Narrowed down to Cybook or Kindle but can't decide!

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by alia

Plus there's the fact that having a Kindle would lock you in to purchasing eBooks from Amazon.

That's not true any more than having to buy books for the Sony from the Sony store or having to buy music from iTunes if you have an iPod.

BOb

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

That's not true any more than having to buy books for the Sony from the Sony store or having to buy music from iTunes if you have an iPod.

BOb

That's true. However, for DRM-laden ebooks, if it ain't Kindle AZW - and possibly Mobi, I'm still not clear on this - it can't be read on a Kindle. But then, that's true for Sony, Hanlin and Bookeen. Now the nice thing is that many-many AZW titles are also found out there as Mobi titles, which means that any iLiad or Cybook can read them once purchased from various DRM'd Mobi sources.

Why I'd suggest a Cybook is that it's lighter, somewhat less expensive and my company markets them.

Derek

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ssdivot1

Well folks, I ordered the Kindle, even though the Cybook 3 is still very attractive to me. I guess I couldn't resist the lure of the connectivity. So I just took the plunge and am settled in for the long wait! Thank you for your input. The comment on Sprint is interesting as I myself had a huge disagreement with them not too long ago and swore I'd never use them again, and now I will be.

stephanie

I wish you luck. As we know know, Sprint has a reputation for saying what used to be free has to now be paid for. And Amazon has a reputation for screwing people over on eBooks they used to sell. So from my standpoint, it's a possible lose-lose situation.

The 505 or Gen3 don't have those sorts of problems. Neither Sony nor Bookeen has a bad rep when it comes to eBooks.

[MoSo]

The Amazon pricing is a bit better for new books - I got Jim Butcher's Small Favors for $9.95 and it's $23.95 on the Mobi store and $16.96 on the Sony book store.

On the other hand, most of my reading in not "just released" - I also just got all three Naomi Novik "dragon" books - they were $5.59 each on Amazon, $6.69 each on Sony and $6.99 on the Mobi store.

And Sony lost my vote over the extremely poor customer service and technical service on my laptop. It's probably a separate division, but still, I was really annoyed with them.

[cmbs]

Originally Posted by MoSo

The Amazon pricing is a bit better for new books - I got Jim Butcher's Small Favors for $9.95 and it's $23.95 on the Mobi store and $16.96 on the Sony book store.

Fictionwise has it with a 52% rebate, for a total of $11.50. You have to pay the full amount, but you get $12.45 in store credit, which is enough to buy another book. Maybe even two.

http://fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook65211.htm

[bwaldron]

Originally Posted by MoSo

The Amazon pricing is a bit better for new books - I got Jim Butcher's Small Favors for $9.95 and it's $23.95 on the Mobi store and $16.96 on the Sony book store.

Actually, I have found that -- if one is willing to deal with the rebate system (and I am) -- Fictionwise prices are competitive and sometimes even better than Kindle prices.

Using the Mobi store itself doesn't provide the best basis for comparison.

[Alisa]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I wish you luck. As we know know, Sprint has a reputation for saying what used to be free has to now be paid for. And Amazon has a reputation for screwing people over on eBooks they used to sell. So from my standpoint, it's a possible lose-lose situation.

The 505 or Gen3 don't have those sorts of problems. Neither Sony nor Bookeen has a bad rep when it comes to eBooks.

Though if you switched the wireless off permanently and never used another Sprint service, you'd still have more functionality than a Sony PRS.

[BobLenx]

Though if you switched the wireless off permanently and never used another Sprint service, you'd still have more functionality than a Sony PRS

Not so sure about this comment. I believe this would leave you with a built-in dictionary ( I don't have to look up words in a dictionary, and the ones I do from 18th and 19th century novels are rarely in dictionaries) - and the ability to annotate and highlight books (and I haven't made notes in a book since I left college).

So for me a Kindle over my Sony would leave me with a Sony that is cluttered with a keyboard I don't need. But we all have our different perspectives, wants and needs, so not about to really question anyone else's choice.

