MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - My final word (I think)--Sony vs. Kindle smackdown

PsyDocJoanne · 08-15-2008, 01:36 PM

Hi everyone,

I know some of you had followed my previous thread about choosing between the Kindle and the Sony.

I've now had a chance to read pretty extensively on both (I've had the Kindle for a week and a half, and the Sony since earlier this week, and I've been reading the heck out of both).

I've come to the not-so-shocking conclusion that they both have pros and cons, and it's much more of a personal decision than a head-to-head technology shootout (at least for me).

When I first got the Sony, I was enamored with its good looks, sleek design, the fact that it's lightweight, and that the buttons seem very intuitive and well placed. However, I had about 4 hours of total frustration trying to get .lit books downloaded, run through convertlit, and converted to .lrf with Calibre. Talk about blood, sweat, and tears....I was jonesing for the easy, idiot-proof Kindle download process.

Once I got it figured out, though, the process is as easy as pie. I also really like that the 505 will read secure PDF's, which means I can read e-library books...my library has quite a few, and I'm looking forward to some contemporary, no-cost downloads.

And I know that there are some Kindle folks who would vehemently disagree with me, but seeing the two side-by-side made me realize how much more I like the aesthetic of the Sony v. the Kindle. The wedge doesn't sit well with me, I don't like the cover, and maybe I'm just a retard, but I can't manage to read without occasionally hitting the wrong buttons.

That said, the Kindle really is quite easy...love the instantaneous downloading, and the super easy access to Amazon. But, I don't think that's enough for me. I see the wireless as kind of a novelty, at least for me and how I read (I'm perfectly happy to download a bunch of content once a month or so, sync up, read till it's gone, and do it again). While I think I'd use the wireless a lot the first few months, I don't think it would be a long-run kind of asset for me.

So it's looking more and more like the Kindle is going back. My main reason for choosing the Kindle would have been content availability, but now that I can easily convert .lit to .lrf, and I can get library books, I think it's going to be the beginning of a beautiful relationship between me and Sony!

08-15-2008, 01:36 PM	#1
PsyDocJoanne Loves her 505 and her Z4! Posts: 157 Karma: 631 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Weston, FL Device: Sony PRS-505	My final word (I think)--Sony vs. Kindle smackdown Hi everyone, I know some of you had followed my previous thread about choosing between the Kindle and the Sony. I've now had a chance to read pretty extensively on both (I've had the Kindle for a week and a half, and the Sony since earlier this week, and I've been reading the heck out of both). I've come to the not-so-shocking conclusion that they both have pros and cons, and it's much more of a personal decision than a head-to-head technology shootout (at least for me). When I first got the Sony, I was enamored with its good looks, sleek design, the fact that it's lightweight, and that the buttons seem very intuitive and well placed. However, I had about 4 hours of total frustration trying to get .lit books downloaded, run through convertlit, and converted to .lrf with Calibre. Talk about blood, sweat, and tears....I was jonesing for the easy, idiot-proof Kindle download process. Once I got it figured out, though, the process is as easy as pie. I also really like that the 505 will read secure PDF's, which means I can read e-library books...my library has quite a few, and I'm looking forward to some contemporary, no-cost downloads. And I know that there are some Kindle folks who would vehemently disagree with me, but seeing the two side-by-side made me realize how much more I like the aesthetic of the Sony v. the Kindle. The wedge doesn't sit well with me, I don't like the cover, and maybe I'm just a retard, but I can't manage to read without occasionally hitting the wrong buttons. That said, the Kindle really is quite easy...love the instantaneous downloading, and the super easy access to Amazon. But, I don't think that's enough for me. I see the wireless as kind of a novelty, at least for me and how I read (I'm perfectly happy to download a bunch of content once a month or so, sync up, read till it's gone, and do it again). While I think I'd use the wireless a lot the first few months, I don't think it would be a long-run kind of asset for me. So it's looking more and more like the Kindle is going back. My main reason for choosing the Kindle would have been content availability, but now that I can easily convert .lit to .lrf, and I can get library books, I think it's going to be the beginning of a beautiful relationship between me and Sony!