Quote:
Originally Posted by charadeur
I have been reading for two days and I have it narrowed down to the two most popular models. Kindle or Sony 505. What I think I have learned so far:
Sony
Pro: - Open format allows for most file types to be used.
- Ergonomics are better.
- Design is more aesthetically pleasing
Con: - Available content is not as good as Amazon
- You must own a Kindle and do some questionably legal things to get Amazon content on your Kindle.
Kindle
Pro: Easy download of Amazon content.
Con: - Poor ergonomics
- Bigger and heavier
- Requires running pearl scrips and much screwing around to get content purchased elsewhere onto the Kindle.
Is this a fair summery? Features seem to no be debated much between the two. I really like the Sony better but the content thing is holding me back. Can anyone convince me that anything I can get for the Kindle is available somewhere for the Sony? Or perhaps convince me that the Kindle is not all that ergonomically bad or such an ugly duckling?  |
Red highlighted two amazing misstatements and one opinion masquerading as fact.
If you don't like the Kindle, do us all a favor and don't buy one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Boston
I own a Kindle and it is an ugly duckling compared to the Sony; however, it is not nearly as bad as people make it out to be.
I carry mine around in my handbag with no problems. If it were truly that big/clunky, I would've returned it an a heartbeat.
The page turn keys will take some getting used to; however, I now like the large placement and how I can reach them with one finger no matter how I am holding it. Once I got used to it, I actually prefer it from an ergonomic perspective.
You can annotate text and there is a built-in dictionaty on the Kindle but not the 505 (doesn't matter to me but might to some).
The Kindle does NOT support secure pdfs and you can't convert them with the simple scripts. This is a factor if you want to borrow from an eLibrary that doesn't offer mobi. (That being said, for other conversions, the hard part about the scripts is installing/learning to use and you will find a lot of help here...after that its really easy).
I give the nod to Amazon customer support. Hopefully you won't need but I did recently and although they were able to walk me through a fix, they assured me that if it didn't fix the problem, a new Kindle would be on its way.
I REALLY like the Sony form factor...but its still not enough for me to give up whispernet and Amazon content/pricing advantages of the Kindle.
If ergonomics is your primary concern, why not try the Kindle for 30 days and see if its really a problem? You can always return it.
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Again, an opinion stated as fact. My personal pet peeve. And, I don't know any Kindle owners who consider it "bad," so I'm not certain how you can even make the statement that it's "not as bad" as people make it out to be.
Quote:
Originally Posted by charadeur
Now what you said here is something I have not considered. Is Amazon pricing really less than the other ebook retailers?
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Yes, Amazon pricing is quite a bit lower than other ebook retailers. And, you should probably still get a Sony if you just want to have an ebook reader for its "looks." How's that for a push??
