Quote:
Originally Posted by dminoz
Babyd, you have a few Sonys, (Sonies? :-) - how do you find the Kindle in comparison? And is there any advantage in having both a Sony and a Kindle, apart from access to Amazon?
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Out of the Sonys the new 350 and 650 are easily the best so far. Compared to the Kindle, well I think they are pretty level really. They both have things I love and things that could be improved. I bought both as I wanted to cover all my needs. I had a huge catalogue of ebooks that I needed to use on my Sony, I know I could convert for use on the Kindle but I love gadgets so new ereaders are a must have for me and I quite like having different books on different readers, I now have a little shelf next to my real books, just with a row of ereaders, so I am getting my digital library of ereaders at last
I love Sony readers, they just feel nice. Good build quality and I love the touchscreens. Most of my niggles have been rectified with the new models so Im very happy (epubs fully justified, better screen, better touchscreen, nicer UI, ability to edit collections directly on reader) I also love the addition of the screensavers.
I have always wanted to try the Kindle, so when it was released in the UK it was a no brainer for a gadget freak
I love that it is so cheap, love that I can get ebooks at a decent price now, love how easy and fast it is to get new books on the kindle. The Kindle is not as well built as the Sony, but it does have a user friendly feel which I think appeals to the masses more. The Kindle just felt fun to use, silly features like sharing book quotes on Facebook are fun, if not necessary. After using my Sonys for years I found myself enjoying the Kindle just by using it, where the previous Sonys were only as fun as what I was reading on them. Mind you, the new Sonys have levelled the field there now, I find them much better and more fun to use now.
The lighted cover on the Kindle is pure genius, I love that thing, very neat and very good light that covers the screen well. The Sony lighted covers are nice just not as sleek and clever as the kindle one. The whole Kindle cover is just way nicer and more protective than of the Sony covers, which I always felt were lacking a bit and felt a bit flimsy.
The naked Kindle feels slimmer and sleeker due to the rounded back and edges, the naked Sonys still feel thicker and chunkier in the hand as they are more squared. But then I think the Sony may be a tad more comfortable to hold due to this, to me anyway. Once in a cover though they both feel similar to hold.
Font size changes are better on the Kindle as the jump between sizes is smaller, the Sony still has too much of a jump between sizes for me, it seems to jump two sizes more than the Kindle. So font sizes are more usable on the Kindle, I can read comfortably using 2 to 3 different font sizes but on the Sony only 1 or 2 is really usable to me, its easier to find the perfect size on the Kindle whereas I find xs too small and s just a tad too big on the Sony (can be rectified with Calibre setting the font size but nice to not have to bother running my epubs through it again)
I got my Kindle 3 before my 350 and 650, and then I would have said the Kindle blew the 505 and 600 out of the water in almost every way.
Now the new Sonys are here, well, its not so clear now. They are all amazing readers with lots to offer, but there is no clear winner, anyone would be happy with either, it just depends on what you need from a reader. For me I wanted to carry my old elibrary on a decent reader, I also wanted to keep with the touchscreen, the new Sonys gave me that. The Kindle gives me cheaper ebooks and easy loading of those books, I can see a book I want mentioned on the TV or read about it, then have it on my Kindle within moments, love that, but it means I am also spending a fortune on ebooks now
But I would not change that as I love having what I want when I fancy it, but then, what woman doesn't love that? lol
The Sonys have always felt a more serious ereader but now also feel more fun. Sony have done wonders with the new models, they have really stepped things up and made the reader what it should have been.