Can't decide. Don't need wireless

[rutgurt]

Im going to be living outside the USA, so Kindle 2.0's wireless internet feature is not desirable at all since I won't be using it. I have never used an Ereader before but im in the market for one. Right now my main concern is note taking. I like fiction books, but I also read a lot of history, political science and analytical type books in which I like to highlight lots of text and write annotations and notes. At first, Amazon's kindle looked desirable, but it seems like it may be annoying to highlight text without a touch screen. Is this true? The Sony reader looks easier in this area. However, how easy will it be to type notes with Sony's touch screen virtual keyboard, versus Amazon's physical buttons? I also like to do quick 1-3 sentence summaries of pages, going over the main points. Fairly short, but still.

Also, the selection of Ebooks the same for all Ereaders? Since there are some books that are not available in a preferred format, sometimes I can get them from various sources in PDF or Microsft eReader or other formats. So format compatibility is a plus for me.

So which reader sounds like the best for me? Im kind of in a dilemma. Both Kindle and Sony Reader seem to have cons and pros, and maybe theres some other Readers out there Im not aware of. Please suggest me one, but also be honest about the cons I will encounter. Right now, highlight text with a touch screen honestly sounds pretty darn rewarding and easy, but if someone can vouch for a non-touch screen and confirm that its also pretty darn easy and fast with a joystick, maybe I will go that route. Honestly, touching a physical button to turn a page, rather than swiping a page, sounds better to me, but my main concern is easily highlighting text.

Also, can my notes and highlighting be backed up on PC or internet via a USB cable?

[pilotbob]

Kindle is the only reader device with a keyboard. So, if you do alot of note taking it should really top the list. The Sony PRS-700 uses an on screen virtual keyboard where you have to click one letter at a time.

From there you move up to the iRex devices, the iLiad and the DR1000 series which has a digitizer pad that allows you to write notes and annotations in your own hand writting.

BOb

[rutgurt]

But how easy will it be to highlight text on the go with exceptionally smooth ease? That is also just as important to me. WIth Sony, I can just highlight text with the pointer, where Kindle I will use a joystick. Is the joystick thing all that hard to use?

Also, is the Kindle really all that bad at viewing different formats, including PDF? Im still a little confused on this subject. I dont mind if i have to go through a few extra steps.

[HarryT]

The Kindle does not support PDF at all. It has to be converted to Mobi format (which the Kindle does support) - a process which may or may not work well.

[rutgurt]

Ok, but back to note taking. Which is going to be easier to highlight text smoothly? this is what is really the big deal to me.

If I have no need for wireless, does the Kindle offer anything else over Sony 700?

[HarryT]

The biggest single advantage is access to the Kindle bookstore, which is without doubt the most comprehensive of any.

[rutgurt]

Ok, so basically if I have the Kindle, i have the largest library of selections to choose from?

Also, for the most part, does the whole PDF>Mobi conversion usually work out decently? This is my only other worry. Are there any other limitations to content viewing in Kindle?

Finally, I am still waiting for someone to answer my questions about highlighting, as this is very important for me, especially when i read history and political science type books. Is it all that hard to highlight text with ease using something physical (like the joystick or whatever it is), or is this truly going to feel frustrating in comparison to Sony's touch screen? On the other hand, is note taking and annotations going to be a lot easier with Kindle's physical buttons versus SOny's virtual screen buttons? I have also hard that Kindle's keypad still is not perfect, but wondering if its great compared to touch screen. HOpefully someone can give me a realistic and clear picture of how this really is, and which sacrifice is going to be the more worthwhile.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by rutgurt

Ok, so basically if I have the Kindle, i have the largest library of selections to choose from?

That's right, yes.

Also, for the most part, does the whole PDF>Mobi conversion usually work out decently? This is my only other worry.

Plain text PDFs generally convert OK. PDFs with complex layouts, graphs, equations, etc, much less so. You can see how well (or otherwise) it works by downloading the free "MobiPocket Creator" program from MobiPocket and trying to convert some PDFs for yourself - Mobi Creator is essentially the same software that Amazon use to automatically convert PDFs.

Finally, I am still waiting for someone to answer my questions about highlighting, as this is very important for me, especially when i read history and political science type books. Is it all that hard to highlight text with ease using something physical (like the joystick or whatever it is), or is this truly going to feel frustrating in comparison to Sony's touch screen? On the other hand, is note taking and annotations going to be a lot easier with Kindle's physical buttons versus SOny's virtual screen buttons? I have also hard that Kindle's keypad still is not perfect, but wondering if its great compared to touch screen. HOpefully someone can give me a realistic and clear picture of how this really is, and which sacrifice is going to be the more worthwhile.

It has been reported that the Sony suffers dramatic slowdowns once you add more than a few annotations to a book. I don't know if the Kindle has this issue or not.

