Need just a bit of info to help me decide...

[mmc_mac]

I am new to the site and to the idea of a reader however once I was presented with the idea of a reader I fell in love with it and want one ...NOW. But I am also not the type to waste money on something that is not a good "fit" for me.

I have considered the Kindle (1 and 2), Sony 505, and also have been looking into the iphone (mainly due to the Kindle app). I have searched Amazon and love the selection they have.

However I need an important question answered (sorry if it sounds like Im 5...I am just new to all this)..I need to know if I can read books that I get from places other than Amazon ( I know sony is out but curious about things like fictionwise, booksonboard, public library, etc).

I like the fact that Sony 505 supports Epub and some of the things I have researched lead me to think that more books might become avaliable in this format and I hate to think I might miss out on a particular series of books or such because I have a reader that does not support it.

I have only considered the iphone because I am due to get a new phone in the next two weeks and I was thinking it would be great if I could "kill two birds with one stone". I know the reading experience on the iphone will not compare to a stand-alone reader however I think it might be a good intro into the ebook world. I know I will be able to read the kindle/amazon books on it, however I also understand that there is another reader on it as well...can anyone tell me about this if it even exists?

Ok one final bit, below are my desires/concerns can anyone tell me which (if any) of the above would be a good fit?

**large selection of avaliable books (both free and purchaseable)
**Expandable memory (not sure now much I need and the K2 nor iphone expand but then again I dont know how much it takes to store a hundred or so books)
**Like the dictionary function (but not necessary)
**PDF reading is not high on the list of needs - Reader will be used for reading e-books only
**Not crazy about having someone else (amazon) backing up my library but I do like the fact that if my husband gets a kindle as well, we both can access the other one's books.
**no need for wi-fi (I am ok with downloading/moving books from the computer)

Sorry it is such a long question session but I figured the more info, the better answers I will get Thanks in advance, this site is awesome!

[RickyMaveety]

You can load a lot of books on the space the K2 gives you, although I'm partial to the expandable memory, so I prefer the K1.

You can get books for the Kindle (or the Sony) from sources other than their respective bookstores. I think the Amazon selection is larger and on the whole less expensive than that of Sony.

I don't think there is an application for the iPhone that will read the Sony proprietary format, but there is a reader (Stanza??) that will read several formats, and there is the Kindle application for the iPhone that will read the Amazon proprietary format.

I've got three K1s and one iPhone. It is nice to be able to make progress on the same book on all four devices ... and I think that you will find sharing an account with your spouse works really well.

I'm not positive how many books either of the Sonys will hold ... but I'm positive all of them will at least hold a few hundred. With expanded memory, my K1 will hold about 10,000 books.

You can back up your Kindle books on your own computer if you wish. I do not depend on Amazon to do my backups. It's nice to know that the media is there ... but I prefer to do my own backing up.

I would assume that you could also do a computer backup of your books if you owned a Sony.

What ever you get .... I hope you enjoy it.

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by mmc_mac

I need to know if I can read books that I get from places other than Amazon

A good starting point for questions of this kind is Kindle Myths and Partial Truths.

The Kindle essentially only reads MOBI ebooks. For MOBI with DRM (encryption), only OverDrive hosted ebooks work (after running through KindleFIX) but this is enough to support Lending Library MOBIs. See Visual Kindle Guide. Any DRM-free ebook can easily be converted to MOBI, typically using Calibre (which has its own forum here). There are several good sources of DRM-free ebooks, some mentioned on the "Myths" wiki page. It isn't generally thought to be legal in the US, but it is possible to strip the DRM from several common ebook formats and then format shift them to DRM-free MOBIs that work on the Kindle. Doing this on ebooks you bought for personal use harms no one.

For me, the main reason for buying a Kindle was the Kindle store. Note that, since Kindle AZW files are MOBI ebooks, the mobidedrm.py script can strip their encryption to produce a DRM-free MOBI. So you are not tied to using the Kindle (and iPhone) only when you buy Kindle ebooks (but TOPAZ ebooks are tied to the Kindle/iPhone).

[WBetts]

One other thing to consider about the Kindle is that you can read sample chapters free. A great option when you are trying to decide what to read next.

[BurBunny]

As a recent Kindle newbie (mine is just under 2 weeks old), I don't regret my decision one iota. I have almost 40 books on it, not one of which I've paid a dime for. Some are from my local library (downloaded and coverted via the Visual Kindle Guide wiki here on Mobileread), some free .pdfs converted through Calibre, and many more downloaded from Amazon (Random House free e-books) and the current "Read an eBook Week" promotions. There are lots of free book announcements here up in the Deals, Freebies and Resources forum.

I'm not against purchasing books I want and can't find otherwise, and will be doing so soon, but it's become a bit of an easter egg hunt for me to see how many books I *don't* have to purchase but still enjoy. I'm reading authors I never would have found before, genres I wouldn't purchase, but still enjoy, and generally feeling very satisfied with myself.

