lot. But I am not going to return my Reader because I cannot search documents right now. In fact, I have hopes that Sony will add search functionality later to the Reader in an upcoming firmware upgrade. Let's forgive Mr. Manes for not mentioning that the Reader software is upgradeable.

Ummm. How? No keyboard, no stylus support. From a hardware perspective, how would you tell it what to search for? I agree that search would be a good thing, but I don't see how it would work with this hardware. Then again, it's not as critical for me as for some -- still, a paper book allows much faster searches than this thing would. Those "instantaneous" page turns, you know.

Quote:

missing built-in dictionary: My e-book device should enable me to read e-books. Anything else can be a welcomed or unwelcomed bonus. Personally I don't need a built-in dictionary, but I see how it could be handy for some people.

I'm with you here. I suppose if I really wanted a dictionary I could load one -- but then we have that search problem again.

Quote:

missing speaker: Guess what... the iPod doesn't have a speaker either.

Nor do any of my paperbacks. Sound support is something I can quite comfortably forgo in a book reader.

Quote:

"only" 64MB: It's too bad that the Reader is not suitable to store hundreds of 1920x1200 hi-res images of my puppy dog. But would it make sense? Perhaps to some people who also complain about lacking speakers and long reset routines. I have uploaded around ten e-books to my Reader and I still have plenty of room for more. And if things get out of control, I'll grab an SD card.

Since the SD card is my only possibility of loading content on this thing, the internal memory is a bit irrelevant to me. Even if I was using it, though, 64M would hold quite a few books.

Quote:

"skimpy" book selection: I agree, the Sony store needs a lot of improvement. But they're working on it, something Mr. Manes didn't bother to acknowledge.

I don't imagine I would ever buy anything from their bookstore. The hardware is (potentially) attractive to me, but there is plenty of non-DRM material available, so I'd get my content elsewhere. It is to Sony's credit that they've made it (sorta) open -- were it not for that, I wouldn't even be considering it.

The Sony Reader looks interesting. Enough so that I'm here looking. Not enough that I've plunked down any money yet. But never lose sight of the fact that paper books are what it's competing against, not other eBooks.

TadW · 11-26-2006, 05:48 PM

Not a single time did the reviewer describe his experience with the Reader's battery life (only in the introduction he says that E Ink is a technology that uses little power for a battery to last thousands of pages on a single charge). Also, he says how bad the screen is in dim places - but he fails to say how it performs in lighted areas.

If you search hard enough, you can make any product look bad.

BobVA · 11-26-2006, 05:59 PM

"Ummm. How? No keyboard, no stylus support. From a hardware perspective, how would you tell it what to search for?"
---------------------------
We were kicking that around in the "software update" thread:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...2120#post42120 is an example of a "no new hardware" approach. No worse than a entering text on a cell phone.

If search is something that a user frequently needs they're probably better off with a computer though, particularly if they are referencing documents too complex for the Reader to do a good job displaying (e.g. 8x11 PDF's).

There are rapid navigation features in the reader (jumping by "tenths of a book" using the hard buttons and ten page forward/back with a press/hold of the page key) that simulate flipping through a paper book, to some extent. To search a paper book I use the index, which can be implemented in the Reader easily enough if the publisher takes the trouble to do so.

But I think the reason for these "design mistakes" is that the Reader was designed as a reading device, not a reference device. I suspect the flat file structure and the keyboard removal changes made since the Libre were to keep the Reader from appearing too intimidating to John Q. Customer, and to maximize battery life.

If you buy your books from Connect, read them straight through and move on, the file structure is fine, as is the interface. It's when we started getting "off label" that we started bumping up against the limitations. The question left hanging is will the average Reader buyer be a Connect customer or are they more interested in "off label" uses. (If you go by megabytes, I certainly fall into the latter camp.)

The good news is that some of the limitations can be fixed in firmware, and some by external software (e.g. for RSS capture). I'm hoping the next firmware release will add some interesting new features.

Cheers,
Bob

CCDMan · 11-26-2006, 07:45 PM

Well, one of the problems with reviews, especially from non-technology media, is that too many journalists tend to be snobby liberal arts grads without a clue on technology.

As far as gray on gray, have you looked at a paperback lately? They are not black on white - more sorta black on tan and generally less crisp than the reader.

I have had mine since the first week of release and find I try to avoid reading anything
else for recreation.... So who cares what the press thinks, if you like it - use it, if not - not.

Frankly, I am more concerned about content availability than quality or useability. If it dies, that will be what kills it (or maybe something better becoming available)...

unkilbeeg · 11-26-2006, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CCDMan

Well, one of the problems with reviews, especially from non-technology media, is that too many journalists tend to be snobby liberal arts grads without a clue on technology.

Forbes in general has a tendency to be tech-clueless in a major way. Almost aggressively so.

