copyrite--
I have a nook--bought it a month and a half ago. I really like it--but I'm very tempted to (and probably will) buy the new Sony 650 when it comes out.
The reasons I like the 650--
1. I bought the nook was I really wanted a dictionary (which my Sony 505 didn't have). I stayed away from the Sony 600's because of the lower viewability of the screen. Although the nook does have a dictionary, I'm very disappointed with it. It's more cumbersome to access than the 650's--as you have to use the LCD screen to scroll through your document to highlight a word, or type the word in spelling it exactly right. On the 650, you can just double tap a word and the definition will appear at the bottom of the screen. You can view a more detailed definition by simply tapping an icon at the bottom of the screen. The Sony will allow you to scroll through the dictionary, so if you don't know exact spelling of a word you still have a chance of finding it. (Note I'm basing my knowledge of the way the Sony dictionary operates on my husband's 900--and assuming the newer models will work similarly.)
2. I much prefer the touch screen interface of the Sony's over the LCD touchscreen on the nook. It's so much more intuitive and easy to get around in!
3. The way Sony displays the Table of Contents of books is MUCH better than the nooks! On the nook, the TOC is displayed on the LCD screen--and only about four items at a time will display--if you have a large TOC, it could take a lot of scrolling to get to the item you want. Sonys display the TOC on the screen--more items at a time and much easier to get to the item you want.
4. PDF support is much better on the Sony. I don't read a lot of PDF docs, but I think I'd read more if I had the 650.
5. Sony will display books in landscape mode--it's portrait only for nooks. This really is an extension of #4 above--some PDFS work much better if they can be displayed in landscape (half page at a time) than in normal portrait mode.
6. The Sony 650 is much smaller and lighter than the nook--it'll fit in my purse much easier.
7. Almost forgot--battery life! The battery in my nook needs to be charged every couple of days. Basing my knowledge again on my 505 and my husband's 950, I'm assuming the battery life on the new 650's will be much better--I wouldn't be surprised to get three weeks of reading time.
Where the nook has the Sony beat is--
1. Wireless access. (Only the Sony 900 and new 950 have wireless access--and only the 950 has wifi.) This is not a big deal to me--I rarely use the wifi on my nook, sideloading documents from my computer instead. In fact, in all honesty I probably prefer not having wifi/wireless on my reader.
2. Price. The new Sony 650 is substantially more expensive than the nook...You can get the nook-wifi only for $150(US) and the Sony 650's are selling for $230.
Okay--I think I just convinced myself--I definitely will get a new 650--as long as reports on the screen clarity continue to be good!
Hope this helps!
dordale