[Elsi]

One advantage when note-taking in the Kindle is that the Kindle stores all your highlights and notes in a side file called "My Clippings.txt" which you can upload to your PC. I use this feature several ways beyond the usual note-taking reasons:

• Highlight errors in the text to help with editing and improving the book
• Highlight interesting passages for reviews
• Store a simple text file on the Kindle and then use the note-taking to "update" it in the Kindle. I do this with reading lists and add a note with the date that I finished reading a given book.

While the Sony PRS-700 has a highlight and note function, I was told at the time it was released that there is no provision to transfer those highlights or notes to your PC. I don't know if someone has figured out how to get those out of the reader or not.

[rutgurt]

hhmm, seems I have pulled a U turn. A few hours ago I was really leaning towards Sony, but Kindles getting my attention more and more. Finally, can someone confirm to me just how easy it is to highlight text without a touch screen? I have never used an one of these gadgets before. I just dont want it to feel frustrating.

Also, any easy solutions to the light problem? Sony's backlight is the only other thing that gets my attention now, but im sure theres ways around this, right? Like some kind of 3rd party light I can clip on to the reader just like I would for a book, right? Anyone tried one of those lights that actually plug into a USB port? Just an idea: plug it into the Kindles USB port. Not sure if it would work or not, or if it would eat the battery up fast or do something else that would be weird.

Also, is the lack of SD card a big deal to anyone? I can't imagine myself filling up 2 gigs worth of Ebooks.

So right now, looks like im leaning back towards Kindle 2.0, unless someone can sell me in on the Sony more so. I will be making my final decision in a few hours.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by rutgurt

Finally, can someone confirm to me just how easy it is to highlight text without a touch screen? I have never used an one of these gadgets before. I just dont want it to feel frustrating.

Hard to say because I don't have a Kindle 2 and haven't done it. Here is the procedure from the Kindle2 users guide:


Kindle 2 User’s Guide 45

Using Highlights
You can highlight text in Kindle like you would use a highlighter pen on paper. Kindle stores all
your highlights for the current content in your annotations. You can view them at any time by
pressing the Menu button and selecting "My Notes & Marks." See Viewing Your Annotations
for more information.
Kindle also stores everything you highlight in your "My Clippings" file.
Highlighting a Passage
To highlight one or more lines, follow these steps:
1. Use the 5-way to position the cursor where you want to start highlighting.
2. Press the 5-way.
3. Move the 5-way right (or left) to where you want your highlight to end. You can turn
pages if you want to highlight text across multiple pages.
4. Press the 5-way at the place where you want the highlight to end.
5. Notice that the text you highlighted appears with a gray underline.
Deleting a Highlight
To remove a highlight, follow these steps:
1. Navigate the cursor over the highlight you want to remove.
2. Press the Delete key
Or,
1. Press the Menu button.
2. Move the 5-way controller down until "My Notes & Marks" is underlined. Press the 5-
way to select it.
3. Using the 5-way, navigate to the highlight you want to remove.
4. Press the Delete key
5. Move the 5-way down until "Close Notes & Marks" is underlined and press the 5-way to
exit. You can also exit this view by pressing the Back button.


I suggest you go read the full users guide on Notes/Bookmarks and annotations.

BOb

[rutgurt]

in the past, has highlighting with something physical (a roller, stick, etc) generally been difficult on previous Ereaders?

[rutgurt]

dammit, i live in S. Korea right now and Amazon won't ship here.... im out of luck. ANy suggestions? I need a way around this...

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by rutgurt

Also, any easy solutions to the light problem? Sony's backlight is the only other thing that gets my attention now, but im sure theres ways around this, right? Like some kind of 3rd party light I can clip on to the reader just like I would for a book, right?

The Sony does not have a backlight. An eInk screen is opaque, and hence cannot be backlit. What it does have is "side lighting" and a light diffuser over the screen which, inevitably, degrades the image quality somewhat, as does the touchscreen too.

Anyone tried one of those lights that actually plug into a USB port? Just an idea: plug it into the Kindles USB port. Not sure if it would work or not, or if it would eat the battery up fast or do something else that would be weird.

The Kindle, like all eBook devices except the iRex iLiad, is a USB "client", not a USB "host". It cannot supply power through its USB port.

There are numerous "clip on" book lights which work extremely well with eInk devices. Personally I think it's a better idea to use such a light than to accept a permanent degradation in image quality by using a light diffuser over the screen.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by rutgurt

dammit, i live in S. Korea right now and Amazon won't ship here.... im out of luck. ANy suggestions? I need a way around this...

Do you have any friends that live in the US that could accept a shipment and forward it to you? There are mail forwarding companies in the US also.

FYI: But you need a US credit card to buy the Kindle.

BOb