First reader - Sony or Kindle

[sun surfer]

I think the main differences are that the Sony has a touchscreen and supports more formats, while the Kindle 3 has a better looking screen and is cheaper.

From what you've said I'd recommend the Kindle 3, mostly because of price. That seems like an important factor for you. Unless touchscreen is that important to you (and it is a big plus for some people), would you really want to spend that much more money for a screen that does not look as good?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by sun surfer

I think the main differences are that the Sony has a touchscreen and supports more formats, while the Kindle 3 has a better looking screen and is cheaper.

From what you've said I'd recommend the Kindle 3, mostly because of price. That seems like an important factor for you. Unless touchscreen is that important to you (and it is a big plus for some people), would you really want to spend that much more money for a screen that does not look as good?

The new range of Sony Readers (PRS-350/650/950) are using the same 3rd generation eInk screens that the Kindle 3 does.

[sun surfer]

But doesn't the touchscreen diminish the quality some?

[HarryT]

No. The new Sonys are using a touch-screen technology involving infra-red beams which has no impact at all upon image quality, unlike the older resistive touch screens, which were a physical layer on top of the screen, and hence did adversely impact the clarity of the display.

[Romiman]

So the main issues to decide for are
- Amazon or not
- Keyboard or Touch Screen

And also
- the size of the housing
- and of course the price

(I decided to take a Sony.)

[Lilly]

Originally Posted by Romiman

So the main issues to decide for are
- Amazon or not
- Keyboard or Touch Screen

And also
- the size of the housing
- and of course the price

(I decided to take a Sony.)

Good decision. I know a lot of people in this thread are talking down the touchscreen but it's truly awesome. Navigation is so easy. Also the Sony main page is so well organized. I just gave my nephew a choice between the K3 or the PRS-650 and I told him that PRS-650 don't have wifi and he did not care. He loved the look of the Sony & the touchscreen. He also has a new smart phone from T-Mobile, HTC MyTouch Slide and his parents are paying a $30 monthly internet charge so wifi or 3g on a reader had 0 importance to him. Plus he complained about the keyboard (by the way he's turning 14 on the 13th so they are a generation of touchscreen). I myself can't imagine not having the touchscreen on my reader.

[fyre182]

I've been on the fence for awhile. The new k3 is fantastically priced. I already have well over 5000 ebooks, so I'm not looking to buy much new ebook material.
The advantages k3s store have over sony are negligible for me.

Ultimately I realized how useful a touch screen for notes would be and working practice problems. The majority of my library is also in pdf, and sony's pdf support is unmatched.

The overall quality of the sony is unmatched. I think that when it comes don to it, if you have the means, get the Sony. Also, when the prs-950 drops, it will most likely be better than the k3 on every single front. Again, if you care about having the best, and not about price, I would go with the Sony line.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by RonF

I just wanted to address this quickly. You are locked into Amazon with a Kindle as much as a Nook is locked into B&N and the Sony's are locked into Sony.

For eBooks with DRM, you are locked into Amazon with a Kindle. For Mobipocket eBooks without DRM, you are not locked into Amazon.

For the nook, you can buy eBooks from any place that sells ePub except for Apple. The nook supports B&N's DRM and Adept DRm. So you are good to go most eBook shops and libraries.

For the Sony, you can buy any ePub except from B&N and Apple. You can also borrow library eBooks.

So with a nook, you are NOT locked into B&N an with a Sony, you are NOT locked into Sony.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by bingobango

Thanks so much, some helpful and useful advice there - the Kindle could be the way to go here. The touch screen of the sony would be nice especially since they seem to have solved the dull screen issue that plagued the prs600 - but the price is just too high!

According to others on the forum, some are having issues with the K3 slowing down. Sometimes a reset works and sometimes not.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96724

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ondrejandrej

I've had Sony PRS-900 and now I have Kindle 3 and I tell you one thing: if the Sony costed the same as Kindle 3, I would still prefer Kindle. The reason is the display, which is much better on Kindle. Moreover, Kindle 3 has WiFi, which is a very good thing.

Don't buy any touchscreen Sony Reader, the glare is awful and contrast is low.

The new Sony Readers do not have any glare. There is no longer a touch layer on top of the screen. They use infra-red under the screen for the touch and it works so much better then the old touch layer. The screens are quite nice and the weight is so much lighter now that the touch layers are gone.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Romiman

So the main issues to decide for are
- Amazon or not
- Keyboard or Touch Screen

And also
- the size of the housing
- and of course the price

(I decided to take a Sony.)

- ePub or not
- Locked into (for DRM) Amazon or not
- Library eBook access or not

Sony has ePub, ability to borrow library PDF/ePub and you are not locked into just one store for eBooks with DRM.

[damiensmunki]

One additional advantage for Kindle is Amazon's support of cell phones and other devices. I often find myself with a few spare minutes when all I have is my iPhone. I pull it out, pick up where I left off on my Kindle, read a few pages, go home and find my Kindle synced to the point I reached on the phone. I really like the Sony readers, and if Sony released an iPhone app, I might have to reconsider my reader choice. But for now, I'm
loving being able to read on whatever device I have with me.

[rahulm]

Originally Posted by damiensmunki

One additional advantage for Kindle is Amazon's support of cell phones and other devices. I often find myself with a few spare minutes when all I have is my iPhone. I pull it out, pick up where I left off on my Kindle, read a few pages, go home and find my Kindle synced to the point I reached on the phone. I really like the Sony readers, and if Sony released an iPhone app, I might have to reconsider my reader choice. But for now, I'm
loving being able to read on whatever device I have with me.

Sony is releasing apps for iOS and Android.

[RonF]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

- ePub or not
- Locked into (for DRM) Amazon or not
- Library eBook access or not

Sony has ePub, ability to borrow library PDF/ePub and you are not locked into just one store for eBooks with DRM.

The "thought" with the Kindles was that you HAD to buy books from Amazon in order to read from the Kindle. Just saying that is not true. There are many other ways and places to get books for the Kindle. Not the least of which are drm free ebooks that you convert with Calibre.

No arguments that Sony does have a larger selection of drm'd stores that one can purchase from. Also, the Library feature is a huge plus if one is looking for that.

I have found that for ebooks that I have looked to purchase, Amazon usually has the cheapest price anyway. I have yet to look for an ebook that Amazon did not sell in a Kindle version. The only issue would be removing drm. I understand the epub version is easier to do it with.

Short of needing the Library feature, you really can't go wrong with a Nook, Sony or Kindle, imho.

[Dave Berk]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

According to others on the forum, some are having issues with the K3 slowing down. Sometimes a reset works and sometimes not.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96724

Read about the same issues with the new Sonys here. Which means it's probably an issue with the new screens. That's why I'm not buying anything yet.