When I made up my mind to order the Kindle, I thought I'd be doing all my reading of purchased Amazon books. I now know I am not limited in any way to that, but still have their tremendous catalogue also at my disposal. This was an excellent purchase.

[sirbruce]

FYI your Kindle 2 will hold 1500 books, maybe more depending on how large they are. So that should be plenty. And you'll have a much wider selection of books than you will on the Sony. On the other hand, no epub.

[Ann in ME]

Can anyone comment on the "Read-to-me" feature? Do you get a voice you can stand to listen to, or is some weird-sounding computer voice? Also, has anyone tried reading from a Kindle2 outdoors in sunshine? Is it really glare free? Does the screen disappear if you are wearing polarized sunglasses?

Thanks.

Ann

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by sirbruce

FYI your Kindle 2 will hold 1500 books, maybe more depending on how large they are. So that should be plenty. And you'll have a much wider selection of books than you will on the Sony.

Technically true, but if we're talking about popular fiction, then the reality is that pretty much all eBooks are released for all the popular platforms, and are equally available on the Sony Store, FictionWise, BooksOnBoard, etc, as from Amazon.

No matter what device you buy, you'll find many "lifetimes" of reading for it.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Technically true, but if we're talking about popular fiction, then the reality is that pretty much all eBooks are released for all the popular platforms, and are equally available on the Sony Store, FictionWise, BooksOnBoard, etc, as from Amazon.

Unless it's a Macmillan book (Tor, St. Martin's, etc.), a Dorchester book, or a book from some of the smaller houses (not all, just some). Those houses have quite a few books, at least ones I was looking for, on the Kindle that aren't available anywhere else. At least not yet.

No matter what device you buy, you'll find many "lifetimes" of reading for it.

No doubt.

[lilac_jive]

Just an FYI- if you want to share ebooks with your hubby, for both the Kindle and the Sony you would need to be registered to the same account.

Also, I have a 505 and I love it With expandable memory, it can hold thousands of books, but I usually only have 60 at a time. I take off books that I've read every week or so.

[sirbruce]

Originally Posted by Ann in ME

Can anyone comment on the "Read-to-me" feature? Do you get a voice you can stand to listen to, or is some weird-sounding computer voice?

It's computer-sounding and not all that great; Windows 7 has a better, more natural voice. I can't stand it, but other people seem to tolerate it better. Of course, remember that you *don't* have that option on any other device, so it's not really a comparitive feature.

Originally Posted by Ann in ME

Also, has anyone tried reading from a Kindle2 outdoors in sunshine? Is it really glare free?

As long as your Kindle 2 doesn't have the problem of fading text in direct sunlight (Amazon will replace it if you do), it works fine outdoors in the sunshine. You can get glare if you've got a bright light shining *directly* on the screen, but otherwise it doesn't have glare like LCD screens do.

Originally Posted by Ann in ME

Does the screen disappear if you are wearing polarized sunglasses?

I have no idea but I don't know why it would. Never heard anyone complain about this being a problem.

[grooks]

Originally Posted by Ann in ME

Does the screen disappear if you are wearing polarized sunglasses?

E-ink screens do not disappear when wearing polarized sunglasses. I spent a week in Hawaii last year and read in direct sunglight with polarized glasses and the screen is very clear.

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by Ann in ME

Can anyone comment on the "Read-to-me" feature? Do you get a voice you can stand to listen to, or is some weird-sounding computer voice? Also, has anyone tried reading from a Kindle2 outdoors in sunshine? Is it really glare free? Does the screen disappear if you are wearing polarized sunglasses?

Thanks.

Ann

Oh my .... Does the screen disappear if you are wearing polarized sunglasses?? Do other things you would normally see suddenly disappear when you are wearing polarized sunglasses?? I mean, houses, people, cars .... things like that?

E-ink doesn't radiate any type of light, so I don't see how polarized sunglasses would affect an e-ink page. Polarized light doesn't even make glare from reflected light "disappear" ... it only reduces it by causing light that is coming from a direction other than that which will pass through the polarized lens to be reflected off the lens. Some glare will still get through, just a whole lot less of it.

If polarized sunglasses made objects disappear, they wouldn't be of much use unless you wanted to walk around bumping into stuff ....

[KindleKat]

E-ink may not disappear when wearing sunglasses, but it does disappear when blindfolded, or when i close my eyes! I think Amazon need to rethink the kindle display

[sirbruce]

Originally Posted by KindleKat

E-ink may not disappear when wearing sunglasses, but it does disappear when blindfolded, or when i close my eyes! I think Amazon need to rethink the kindle display

If it came with a bright enough backlight you could see even when you close your eyes!