Sony or Nook Touch

[Ditchleyportrait]

Originally Posted by delphin

Yes, that was my experience, but I think this may be because either Sony had older Pearl screen stock, and the newer Pearl screens are just flat out better, or because they weren't setting high enough in-house standards for which Pearl screes they would accept, and how good those screens would have to look when installed and tweaked for actual use in the readers.

Either way Sony seems to have fixed this issue in some of their recently shipped devices, which apparently are looking just as good as anything out there, as long as you allow for their lighter weight fonts (which still bug some folks, and can be changed on all the Nooks and Kobos now).

Even if they have improved their screen contrast on some recently shipped units, I think it's good to keep them on notice though that we WILL be watching, and will notice if they don't maintain their new standards . . .

pitiful.

[delphin]

Originally Posted by sonyreaderfan

When you buy from BN you are locked into the BN DRM too because the BN DRM is a special version that can't run on Kobo or Sony, or basically ADE. Some devices like Pandigital license BN drm. Kobo (and Sony) are the open ones. Kobo has truly declared itself to be open. Any of Kobo's or Sony's ebooks can be opened on Kobo, Sony, or Nook.

Not true in the context of buying a book reader (Which is what I believe we were talking about in this thread, were we not?)

This is ONLY true when trying to buy books from B&N, NOT when buying their eReader Nook models.

In other words, if you have a Nook you bought from B&N, you can use it to read DRM protected books from literally FIVE different major online bookstores without running into any DRM problems (B&N, Kobo, Borders, Sony, and Google)

~~ BUT ~~

Currently, I believe that it's still true that if you use B&N's PC or Android App to purchase and download a book, though you can read it on that device using the B&N App, you CAN'T then move it to your Sony, Kobo, Aluratek Libre, Jetbook, or other Adobe Adept EPUB device.

This is a really, really, really, STUPID thing for B&N to have done, because it means that though they are giving up potentially MILLIONS in sales to other bookstores by letting Nook owners buy from them, they are NOT in a position to perhaps also reap MILLIONS of dollars in sales from users of reader devices sold by those other bookstores in return.

In other words, by posting a lower price on a specific title (or by having a special promotion) Kobo can steal a book sale from B&N, by selling to one of B&N's Nook owners, but no matter how good the promotional deal is at B&N, a Kobo reader owner can't buy from B&N unless they want to deal with removing the DRM somehow, just to save a dollar or two (and most don't).

THIS IS FLAT OUT STUPID. Giving up sales to your competitors willingly, but NEVER being in the position to make them return the favor?

DUMB - REALLY, REALLY, DUMB.

If Liberty or some other bidder does buy B&N, they should fix this instantly, and FIRE THE B&N CEO (after all those MILLIONS in lost sales that B&N has walked away from, through this foolishness are, of course, estimated and deducted from his fatcat 'golden parachute')

Someone PLEASE correct me if this has been fixed, but so far as I know, though B&N has been 'talking' about fixing the incompatibilities between B&N and Adobe DRM for many, many months, THIS IS STILL AN ISSUE.

Edit:
In fairness to B&N, I understand that harmonizing B&N DRM with Adobe will have substantial development costs, and the alternative of simply adopting Adobe's present Adept DRM for ALL ebook downloads would have substantial licensing costs, but I would suggest that there is a very simple compromise solution; leave all normal Nook downloads as they are, but include an "ADOBE ADEPT COMPATIBLE EPUB EXPORT" feature within your B&N PC, IOS, and Android Apps.

After the initial download in B&N DRM format, by selecting the ADEPT EPUB EXPORT menu option, a totally separate ADEPT compatible copy of the eBook would be downloaded automatically from an Adobe monitored server. By ONLY using ADEPT when the customer actually requires it for his or her particular device, you would NOT increase your costs associated with normal Nook downloads, but ONLY for those downloads where customers must have Adept compatibility. Since your Nook already supports it's own native DRM, you would pay Adobe's licensing fees ONLY for these ADEPT EXPORT downloads, handled and monitored by your B&N App. Sure, this fee would add a few pennies to the cost of these special 'Adept Export' downloads, but the small Adobe fee would be more than offset by the profits derived from a sale that would have, in all probability, otherwise been lost. Present Nook users would see no changes, but this simple change would open up the B&N online bookstore to literally millions of new customers.

