|
I had been looking at the Sony eReader in Canada from 2008 onward but they were SO expensive -- $500ish -- and tied to a Sony bookstore which didn't seem to have a lot of content (most only available in the US). When Kindle 2 arrived in Canada, I jumped.
The device (and bookstore) was the most important driver.
I had a relationship with Amazon for a few years; they were in the book distribution business; the Kindle had some intriguing things like 3G wiki access anywhere. At the time I didn't know anything about file formats, drm, etc.; I eally also liked the "instant delivery" over Whispernet. All this was Nov 2009 -- the same time I found MR. I loved the Kindle 2 immediately, including eink, and the portability.
When the Kobo came out, I bought that -- for the device.
It was Canadian, had access to library books (something I discovered after the Kindle 2 I might enjoy), provided a much better bookstore than the Sony bookstore (where many titles remained US only). I also discovered the form factor -- smaller and lighter than the Kindle 2 -- was unexpectedly a huge plus. I used the Kindle 2 and Kobo about equally for several months. Kobobooks also had an edge over Kindle in discounts but Amazon has a wider choice of books.
I also choose the Kindle 3 Wifi for the device (and bookstore and price).
With a fine ePub reader and a Kindle 3, I am covered for formats and don't care about drm. I love the smaller form factor of the K3 -- it matches the Kobo -- and wifi turns out to do everything I need. I have wifi at home, in airports and on holiday; I still love the Whispernet feature and instant delivery.
The Kobo is the only device I have handled before buying. I would still consider a Sony but they only sell the PRS-350 and -650 here in Canada -- touch yes but no connectivity and screens no bigger than 6". Inexplicably, while the Kobo and Kindle are $150-$180, Sony's 6" device is $250 and they don't bother to sell the -950 larger edition here.
|