MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Upgrading from PRS-505 to Kindle 2: Good Idea?

Alisa · 10-10-2009, 07:28 PM

While I really like many features of my Kindle, if your main goal is to get more content and money is tight, I don't know if it would be really worth it to change.

Things I love about my Kindle: content search, dictionary lookup, annotation, instant gratification and the money I save through not buying books ahead of time. I get samples and only buy the books when I've read the sample. With the wireless delivery, it doesn't matter if I'm out when I'm ready for the rest of the book. I can get it right away. I read a lot of samples and end up not buying the book. I would have likely bought them if I'd only had a short excerpt of a few paragraphs to read.

I think it's a great device but I have no need to tear down other devices. Everyone has their preferences. I didn't buy a Sony 505 even though it was out long before the Kindle because I knew I wanted to search my books and have a dictionary. Those were part of the minimum basic features set for me. Not everyone cares about that. There are plenty of happy 505 owners that have never missed them.

If I love the Kindle so much, why am I not telling you to run out and get one? You're a student. Money is tight. If you're going to spend this kind of money, it should make a big difference. $250 buys a lot of beer. Your main issue seems to be content availability. Check out some other stores mentioned besides Sony. If you haven't upgraded your firmware for ePub support, I encourage you to do that. It will increase your options. I think the new Barnes and Noble shop even offers sample chapters. Sure, there are some titles that Amazon has that others don't but there aren't that many. Prices are equalizing, too. Also, you can see if your local library has ebooks. You can read library ebooks on both but it's easier transferring them to the Sony with Adobe Digital Editions than stripping and converting them for the Kindle. That can save you some money.

While you may like some of the added features of the Kindle, I think there's going to be a big shake up in this industry over the next few years. There are some interesting new technologies coming. If the additional features currently available aren't things you urgently need, you might do better both in both price and features if you wait a year or two. Heck, maybe the format wars will shake out by then, too.

10-10-2009, 07:28 PM	#60
Alisa Gadget Geek Posts: 2,324 Karma: 22221 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Paperwhite, Kindle 3 (retired), Skindle 1.2 (retired)	While I really like many features of my Kindle, if your main goal is to get more content and money is tight, I don't know if it would be really worth it to change. Things I love about my Kindle: content search, dictionary lookup, annotation, instant gratification and the money I save through not buying books ahead of time. I get samples and only buy the books when I've read the sample. With the wireless delivery, it doesn't matter if I'm out when I'm ready for the rest of the book. I can get it right away. I read a lot of samples and end up not buying the book. I would have likely bought them if I'd only had a short excerpt of a few paragraphs to read. I think it's a great device but I have no need to tear down other devices. Everyone has their preferences. I didn't buy a Sony 505 even though it was out long before the Kindle because I knew I wanted to search my books and have a dictionary. Those were part of the minimum basic features set for me. Not everyone cares about that. There are plenty of happy 505 owners that have never missed them. If I love the Kindle so much, why am I not telling you to run out and get one? You're a student. Money is tight. If you're going to spend this kind of money, it should make a big difference. $250 buys a lot of beer. Your main issue seems to be content availability. Check out some other stores mentioned besides Sony. If you haven't upgraded your firmware for ePub support, I encourage you to do that. It will increase your options. I think the new Barnes and Noble shop even offers sample chapters. Sure, there are some titles that Amazon has that others don't but there aren't that many. Prices are equalizing, too. Also, you can see if your local library has ebooks. You can read library ebooks on both but it's easier transferring them to the Sony with Adobe Digital Editions than stripping and converting them for the Kindle. That can save you some money. While you may like some of the added features of the Kindle, I think there's going to be a big shake up in this industry over the next few years. There are some interesting new technologies coming. If the additional features currently available aren't things you urgently need, you might do better both in both price and features if you wait a year or two. Heck, maybe the format wars will shake out by then, too.