Just a thought . . .

[sonyreaderfan]

Originally Posted by delphin

Not true in the context of buying a book reader (Which is what I believe we were talking about in this thread, were we not?)

This is ONLY true when trying to buy books from B&N, NOT when buying their eReader Nook models.

In other words, if you have a Nook you bought from B&N, you can use it to read DRM protected books from literally FIVE different major online bookstores without running into any DRM problems (B&N, Kobo, Borders, Sony, and Google)

Currently, I believe that it's still true that if you use B&N's PC or Android App to purchase and download a book, though you can read it on that device using the B&N App, you CAN'T then move it to your Sony, Kobo, Aluratek Libre, Jetbook, or other Adobe Adept EPUB device.

This is a really, really, really, STUPID thing for B&N to have done, because it means that though they are giving up potentially MILLIONS in sales to other bookstores by letting Nook owners buy from them, they are NOT in a position to perhaps also reap MILLIONS of dollars in sales from users of reader devices sold by those other bookstores in return.

In other words, by posting a lower price on a specific title (or by having a special promotion) Kobo can steal a book sale from B&N, by selling to one of B&N's Nook owners, but no matter how good the promotional deal is at B&N, a Kobo reader owner can't buy from B&N unless they want to deal with removing the DRM somehow, just to save a dollar or two (and most don't).

THIS IS FLAT OUT STUPID. Giving up sales to your competitors willingly, but NEVER being in the position to make them return the favor?

DUMB - REALLY, REALLY, DUMB.

If Liberty or some other bidder does buy B&N, they should fix this instantly, and FIRE THE B&N CEO (after all those MILLIONS in lost sales that B&N has walked away from, through this foolishness are, of course, estimated and deducted from his fatcat 'golden parachute')

Someone PLEASE correct me if this has been fixed, but so far as I know, though B&N has been 'talking' about fixing the incompatibilities between B&N and Adobe DRM for many, many months, THIS IS STILL AN ISSUE.

Thank you for clarifying. I believe this is still the case.

There are discussions whether Kindle or Nook is open or closed. The strictest definition is if you buy ebooks from their respective bookstores can you read them on other ereaders. So in this sense, both Nook and Kindle are closed.

BN and Amazon ebookstores are still way better than Kobo's and Sony's, unfortunately. I'm not counting in Kobo's coupons because the coupons have restrictions. Sometimes I tried to use Kobo's coupons but it couldn't be applied. The coupon's restrictions are determined by the publishers.

There are also arguments that with the agency model, Kindle and Nook bookstores have the same prices. This may be for new books and bestsellers but not so for a lot of nonfictions. For example, if you're into investing, do a search for "Jim Cramer," "John Bogle," or "Malkiel" and you'll see that Kindle have more selection at same or lower prices, compared to BN. For programming, search "Javascript" and Kindle's selection and price have no match.

[SocialCarpet]

I just confronted this question myself two days ago. I lost my Kindle 3 and was going to the store to replace it with another Kindle 3... and then I decided to have a look around. I tried the new nook touch and was not impressed. It was a bit slow and poky, awkwardly shaped and just generally not well thought out IMO, just like all of the nooks.

Ruled that out, then went to BestBuy to get a Kindle 15 minutes before closing. On my way to the register, Kindle in hand, I caught glimpse of the Sony Reader Pocket PRC-350. It was on sale for $120 down from $179. I tried it out and loved it immediately. Sharper, clearer e-ink screen than anything else I've seen. The interface is great, much more fluid and sensible than either Kindle or nook by far. The touch screen works brilliantly. Build quality is top notch and the tiny form factor is just great. It literally fits in a (big) pocket. No way a Kindle or nook would.

So I went with the Sony and I've been delighted with it so far. The size is just awesome and it's very pleasant to turn pages with a swipe of the finger instead of clicking buttons. I don't miss the wifi or 3G one bit. It's no problem to sideload books and the lack of 3G actually keeps me from some impulse buys that don't always turn out great.

I can't recommend the PRS-350 enough. The Kindle3 is excellent too, but for the, the pocket reader just hits the mark perfectly.

