End of Sony consumer readers confirmed

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by zerospinboson

Good heavens. So many people who have already had a half-dozen different devices by now. I now have my iLiad 5.5 years, and it's still working, and the battery is still near starting performance. Am I a bad person for not replacing it yet?

Yes you are! You're the reason poor, little start-up companies like Sony, Amazon and Barnes & Noble are struggling to make ends meet.

I hope you feel sufficiently ashamed of yourself now.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by c-not-k

I was able to find a T3 online, so I ordered it.

When I bought my T2 on clearance at Tiger Direct, I decided to get a second one for my brother. He didn't want it -- so I was going to sell it. But now that Sony has stopped making readers, I've decided to make it a spare. I'll charge it once a month, or so, to make sure the battery never goes completely dead.

[bvz]

I have a Sony PRS-T1 and generally like the hardware.

The software, on the other hand (especially the desktop software and ESPECIALLY since Kobo took over) has been nothing short of a nightmare. Sloppy programming and bugginess everywhere really makes me not want to ever deal with another one again. Now it looks like I won't even be tempted to in the future. While I lament the passing of another competitor in the market (Amazon is a bully who I do not wish to support) I can't get too worked up over Sony's retreat. I'll keep this one for a while just because it is working for now but I don't know where I'll turn in the future.

[eschwartz]

Please explain this bullying thing, I don't understand?

Granted, competition is always good, and if for no other reason even staunch Amazon supporters (FULL DISCLOSURE: me) would love B&N/Kobo/Sony to get their rear in gear and become more effective competitors...

[hansl]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Please explain this bullying thing, I don't understand?

Granted, competition is always good, and if for no other reason even staunch Amazon supporters (FULL DISCLOSURE: me) would love B&N/Kobo/Sony to get their rear in gear and become more effective competitors...

I wonder how this could work with the hardware being almost meaningless if you don't have a giant online store to support it.
My Amazon-disciple-friends tell me they bought their p-books at Amazon, and so they buy their ebooks on the same site. Kobo, Sony - p-book-history? B&N in Europe?
So if you are not devoted to the brand or don't like Amazon for whatever reason, why buy elsewhere if you are accustomed to Amazon's service quality.
The Tolino consortium is also not really a competitor, I guess. They started late and Weltbild is in big trouble.

BTW I'll not buy a spare T3 since I think there will be alternatives in a few years and if not the spare T3 will only extend agony.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by hansl

I wonder how this could work with the hardware being almost meaningless if you don't have a giant online store to support it.
My Amazon-disciple-friends tell me they bought their p-books at Amazon, and so they buy their ebooks on the same site. Kobo, Sony - p-book-history? B&N in Europe?
So if you are not devoted to the brand or don't like Amazon for whatever reason, why buy elsewhere if you are accustomed to Amazon's service quality.
The Tolino consortium is also not really a competitor, I guess. They started late and Weltbild is in big trouble.

BTW I'll not buy a spare T3 since I think there will be alternatives in a few years and if not the spare T3 will only extend agony.

I have yet to hear Amazon's "bullying" explained.

Also by the same extension you are locked into Kobo or Barnes & Noble depending on which device you buy. Unless of course you know how to sideload books -- in which case please do not pretend it is any harder to do so on a Kindle.

Many exotic devices frequently recommended because "they aren't made by Amazon, the bullies" are of course completely useless as they have no store at all -- unless you know how to sideload in which case see above.

[OverByter]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I have yet to hear Amazon's "bullying" explained.
.

I would call what they are currently doing to both Hatchet and Disney as economic bullying. Viva Librie!
OB

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by OverByter

I would call what they are currently doing to both Hatchet and Disney as economic bullying. Viva Librrie!
OB

Really? I think it would be equally valid to say that Hachette is bulllying Amazon -- the same way they did a few years ago.

Personally, I regard it as "contract negotiations" and am disappointed that Hachette & Co. don't know how to be big boys in the world of business.

(Now, when Barnes & Noble does the exact same thing, they are totally ignored. Apparently no one takes them seriously enough to think of them as bullies?)

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by OverByter

I would call what they are currently doing to both Hatchet and Disney as economic bullying. Viva Librrie!
OB

Some people see it more as a reminder that there is no law of man or nature that requires Amazon to carry (much less promote) anybody's products, especially absent a contract where they agree to do so.