Bob

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by BobLenx

Though if you switched the wireless off permanently and never used another Sprint service, you'd still have more functionality than a Sony PRS

Not so sure about this comment. I believe this would leave you with a built-in dictionary ( I don't have to look up words in a dictionary, and the ones I do from 18th and 19th century novels are rarely in dictionaries) - and the ability to annotate and highlight books (and I haven't made notes in a book since I left college).

So for me a Kindle over my Sony would leave me with a Sony that is cluttered with a keyboard I don't need. But we all have our different perspectives, wants and needs, so not about to really question anyone else's choice.

Bob

You left out search and the content manager.

[Alisa]

Originally Posted by BobLenx

Though if you switched the wireless off permanently and never used another Sprint service, you'd still have more functionality than a Sony PRS

Not so sure about this comment. I believe this would leave you with a built-in dictionary ( I don't have to look up words in a dictionary, and the ones I do from 18th and 19th century novels are rarely in dictionaries) - and the ability to annotate and highlight books (and I haven't made notes in a book since I left college).

So for me a Kindle over my Sony would leave me with a Sony that is cluttered with a keyboard I don't need. But we all have our different perspectives, wants and needs, so not about to really question anyone else's choice.

Bob

But I don't think you can argue that it doesn't have more functionality. It's just functionality you personally do not want. I couldn't see buying a Sony because it didn't have dictionary, search, or annotation. I would've bought the Kindle without the wireless because I want a device that does more than just show me pages.

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Have you actually used one "for real", as a matter of interest?

For me, an eInk display absolutely "wipes the floor" with any LCD screen, and I say that after reading on LCD screens for 20-odd years. I'd never go back to an LCD display for book reading.

Hi Ya Harry,

Actually, yeah I did have a chance, totally by accident, to compare a Sony 505 with the N800. But under indoor lighting even thought the lighting was very good and not dim at all. Here is the thread I posted about the experience:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...710#post171710

I WANT an eink based device for exactly the same reasons you mention. After 20+ years of LCD displays and heck the 5-years with my Compaq, ahem, portable with the built-in 9" green CRT by itself, the eyeballs surely could use a break. But right now for me personally, under the conditions I would normally read, eink is just not right for me. Next year, maybe, hopefully, this will change.

You know how it goes, early LCD were TEEEEEENY and super hard on the eyes. But as I mentioned for me my eyes don't like the eink displays...dang it anyway. I look at it this way, I get to save more to buy something super tricked out next year when some yet to be seen tech comes along to make the difference.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by BobLenx

[I]I don't have to look up words in a dictionary, and the ones I do from 18th and 19th century novels are rarely in dictionaries

Actually, Bob, the specific reason I so value my dictionary on my Gen3 is precisely because I do read exactly those novels, and want to look up the unfamiliar words. They certainly are present in my Unabridged Chambers Dictionary.

[TantricWarrior]

Originally Posted by ssdivot1

Hi there,

I'm new here, having only really thought about e-readers for the first time a few days ago. I was at Amazon looking for a book and watched the Kindle video and, although I'm not much given to impulse, immediately thought "I MUST HAVE THAT"! haha. In fact I can't remember the last time I was so smitten by something material. The E-ink technology, which I previously was oblivious to, is fantastic!

For the last few days I've been reading and researching and driving myself crazy with "should I, shouldn't I", and I've decided I should, but now am almost getting depressed over my inability to decide on which particular reader to get!
<snip>

I must say that my experience totally mirrors this... I was on Amazon to look for a book as a gift and was distracted by the Kindle ad on the opening page...only to find they sold out *the day before* [in a few hours, I gather]
Jump ahead a few months of checking every few days on availability, geeked the net for other readers, tried to talk myself down, talked to a friend of mine who somehow managed to get one... finally stumbled across DearAuthor and review of the CyBook - why had I not seen or HEARD of this thing before (and I'd been looking)!? Also got pointed to a snarky/funny comparison between the Kindle and $ony eReader by a husband-wife team arguing over the merits of either... which made me think about <gasp> actually spending money on a $ony product... until I realized that they don't do MAC, so that ended that foray into madness. (I used to work in TV and consider $ony to be the epitome of the EVIL EMPIRE, esp. WRT designed obsolescence and [lack of] customer support - can you say BetaMAX capstan roller?)

