Ereaders and false ecomomies

[Freckles]

Argos is still selling the Sony 505. It was £200 last time I checked. Though I suppose you wouldn't be able to test it.

[lene1949]

Originally Posted by mike_bike_kite

I'll look into one of those. Do you use open inkpot or the standard firmware?

It was my first time with the device and I guess the assistant wouldn't know the ins and outs of the unit. It was almost certainly my fault as the SD card came straight out a DAB radio with recordings of various radio programs - so no doubt that was what all the .dat files were. I've now reformatted the SD card and recopied the ebooks back on - hopefully I will be able to retest each device soon.

It doesn't sell in the UK so I can't test it with my ebooks. The price is perfect though.

Late last year I bought a Hanvon 516 for $349 Australian. It had 2,100 book preloaded, which is equivalent to less than 17 cents per book and a free reader...

[mike_bike_kite]

Originally Posted by Freckles

Argos is still selling the Sony 505. It was £200 last time I checked. Though I suppose you wouldn't be able to test it.

But this is almost the same price our American colleagues are paying for a modern BeBoox Neo (£230) - and the 505 is smaller, infinitely less functional and 2 years old - which in dog years is over a decade out of date. As a geek I'd just find it difficult buying a device that's so old. As a consumer I just find it difficult paying over 50% more than others around the world. I assume once the Kobo (or the forecast Asus devices) come out over here then the prices will all drop but it's frustrating waiting.

Originally Posted by lene1949

Late last year I bought a Hanvon 516 for $349 Australian. It had 2,100 book preloaded, which is equivalent to less than 17 cents per book and a free reader...

I understand your point but if I was to go to a torrent site then all those books (and probably more) would be available in a moment. The preloaded books are a thoughtful touch by the seller and certainly make it easier to demo the product in store but they don't really add to the value of the device. Of course, if the books were all books I dearly wanted to read, then that's a different matter.

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by mike_bike_kite

I'll look into one of those. Do you use open inkpot or the standard firmware?

I used the standard firmware for 4 months, then put Open Inkpot on it. OI is better as long as you don't need DRM support.

[Worldwalker]

Originally Posted by mike_bike_kite

... the 505 is smaller, infinitely less functional and 2 years old - which in dog years is over a decade out of date. As a geek I'd just find it difficult buying a device that's so old.

As a geek I judge a device by its function, not by its release date.

My 505 displays ebooks. It does that extremely well. I have not seen another ebook reader that does the job as well, let alone better, without corresponding disadvantages. Should I buy something with a flimsy plastic case, an inconvenient keyboard, and the ability for a large corporation with questionable ethics to rummage around in it and delete any of my content they care to? Or one that has misfeatures that are actually of negative utility to me, such as a touchscreen? Or one too large to carry easily in a coat pocket? What feature is there that I need on a newer device which would make it worthwhile to give up features that I value and that I already have in exchange?

Nowhere on my geek card does it say I'm limited to buying or using devices manufactured within a specific time limit. Cool stuff stays cool -- despite its release date -- until someone comes out with something cooler, and so far, I haven't seen that happen with ebook readers. Plenty of gimmicks, yes, but no actual cool.

If I was buying an ebook reader today, knowing everything I've learned in the year I've had mine, I'd still buy a 505. There are some things, like the C-130 or the Browning M2, that approach the ideal of their type, and have survived decades in service with only refinements, not major changes. I think the 505 is one of those. It could use a faster processor, yes, and perhaps some minor software changes, but those are refinements. The 505, as it is, does exactly what it's supposed to do, with no unnecessary extras, and does it very well.

[J. Strnad]

True geeks buy ONLY heirloom electronics!

[mike_bike_kite]

I'm certain the 505 is a marvellous ereader but I just want something that is at the very least still in production. The extra functionality on something like the Neo with it's bigger screen, faster processor, wifi, wacom touch screen, RSS feeds, various applications, multiple dictionaries, open source development environment, MP3 music, text to speech, ebook libraries up to 32GB, EPUB , Mobipocket, Fb2, PDB, HTML, CHM and DJVU formats etc may or may not be useful to me but as a geek I know I want them

[sassanik]

I do think that it is a draw back that it is difficult to just go out and try out a ebook reader at a store. Frankly most stores don't carry them, and if they do you are probably limited to the Nook and the Sony's.

I have bought all 3 of my readers without being able to try them out in the store. I have fortantly been happy with my purchases. I think most people like to touch and feel the device before purchase.

Have you checked out the Pocketbook line? Also I believe Cool-ers are sold in a store in the UK... whose name I can't remember now.


Amy

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by sassanik

I do think that it is a draw back that it is difficult to just go out and try out a ebook reader at a store. Frankly most stores don't carry them, and if they do you are probably limited to the Nook and the Sony's.

It is improving.

For instance Target has had Sony readers for a while, and will have Kindles starting in June.

It will always be a problem for small companies like the Jetbook reader etc. But in all honestly, currently the Kindle, Sony and Nook are the only real players in the e-reader market. All the other stuff is super niche and only considered by people on sites like this one.

[J. Strnad]

I think the Kobo is going to change that. It has Borders behind it, and the $150 price point is sucking in people like me who just can't see spending $250 and more for an ereader. It has the e-ink display I've seen and require, and I don't care about the lack of wi-fi; I can wait until I get home to buy a book.

Magazines, art books, etc. will still be paper products for me. I don't want to spend $500-800 for a tablet computer that is too heavy and too bulky for my casual reading, and which lacks an e-ink display. I might get one some day, but I wouldn't buy one as an e-reader.

I think that the Kobo has the potential to be the break-out product that brings e-readers to the masses. It's cheap (relatively), straight-forward, and it supports the epub format, which I also think has the potential to become the standard for casual readers.