Quote:
Originally Posted by TheArtfulDodger
Hello to all:
First, what a wonderful find this forum is! I have been trolling the web for quite a few days, picking up little pieces of information but here it ALL is - in one (well 57 as I write this) place! Fantastic!
To my questions - I like the look of the Sony 950 (not available yet in the UK from whence this comes - does anyone know when it will appear here?) but I like the availability of books for the Kindle - Will I be able to access the Amazon bookstore for the Kindle from the 950?
Thanks for the information in advance and thanks for all of your inputs.
Is it possible to produce a linked index of each reader to the comments for each? 
Regards,
Sparky |
Re. "Sony 950 not yet available in the UK": I've got Sony 900, the predecessor of Sony 950, about 18 months ago. It's the only Sony reader, that's still not available in Germany (= outside of the US): It seams, Sony isn't interested or able to deliver the 3G functionality outside of the US. So I wouldn't have too much hope for availabilty of Sony 900 or Sony 950 outside of the US.
Of course you easily can get it, for example from USUnlocked.com, B&H Photo/Video and others. Usually, after costs for shipment, customs fees and taxes, the original price in $ US will lead to the same amount in €.
I didn't find any solution, to use 3G on the Sony 900 in Germany. On nook, for example, there's an easy solution via "hacking" the OS, adding your APN and replacing the AT&T SIM by your own.
I absolutely love the form factor of Sony 900. To me, the height/width ratio is great, although I don't use the double page-landscape feature.
I won't go for the Sony 950 for a single reason: They've replaced the phantastic cover of Sony 900 by a "standard" one.
On Sony 900, the back of the reader was of the same structure/material as the cover. So you only had to add a single "flap" for the front. On Sony 950, it's the very same cover as for the other readers: You add it via the pins on the reader.
If you haven't got Sony 900, you won't even recognise it. But loving the functionality and elegant and unique looks on Sony 900, I'll pass Sony 950.
Else, Sony 950 certainly is a phantastic reader.
Re. "Kindle bookstore": Others already pointed it out.
"Kindle" (like all other readers) does have a proprietary file format. You can't natively use this on any other brand.
So you can't access the Kindle store from other readers (except via the webbrowser on some readers), can't purchase any books from Amazon for other brands (as you need a Kindle serial number for purchase). And, most importantly, you won't be able to read Kindle books natively on any other brand.
Of course there are "backdoors": You can strip Kindle books from DRM and convert them to other file formats. It's time consuming though and the results (quality-wise) differ significantly.
On the other hand, your observation is correct: The Kindle bookstore is (one of the) best, re. number of titles and prices.
Brief personal comment: I'd take a look at tablets as well, not only at ePaper readers. You can install various apps (legally!), for example Kindle and nook app, on those tablets (iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, nook color, ...), so you can purchase from various sources. Of course this means different fonts, UIs, layouts, file formats, .... but at least you can purchase "everywhere".
Of course there are some disadvantages of tablets as well: Battery life, weight, size and readabilty under certain lighting conditions (= direct sunlight).