Sony 505 or Kindle 1 or 2?

[radamo]

Hi everyone,
I am fairly new on these boards but have been reading a ton of your posts (Thanks!!!). I have been considering getting an e-reader since I travel a fair amount for business. I love to read novels and also have quite a few work related pdf's that would also prove helpful to have in one place.

I really liked the Kindle 2 for the whispernet and form factor. However I am struggling with the "closed" nature of the system especially given their recent interpretation of DRM laws. I would hope to build a library that I can bring forward onto whatever device I have 5, 10 or 20 years from now.

Sony notes:
1. The Sony seems to have a great form factor and lots of great reviews
2. Library sources can be used without conversion
3. Screen looks to be have better contrast than K2
4. User replaceable battery
5. Books seem a bit more than Kindle versions from what I have seen
6. Memory card support

Kindle2 notes:
1. Large amazon library always (almost) available
2. Battery is not user replaceable
3. No memory card support
4. Text contrast issue might bug me

I look forward to your feedback. Thanks for any help.

Regards,
Rich

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by radamo

I love to read novels and also have quite a few work related pdf's that would also prove helpful to have in one place.

The Sony will display PDF's, results vary. With the Kindle you'll have to convert them.

I really liked the Kindle 2 for the whispernet and form factor. However I am struggling with the "closed" nature of the system especially given their recent interpretation of DRM laws. I would hope to build a library that I can bring forward onto whatever device I have 5, 10 or 20 years from now.

The only way to pretty sure you'll have your books in the future with either device is to buy only DRM free stuff or be willing to remove the DRM from the files you buy (this can be done with all but Sony and eBookwise files, and maybe some older formats, oh and Amazon Topaz files, their AZW files can be stripped).

Sony notes:
1. The Sony seems to have a great form factor and lots of great reviews
2. Library sources can be used without conversion
3. Screen looks to be have better contrast than K2
4. User replaceable battery
5. Books seem a bit more than Kindle versions from what I have seen
6. Memory card support

The Sony doesn't have a user replaceable battery. I've had both a 505 and a K2 contrast looks the same to me compared side by side, the friend who bought my Sony agrees. The K2 font is different and nor as heavy.

Kindle2 notes:
1. Large amazon library always (almost) available
2. Battery is not user replaceable
3. No memory card support
4. Text contrast issue might bug me

The only way to really tell on the contrast thing, like I said to me it made no difference, is to check it out yourself. With the Sony it's fairly easy as there are a number of retailers with demo units you can check out. With the Kindle, while not as easy, you can get one and do some real hands on and return it within 30 days.



Having had both I can say they are both great devices and they both have their ups and downs.

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by radamo

I would hope to build a library that I can bring forward onto whatever device I have 5, 10 or 20 years from now.

There is no way to guarantee that any ebook with DRM will be readable on even the very next device you buy. The odds of it being readable 20 years from now is vanishingly small. So your entire library must be DRM-free. Unfortunately, many of the ebooks you are likely to want to buy come with DRM. Stripping DRM is generally thought to be illegal in the US, but it is hard to see who is hurt by dong so for personal use and it is required to keep a library for decades.

Once you accept the DRM-free approach, then the questions about devices become a little different. Kindle store AZW ebooks can be stripped of their DRM via mobidedrm, but Kindle TOPAZ ebooks and Sony LRX ebooks must be avoided. The best ebook formats for decadal time frames are those most suitable for format shifting. LIT and ePub are the best, but recently published MOBI/AZW ebooks are often "good enough".

[Renaldo]

I went through this exact same problem starting in January and ended up making my decision just a couple of weeks ago. As you can see from my avatar, I went with the 505.

I thought the features of the Kindle were terrific, and really thought that was for me. I was really seduced by whispernet, it just made it seem so easy to use. I'd played with the Sony a bit instore, but wasn't that impressed with it when comparing it to the bells and whistles of the Kindle. If Amazon hadn't sold out of the original Kindle, I probably would've bought one last Dec. I'm glad they did though. I'd been following the K2 rumors, and was going to wait to see the final product before I made up my mind. During that time I did a lot of research on various readers and really thought about how I was going to be using it. Instead of looking at features, I looked at readability.

When I looked at how I'd actually be using it, the 505 won hands down. Whispernet was cool, but only a convenience, and one that I wouldn't use that much really. And I thought having Amazon's selection was great too, until I realized that the DRM'd files wouldn't necessarily be readable on my next device. I was fine by the selections found in Sony's store, Fictionwise, and other places. I also didn't like the design of the K2. It's kind of bulky compared to the 505, and since I'd only be taking it online once in awhile, all that extra space for the buttons really turned me off because I wasn't going to be using them all that often. Screen size being exactly the same, the 505's thinner margins and more compact design looked a lot better to me. I also liked that I could get blue, as opposed to the Kindle where you can get any color you want as long as it's white. I liked that the Sony has the ability to organize books into collections, where the Kindle does not.

