What do you think the Amazon Kindle means for the Sony Readers?

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by Barcey

I haven't seen Sony allow anyone else to sell their BBEB format or allow it to run on other readers.

Fictionwise sells in BBeB format, it's the non-DRM .LRF rather than the .LRX, but there you go.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by NatCh

Fictionwise sells in BBeB format, it's the non-DRM .LRF rather than the .LRX, but there you go.

Yes, but they didn't get the conversion software from Sony.

[NatCh]

That's true, but I'm not sure how important it is.

[airlik]

The Kindle still looks pretty ugly to me... it'd be nice to have the keyboard and the wireless, but my PRS-500 just LOOKS better - and I'm thinking is more comfortable to hold for extended periods. Metal over plastic any day of the week.

That said, I'm hoping the Kindle will do these things for the Reader:
- increase pressure to add features
- increase sales in the long run since the Sony Reader has, IMO, a sleeker design I think many people would opt for, given a choice.
- lower prices on ebooks at Connect. DRM books are loaners - eventually they'll be useless.

The edges I give the Kindle at this second are:
- better distribution for tech-types. I think early adopters are more likely to be shopping at amazon.com than at their local Borders... I could very easily be wrong here, that's just a gut.
- lower prices on new books
- people sometimes buy products based on features just because they're there, not because they're useful. In the software industry you often add features to products just to be able to say you have them on an RFP. I still wish I could search text on the reader, but I have to admit - so far I've just been reading and adding the occasional bookmark, and have never once felt the need to annotate.
- periodicals. being on the road and able to just download & read the latest NYT without having to find a hotspot and sync from my laptop would be awesome. Too bad the Kindle is just ugly and looks more like a calculator or pocket PC than a reading tablet.

I used to think adding wireless to the PRS would make it bulkier... then I bought my iPod Touch ... *ahem* Sony?

[UncleDuke]

don't mean squat for me, its as ugly as my first _____

[WilliamG]

Originally Posted by UncleDuke

don't mean squat for me, its as ugly as my first _____

This question isn't aimed at you specifically, but at the Reader. After reading the specs for the Kindle, it's clear: Sony just lost. Sure the Kindle isn't super attractive, but when you look at who's backing it, coupled with NO computer necessary and the backing of considerably more publishers and undoubtedly better software (i.e. no software!), Sony have simply lost. Game over. My wife and I both own a PRS-500, and when the PRS-505 was announced I hoped, nay - EXPECTED much more. Sure the PRS-505 is better than the 500, but only incrementally. Sony have missed the boat, and the Kindle deserves to slaughter them. I'm not afraid to voice my disappointment in a $700 investment I made in the PRS-500, expecting to be able to use it for much more in the NEAR future. Sadly, this never happened - and didn't happen with the 505, so I see myself getting a Kindle very soon. Its functionality is hard to ignore.

Sony ought to be kicking itself right about now. They really just lost.

Wow. Listen to how bitter I sound. Perhaps it's because I really AM bitter about Sony's laziness.

[vivaldirules]

I disagree, WilliamG. The Kindle receives ebook content only by EVDO, doesn't support PDFs in any way, nor secure Mobipocket, nor Digital Editions, and it may be that if you want to read something that you didn't buy from Amazon you'll have to email it as a Word document or HTML file to your Amazon email address for them to convert and send to your Kindle by EVDO. Not clear yet about that last part but the rest appears to be correct. And the suggestion from da_jane is that publishers haven't and won't sign Kindle-only contracts. That would imply that Sony will eventually be selling much or all of the same content as Amazon. Again, that's by no way certain but I have my fingers crossed. Bitter? Yes, I am too - at Amazon. Not at Sony. I think it's at least plausible that we're actually better off with Sony Readers than Kindles.

[JoeC]

WilliamG - One advantage to the Sony, or Cybook for that matter, is it appears that with the Kindle closed system you buy one book and read it on one Kindle. With Sony and Cybook (via Mobipocket) you can buy a book and read it on more than one device (6 devices on Sony and 4 on Mobipocket). Oops - Engadet is reporting you can use on more than one device

I just bought a Cybook and so far it looks like I made a decent choice.

[sindget41]

William G -- while I generally agree with most of your conclusions, I hardly think Sony lost. Until Kimble is opened to 'load your own' in some open reader format, it doesn't meet my basic requirements. I suppose I am in the minority, but at least 90% of my content is managed by Book Designer, and not purchased from a store. FanFiction -- yeh!

I can only hope that Kimble is VERY successful, and thus introduces some real competition to DRM'ed Source materials -- $10 for most books? Now that's a big step in the right direction!

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by sindget41

Until Kimble is opened to 'load your own' in some open reader format, it doesn't meet my basic requirements.

Er, it IS open in such a way. You can upload your own content via USB, and it also has an SD card slot. Supports DRM-free Mobi format for your own content.

I think the company who might well benefit big-time from this is Bookeen. Given that the Kindle format is MobiPocket, it's not unreasonable to believe that much of this new content will also appear in other MobiPocket stores.

[Rocketime]

Kindle includes a built in dictionary and free access to Wikipedia. Most books including best sellers $10 or less.

[jay.greenwald]

I just received my Sony PRS-505 36 days ago as a gift. Though the Sony hardware is clearly more elegant and nice to the touch, the Kindle having newspapers and magazines with regular updates is the killer app for me. Books at $9.99 instead of $26 for Sony (look at the new Patricia Cornwell novel) is nice, too.

If I could return my Sony (6 days late for this), I would do this in 1 second, but now being stuck with a $450 investment in the Sony, I'm wondering when Sony will get off it's butt and get magazine and newspapers. Though having the instant "buy" option with Wi-Fi is nice, I'll take daily updates for my magazines and newspapers using my computer and downloading to my Sony.

2 questions:
1. anyone know how we communicate with someone important at Sony to ask them to get magazines / newspaper subscriptions on the Sony? Obviously the publishers will do it, as they've done with Amazon.
2. Considering how unlikely a request for new features will be to Sony, anyone out there want to buy a mint PRS-505 with a black leather cover and AC adapter for a good price, so I can buy a clunky Kindle and get my newspapers? I'm serious if anyone wants to buy my Sony stuff. They can have all my digital books, too.

My opinion is that the model that has the best end-to-end user experience for the content and the "player" will win. Even if the hardware is not quite as nice, the Kindle seems far ahead. It seems to be Sony had the chance to be the Apple of the eBook industry with its elegant hardware, but blew it as Amazon jumps way ahead with inferior hardware. How could you do this to us, Sony?

[kovidgoyal]

You can already get newspapers on the SONY see the thread for web2lrf

[jay.greenwald]

kovidgoyal - this looks like just what I'm looking for, but I haven't a clue how to use it to load content on my device. Is there a quick tutorial how to use the software? Thanks again.

[kovidgoyal]

https://libprs500.kovidgoyal.net/wiki/Features