Aaaanyway, that led me to here, where I must say (as others have) how refreshing it is to find clear, cogent, non-flaming discussions and assistance - THANK YOU GUYS Here I have spent the last few dozen hours pouring over post after post deciding, re-deciding, trying to talk myself out of it, trying to decide if I wanted a dedicated reader, a UMPC/MID, or what (my Kindle-friend just got an EeePC, too).

I guess, for me, it boiled down to, do I *really* need wireless access? (plus I seem to be in the *only* non-coverage ["no guarantee of working inside a building"] area in the valley for AT&T & Sprint... which is why I don't have an iPhone <drool>)

I don't travel, do most of my reading at home (curled up in my fav chair), and usually just flip open my Mac PB (which now lives under said chair) to look up words I don't know, or to wiki or surf or whatever. The PB is nice, I spend hours on it as it is, but it gets really hot and needs to remain plugged into power (or be frequently charged), and is not too comfortable to read on (requires looking down just enough to make my head feel like it's going to snap off my neck) . Plus, as others have stated, I just can't see curling up with a keyboard-attached work-computer as relaxing. My Kindle-friend isn't too happy with the "3am download" feature (for newspaper and RSS) which requires the wireless to be on; she's gotten up several mornings after 1) forgetting to leave it on, or 2) with a run-down battery. Now she just surfs over to the actual websites and reads there.

Wow, this is getting long, so anyway decided the CyBook was the best fit (simply a reader) and have placed my order with NAEB and am waiting... barely contained

Question: is it possible to unKindle an .AZW to get the cheaper version of newstuff? I've read that you can go the other way and deMOBI and fake .AZW? I've read, somewhere, that if you're outside the US (or coverage) you can buy Kindle-books and transfer them via USB. True? I've got Virtual PC (that I almost got rid of - no use for it) with Win2K and am, right now, attempting to install MobiReader, it keeps hanging at 90% (typical, IME) and hope that the USB will punch thru the OS'es when I get the device as I'd like to use the RSS feature thru MobiPocket (any comments on that feature?)

Anyway to all you "guys" for all your posts and diligent effort, this is a GREAT resource.

Matthew
P.S. Most Americans just list their states (or cities) b/c to us, it would be like saying "I'm from Europe" Plus, when I do travel, I like to refer to myself as a "Californian" rather than an "American" [no, I am not unPatriotic, just ashamed of recent past trends]

[kandit]

I have the Kindle and I love it....I am not familiar with the Cybook, but I did have a Sony and once I got the Kindle, I took the Sony back.

[Elsi]

Originally Posted by TantricWarrior

Question: is it possible to unKindle an .AZW to get the cheaper version of newstuff? I've read that you can go the other way and deMOBI and fake .AZW? I've read, somewhere, that if you're outside the US (or coverage) you can buy Kindle-books and transfer them via USB. True? I've got Virtual PC (that I almost got rid of - no use for it) with Win2K and am, right now, attempting to install MobiReader, it keeps hanging at 90% (typical, IME) and hope that the USB will punch thru the OS'es when I get the device as I'd like to use the RSS feature thru MobiPocket (any comments on that feature?)

1 - There's no legitimate way to remove the DRM from a secured .AZW file to use in another MobiPocket-enabled device. Non-secured .AZW files can be renamed to .mobi and be read in MobiPocket Reader -- and I presume could be read on a Cybook.

2 - Yes, you can order books from Amazon and download to the PC instead of having them sent through the EVDO network to the Kindle. Books on your PC can be transferred to the Kindle with the USB cable. But, you can't buy Kindle books if you don't have a Kindle registered to your Amazon account.

3 - I love using the RSS feed feature of MobiPocket Reader. It works wonderfully.