What entirely killed the desire to have whispernet for me was realizing I had a lot of ebooks already, and I didn't foresee any time where I'd either run out of ebooks, or I'd have to have a certain book, right then and there. That may come back to bite me at some point, but I don't think so.

Sorry for the rambling, that was just kind of my thought process when making the decision. Since I've bought the 505, I've seen the Kindle getting sued or threatened for various features that made it worthwhile (reading out loud, whispernet) and seen Amazon try to thwart things that allow you to read books not purchased directly from them. I was worried I'd have buyer's remorse and had made the wrong decision, but so far everything I've experienced only reinforces that I made the right one.

I do think all are great devices though, and I'd be willing to bet you'd be happy with either of them.

[kyliedork]

I've got the kindle 2, but i wouldn't mind trying out the 505. Where's the best place to buy the 505?

[Renaldo]

Borders, Target and Sony Style stores all have them on display.

[radamo]

WOW!!! This forum is amazing. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the thoughtful feedback you folks have provided. The points that strike home with me and have been ringing in my head are:
K- Whispernet nice but not needed
S+ Form factor (smaller platform, same screen size) of the Sony
K+ Amazon selection
Both have their own DRM challenges
S+ I can see one at Target or Borders

The thing I didn't know was something posted by Renaldo... "the 505's thinner margins"
Are you saying that they actual area of the text display is larger than the K?
I know that the screens are the same size.

Thanks again for all of your feedback.
RA

[HarryT]

Why are you only considering the Sony and the Kindle?

[radamo]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Why are you only considering the Sony and the Kindle?

Not sure frankly. The beBook and Cybook Gen 3 seem like ok choices too but are not locally available to check out. I have been researching for a while and each choice seems to have positives and negatives... Since the Sony is locally available and can be had for a shade over $250 it seems like the right choice.

What do you think would be better? I see you have a Cybook. Have you tried other devices as well?
RA

[HarryT]

I've owned many different devices and, for my needs, the CyBook is the clear winner. It has the best MobiPocket support (by far the most popular eBook format) of any device on the market; it has the best font handling (load any font you wish onto the device, and view any book in any font at any of 12 different sizes); it has a user-replaceable battery (which neither the Sony nor the Kindle 2 do). You're not tied to any one manufacturer's eBook store, and Bookeen (the manufacturer) have been in the eBook Reader business longer than anyone else.

Both the Kindle and the Sony are very nice machines (I used to own a Sony), but I think personally that for reading fiction, the CyBook is the clear winner.

[radamo]

Originally Posted by HarryT

...the CyBook is the clear winner.

Harry,
Thanks for your impressions. Here is an excerpt from an early 2008 review of the Cybook...

Pros

* Fast—faster than the Sony PRS-505
* Thin, light, and small
* Very good battery life, (8,000 page-flips, according to Bookeen, and many hours of MP3 playback, revealed by our test)
* Latest e-paper screen—very comfortable to read in a well-lit environment
* Mobipocket format and software is excellent
* Good—and free—RSS support

Cons

* Cumbersome page-flip mechanism
* Only a few, small hardware buttons
* Current firmware (late February 2008) lacks folder and subfolder capabilities, making anything with more than 100 items difficult to find
* Incomplete PDF support—some files don’t open or crash the device
* No SDHC support
* No wireless connectivity

How does this compare with your impressions? Have any of the firmware updates helped any of the "cons".
Thanks,
RA

[HarryT]

The navigation button was enormously improved in the "version 2" Gen3 (when they increased the memory from 64MB to 512MB) which came out last May. True, it doesn't have many buttons, but why would one want a lot of buttons? The only thing one does repeatedly is to turn pages, after all!

A firmware update is due for the Gen3 next week which should add folder and ePub support, and will probably improve PDF support. (Note that the Kindle has no PDF support at all!) Neither the Sony nor the Kindle support folders, although the Sony has "Collections" which are a sort of "pseudo-folder".

SDHC support is pretty irrelevent. I have over 300 books on my Gen3 and am using less than half the internal memory, let alone an SD card.

[radamo]

Harry,
That does sound pretty good. That device is about $300 here in the US. Seems good but then book prices start to weigh in... For instance, Jeffrey Deaver, Stone Monkey is about 9.49 with the credits at Booksonboard.com but in the Kindle store it is $7.99. I am so confused...
Thanks for the info. You are making this difficult... :-) But the hunt for new tech gear is always fun.
RA

[Lemurion]

I know one reason why people go Sony or Kindle is because most Americans see those as the two most readily available. The Cybook simply doesn't have the mindshare of the other two.

It's a good device - but Sony and Kindle turned out to be my top two options and as of now it's looking like Sony is winning out.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by radamo

Not sure frankly. The beBook and Cybook Gen 3 seem like ok choices too but are not locally available to check out. I have been researching for a while and each choice seems to have positives and negatives... Since the Sony is locally available and can be had for a shade over $250 it seems like the right choice.

While the K2 is available in the US, it's not available to try out before you buy and given why you don't consider the BeBook/EZ Reader/V3 & gen3, that also leaves out the Kindle. As the only brand in the US that you can try before you buy is Sony.