IMO Barnes & Noble need to go back to the drawing board on all the nook models. From the buggy, slow color strip navigation model to the pared down basic nook, to the "iPad killer" nook color. I just don't see evidence of good design there. At least the nook color is responsive, I guess you can say that for it. Would be nice for color magazines like Nat Geographic. Thats about it though. Kindle is much more functionally sound IMO, and the Sony is a few orders of magnitude beyond that. Clear evidence that Sony is not an amateur or new upstart to small electronics. They know what they're doing and it shows.

[SCION]

Originally Posted by SocialCarpet

...Sony is not an amateur or new upstart to small electronics. They know what they're doing and it shows.

They may know what they're doing, but many in the United States aren't willing to pay a substantial premium for it. Plenty of folks are mighty happy with their Kindles and Nooks. The Sony 950 was being sold at a closeout price of $199 at Best Buy. That was a reasonable price given the fact that you have access to the Sony bookstore (many titles aren't available). Sony continue to sell the thing for $299. That may attract Sony die hards, but that's too much for others in the U.S.

[jedipencil]

I may be mistaken, but is it not the larger Sony that sells for $299? Up here in Quebec, the 350 averages at between $170 and $200 (approximately).

I got my Sony 350 at the Canadian version of Staples for $170 (much cheaper than Futureshop). The price jump between the Kobo and this one bugged me a bit, but I don't regret my purchase for a second. Love the thing.

[anamardoll]

Sony really DOES need to rethink their prices.

And the Sony store, imho, is TERRIBLE. I won't use it. Period.

Having said that, I do think the value of the Sony devices is higher for several features that don't always get mentioned on the box. Being able to load ANY CALIBRE METADATA I WANT to the device to be sorted by "Sony collections" is freaking awesome, and if I'd known about that a year ago, my first e-Reader would have been a Sony.

I don't understand the Nook/Kobo method of not supporting collections/folder browsing in a meaningful manner. Surely a major selling point for most people is being able to carry around their entire library at all times?? Having everything tossed into a single library is unfeasible once you own more than 50 books, imho.

Sony (and PocketBook) seems to understand how "heavy user" readers read. I'm not sure why the others haven't caught up as much -- Calibre metadata has been asked for with the Nooks since day one, no?

[boswd]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

Sony really DOES need to rethink their prices.

And the Sony store, imho, is TERRIBLE. I won't use it. Period.

Having said that, I do think the value of the Sony devices is higher for several features that don't always get mentioned on the box. Being able to load ANY CALIBRE METADATA I WANT to the device to be sorted by "Sony collections" is freaking awesome, and if I'd known about that a year ago, my first e-Reader would have been a Sony.

I don't understand the Nook/Kobo method of not supporting collections/folder browsing in a meaningful manner. Surely a major selling point for most people is being able to carry around their entire library at all times?? Having everything tossed into a single library is unfeasible once you own more than 50 books, imho.

Sony (and PocketBook) seems to understand how "heavy user" readers read. I'm not sure why the others haven't caught up as much -- Calibre metadata has been asked for with the Nooks since day one, no?

I'm not sure of the Kobo but the nook does use collections, they call it "My Shelves" You create your "Shelf" and catogorize it and name it anyway you want.

I thought you said you own a nook, surely you would have known about the feature. Just because they don't call it "Collections" doesn't mean they don't have it

Again it's called "My Shelves" It's very well laid out on the the nook color and the Nook STR.

For example on mine I've created "OnDeck" "Horror/Thiller" "Freebies" "Humor" "Instructional" etc etc.

[mcooke66]

Originally Posted by SocialCarpet

IMO Barnes & Noble need to go back to the drawing board on all the nook models. From the buggy, slow color strip navigation model to the pared down basic nook, to the "iPad killer" nook color. I just don't see evidence of good design there. At least the nook color is responsive, I guess you can say that for it. Would be nice for color magazines like Nat Geographic. Thats about it though. Kindle is much more functionally sound IMO, and the Sony is a few orders of magnitude beyond that. Clear evidence that Sony is not an amateur or new upstart to small electronics. They know what they're doing and it shows.

