Sony v Kindle

[Salgueiros]

Originally Posted by Ditchleyportrait

sideloading is an affront to reading. if you're paying more guap than for a kindle, then you have to sideload. that is just sad.

it doesn't even have wifi. sideloading is an affront to reading.

...I don't see the connection between sideloading and the act of reading...

and why would i care about networking? i get all the books i want using my PC. I want my ebook reader to be an ebook reader, not a wannabe tablet...

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by Ditchleyportrait

sideloading is an affront to reading. if you're paying more guap than for a kindle, then you have to sideload. that is just sad.
it doesn't even have wifi. sideloading is an affront to reading.

I don't have to sideload. I have the 7" 950 model which has both 3G and Wi-fi. I also have a K3. I have all my bases covered.

[Ditchleyportrait]

Originally Posted by Salgueiros

...I don't see the connection between sideloading and the act of reading...

and why would i care about networking? i get all the books i want using my PC. I want my ebook reader to be an ebook reader, not a wannabe tablet...

sideloading takes a lot more time for me than to just click and read. i spent nearly 4 hours fiddling around with calibre one night, and that told me that i'm lucky to get most of my books in 5-10 seconds with the 3g.

i realize that sideloading isn't usually that time consuming, but it is annoying.

you know actually i'll take back what i said. the convenience of 3g/wifi isn't necessarily game changing. sideloading doesn't usually take that long at all.

i see why someone wouldn't care if they had networking capabilities on their ereader.

sorry ppl, i definitely overstated my case.

maybe i'll click the link and see what the sony v kindle determination really entailed instead of shooting my mouth off about a base argument for 'which one is better'.

i almost regret "going there" in the first place rattling off reasons why kindle is better.

who gives a rat's @$$ anyway?

the 3g is just there to get ppl to buy more from amazon anyway. in that way the 650 is a lot more of an honest choice.

[RainingLemur]

Ah... Now it's getting better.

I like my Kindle. It works for me. I also like my Nook Color. It performs all my "tablet" functions admirably. That said, I do believe that Sony's readers are VERY good devices. If I didn't get my Kindle for free (pretty much), I may have held out for one of the Sony models.

But, being a beast of opportunity, I grabbed a Kindle since I wasn't paying for it. It works for me. I always figure that it shouldn't matter what ereader you get, just that you have an ereader and a love for reading. That's ultimately what brings us all together here at MR. The rest is just details.

[Boston]

I agree that which is better depends on the individual. I have both a Kindle and a Sony PRS-650. So does my mother.

The Sony is my preferred reader hands down - library borrowing and the size (for my use, the Kindle's keyboard is wasted space). Side-loading/converting doesn't bother me. Plus I like managing my library locally through Calibre versus on-line with Amazon anyway. I also have come to love the touchscreen (although that is an added bonus since I preferred my Sony even when it was a PRS-505).

But my mother, who is less tech savvy, loves her Kindle. The ease of downloading books and she isn't a touchscreen person. Although she has used her Sony, she never did really take to it and always goes back to her Kindle.

My experiences with Amazon's customer service is far better than Sony's. Although, between my mother's readers and mine, I have only had to use Sony's customer service once and Amazon's several times.

The main reason I use my Kindle is because I still find the Kindle book store superior for one-stop shopping and the ability to share books with my mother (our Kindles are on the same account). I also use it for the NY Times Latest News updates.

(I have a rooted Nook Color but don't use it as an e-book reader at all).

[GraceKrispy]

I absolutely love my sony 650. It's the perfect reader for my needs. I don't buy very many books, I actually prefer sideloading (I like having it on my computer as a backup without and extra step), and call me paranoid, but I like not having an ereader connected to anything.

No other ereader out there has really tempted me to change. I adore my sony

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Do you have a 650 or just a 600? The 650 is just so much nicer. Upgraded interface although similar. But the IR touch works so much better then the touch layer. Plus the Pearl screen without a touch layer is so nice.

