Quote:
Originally Posted by Poppaea
Sony's pricing scheme is different from those of the US companies as it is for a worldwide sold reader. You pay for the device not for a bookstore. The US readers are just a vehicle for the bookstores like Amazon and B&N to sell their books, thus they 1. make the readers cheap and 2. have their own DRM scheme to prevent the normal buyer to buy elsewhere.
Sonys are sturdy and build like tanks. The battery lifespan is for 400 loads and those who have their Sonys for a number years, like the owners of 500 and 505 which were released in 2006 and 2007 are either still totally happy with them or start just now to look for new ones, most just want to replace the batteries.
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To the best of my knowledge Sony has its own bookstore. Just like Amazon. Just like BN. Just like Apple. Just like Kobo. So how is it that those e-readers are vehicles for a bookstore and the Sony is not?
I am thrilled that you love your Sony. Please note that I have been recommending a Sony in this very topic even though you chose not to quite me for some reason. Your desire to make the Sony sound like it is the bestest ereader in the whole entire universe is getting to be a bit silly and overblown.
Calling the Nook a vehicle to sell BN books is a bit silly. The Nook is by far the most versatile (sp) of the major e-readers out there. It can read books from BN, Sony, Kobo, and all of the smaller EPub stores without conversion or stripping DRM. The only major EPub store the Nook cannot read is Apples. That outshines the Sony which cannot read BN books at this time. Heck, a rooted Nook Color can be used to read e-books from Amazon as well as all the EPub stores that are not Apple.
The Kindle is a great device with an amazing book store and can read non-DRMed Mobi books, which many independent e-book stores are selling. It cannot read EPub, which is a weakness, but that does not mean that it is awful.
Sonys are priced based on the use of a full touchscreen and aluminum case that are more expensive then the Kindle, Nook, or Kobo. They are more expensive materials so the devices cost more. Not to mention that fewer Sonys are sold then Kindles and Nooks so there is an issue of economies of scale. Amazon and BN buy more raw materials then Sony so they get a better price so their e-readers cost less to build.
That does not make the Sony better, it makes the Sony different. Given that many people with Kindles, Nooks, and Kobos have devices that have held up to a travel, backpacking, camping, kids, pets, and many years of service with no damage to the device, I don't think the addition of the aluminim casing is worth the extra cost. My K1 has been to Australia, New Zealand, California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Wisconsin, on a series of car camping trips, and survived my backpack for well over 2 years now.
Since I don't want a touch screen and think that the casing is just added weight with no real extra protection, I am fine with my less expensive Kindle with a longer battery life, that holds more books, and gives me 3G connectivity thank you very much.