Quote:
Originally Posted by SensualPoet
Sony's new devices are a welcome improvement: lighter, smaller, more stylish, improved touch, Pearl e-ink, dictionaries, etc.
But in Canada, in spite of the cachet of the Sony brand, the pricing is just out of whack. $249 for the 6" non-wifi PRS 650 vs $139 for the wifi-enabled Kindle 3 vs $149 for the basic model Kobo that plays ePub files. For Canada, the latter two have very credible bookstores as well; Sony's bookstore in Canada is problematic at best.
Sure, Sony in Canada can command a premium (Kindle's are only sold online), but not $100. And when the Kobo drops in a few days or weeks as it simply must, that's going to be up to a $150 premium -- more than double the price to select "Sony".
It's true Sony can try the trade-off: wifi vs touch screen but in the sales conversation that's simply not going to fly.
Sony: 5", touch screen, no wifi, problematic bookstore - $199; sony stores, best buy
Sony: 6", touch screen, no wifi, problematic bookstore - $249; sony stores, best buy
Kobo/Chapters: 6", no touch screen, no wifi, Canadian bookstore, easy to use - $99-$149; largest Canadian book chain, Wal-mart
Kindle 3/Amazon: 6", no touch screen, wifi, best bookstore, large support community - $139; amazon, a trusted provider of books, dvds
At this pricing, Sony has it's work cut out for it in Canada.
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The price is steep. Honestly? I plan on making a trip south over the border next time I'm in Canada to get my Sony Reader (either the 650 or the 950, I haven't yet decided) to save myself the price difference. With Ontario tax the 6 inch Touch reader would work out to about $280.
For me, the touch screen, Pearl technology and 12 dictionaries are more than worth the extra price I'd be paying for getting a Sony rather than a Kindle. (wi-fi and 3g don't interest me, and I do a lot of translating work for which I'd like to mark up the text with my own handwriting - I need to use foreign characters. The Kindle's keyboard wouldn't cut it for me. I also read a fair bit in foreign languages, and I'd love the dictionaries. The ability to purchase more dictionaries would be an ever bigger bonus. I have been considering a Kindle DX as a large screen reader, but I have decided to wait on getting a 9.7 inch reader, as I would like one with better PDF rendering capabilities and with a touch screen).
However, I doubt that the extra features would appeal to most readers (or rather, appeal to them enough to warrant paying the added price). This is too bad; I love Sony's Readers and would hate to see them stop making them. This is why I AM glad that no one brand has a monopoly on e-readers - it leaves us consumers with more choices.