I have a 350, Jon.

[hols57]

Originally Posted by Boston

I agree that which is better depends on the individual. I have both a Kindle and a Sony PRS-650. So does my mother.

The Sony is my preferred reader hands down - library borrowing and the size (for my use, the Kindle's keyboard is wasted space). Side-loading/converting doesn't bother me. Plus I like managing my library locally through Calibre versus on-line with Amazon anyway. I also have come to love the touchscreen (although that is an added bonus since I preferred my Sony even when it was a PRS-505).

But my mother, who is less tech savvy, loves her Kindle. The ease of downloading books and she isn't a touchscreen person. Although she has used her Sony, she never did really take to it and always goes back to her Kindle.

My experiences with Amazon's customer service is far better than Sony's. Although, between my mother's readers and mine, I have only had to use Sony's customer service once and Amazon's several times.

The main reason I use my Kindle is because I still find the Kindle book store superior for one-stop shopping and the ability to share books with my mother (our Kindles are on the same account). I also use it for the NY Times Latest News updates.

(I have a rooted Nook Color but don't use it as an e-book reader at all).

Sony's 'Helpline' is a joke! I'm having problems with my 300 and they just keep telling me how to download! I'm seriously thinking about getting a Kindle instead.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Ditchleyportrait

i don't care what ppl buy but saying a reader that doesn't have networking capabilities and costs more is better is a bald faced lie.

Have you considered the possibility that some people might value features other than networking? To call someone's personal preference "a bald faced lie" is a little over the top.

[DiapDealer]

RE networking: Other than making sure it would work as advertised (shortly after purchase), I can't think of the last time I've used any of the networking features of my Kindle. I don't think side-loading (or not) has a damn thing to do with reading.

I love the Amazon book store, but I'm just not sure my next reader will be a Kindle. Mostly because of aesthetic reasons. I'm a K2 user--and I love it--but the K3 just feels cheaper and less solid to me; and I hate the skinny page-turn buttons and the d-pad. I just haven't found a comfortable way to hold a K3 yet. And BTW, there's a K3 in my household, so I've had ample time to warm up to it and haven't. So unless the next generation of Kindles actually _adds_ some real substance to its "style," count me out. But I certainly won't complain if my K2 lasts forever, either.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Phogg

If Kindle had Epub support (or Sony had Topaz) would you still?

If Sony had Topaz support, we'd have to drop them big time.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Ditchleyportrait

sideloading is an affront to reading. if you're paying more guap than for a kindle, then you have to sideload. that is just sad.

it doesn't even have wifi. sideloading is an affront to reading.

Mobipocket is an affront to eBooks and you know what AZW is under the DRM.

[HarryT]

Topaz is actually pretty good. It lets you have formatting as complex as PDF, but with the benefits of reflow.

There are some poor Topaz files out there, but well done ones can be exceptionally good.

Don't knock it!

[aceflor]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

If Sony had Topaz support, we'd have to drop them big time.

+1

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by RainingLemur

Ah... Now it's getting better.

I like my Kindle. It works for me. I also like my Nook Color. It performs all my "tablet" functions admirably. That said, I do believe that Sony's readers are VERY good devices. If I didn't get my Kindle for free (pretty much), I may have held out for one of the Sony models.

But, being a beast of opportunity, I grabbed a Kindle since I wasn't paying for it. It works for me. I always figure that it shouldn't matter what ereader you get, just that you have an ereader and a love for reading. That's ultimately what brings us all together here at MR. The rest is just details.

What actually matters most is what format the eBooks are in. Amazon is using a very good system of smoke and mirrors to sell you obsolescence and vendor lock-in. Mobpocket/AZW is obsolete and given that the DRM used by AZW gives you vendor lock-in, you really are not getting a good value for your money. ePub is a world wide format. AZW is an Amazon format. The problem is that Amazon is giving you an inferior product. Mobipocket is akin to buying cassette tapes and when you want to upgrade to play CDs, you have to ditch your tapes.