Nook vs Sony vs Sony

[roebeet]

The PRS-300 is a great device, but at $150 it's definitely hard to justify it over a Nook or Kobo. It has no expandable memory and no Wifi, which alternative firmware cannot fix.

However, the Nook has two glaring issues, imo - the size and weight. The Kobo, on the other hand, is lighter and slightly smaller, and yet its eInk screen is the same size as the Nook (6 inches). The Nook did have a very nice screen, however.

In my case, I bought a used PRS-300 which brought the price down substantially.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by roebeet

The PRS-300 is a great device, but at $150 it's definitely hard to justify it over a Nook or Kobo. It has no expandable memory and no Wifi, which alternative firmware cannot fix.

On the other hand, you can store a LOT of books in the internal memory, and given the Sony's interminable "library scan" when you add books, you're not going to want to add more than a few hundred - and that many will easily fit in the internal memory.

Why do you want WiFi, as a matter of interest? What are you going to use it for?

[boswd]

Originally Posted by HarryT

On the other hand, you can store a LOT of books in the internal memory, and given the Sony's interminable "library scan" when you add books, you're not going to want to add more than a few hundred - and that many will easily fit in the internal memory.

Why do you want WiFi, as a matter of interest? What are you going to use it for?

for pure convienance. Having your books shot over to your device without having to hook it up each time is nice. Also you could be at a Barnes and Noble and decide you want to buy the book you are reading. Simple, hit buy, hit confirm and bam it's on your device.
same if you are out and about at a cafe or at work or whereever you can be hooked up. buy click and done.

You can sideload AND download wirelessly.
Larger screen
wireless connectivity
More internal memory (PRS 300 is rather lacking)
Expandable memory
Face to face support

The price has to come down on the Sony PRS- 300 no longer has any value.


For the same price the question is Why wouldn't you want that extra features?

[Zyzomys]

For the same price the question is Why wouldn't you want that extra features?

I agree with this.

[roebeet]

Originally Posted by boswd

for pure convienance. Having your books shot over to your device without having to hook it up each time is nice. Also you could be at a Barnes and Noble and decide you want to buy the book you are reading. Simple, hit buy, hit confirm and bam it's on your device.
same if you are out and about at a cafe or at work or whereever you can be hooked up. buy click and done.

You can sideload AND download wirelessly.
Larger screen
wireless connectivity
More internal memory (PRS 300 is rather lacking)
Expandable memory
Face to face support

The price has to come down on the Sony PRS- 300 no longer has any value.


For the same price the question is Why wouldn't you want that extra features?

Agreed on the SONY price. At US $149 for the pocket reader, it's hard to justify that price, given recent changes in the market. Realistically, it should be US $119 now, at most.

However, I am personally not impressed with the Nook/Kobo/Kindle extras and don't really need them. ie: the Nook: the MP3/Vorbis player is not really needed unless you have to have audiobooks that you have to carry with you, the Nook's web browser is painful to use and the bottom touch screen is a waste of space imo. As for Wifi, it's really only convenient if you plan on being in B&N all the time, or if you need instant gratification. Lastly, the extra storage is really only handy if you plan on storing large PDF's / pictures / music, which again is not needed in my case.

Again, it's all about your particular needs. I am hoping that SONY drops its price as I can't see anyone buying it at the current price point.

[makani]

I have a sony 505 and enjoy reading on it greatly. I was lured to the nook by the drop in price, the touch screen page turning and other advanced features. I really wanted to like the nook however in use the touch screen was not reliable to use for page turning as it frequently would simply not respond. Also in general the nook is not as easy to read with one hand as the sony. I just want to use my ereader to read books and really don't mind sideloading them, so the sony is more than enough for me. The bottom line after agonizing over my decision is I returned my nook and went back to the more staid and trusty sony 505.

[bugeyed]

Originally Posted by JerseyBiker

2. The Internet screen? Are you referring to the touch screen? The touch screen is used to access the features and change pages. The Nook does have an Internet browser but it's only on the screen when you load it.

3. You can get ebooks from many different sources for the Nook. Not just from B&N.

~eddie

Nook has web browsing enabled now. I think it is still listed as Beta. I didn't like it at all! Poorly implemented &, I suspect, just there so they can list it in the feature set.
Cheers,
kev

[boswd]

Originally Posted by bugeyed

Nook has web browsing enabled now. I think it is still listed as Beta. I didn't like it at all! Poorly implemented &, I suspect, just there so they can list it in the feature set.
Cheers,
kev

actually it's biggest use is to connect to other wi fi hot spots that require a web browser to "I Agree" or type in a password. So no it's not a padded spec.

but I have found mobile websites are actually pretty decent on the Nook.

[simplyparticular]

Originally Posted by Pete

I guess I'm mostly interested in the overall functionality of the devices, ease of use with file transfers, screen size/sharpness, ect. I'll be using the reader around the house maybe occasionally taking it places with me.

For me, ergonomics and software end up being the deciding factor when buying a new device. Do you have the chance to play with any at the stores? A live Nook is out for display at B&N (very prominently in most stores) and Office Max has live Sony models on end caps. Target has live displays, but they are bolted down.

I own all 3 of the devices you're considering. They are equal in their ability to transfer files via USB (especially using Calibre). The Nook and 300 have beautiful screens, the 600 is less sharp and has glare due to the touchscreen, but I find it very readable at night with a light.

Sony has better organizing software - the Nook has nothing.

B&N is putting out regular firmware updates - Sony sells the device as-is.

If you liek the Nook's ergonomics and don't need the ability to organize your books, the Nook WiFi is an excellent option.

If you need to be able to organize large amounts of material, one of the Sony models is a better purchase. And that depends on how many books you want to carry around. The 300 can hold 300+ books (I've got 452 ePubs on mine right now). The 600 has an SD slot, so it's essentially unlimited, but you compromise on the screen. But if you read mostly at night, it might not be a compromise for you.

It all depends on your priorities and where you're willing to compromise. No one makes a perfect device :P

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by iandix

I have both a nook and a Sony PRS600 and I can say the nook leaves the PRS600 in it's dust. The Sony looks more robust but the nook has the best screen and that is what is important. After using the Nook I find it hard to go back to reading on the Sony.

I don't know anything about the PRS300

I would say the exact opposite, but then I'm an avid note-taker and text copier; the Nook does a poor job at both, and there's no way to export those notes and clippings to a PC. On the Nook's plus side, B&N is far far superior to the Sony eBook Store, and the Sony doesn't have wireless capability.

My favorite of all my readers is the Kindle. It's by far the best at annotation and copying text, and it doesn't truncate the text when importing to computer as the Sony does. Plus Amazon is at least as good a bookstore as Barnes and Noble, so you get the best of both worlds.

The Nook is the prettiest, however, although the Sony PRS-600 is close. The 600 is smaller but has the same size screen as the Nook and Kindle, although the screen on both the Nook and Kindle is clearer because of that extra touch layer used on the Sony.

You can buy books from 3rd parties for any of the three.