Quote:
Originally Posted by rhadin
I'm a Sony fan (  505). I had considered the Kindle before opting for the Sony but chose the Sony because the Kindle was too much like my laptop -- and when I read, I want to be as far from the idea of work as possible  .
Most of the raves I read for the Kindle focus on the wireless capability. My take on that is this: First, it is a Sprint network, so if you have trouble with Sprint cell phone coverage in your area (or wherever you happen to be), then the wireless isn't any advantage.
Second, the readers -- both the Kindle and the Sony -- hold more books than I could read in a month of doing nothing but reading, so I don't see what the downside is to having to plug my Sony into my computer to download content or the upside to being able to wirelessly buy books. I spend my workday sitting at my computer so spending a few minutes to add to my Sony doesn't seem to me to be a big deal -- especially as this is not a daily task. I keep 60-80 books on the Sony, so even if I start one that is poorly written, I can move on to another. And those 60-80 books still leave me 140MB of memory on my sony for even more books.
Third, using the Sony is an experience closer to reading a paperback than is using the Kindle. And it is the reading experience that I want, not the computer experience. Truthfully, rather than buy a Kindle I would buy a small laptop. It can do the same as the Kindle plus more for just a little bit more money. Settling for a Kindle seems like settling for a half loaf if the big draws are wireless and a keyboard. Why not get the full loaf? |
Personally, I don't see my Kindle as anything like a laptop. I would prefer a slide-out or on-screen keyboard but when I'm reading a book, I don't even notice the keyboard being there. The draw for me wasn't computer-like functions, it was improved reading experience. Kindle has search, dictionary lookup, and more titles I want to read at lower prices. The wireless does bring Wikipedia search (love!) and makes getting content even easier. As for the wireless service quality: I have Sprint for my cellphone service. I often can't make a call in my house but I've never had a problem getting a book on the Kindle in less than a minute. The wireless isn't a big deal for surfing the web. I don't want to surf the web on the Kindle. E-ink frankly sucks for that. The wireless adds to the reading experience.
Because getting content is even easier, it makes more sense to get free samples of all the books I want and only download the ones I end up liking. When I hear about a book I might like, I just grab the sample. I can decide if I want it later. It's like a to-read list. Yes, I could load a month's worth of books on it but knowing me, I probably wouldn't end up reading 10-20% of them. Over time, that adds up to quite a sum. Before I had the Kindle, I would go to a book store and try to buy books for the next month or so. Some of them I wouldn't like. Others, the fancy for them would pass and they'd end up completely unread. Neither of these things has happened since I bought the Kindle. Sony does have excerpts but the ones I've seen have been tiny compared to Amazon's. They seem to give you a couple pages. Amazon usually gives you at least a chapter.