On the other hand Stephen Manes has some street cred. He used to be an editor in PC Magazine, and has published a fair amount on PCs and related topics.

jsuplido · 11-26-2006, 09:20 PM

"Street cred" doesn't really mean much if you're not really an ebook reader. I stand by my observation: we'd get negative reviews of the Reader if it's being reviewed as a PDA/laptop-like device by non-ebook readers.

TadW · 11-26-2006, 09:43 PM

DUDES, IT'S SOOOO EASY! Stephen Manes is a member of the Authors Guild. And we all know that they are not exactly supporters of the e-book movement. Last year the Guild launched a class action suit against Google alleging that the company has massively infringed copyright by scanning and making available for commercial purposes copies of books.

11-26-2006, 02:09 PM	#1
Alexander Turcic Fully Converged Posts: 18,163 Karma: 14021202 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Switzerland Device: Too many to count here.	Forbes gives Sony Reader short shrift The Sony Reader has received a lot of unfavorable press in mainstream media. This week, Forbes correspondent and Digital Duo co-host Stephen Manes joins the crowd by declaring, "Sometimes analog is better. For now the iPod of the literary world remains a philosophical construct, not an electronic one." It seems when Mr. Manes looked at the Reader, he was all consumed by negative psychic energy, and he couldn't help himself, but to point out a mass of shortcomings (yes, we heard them all before): the small screen, "painfully gray-on-gray" low contrast, "lethargic" interface, missing search, missing built-in dictionary, missing speaker, "only" 64MB, and a "skimpy" book selection. I don't know about you, but personally I find mainstream journalism on gadgets pretty boring these days. Most of it lacks creativity, humor and spine, and it's sad to see how the notion of investigative reporting seems to have lost its appeal. Otherwise, I am sure, Mr. Manes would have discovered this forum and perhaps also one or the other positive aspect about the Reader.

11-26-2006, 03:15 PM	#2
Mycropht Optimist Posts: 77 Karma: 378 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Zagreb, Croatia Device: Kindle Paperwhite	@Alexander: Do you believe your view of the Sony Reader is objective? I tried to love that device enough so I would spend $500 (with sending cost + local tax) on one. I REALLY want an e-book reader I could be satisfied with, but finally I have decided to wait for a future model. My reasons: - the resolution and dot pitch should be better - it is not really black on white - search ability and a context dictionary are a must The last reason is really the most important one for me. Maybe you feel personally insulted by the text Manes wrote but what he wrote actually stands. Last edited by Mycropht; 11-26-2006 at 03:17 PM.

11-26-2006, 04:26 PM	#5
Alexander Turcic Fully Converged Posts: 18,163 Karma: 14021202 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Switzerland Device: Too many to count here.	Mycropht, I don't believe my view is objective (since I haven't had the chance to test all alternatives out there) - but then again, I don't claim to be a professional journalist. A professional journalist should be able to address both positive and negative points when reviewing a product. What worries me is that Mr. Manes ultimatively dismisses the Sony Reader, because of lacking features that are dear to him - features that are not necessarily dear to everyone. small screen: Before the Reader, I read e-books exclusively on PDA devices. My last PDA was a Dell Axim X50v with a "large" 3.7" VGA display. To me, the Reader's 6" screen is a gigantic leap forward. "painfully gray-on-gray" low contrast: So it's not really black on white. Big deal. My daily newspaper and the paperback book I bought yesterday aren't either. Does it bother me? Given the proper lighting the answer is no. "lethargic" interface: The Sony Reader is not a Playstation 3. Why should it win any speed records? When you turn the page of a p-book, does it happen instantaneously? Had Mr. Manes visited our forums, he'd know the speed of flipping pages also depends on the document format and its complexity, and that there are ways to improve the speed by changing the format if it really bothers you. By calling the Reader "the most lethargic electronic device in recent memory" he demonstrates that he clearly missed the purpose of the device. Who cares if he had to wait "several minutes" for the device to restart after he "repeatedly pressed the reset button?" When Sony techs created the Reader, I am sure what they had least in mind were people who have the uncontrolled need to press a reset button. missing search: Yes, I miss a search functionality too. I miss it a lot. But I am not going to return my Reader because I cannot search documents right now. In fact, I have hopes that Sony will add search functionality in an upcoming firmware upgrade. Let's forgive Mr. Manes for not mentioning that the Reader software is upgradeable. missing built-in dictionary: My e-book device should enable me to read e-books. Anything else can be a welcomed or unwelcomed bonus. Personally I don't need a built-in dictionary, but I see how it could be handy for some people. missing speaker: Guess what... the iPod doesn't have a speaker either. "only" 64MB: It's too bad that the Reader is not suitable to store hundreds of 1920x1200 hi-res images of my puppy dog. But would it make sense? Perhaps to some people who also complain about lacking speakers and long reset routines. I have uploaded around ten e-books to my Reader and I still have plenty of room for more. And if things get out of control, I'll grab an SD card. "skimpy" book selection: I agree, the Sony store needs a lot of improvement. But they're working on it, something Mr. Manes didn't bother to acknowledge.

