Yet Another First E-Reader Thread

UbiquitousPhoton · 05-21-2011, 05:03 PM

Hi all,

I was considering getting an e-reader last christmas, and after discussions here, ended up choosing the Sony PRS650, however due to severe stock shortages, ended up with nothing.

Now, I've just booked a holiday, which brings up the yearly e-book reader question, and believe it or not, I'm back to being heavily undecided.

The main reason I decided on the Sony was the superior pdf reflow, along with the greater format support and to a much lesser extent, the touch screen (having tried it in the shop, its a little thump sensitive).

See, the problem is I do read a lot of technical books, and they do tend to come in pdf format, so I rather wanted to be able to read them on my slightly expensive toy as well.

However, the price differences, along with a couple of other things have started the rot in my mind - one being my friends kindle died, and he got a full replacement within days. I somehow doubt Sony's customer service is as good. I also notice that a few of the hard core members here who have had both pieces of kit seem to tend towards the kindle, and I would really appreciate one of them giving me a bit more detail on that.

So, in summation.

Sony PRS650
--------------------
+ Touch Screen (ish)
+ PDF readin-g
+ format support (although calibre does balance this out)

Kindle 3
------------
+ Whispernet
+ Amazon store (although I am aware that with some faffing you can get books from there onto the Sony)
+ Support
+ Price

So yeah, please help me bounce my ideas off someone.

Pomtroll · 05-21-2011, 08:32 PM

I have both. I prefer my Sony 350 to my Kindle3. But I'll make a suggestion. Order the kindle & try it for a couple of weeks. Read you pdfs on it & then make a decision from there. The only way you'll know is to try each one.

I don't read pdfs so I really can't help you there. From what I understand none do a great job with pdfs but Sony is a little better from what I read.

I much prefer the touch screen & touch keyboard. But equally as many people prefer buttons for turning pages & keying. It really is what you prefer. You can get used to any type of reader though.

I had the Kindle first & then bought the Sony. I really am not fond of the keyboard & page turns on the Kindle. But the screen is good (same one on the Sony) & being able to order from amazon with the Kindle is nice. And then of course there is that price difference.

As for customer service? So far I've not had to deal with either, so once again I can't help you there.

hughes · 05-23-2011, 05:49 PM

A factor (that may or may not matter to you) that's changed since you last decided on Sony was that Amazon announced support for library lending coming later this year.

Regarding PDF support, does anyone know whether trying specific PDFs on the free ereader software emulators (on Mac or PC, for example) provides an accurate representation of how well the hardware ereader will support any given doc? (If it does, that could help UbiquitousPhoton evaluate how much better the common PDFs of the sort s/he encounters work on the Sony Readers.)

Latinandgreek · 05-23-2011, 05:53 PM

the Sony PRS-950 is on sale at Best Buy for $200, I believe. This would probably give you the best of both worlds (sort of): a touch screen, it does a great job with PDFs and you get wi-fi and 3g.

pidgeon92 · 05-23-2011, 06:55 PM

I have a 950 and a K3, and I don't like reading PDFs on either of them. I often get PDFs from the library and put them on my 950, and they are not set to reflow, and the reading experience is often unpleasant enough that I will buy the ebook instead.

Rjl2001 · 05-23-2011, 07:16 PM

Also, if you wait until tomorrow I understand that Barnes and Noble will announce a new version of the Nook e-ink reader. It is rumored to be a touch screen e-ink that will compete with Amazon Kindle 3. Might be worth a look, who knows.

Latinandgreek · 05-23-2011, 07:39 PM

Also, Kobo just announced a new pearl touch screen ebook reader to be released in June. It looks pretty sweet. However, if the 950 isn't good enough for PDFs, no small screen reader likely is. I read flowable PDFs on my PRS-350 (which does a surprisingly good job with them), and ones that don't reflow well or at all on my iPad. The iPad does sometimes give me headaches when I'm reading on it all day, but it does such a good job with my PDFs that I'm happy that I purchased it none-the-less. The new Onyx reader (I think it's called the M90) looks like it might be a good choice for those who read a lot of PDFs and don't want an LCD screen.

