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Alexander Turcic · 11-26-2006, 04:26 PM

Mycropht, I don't believe my view is objective (since I haven't had the chance to test all alternatives out there) - but then again, I don't claim to be a professional journalist. A professional journalist should be able to address both positive and negative points when reviewing a product.

What worries me is that Mr. Manes ultimatively dismisses the Sony Reader, because of lacking features that are dear to him - features that are not necessarily dear to everyone.

small screen: Before the Reader, I read e-books exclusively on PDA devices. My last PDA was a Dell Axim X50v with a "large" 3.7" VGA display. To me, the Reader's 6" screen is a gigantic leap forward.
"painfully gray-on-gray" low contrast: So it's not really black on white. Big deal. My daily newspaper and the paperback book I bought yesterday aren't either. Does it bother me? Given the proper lighting the answer is no.
"lethargic" interface: The Sony Reader is not a Playstation 3. Why should it win any speed records? When you turn the page of a p-book, does it happen instantaneously? Had Mr. Manes visited our forums, he'd know the speed of flipping pages also depends on the document format and its complexity, and that there are ways to improve the speed by changing the format if it really bothers you. By calling the Reader "the most lethargic electronic device in recent memory" he demonstrates that he clearly missed the purpose of the device. Who cares if he had to wait "several minutes" for the device to restart after he "repeatedly pressed the reset button?" When Sony techs created the Reader, I am sure what they had least in mind were people who have the uncontrolled need to press a reset button.
missing search: Yes, I miss a search functionality too. I miss it a lot. But I am not going to return my Reader because I cannot search documents right now. In fact, I have hopes that Sony will add search functionality in an upcoming firmware upgrade. Let's forgive Mr. Manes for not mentioning that the Reader software is upgradeable.
missing built-in dictionary: My e-book device should enable me to read e-books. Anything else can be a welcomed or unwelcomed bonus. Personally I don't need a built-in dictionary, but I see how it could be handy for some people.
missing speaker: Guess what... the iPod doesn't have a speaker either.
"only" 64MB: It's too bad that the Reader is not suitable to store hundreds of 1920x1200 hi-res images of my puppy dog. But would it make sense? Perhaps to some people who also complain about lacking speakers and long reset routines. I have uploaded around ten e-books to my Reader and I still have plenty of room for more. And if things get out of control, I'll grab an SD card.
"skimpy" book selection: I agree, the Sony store needs a lot of improvement. But they're working on it, something Mr. Manes didn't bother to acknowledge.

11-26-2006, 04:26 PM	#5
Alexander Turcic Fully Converged Posts: 18,175 Karma: 14021202 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Switzerland Device: Too many to count here.	Mycropht, I don't believe my view is objective (since I haven't had the chance to test all alternatives out there) - but then again, I don't claim to be a professional journalist. A professional journalist should be able to address both positive and negative points when reviewing a product. What worries me is that Mr. Manes ultimatively dismisses the Sony Reader, because of lacking features that are dear to him - features that are not necessarily dear to everyone. small screen: Before the Reader, I read e-books exclusively on PDA devices. My last PDA was a Dell Axim X50v with a "large" 3.7" VGA display. To me, the Reader's 6" screen is a gigantic leap forward. "painfully gray-on-gray" low contrast: So it's not really black on white. Big deal. My daily newspaper and the paperback book I bought yesterday aren't either. Does it bother me? Given the proper lighting the answer is no. "lethargic" interface: The Sony Reader is not a Playstation 3. Why should it win any speed records? When you turn the page of a p-book, does it happen instantaneously? Had Mr. Manes visited our forums, he'd know the speed of flipping pages also depends on the document format and its complexity, and that there are ways to improve the speed by changing the format if it really bothers you. By calling the Reader "the most lethargic electronic device in recent memory" he demonstrates that he clearly missed the purpose of the device. Who cares if he had to wait "several minutes" for the device to restart after he "repeatedly pressed the reset button?" When Sony techs created the Reader, I am sure what they had least in mind were people who have the uncontrolled need to press a reset button. missing search: Yes, I miss a search functionality too. I miss it a lot. But I am not going to return my Reader because I cannot search documents right now. In fact, I have hopes that Sony will add search functionality in an upcoming firmware upgrade. Let's forgive Mr. Manes for not mentioning that the Reader software is upgradeable. missing built-in dictionary: My e-book device should enable me to read e-books. Anything else can be a welcomed or unwelcomed bonus. Personally I don't need a built-in dictionary, but I see how it could be handy for some people. missing speaker: Guess what... the iPod doesn't have a speaker either. "only" 64MB: It's too bad that the Reader is not suitable to store hundreds of 1920x1200 hi-res images of my puppy dog. But would it make sense? Perhaps to some people who also complain about lacking speakers and long reset routines. I have uploaded around ten e-books to my Reader and I still have plenty of room for more. And if things get out of control, I'll grab an SD card. "skimpy" book selection: I agree, the Sony store needs a lot of improvement. But they're working on it, something Mr. Manes didn't bother to acknowledge.