This just sounds to me like B&N bashing. I have the new nook and not only is it very responsive the form factor is one of the best things about it. I think B&N have actually made a very smart move here, they shocked everyone with the NookColor, I remember clearly the responses from this forum and others how stupid it was and that nobody wanted a tablet reader etc.. NookColor by any measure is a success for them. Next then come out with a really easy to use and intuitive reader for the eink side. Is it perfect, of course not, but I have been following the threads and reading the reviews and one thing NST is not, is a poorly designed device, you may wish it was more multipurpose or you may just not like touch interfaces but this is by almost all accounts a solid really easy to use eink reader.

So B&N in 2 short years has produced a game changing reader in NookColor and one of the top 2 eink readers not only in market share but now in just about every tech review I have read. For an "upstart" electronics maker they have introduced 3 solid consumer electronics and each one improves on the last one or meets other needs providing real choice. Your criticism just does not fit the facts IMO.

[sonyreaderfan]

Originally Posted by boswd

I'm not sure of the Kobo but the nook does use collections, they call it "My Shelves" You create your "Shelf" and catogorize it and name it anyway you want.

I thought you said you own a nook, surely you would have known about the feature. Just because they don't call it "Collections" doesn't mean they don't have it

Again it's called "My Shelves" It's very well laid out on the the nook color and the Nook STR.

For example on mine I've created "OnDeck" "Horror/Thiller" "Freebies" "Humor" "Instructional" etc etc.

The collection in Sony is different from shelves in Nook. A book can go into different collections. You can choose a book to go into Nonfiction and Finance for example.

Also, the collections can be tied in with tags and be automated. For example, I bought a finance book and the tag set by the publisher is Finance, so a Finance collection is started and the book went into the Finance collection. This can be good or bad depending on your view. You can remove the book from the collection of course.

But the cool thing that Anamardoll is taking about is that since it's automatic, you can automatically organize your books. For example, in Calibre you tag a book as Nonfiction and Sports. A Nonfiction collection already exist but not Sports. When you import, the book will be put into Nonfiction and a newly created Sports collection.

I believe in Nook you have to move the books manually into a shelf , and only one shelf per book.

[ST-One]

Originally Posted by sonyreaderfan

The collection in Sony is different from shelves in Nook. A book can go into different collections. You can choose a book to go into Nonfiction and Finance for example.

Also, the collections can be tied in with tags and be automated. For example, I bought a finance book and the tag set by the publisher is Finance, so a Finance collection is started and the book went into the Finance collection. This can be good or bad depending on your view. You can remove the book from the collection of course.

But the cool thing that Anamardoll is taking about is that since it's automatic, you can automatically organize your books. For example, in Calibre you tag a book as Nonfiction and Sports. A Nonfiction collection already exist but not Sports. When you import, the book will be put into Nonfiction and a newly created Sports collection.

I believe in Nook you have to move the books manually into a shelf, and only one shelf per book.

One book can be put into multiple shelves.

[sonyreaderfan]

Originally Posted by ST-One

One book can be put into multiple shelves.

Can you automate it with Nook software? Is it automatically put into a shelf according to publisher's preference?

[boswd]

Originally Posted by ST-One

One book can be put into multiple shelves.

yup true story, I have a book title that is on three shelves, On Deck, Thillers/Mystery and Freebies. for example.

[ST-One]

Originally Posted by sonyreaderfan

Can you automate it with Nook software? Is it automatically put into a shelf according to publisher's preference?

At the moment there is no 'sort by tag' option.

[mcooke66]

Originally Posted by sonyreaderfan

The collection in Sony is different from shelves in Nook. A book can go into different collections. You can choose a book to go into Nonfiction and Finance for example.

Also, the collections can be tied in with tags and be automated. For example, I bought a finance book and the tag set by the publisher is Finance, so a Finance collection is started and the book went into the Finance collection. This can be good or bad depending on your view. You can remove the book from the collection of course.

But the cool thing that Anamardoll is taking about is that since it's automatic, you can automatically organize your books. For example, in Calibre you tag a book as Nonfiction and Sports. A Nonfiction collection already exist but not Sports. When you import, the book will be put into Nonfiction and a newly created Sports collection.

I believe in Nook you have to move the books manually into a shelf , and only one shelf per book.

Nook has "Collections" but not as sophisticated as Sony. It is definitely something that B&N should improve. As many have said its not rocket science you just need to have it as a development priority and so far they have not.