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11-26-2006, 03:33 PM	#4
Mycropht Optimist Posts: 77 Karma: 378 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Zagreb, Croatia Device: Kindle Paperwhite	@slayda: Sometimes while reading, I go back through the book to refresh my memory, check something or whatever. I can do it very quickly and I don't think that would be possible with few seconds per page turn the Reader needs. If I migrate my reading experience from paper to silicon, the idea is to improve that experience. I want to gain something while giving up nothing. Compromises are something I do if there is no choice.

11-26-2006, 04:30 PM	#6
slayda Retired & reading more! Posts: 2,764 Karma: 1884247 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: North Alabama, USA Device: Kindle 1, iPad Air 2, iPhone 6S+, Kobo Aura One	Ok Mycropht, I see your point & agree with it. However I have enjoyed my reader so much, even with its shortfalls, that I need a strong reason to go back to pbooks. I still read on computers and on my Palm TX. The palm is much more handy while waiting in lines, etc., and I do have several unread and re-readable pbooks.

11-26-2006, 04:39 PM	#8
Mycropht Optimist Posts: 77 Karma: 378 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Zagreb, Croatia Device: Kindle Paperwhite	I will write a longer comment tomorrow but I just have to go to sleep now. No hard feelings.

11-26-2006, 05:48 PM	#10
TadW Uebermensch Posts: 2,583 Karma: 1094606 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Italy Device: Kindle	Not a single time did the reviewer describe his experience with the Reader's battery life (only in the introduction he says that E Ink is a technology that uses little power for a battery to last thousands of pages on a single charge). Also, he says how bad the screen is in dim places - but he fails to say how it performs in lighted areas. If you search hard enough, you can make any product look bad.

11-26-2006, 05:59 PM	#11
BobVA Addict Posts: 230 Karma: 1500 Join Date: Oct 2006 Device: Kobo Clara, Sony PRS950, T1, T2, T3	"Ummm. How? No keyboard, no stylus support. From a hardware perspective, how would you tell it what to search for?" --------------------------- We were kicking that around in the "software update" thread: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...2120#post42120 is an example of a "no new hardware" approach. No worse than a entering text on a cell phone. If search is something that a user frequently needs they're probably better off with a computer though, particularly if they are referencing documents too complex for the Reader to do a good job displaying (e.g. 8x11 PDF's). There are rapid navigation features in the reader (jumping by "tenths of a book" using the hard buttons and ten page forward/back with a press/hold of the page key) that simulate flipping through a paper book, to some extent. To search a paper book I use the index, which can be implemented in the Reader easily enough if the publisher takes the trouble to do so. But I think the reason for these "design mistakes" is that the Reader was designed as a reading device, not a reference device. I suspect the flat file structure and the keyboard removal changes made since the Libre were to keep the Reader from appearing too intimidating to John Q. Customer, and to maximize battery life. If you buy your books from Connect, read them straight through and move on, the file structure is fine, as is the interface. It's when we started getting "off label" that we started bumping up against the limitations. The question left hanging is will the average Reader buyer be a Connect customer or are they more interested in "off label" uses. (If you go by megabytes, I certainly fall into the latter camp.) The good news is that some of the limitations can be fixed in firmware, and some by external software (e.g. for RSS capture). I'm hoping the next firmware release will add some interesting new features. Cheers, Bob

11-26-2006, 07:45 PM	#12
CCDMan *** Posts: 335 Karma: 5759 Join Date: Mar 2006 Device: ***	Well, one of the problems with reviews, especially from non-technology media, is that too many journalists tend to be snobby liberal arts grads without a clue on technology. As far as gray on gray, have you looked at a paperback lately? They are not black on white - more sorta black on tan and generally less crisp than the reader. I have had mine since the first week of release and find I try to avoid reading anything else for recreation.... So who cares what the press thinks, if you like it - use it, if not - not. Frankly, I am more concerned about content availability than quality or useability. If it dies, that will be what kills it (or maybe something better becoming available)...

11-26-2006, 09:20 PM	#14
jsuplido @jsuplido Posts: 58 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Guam Device: iPhone, PRS-300	"Street cred" doesn't really mean much if you're not really an ebook reader. I stand by my observation: we'd get negative reviews of the Reader if it's being reviewed as a PDA/laptop-like device by non-ebook readers.

11-26-2006, 09:43 PM	#15
TadW Uebermensch Posts: 2,583 Karma: 1094606 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Italy Device: Kindle	DUDES, IT'S SOOOO EASY! Stephen Manes is a member of the Authors Guild. And we all know that they are not exactly supporters of the e-book movement. Last year the Guild launched a class action suit against Google alleging that the company has massively infringed copyright by scanning and making available for commercial purposes copies of books.

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