[Falbe Publishing]

My parents recently visited me and my mom and I got a chance to show off our new gadgets to each other. Over the summer, I had gotten a Sony 505 and she had gotten a Kindle. We were very eager to compare techno babies.

Well, when my mom handed me her Kindle, I felt like someone had just handed me an ugly baby. After supressing a grimace and forcing my eyes to stay open, I remarked on how big it was.

When I showed my mother my Sony, her envy over its sleek, compact, and stylish appearance was visible, and she even admitted it.

Now, despite my personal view about the Kindle's appearance, I did find it to be a great device. The page turning controls are bigger and much easier to use than the controls on the Sony. My mother really likes her Kindle because she loves audio books, and the Kindle connects wirelessly to Audible.com, so the device saves her sending CDs back and forth in the mail like she's been doing for years.

Interestingly, my mom does not use the ebook reader part much. She thinks the ebooks look fine and are comfortable to read, but she still likes the feel of a book in her hand. I think the longer she has the Kindle the more she will drift into e-reading.

As for me, I remain delighted with my Sony. I have little need for audio books and I do not want wireless shopping because then I would spend too much. In my opinion, the Sony 505 is sleek and stylish and effortless to use. I didn't even need to consult directions to figure out the controls. The Kindle however has a menu system utterly foreign to my brain wiring.

Conclusion: Both babies are lovable! Kindle has a broad range of features that appeal to the needs of some people. The Sony is elegant and simple and lets me read instead of shop.