Finally - A really energetic Sony Reader review!

[Bob Russell]

Almost everyone seems to love the Sony Reader. Not everyone wants to buy one because of the price or because they love physical paper, but it's definitely interesting to just about everyone. So why do the tech reviews often get so fixated on the little things, and miss the forest for the trees? You would think that tech writers are against technology. But, pretty clearly it's because people seem to appreciate the Sony Reader more and more as they use it more and more. That's the sort of response I think we will see from people for many of the new e-book readers that are going to come out in the next 5 years or so, which will make it an exciting time.

But there's a recent video review that finally captures some enthusiasm. This reviewer is a communicator, not some old-school journalist who is so caught up in trying to appear neutral that he can't even capture the spirit of the device. Okay, enough introduction. What you want is the link, right?

Check out this great video review by Yahoo Tech News right here.

Thanks to "Cliff" for the tip!

[RWood]

Nice review. I loved the side-by-side look at the paper page and the Sony screen. The old thousand word picture.

[hcobbs]

I really wish I hadn't seen the review....

It makes waiting two more days all that more difficult.

[tapf!]

OH NO I WANT A READER RIGHT NOW

This Video-Review is really good, the enthusiasm is clealy feelable.

Fabian

[jsuplido]

Originally Posted by Bob Russell

... But, pretty clearly it's because people seem to appreciate the Sony Reader more and more as they use it more and more. ...

Yes! Most of the negative reviews I've read come from casual users or those who must review it in time for a deadline. The Sony Reader is best appreciated when you're really serious about reading. Or if you've committed to owning one

Thanks for the Yahoo!Tech review. It really is a fun review.

[TadW]

Not that I want to spoil the fun, but here is just another repetitive book-is-better-than-ebook review, this time by Time magazine:

The Sony Reader isn't going to displace the humble book anytime soon either. Just to get Kite Runner onto the Reader, I had to charge it, find a computer running Windows XP--we're a Mac shop around here--stare down a cryptic error message and update some software. The half-second delay when you press the turn-the-page button eventually becomes maddening, and you can't scribble in the Reader's virtual margins. Nor can you throw it across the room, should its contents displease you, since it costs $350.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...612700,00.html

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

The best part is, she hits on exactly where e-book readers shine over paperback books, something most reviews have neglected to do, as well as describing the Reader's features. This was a good review for the post-boomer generations, it hit on the points they can identify with (especially bulk and weight issues), and it showed that she didn't have an issue using the Reader, or its interface (no complaints about the page-turning process, I noted).

And the side-by-side was great... the e-ink looked clearer than the printed page to me.

Originally Posted by TadW

Not that I want to spoil the fun, but here is just another repetitive book-is-better-than-ebook review, this time by Time magazine:

That's okay... the market for e-book readers get their news online, and from The Daily Show.

[tapf!]

I also liked the c|net video review:
http://reviews.cnet.com/Sony_PRS_500...-31660696.html

Regards

Fabian

Originally Posted by tapf!

I also liked the c|net video review:

Jimminy! Was that guy a salesman or what! If you didn't see it originally, go see it now. Seriously. Listen to such high pressure sales tactics like:

"You could take it with you on vacation I suppose."<--in a tone of voice questioning why you would want to. Or this gem:

"Yes, there's always ghosting but it shouldn't affect the reading much." (But I don't want any Spam!....spam, spam, spam....er, sorry.)

Watch now and you can find out all the ways to get content: "It gets it's content from the online store." Whoa! Slow down, Spanky! I can't handle all this information!

Actually, I think they just got some guy off the street, gave him a clean shirt and pamphlet, 5 minutes to read it and said "Rolling in 5...4...3..."

And don't forget to read the customer reviews (especially the bad ones). A couple that stand out are "it's to light" and "I don't like eBooks". And of course you will find several instances of "the only source of any content is Connect which is generally customer unfriendly and woefully short of books at a decent price". Well, okay, that last statement at least has some accuracy in it.

(Thanks for bringing this one back up. I missed it the first time and now it seems pretty funny. In fact, I think I'll grab another ginger ale and watch it again.)