First reader - Sony or Kindle

[jerryleejr]

Ok I guess I will put my 2 and a half cents in, It really comes down to personal preference, format and price. Consider this analogy when you look at cars do you look at dodge or Chrysler, Toyota or accura, Nissan or Infinity?? Because essentially you are getting the same product just in different Trim Levels. Each device has their own set of features that ultimately give you the same result. I think all the readers are very capable of allowing you to read. So look at the content decide what you like to read and who offers you the most choices. Next look at what trim level you want to accomplish this. Finally as for DRM I believe the Sony devices give you the most flexibility with epub and pdf you are not locked in to just buying from the Sony store, as opposed to having to buy strictly from Amazon but thats really a wash because I think that same flexibility just keeps the content offering equal by sheer numbers.

JJ

[SkyDream]

Kindle 3 was nice as they had the Pearl screen but now that 650 has the same technology i would go for the 650.

[kalex]

Don't underestimate touchscreens. Its true that previous Sony readers had aweful displays because of touch screen overlay. They fixed it with 350/650 models. Touchscreen navigation kills Kindle navigation any day any time. Its a one sided battle if you will . Also since keyboard is not needed on sony readers they are more portable than kindlle with that keyboard. I used both Kindle and PRS-900 before and PRS-900 touch screen is awesome for navigation. It is much easier to look up words in dictionary by double tapping them on Sony touchscreen then it is to navigate to the word with Kindle's joystick.

I got PRS-350 2 days ago and with Sony's latest improvements its a perfect reader for me. 350 is going to my wife and I'll be ordering 650 this week as I prefer 6" displays

[culverg]

My first post!

I too wrestled with the decision between Kindle and Sony. I've never been a fan of Amazon's closed access and intend to borrow from the library, but the Pearl screen was a big plus for the Kindle 3. When I discovered the new 650 had the same technology with no overlay, that clinched it for me. Pre-ordered before they went on sale, it just arrived this week, and I'm vary happy with my first ebook reader.

One note of caution--I convinced myself of added value with the touchscreen for taking it with me to work to jot down notes at meetings. I don't know why, but there's no way this device works well (yet) for taking notes--it just can't keep up with my writing speed. No idea if this is a processor or screen update issue (or user issue), but regardless this functionality doesn't exist yet to my knowledge on this device. Still, I'm a happy customer and have no intention of returning it--navigation is very natural.

[ruth1304]

Just wanted to add something about the touchscreens. I have had a sony 505 and a 600 so have used both. Having used a touchscreen on my phone, I thought it would be a feature I really used on the 600 but have actually found that to be more comfortable when reading I've still used the buttons rather than the touch screen to turn the page. It's all down to you.

I still liked the 600 and imagine that the 650 will be great, but having seen the kindle 3 I've sold my 600 and am buying a kindle 3 myself. That's partly down to book prices in the uk rather than the device itself, but personally I won't miss the touchscreen particularly.

[ConstantineXVI]

Originally Posted by rahulm

Sony is releasing apps for iOS and Android.

The upshot to the Kindle phone apps (IMHO) is page sync between devices; something which is impossible on the PRS line (save for the Daily) as they lack any sort of internet connection.

[bill_mchale]

Originally Posted by ConstantineXVI

The upshot to the Kindle phone apps (IMHO) is page sync between devices; something which is impossible on the PRS line (save for the Daily) as they lack any sort of internet connection.

Of course the only way for the apps and your Kindle to communicate will be over Amazon's servers... which means that Amazon is at least in some sense tracking not just what you read but how you read it.

--
Bill

[kalex]

Whispersync is a good feature if you only buy amazon books but it doesn't work on books that you don't buy from amazon. Since I rarely buy books that feature is useless to me.

As far as touchscreens - for turning pages I still use buttons but for me main pluses of touchscreen are for navigational use as well as dictionary look up. On Kindle if you want to look up a word that is not on top of the page you have to navigate to it using the four way controller which takes time and lots of clicks. By the time you get to the word you don't want to look it up. On Sony all you do is just double tap lightly on the word and voila

[badbob001]

Sony certainly has Kindle beat on the software front. More options for PDFs and I like the multi-column view. I do prefer the kindle's physical buttons for turning pages, but can be awkward in landscape mode. But the Kindle's $189 for free 3G is pretty hard to beat.

[dordale]

Originally Posted by badbob001

I do prefer the kindle's physical buttons for turning pages, but can be awkward in landscape mode.

The Sony readers also have physical buttons for turning pages--as well as the screen swipe. They aren't located on the side of the screen as the Kindles but are at the bottom. For me, the positioning of the buttons on the Sony is very comfortable. I actually find myself using the Sony's buttons more than swiping the screen.

dordale