Hello everyone, this forum has been so helpful that I thought I would contribute by offering my comments as a first post. I recently upgraded to the PRS600.
First of all I recognize that everybody has a personal set of criteria to judge one product against another. As such I would like to offer my first impressions (by order of precedence) with respect to the following context:
1. Portability
a. a compact device that stands up to the rigors of travel;
b. fits well in various places such as my briefcase and airplane spaces; and
c. stores a good sized library consisting of novels & business books
2. User experience
a. an acceptable level of contrast;
b. screen reflections, which can be controlled;
d. ability to read reference material in the form of .pdf & .doc;
e. a good dictionary; and
f. the ability to annotate and highlight
3. Hardware design
b. holds a charge for at least a week;
c. the ability to comfortably hold the device in many positions;
d. a design that mitigates inadvertent page turning;
The Kindle 1 was my first venture into the world of ebooks. It has served me well, but has two annoyances that prompted my quest to upgrade. The hardware design, with its big page turning buttons, was a constant cause for inadvertent page turning. Also, it was not a comfortable device to hold for long periods of time. Nevertheless, the quality of the screen was very good and has an edge over the PRS600 in this category.
The edge is due to screen reflections. The PRS600 requires a more granular positioning of the device, with respect to various lighting conditions, in order to achieve an optimal reading experience. Once the proper position is achieved, however, the PRS600 is on par with the Kindle. Much has been written about this issue, but it is nowhere near a show stopper for me. It is a minor annoyance compared to other benefits the PRS600 offers over the Kindle.
The PRS600 is a clear winner with respect to portability. The lack of a keyboard makes it more compact. As such it just fits better in the nooks and crannies of my briefcase, airplane seat-backs and hotel night stands.
With the exception of the aforementioned screen reflections, the PRS600 is also a clear winner in the user experience category. I really like the touch screen, as it makes the user interface more intuitive compared to the Kindle. One example is the dictionary; it is superb. Double tap a word and the meaning is displayed instantly. Also, categories such as books, music and pictures are organized clearly and efficiently. Annotation is very good for those who require this. Finally, no more inadvertent page turning. In fairness, however, I understand the Amazon has solved this problem with the Kindle 2.
Why didn't I buy a Kindle 2? The biggest reason is the keyboard. I really think it adds too much excess real estate to the device, which is a show stopper for me. Regarding Amazon's ability to deliver books wirelessly, it was a convenient feature, but not something that is a must have for me. In fact the Kindle experience is more proprietary, in the sense that one is tied to purchasing content from Amazon. I really like the fact that Sony has adopted an open standard and is pioneering checking books out from a library. Very innovative and cool in my opinion.
A note on PDF files. I'm very impressed with Sony's attentiveness to this function. PDFs are easy to read, which is augmented by the superior zoom functionality. This is a big plus for those, such as myself, who incorporate PDF files into their ebook workflows.
One last item that I would like to comment on are the various ways that one can manage the PRS600 library. I'm still playing with this and my opinion hasn't crystallized yet. I am experimenting with Calibre, Sony's ebook library, and Adobe's Digital Editions.
My initial impression is that Calibre has the broadest array of functionality; if only the developer could get it working reliably for the Mac running Snow Leopard. It provides for converting various ebook formats and editing metadata, two very powerful features. The killer feature, however, is that I can download and format two must reads for me: The Wall Street Journal and The Economist. This is an app I would pay for if the developer could fix the problems for my platform.
The Sony ebook library works and is adequate, but needs additional functions and features. Sony could really create more market differentiation if they could figure this out. A superior interface, of the iTunes genre, will add more value to their line of readers. Nonetheless, the interface to the Sony ebook store is a convenient feature that I expect to use on a regular basis.
My initial take on the Sony ebook store is that it is ok, but has not reached the maturity level of Amazon. Prices are a bit higher and selection is not as good. The big contrast to Amazon, however, is no magazines or newspapers. Hopefully Sony is working on this; it is rumored that they are.
As for the Adobe Digital Editions interface, I haven't got it to recognize the PRS600 yet. I'm not sure what the problem is, but there doesn't seem to be enough there to warrant spending any more time on getting it to work.
I've only had the PRS600 for a few days. The first test was was to put it through its paces while traveling. I spend a good deal of time on airplanes, which is my primary domain for reading. I can say, without equivocation, that the PRS600 passed the traveling test with flying colors and I'm looking forward to making it part of my "road warrior" arsenal of useful gadgets.