decisions...Sony 300 or Amazon Kindle 2nd gen ????

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by fishcube

So, what are the advantages/disadvantages of both? pros/cons?

video comparing both?

I am trying to decide between the two.

thanks

In my thread about the various readers, I've been quite surprised: Sony 505 by far has biggest share, Kindle 2 and DX only a surprisingly small share. Might not be representative, maybe there are more Europeans than Americans in this forum...
But interesting enough. And looking at the range of units: Sony 4 units, 5" and 6", with and without touchscreen...
On the other hand Amazon's bookshop in the background.

Briefly my pros and cons:

Kindle 2:
Pros:
- Whispernet, direct downloads.
- Kindle app on iPhone/iPod touch.
- Dictionary support, even on the fly on the very same page without "jumping" to another book.
- Amazon bookshop. Biggest selection, usually lowest prices.

Cons:
- No Cover included.
- At first, its design was kind of disappointing to me. Seemed a bit "old school" at first. In the meantime, I actually like it.
- Personally, I find the 5-way-controller a bit "flimsy". Not sure whether it will survive years of heavy reading.
- Sorting only by 3 criterias, no folder support.

Sony 300:
Pros:
- Cover included.
- Great design on all Sony units. Housing in various "cool" colors.
- Collections, kind of a folder structure for sorting books.
- Library software. I don't like it very much and actually have run into problems with the 3.0 version. But at least, there IS a software, for example for managing my library or reading on PC/Mac. Kindles don't have any kind of companion software (Whispernet on the unit itself instead).

Cons:
- No dictionary support.
- Personally, I don't like the "plastic framing": https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...&postcount=176

Concerning contrast, I don't see much of a difference between the various units. I don't compare them side by side, but look at each unit standalone. Standalone, every single eInk unit in my opinion looks great, even phantastic.

[rhadin]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Of course, don't think that I am not d/l'ing all my Kindle books, liberating them and backing them up. I totally am.

Do I detect just the tiniest bit of cynicism about Amazon in your words?

Truthfully, I do the same with all my purchases (except I haven't yet heard how to thwart Sony's DRM, which is why I rarely buy from the Sony store). Everything I buy, for example, from Fictionwise, is DRM-free and I download in both .LRF and .epub and store both on my local computer and on a remote site (using Carbonite).

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

In my thread about the various readers, I've been quite surprised: Sony 505 by far has biggest share, Kindle 2 and DX only a surprisingly small share. Might not be representative, maybe there are more Europeans than Americans in this forum...

There are far more Sony users at MobileRead than Kindle users (even before the Sonys were released officially in Europe). My theory is that because there are many dedicated Kindle forums throughout the internet (like Amazon's own forums and Kindleboards), Kindle users tend to gather in those places. As far as I can tell MobileRead is *the* place to be for Sony users (and for many other ebook readers as well).

[menudoBandit]

So I'm going on around 3 days now with the PRS300 and have a bit more to add for those indecisive souls - or just those who love a good debate.

Daffy4U is right - these two devices are indeed a class apart. The PRS300 is a budget, feature-stripped e-ink device. It performs the most basic on functions without frills or thrills. The Kindle2, on the other hand, is one of the most feature-rich (excluding format support) that I have used or researched. The ability to index content and search the Kindles contents - or Wiki/Google/Dictionary for that matter - is a powerful one. The wireless integration with Amazon (a mixed bag if you hate DRM) and other registered Kindle/iPhone readers is awesome. The page turns are roughly twice the speed on the 300.

It should be a no-brainer but the more I read the PRS300 the more I notice the lousy (by comparison) font and contrast on the Kindle. For me there are only two real things that keep me coming back to the PRS300; screen/print quality and form factor. The Sony is capable of displaying multiple font types; the Kindle2, 1. The 300, to me, looks more like natural print than the Kindle2, and that could become a more significant factor over time.

The 300 reads book; no more, no less. If you want something simple and purpose-built it does that well, in my opinion. If you are a gadget fiend and love bells and whistles (not to mention legal access to Amazon's content) and are willing to put up with slightly less contrast and slightly wacky font, the Kindle2 is a good choice.

As a side, I received the third eval reader yesterday - a PRS600. I was hopeful as the opinions on the glare issue seem pretty evenly divided on the web. After un-boxing it and trying to read some of the sample text, however, I sealed it back up and hit Sony for an RMA without further eval. It;s packed with a lot of nice features, and the form factor is great - but that touch-layer completely ruins the long-term readability, in my opinion.

Good luck to all you indecisives out there...

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by rhadin

Do I detect just the tiniest bit of cynicism about Amazon in your words?

Not at all... just pragmatism. I do the same thing for purchases from Fictionwise, BooksOnBoard.com, and Author sites. Although most author sites they are DRM free already.

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

BOb

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by menudoBandit

It should be a no-brainer but the more I read the PRS300 the more I notice the lousy (by comparison) font and contrast on the Kindle.

If you're willing to do it the K2 font hack makes a big difference for a lot of folks.

[Wizzer]

Originally Posted by menudoBandit

The page turns are roughly twice the speed on the 300.

Please clarify this statement. I am reading it and I can't decide if you mean the Kindle is faster or slower than the 300. This is a major buying point I am still trying to decide on.
For me, it seems it really boils down to 1 pro/con of each group. I like the idea of syncing content with my iphone (kindle) but I really like the idea of library access (sony).

[emellaich]

Returning to the OP's question, this should really be an easy choice. Neither of these books compare directly.

If the 300 meets your needs why even consider the Kindle? The price advantage is huge. However, for me, the choice at this price point would be the Astak EZReader Pro. www.theEZreader.com, and I have one on the way for my son.

Now let's consider the Kindle. I own one of these and I am quite satisfied with it. The screen on the PPro is about the same size as the Kindle because of the margins that Amazon puts around books. Therefore, the only real differences are 1) Whispernet and 2) The Amazon store.

I love the Amazon store, the ability to sample chapters of new books, the ability to easily download books. Although Sony shows signs of catching up I'd be surprised if Amazon doesn't manage to build upon its lead. Amazon is about books and I expect them to deliver a good product in this realm.

Whispernet's ability to connect to the net has been quite useful for me. When I was traveling I used it several times to check on locations for nearby places. You should be aware that Amazon has advertised the Kindle as having 'free wikipedia', but the overall free internet is 'experimental' so Amazon could pull this feature other than wikipedia.

The one caveat on Amazon as well as Sony is that I don't trust them over the long run. Amazon was in ebooks before and they pulled their store. Sony was in music/mp3's and they pulled their store. In either case if you buy a DRM book you are SOL if the provider shuts down the store. Any books you don't have in a DRM-free format may suddenly 'disappear' on you at any time.

Now let's widen our circle to add the 600. Its advantage is annotation. If you write in your books then you won't have another choice at the price and size -- For more dollars and with a bigger screen you can find this in the Irex.

Bottom line is:
- Cheapest, pocketable, go 300 (or I prefer the PocketPro)
- Easy to download books/samples. Bonus internet (while it lasts) go Kindle
- Annotations (if you write in your books) go 600

[doreenjoy]

Another pro for the Sony 300 is that it costs $100 less than a Kindle.

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by emellaich

- Annotations (if you write in your books) go 600

You can also annotate with K1 and K2. You also have to ability to print out those notes via the "My Clippings.txt" file.