MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Reasons why NOT to exchange Sony PRS-650 for a Kindle

capslock · 11-13-2010, 11:42 AM

To begin with, I don't mean this to be a bashing thread. I just think it might be more worthwhile than starting a thread for reasons to get a Kindle.

So I have been using a Sony PRS-650 for about a week now and I have been, for the most part, satisfied with it. My decision to get it over a Kindle was based on a few things that seemed to justify the extra cost. The Sony, of course, has touch screen, better pdf display, is better built, and it doesn't have a big ugly keyboard taking up space.

However, the small screen size has been difficult to read off, and I overestimated the usefulness of the stylus. Given the small size, it has also been problematic to read while standing up on the subway/taking a bus. At this point, it appears that I'd be better off getting a Kindle.

I had the chance to run into someone with a Kindle and got the chance to test drive it. For one, it has a better grip (for subway purposes) and the screen size (for the $139) is adequate for my purposes; unlike with the Sony, I don't have to get really close to the screen or try to play around with the different display settings.

So given that the Kindle will save me about $100, I am inclined to get it; in addition to the reasons above, it also has offline wikipedia. So the case to me seems pretty clear.

But it would be helpful to hear some bad things about the Kindle, so as to better inform my decision. Are they fragile? Do they require a case as much as the Sony PRS-650? Am I going to be able to rename PDFs (this was a problem for using my Sony model, but I gather that's because I wasn't using Calibre)?

One reason why I avoided getting a Kindle, moreover, was because I heard you have to pay some amount to upload PDFs to it. Given that I'll primarily be using it to display PDFs that I upload to it (mainly math, technical pdfs), I wouldn't want to pay to upload some 300+ pdfs. But when I asked the person with the Kindle about this, he said he never had to pay anything to do this. So is this something that just applied to older models or something?

Beyond these concerns, I'd appreciate any other input. Thanks in advance.

11-13-2010, 11:42 AM	#1
capslock Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: PRS-650	Reasons why NOT to exchange Sony PRS-650 for a Kindle To begin with, I don't mean this to be a bashing thread. I just think it might be more worthwhile than starting a thread for reasons to get a Kindle. So I have been using a Sony PRS-650 for about a week now and I have been, for the most part, satisfied with it. My decision to get it over a Kindle was based on a few things that seemed to justify the extra cost. The Sony, of course, has touch screen, better pdf display, is better built, and it doesn't have a big ugly keyboard taking up space. However, the small screen size has been difficult to read off, and I overestimated the usefulness of the stylus. Given the small size, it has also been problematic to read while standing up on the subway/taking a bus. At this point, it appears that I'd be better off getting a Kindle. I had the chance to run into someone with a Kindle and got the chance to test drive it. For one, it has a better grip (for subway purposes) and the screen size (for the $139) is adequate for my purposes; unlike with the Sony, I don't have to get really close to the screen or try to play around with the different display settings. So given that the Kindle will save me about $100, I am inclined to get it; in addition to the reasons above, it also has offline wikipedia. So the case to me seems pretty clear. But it would be helpful to hear some bad things about the Kindle, so as to better inform my decision. Are they fragile? Do they require a case as much as the Sony PRS-650? Am I going to be able to rename PDFs (this was a problem for using my Sony model, but I gather that's because I wasn't using Calibre)? One reason why I avoided getting a Kindle, moreover, was because I heard you have to pay some amount to upload PDFs to it. Given that I'll primarily be using it to display PDFs that I upload to it (mainly math, technical pdfs), I wouldn't want to pay to upload some 300+ pdfs. But when I asked the person with the Kindle about this, he said he never had to pay anything to do this. So is this something that just applied to older models or something? Beyond these concerns, I'd appreciate any other input. Thanks in advance.