And on the ebookstore issue: it is perfectly feasible to buy an ereader--Kindle as well as epub-based--and get full value without buying anything from any ebookstore. There are tens of thousands of quality reads available online for free.

Integrated ebookstores are a feature, not a constraint.
Nobody forces you to use they.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Some people see it more as a reminder that there is no law of man or nature that requires Amazon to carry (much less promote) anybody's products, especially absent a contract where they agree to do so.

And on the ebookstore issue: it is perfectly feasible to buy an ereader--Kindle as well as epub-based--and get full value without buying anything from any ebookstore. There are tens of thousands of quality reads available online for free.

Integrated ebookstores are a feature, not a constraint.
Nobody forces you to use they.

Especially since the reaction to Amazon's bullying is so often "lets buy a device that doesn't have a store".

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Especially since the reaction to Amazon's bullying is so often "lets buy a device that doesn't have a store".

Doesn't Amazon also let you sideload to the cloud and you can share the reading position and notes among all your Kindles? Or let you sideload without touching a usb cable or browser? Looking at all options, the Kindles are just as easy if not easier to sideload books on compared to other readers.

Unless people want to use a different store other than Amazon and sideload DRMd books onto the Kindle. That is one limitation where Amazon is bullying by not letting anybody else apply the DRM to books. That is hardly Amazon's fault either, but the publisher that won't let stores sell without DRM.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by OverByter

I would call what they are currently doing to both Hatchet and Disney as economic bullying. Viva Librrie!
OB

I cannot speak on the Disney issue as I don't know enough about it. But as for Hatchette, if Hatchette wins, then eBook prices go up as hatchette wants to go back to agency pricing. How is amazon trying to stop agnecy pricing bullying? It's not/ It's trying to do what's best for it's customers. I know I don't want Hatchette to win and go back to agency pricing. If that happens, then all the other BPHs will eventually go back to agency and prices will again go up across the board. This is not good and has to be stopped before it's started.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

Doesn't Amazon also let you sideload to the cloud and you can share the reading position and notes among all your Kindles? Or let you sideload without touching a usb cable or browser? Looking at all options, the Kindles are just as easy if not easier to sideload books on compared to other readers.

Unless people want to use a different store other than Amazon and sideload DRMd books onto the Kindle. That is one limitation where Amazon is bullying by not letting anybody else apply the DRM to books. That is hardly Amazon's fault either, but the publisher that won't let stores sell without DRM.

Hey, you're preaching to the converted.

As I said:

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I have yet to hear Amazon's "bullying" explained.

Also by the same extension you are locked into Kobo or Barnes & Noble depending on which device you buy. Unless of course you know how to sideload books -- in which case please do not pretend it is any harder to do so on a Kindle.

Many exotic devices frequently recommended because "they aren't made by Amazon, the bullies" are of course completely useless as they have no store at all -- unless you know how to sideload in which case see above.

The irony of complaining about Amazon's store lockin, ignoring sideloading, and instead opt for a device where you can only sideload, is icing on the cake.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I cannot speak on the Disney issue as I don't know enough about it. But as for Hatchette, if Hatchette wins, then eBook prices go up as hatchette wants to go back to agency pricing. How is amazon trying to stop agnecy pricing bullying? It's not/ It's trying to do what's best for it's customers. I know I don't want Hatchette to win and go back to agency pricing. If that happens, then all the other BPHs will eventually go back to agency and prices will again go up across the board. This is not good and has to be stopped before it's started.

Hachette wants to do what's best for Hachette and Amazon wants what's best for Amazon. It's just like Market Basket, Jon. The customer pays as the big boys duke it out. I'm in the a-plague-on-both-their-houses camp.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Hey, you're preaching to the converted.

As I said:

The irony of complaining about Amazon's store lockin, ignoring sideloading, and instead opt for a device where you can only sideload, is icing on the cake.

I am not preaching to you, even though I responded to you. I am agreeing with you - not every time I respond do I pick a fight.

And back on topic: let's not even start on hardware and software on ereaders or software updates. As much as I liked my prs-300, not once did Sony think it worthwile to give us a fw update. Amazon has some pretty nice hardware, especially for the price. Apple does have some good hardware as well - a bit too expensive for me.

In the case that someone hates Amazon on principle, the best way to stick it to Amazon is by buying their Kindles for its great specs for the price. And then to never once buy an ebook from them. Financially that will hurt Amazon the most. For Apple the only way to stick to them is to not buy their hardware.