Sony PRS505 meets the Amazon Kindle 1.X in a no holds barred knock-down, drag-out Domestic Disturbance!
We've had several good comparison pieces on the differences between these two devices, but this one brings a new facet into the question: husband/wife divide. It's a well written piece, with spirited discussion on all sides, and gets extra points for both style and its detailed look at the points that people who use the devices care about.
Will it finally settle the question as to which is better? Probably not, but it might help you decide which would be better for
your needs, which is even better.
Some passages I particularly enjoyed:
On the Kindle:
Quote:
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One of the downsides of both the readers is that they are tied to the manufacturers’ stores (everyone wants to be like Apple’s iTunes). The difference here is that books on the Kindle cost less. When my wife and I compare prices for the same book, it is typically a couple dollars cheaper on my Kindle. I assume as competition increases, Sony will get their prices in line, although once you are locked into their platform all you can do is hope. Another cost saver is that Amazon will send you the first 20 or so pages of books in their store for free as a sample. The samples show up instantly and give me a chance to see if the book is going to be any good before I buy.
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On the Reader:
Quote:
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Amazon shows the Kindle on its website as being as thick as a pencil. I don’t think so! And once you put it in its humongous case, forget about it. You may as well be carrying a 600 pg novel around with you! In contrast, the Sony IS as slim as a pencil and the sleek leather case adds about only 1/3 of an inch.
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Of course neither writer is without their blind spots. For example, one bashes Sony for DRM and format locking, but he doesn't comment on the fact that Amazon sure
seems to be doing exactly the same things. While the other phrases things more in terms of what she doesn't like the Kindle as much as the Sony, rather than why she likes the Sony more (a subtle distinction, but there you go).
In any case, the discussion does an nice job of highlighting several relative merits of the two machines, making it a good reference piece for those trying to choose between them.
The full piece can be found
here.
Thanks to both
Kingston and
Stacy for pointing it out to us!