05-21-2011, 05:03 PM	#1
UbiquitousPhoton Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 22 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Cambridgeshire, UK Device: Kindle Voyage	Yet Another First E-Reader Thread Hi all, I was considering getting an e-reader last christmas, and after discussions here, ended up choosing the Sony PRS650, however due to severe stock shortages, ended up with nothing. Now, I've just booked a holiday, which brings up the yearly e-book reader question, and believe it or not, I'm back to being heavily undecided. The main reason I decided on the Sony was the superior pdf reflow, along with the greater format support and to a much lesser extent, the touch screen (having tried it in the shop, its a little thump sensitive). See, the problem is I do read a lot of technical books, and they do tend to come in pdf format, so I rather wanted to be able to read them on my slightly expensive toy as well. However, the price differences, along with a couple of other things have started the rot in my mind - one being my friends kindle died, and he got a full replacement within days. I somehow doubt Sony's customer service is as good. I also notice that a few of the hard core members here who have had both pieces of kit seem to tend towards the kindle, and I would really appreciate one of them giving me a bit more detail on that. So, in summation. Sony PRS650 -------------------- + Touch Screen (ish) + PDF readin-g + format support (although calibre does balance this out) Kindle 3 ------------ + Whispernet + Amazon store (although I am aware that with some faffing you can get books from there onto the Sony) + Support + Price So yeah, please help me bounce my ideas off someone.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Yet another $200 reader thread	markman	Which one should I buy?	12	01-25-2010 02:02 PM
The Phoenix Rising: Reader Thread	jaxx6166	Writers' Corner	19	03-08-2009 05:48 PM
Official Meditation Thread (only for Sony Reader Enthusiasts)	diabloNL	Sony Reader	81	10-02-2008 07:30 PM

05-21-2011, 08:32 PM	#2
Pomtroll Guru Posts: 822 Karma: 1341819 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Minnesota USA Device: Sony 350, Sony T1, Kindle Touch, Kindle PW1	I have both. I prefer my Sony 350 to my Kindle3. But I'll make a suggestion. Order the kindle & try it for a couple of weeks. Read you pdfs on it & then make a decision from there. The only way you'll know is to try each one. I don't read pdfs so I really can't help you there. From what I understand none do a great job with pdfs but Sony is a little better from what I read. I much prefer the touch screen & touch keyboard. But equally as many people prefer buttons for turning pages & keying. It really is what you prefer. You can get used to any type of reader though. I had the Kindle first & then bought the Sony. I really am not fond of the keyboard & page turns on the Kindle. But the screen is good (same one on the Sony) & being able to order from amazon with the Kindle is nice. And then of course there is that price difference. As for customer service? So far I've not had to deal with either, so once again I can't help you there.

05-23-2011, 05:49 PM	#3
hughes Addict Posts: 223 Karma: 1006020 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Akron, OH USA Device: Kindle PW, Galaxy Nexus, iPad 1	A factor (that may or may not matter to you) that's changed since you last decided on Sony was that Amazon announced support for library lending coming later this year. Regarding PDF support, does anyone know whether trying specific PDFs on the free ereader software emulators (on Mac or PC, for example) provides an accurate representation of how well the hardware ereader will support any given doc? (If it does, that could help UbiquitousPhoton evaluate how much better the common PDFs of the sort s/he encounters work on the Sony Readers.)

05-23-2011, 05:53 PM	#4
Latinandgreek Warrior Princess Posts: 5,038 Karma: 9724231 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: PRS-505; PRS-350, PRS-T1, iPad, Aura HD	the Sony PRS-950 is on sale at Best Buy for $200, I believe. This would probably give you the best of both worlds (sort of): a touch screen, it does a great job with PDFs and you get wi-fi and 3g.

05-23-2011, 06:55 PM	#5
pidgeon92 Wizard Posts: 3,144 Karma: 8426142 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Chicago, IL Device: Kindle PW2, Kindle Voyage, Kindle DXG, Boox M90, Kobo Aura HD	I have a 950 and a K3, and I don't like reading PDFs on either of them. I often get PDFs from the library and put them on my 950, and they are not set to reflow, and the reading experience is often unpleasant enough that I will buy the ebook instead.

05-23-2011, 07:16 PM	#6
Rjl2001 Enthusiast Posts: 31 Karma: 38088 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: Nook Classic Wifi, Nook Color (rooted)	Also, if you wait until tomorrow I understand that Barnes and Noble will announce a new version of the Nook e-ink reader. It is rumored to be a touch screen e-ink that will compete with Amazon Kindle 3. Might be worth a look, who knows.

05-23-2011, 07:39 PM	#7
Latinandgreek Warrior Princess Posts: 5,038 Karma: 9724231 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: PRS-505; PRS-350, PRS-T1, iPad, Aura HD	Also, Kobo just announced a new pearl touch screen ebook reader to be released in June. It looks pretty sweet. However, if the 950 isn't good enough for PDFs, no small screen reader likely is. I read flowable PDFs on my PRS-350 (which does a surprisingly good job with them), and ones that don't reflow well or at all on my iPad. The iPad does sometimes give me headaches when I'm reading on it all day, but it does such a good job with my PDFs that I'm happy that I purchased it none-the-less. The new Onyx reader (I think it's called the M90) looks like it might be a good choice for those who read a lot of PDFs and don't want an LCD screen.

Advert

Advert