Quote:
Originally Posted by crutnacker
Looking at both and trying to make up my mind. I like the Sony's design, access to more open formats, and the fact I can actually try before I buy. I like Kindle's access to a larger library of new books (for cheaper) and cheaper price.
What do you think? If you were picking between the two, what pushed you toward or away from Kindle?
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Last May 2009 I purchased a Sony PRS-505 after a lot of research and review reading. The Kindle2 had been released, but the price was still $100 more than I paid for the Sony PRS-505.
At that time, my my reasons for purchasing the Sony were:
* Lower price ($100 less)
* Access to the local libraries OverDrive ebooks (Adobe Editions)
* Access to many downloadable public domain books.
* I did not plan on purchasing very many books. So I dismissed the price difference between Amazon and Sony.
Now...fast forward to the end of 2009 when Sony converted its books to the ePub format. I had purchased only 13 books from the Sony store. After the ePub conversion, I downloaded the 10 converted volumes available from my account to see if I liked the new format.
The only advantage I experienced was the large mobi collection volumes (e.g. Complete Jane Austen Collection) loaded and changed text sizes more quickly.
I did not like the ragged right margin, preferring full justification. The new format also put a full empty line between every paragraph. There were not any headers so I did not have a title reference at the top of the screen. It felt more like reading a web page rather than a book.
I felt very frustrated. I enjoyed the reader, but I knew that I would not purchase any more Sony books. I still had my original books in the Sony .lrx format.
I was also not taking advantage of the library eBooks since they were only offered in the PDF format--many of which were unreadable. The text was too small. Adobe claims that the Sony can now "reflow" a PDF, but the formatting of a book is corrupted on the reflow. So I gave up on the free books through the public library source.
In the meantime, Amazon lowered the price of its Kindle2. I researched the device (online), read input from owners on this forum, and did a cost comparison of book prices between Amazon and Sony that I would love to purchase. Oh yes! This was also a big plus in my evaluation! (I almost forgot) Amazon made the Kindle for PC software available. That made it possible for me to actually see and read the Kindle books before making a decision to purchase the Kindle2 or not. The Kindle books' formatting makes me "feel" more like I'm reading a hardcopy book. The margins are fully justified and the book title appears at the top of the screen.
The week before Christmas I took the plunge and became one of Amazon's statistics: Kindle, the biggest selling item on Amazon. And I am thoroughly enjoying my purchase. These are the features that blow me away:
* Elegant design and feel in my hands.
* The text seems clearer and easier to read than the Sony PRS-505.
* The screen refreshes faster.
* The fonts change size faster--and there are more font sizes to choose from.
* Image zoom.
* "Find" function.
* Notes and highlighting.
* Text-to-Speech is better than I thought it would be.
* Built in dictionary.
My Sony/Kindle comparison is probably a bit dated for those of you making your decision today, as the Sony PRS-505 would not be the model you would be comparing.
But I must say, I'm more satisfied with the Kindle2 purchase than I had hoped to be.