Quote:
Originally Posted by rationalbiker
I'm really not sure what standard you are using to gauge "less than stellar" by. Apparently quite a few people have determined it is the device they prefer over the Sony. Are you just basing this off the fact that you don't like how it looks instead of its functionality?
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Both actually - I realize how something appeals to you visually is quite personal, but that is not exactly what I'm talking about. It's design leaves a lot to be desired IMHO and this reflects directly on it's appearance. It has some nifty features that hold no appeal for me (they may be great for others I admit). It has almost as nice a screen as the Sony so we can that area even. I have no need for Whispernet and find that I can delay any need to perform research that I uncover while reading. I'm left with a plastic gadget that has a pitiful membrane keyboard and a poorly thought out page buttons. The only place you can hold it is by the keyboard. It has an odd shape. The reading experience is the main thing. Maybe it will improve, but in my admittedly limited experience with one, I find that reading has suffered at the expense of features. Maybe I'm too fussy - I wish the Sony Reader had a more prominent right-hand next page button. So you could find it by feel. Yes, I'm getting used to it now, but it could easily be much better. I wish the Sony Reader had faster menu/TOC access. It's painfully slow and at first I would press buttons several times before something happened. This is inexcusable IMHO. I hope they are listening. I even feel that the music player on the Sony Reader is poorly implemented and not needed. I can ignore this feature fairly easily though. It has little effect on the overall design - more of an afterthought. I too hope the Kindle continues to sell well. Competition is good for everyone - I would hate to see another Apple iPod - iTunes - iTunes Store monopoly develop - at least Apple knows how to design with style.
PCH