Maybe Not The End

[Poppaea]

All your fault! You didn't keep us checked

[CommonReader]

Originally Posted by Poppaea

Best to have a look here onto the Kobo comparison chart.

It is understandable that they want to make their device look good but the comparison chart should not be factually incorrect or misleading. Kobo's is.

[Poppaea]

Originally Posted by CommonReader

It is understandable that they want to make their device look good but the comparison chart should not be factually incorrect or misleading. Kobo's is.

Sorry, it was a fast way to answer. I didn't mean to bring false information

[CommonReader]

No reproach against you, but I do consider their chart as misleading. To give just one example: under "supported file formats" they show .jpg and .bmp as being supported by the Kobo, yet omit these and other formats for the Sony. They also claim to be the only ones with an "International Bookstore", which is clearly incorrect.

[Pomtroll]

Originally Posted by Poppaea

All your fault! You didn't keep us checked

They are still staying off topic.... I guess I need a big club to get their attention.

[Poppaea]

Originally Posted by Pomtroll

They are still staying off topic.... I guess I need a big club to get their attention.

That's the ape approach! This way we end up replaying the JungleBook.

Now who is going to be our Kaa?

[Pomtroll]

Far be it for me to go ape over it. I guess I could send my 2 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels to lick them into line.

[Poppaea]

Originally Posted by Pomtroll

Far be it for me to go ape over it. I guess I could send my 2 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels to lick them into line.

Now that's decidedly naughty

[carpetmojo]

Originally Posted by Pomtroll

Boy has this thread gotten

Forgotten what it was I'm afraid...............

[Prestidigitweeze]

It will be interesting to see whether Sony continues to offer innovations and features that keep us interested in their hardware. Too much of what was great about the Reader has been incorporated into the Simple Touch for Sony's price tag to seem viable, and certain features missing from Sony's lowest-end reader, such as Wifi and an SD slot, have been incorporated into the Simple Touch. A few features I need have been left out as well (usable pdf options and a pdf viewer that doesn't freeze the device -- see the mobiletech review), but beyond better construction and a faster processor, I wonder what Sony could add to steer people away. At this point, the font selection and UI seem superior on the Simple Touch and file flexibility seems on par. I'm guessing Sony will switch to Android as they've done with the PSP NGP, but that only makes them competitive, not better.

I will say this about the Simple Touch's construction: It looks and feels great now, but how will it age with constant use? I know from using hard silicone cases with my other devices how nice they can be for periods of six months to a year. But nothing's more brittle than a velvety hard silicone case that's gotten old. I'm not quite seeing why that wouldn't happen to the Simple Touch over time.

Of course, most buyers probably won't expect to use theirs for the next three years, since the price is reasonable and new and improved versions will be coming out long before: Shiny, shiny.

To be viable, Sony's next line of readers is up for a slimming in terms of size and price. That has to mean different kinds of materials will be used for the body.

[Tony1988]

Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze

It will be interesting to see whether Sony continues to offer innovations and features that keep us interested in their hardware. Too much of what was great about the Reader has been incorporated into the Simple Touch for Sony's price tag to seem viable, and certain features missing from Sony's lowest-end reader, such as Wifi and an SD slot, have been incorporated into the Simple Touch. A few features I need have been left out as well (usable pdf options and a pdf viewer that doesn't freeze the device -- see the mobiletech review), but beyond better construction and a faster processor, I wonder what Sony could add to steer people away. At this point, the font selection and UI seem superior on the Simple Touch and file flexibility seems on par. I'm guessing Sony will switch to Android as they've done with the PSP NGP, but that only makes them competitive, not better.

I will say this about the Simple Touch's construction: It looks and feels great now, but how will it age with constant use? I know from using hard silicone cases with my other devices how nice they can be for periods of six months to a year. But nothing's more brittle than a velvety hard silicone case that's gotten old. I'm not quite seeing why that wouldn't happen to the Simple Touch over time.

Of course, most buyers probably won't expect to use theirs for the next three years, since the price is reasonable and new and improved versions will be coming out long before: Shiny, shiny.

To be viable, Sony's next line of readers is up for a slimming in terms of size and price. That has to mean different choices for the kinds of material used for the body.

Except for wifi, fonts, margin spacing. The Nook 2 doesnt have much more than the Sony 650.(which is Sonys equivalent) In fact with sonys superior dictionary,note taking and card support I think it makes it about equal. Not to mention the better construction.

The N 2 is nice but I like Sony better.


I agree though the next Sony will be cheaper construction, and more option candy.

[Poppaea]

Even if the nook were sold here in Europe it were next to useless for me as it doesn't have the foreign languages dictionaries the Sony has. I'd pay a hundred more any day for those. I'd even pay a hundred more if I could buy/have French-German, Spanish-German. I can make do with the English-French or English-Spanish but it were bizillions nicer to use with German.

Wifi is of real direct use for me, I don't load a book-a-day...

[Prestidigitweeze]

While it's true that Reader death in the States doesn't necessarily mean death throughout the world, a price difference of over a hundred dollars for fewer features seems difficult to justify to average consumers (not necessarily to us).

I really like the abundance of language dictionaries in Sony readers as well, but I don't know that I'd pay >$100 for them before exploring the options for add-on dictionaries in a rooted Android reader.

With the right reader, you might even be able to install the French-German and Spanish-German dictionaries you'd prefer. Perhaps a next-gen Android-based Reader from Sony would allow that as well.

Mind you, I'm not talking about the viability of the current Sony lineup. I'm talking about their future lineup (as the title of the thread suggests).

[Poppaea]

But then Sonys are sold worldwide, whereas the Nook is sold in Nookland. No Nookland habitants need foreign dictionaries as the rarly speak more than their own tongue... I know they want wifi and this social showmeyoursIshowyoumine nonsense, but I can't see these things bringing money in other countries than the US. Which leaves us on square 1.

Americans want less features for less money, Europeans pay more for more features. Where is Sonys market? In the US, where readers are cheap because they are tied to big bookstores (Amazon & BN)? Or in the rest of the world, where there is no bookstore tying, but a demand for premium hardware?

[Prestidigitweeze]

I'm saying the Nook has more features for less money, not fewer for less.

The post-Simple-Touch Sony Touch Edition has a few additional features which are software-based. Those features are not hardware-based, where it seems to have fewer features.

Sony's edge has traditionally been its hardware and, in the reader market specifically (since Sony has less stake than anyone else in their proprietary market), its relative freedom in content and user choices.

All I'm saying is that, since the Simple Touch erases most of that edge, I'm curious as to what Sony's next move will be.

I'm not talking about hardware in the sense of the current models' construction. Obviously, Sony destroys the competition in that sense.

No one seems to have noticed my comment about the Nook's silicone-case-grade body. I'm curious what those who have handled the Simple Touch have to say about it. I worry that the thing will get flimsier and dingier over time, as my silicone cases for my smartphones always do. The finish on those is remarkably similar to the Simple Touch's.

Yes, Sony's always had the edge in terms of construction and materials. But I wonder whether the materials will be the same next time around.