Glad to see Amazon Kindles gradually overtake Sony Readers

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by doreenjoy

I had an iPad for a couple of weeks this summer. I found it a little mystifying how to load books onto the device, even though I'm familiar with iTunes and I use the Sony Library.

YMMV.

I agree. It definitely wasn't intuitive to me either. I had to google to figure out how to sideload files to iBooks. But once you figure out the process, it isn't difficult to implement thereafter. Many people, however, probably don't want to go through that effort.

I don't mind having several apps, one for each bookstore. I just grouped them all into an ebooks folder. I am very happy there is a Sony app coming soon. It's much simpler! And often, I prefer to email myself a PDF to read on my iPhone rather than bother with iBooks. The Overdrive app only supports audiobooks, but they plan to release a new version very soon which also will allow you to download ebooks from your library account.

[kartu]

On idevices, if yoiu insist, my real life experience with ipod touch 2nd gen, that I bought for my mom a couple of years ago:

Act one, iPod Touch 2nd gen and me on my own:
1) I open the box, see nice looking device, switch it on, it says "connect me". Oh well.
2) I connect it, it asks me to install iTunes. Quite annoying, but what could I do, I corrupt my notebook with iTunes, that I find neither intuitive, nor nice looking, nor do I have any need in an extra pgoram to work with my files..
3) I convert (without using any ithingies) some of my own videos and oh, there are no folders, but horray, at least it works, I've put my videos there, cool! Now I want to copy the pictures from my PC, and we are done.
4) I connect mentioned piece of hardware to my PC. Oh, "install itunes" again. I swear and corrupt my nice PC with iTunes.
5) I want to see what's there on the device. Whoa, I can not. "That's impossible" I say, "I'm probably too confused with iTunes interface". I would understand if files were DRMed, but they weren't
6) I try copy pictures to the device. Some strange dialog saying "...ovewritten..." appears. Hooray, I've copied my pictures from the PC, now I can cleanse it from iTunes, haliluia!
7) Holy smoke, videos where deleted in the process. It cannot be,I say, how come, I can neither get stuff from my own device, nor put it there, from more than one source, are they nuts? I probably have missed something.

Act two, brainstorming with colleagues
1) The next day, I talk to my jobbsophile colleagues (I have quite a few), about the situation, asking how to make the damned iTunes thing copy my pictures, without overwriting my videos.
2) Shock and awe. We can't find a way to put stuff into damn thing or read it from there and start to look workarounds.
3) Colleagues from non-IT department start to explain, why this restriction is a good thing. I fail to grasp any of their arguments, but after being told that this is actually a good thing, I'm forced to believe it is. Colleagues from IT department don't say a word.
4) We've found workaround one, I copy all the stuff I want to either PC or notebook, put it into the device. Then burn a DVD with the stuff, so that mom could later add her own files, without losing everything. So fantastically comfortable, I can't believe it. But we have a solution, HALLELUJAH!
6) "There is an app for that" Someone figures you could install some wireless app that woud (OMG OMG OMG) allow you to put and acces your own files on the device. Now who would dare to say this piece of... hardware isn't user fierndly?!?!?

Act three, The Walkman
1) I log into amazon site, to express my gratitude to Apple in general and Jobbs in particular. So that other users, who don't quite get it from the reviews (because bloody reviews do not mention these uninteresting details about how Apple cares about you and protects you from yourself and from the confusion freedom might cause)
2) I spot "Sony Walkman 828" device. Some unholy power takes control of my finger and I order it.
3) It arrives, I unpack it, very nice looking device, but it doesn't ask me to connect it. I'm shocked.
4) I connect it to my notebook. It identifies it. Shocked again, I'm desperately looking for a program to corrupt my notebook with. I can't find any. With trembling fingers (whether English speakers say so or not), I convert and copy my videos to the device. It works. I become very suspicious.
5) I connect Sony Walkman 828 to my PC. It again doesn't ask me to corrupt my PC with some program. Sinister. I copy images over to the device. It doesn't show my dialogs with "...overwrite...". How user unfriendly.
6) It supports folder structure. I start to smell sulfur...
6) Finally I give it to my mom. She says "oh, these headphones are much better than those from previous thingy". Obviously she doesn't have a clue.

Now, I'm still not sure that all that I've described is real. Every time I've heard "walkman" before, they were talking about ancient tape device, made by romans.
I suspect I've gone crazy and am typing this in my fantasies on imaginary notebook while sitting in a psychiatric hospital.

Originally Posted by Halk

I agree with you on Apple, I won't give them a coin, but what happened with Anand and nVidia?

Kinda offtopic: After "kind request" from nVidia, Anand "first refused" but then, because of some ridiculous reasons "on his own" decided to include overclocked, cherry picked, hardly available card from nVidia into review of new ATI cards running at stock clock. The fact that nvidia's card was overclocked wasn't even visible on most charts. Previously iPhone dissapeared from a number of side by side comparison shots, where it would look unfavourable (it was obvious from the charts, that it had inferior screen). When article's author was asked "why is iphone missing on those photos" answer was "oh, I've just forgotten it in my pocket".

After writing unfavorable article about nVidia card, Anand has once missed very important launch (they simply didn't get the cards) so I guess it "taught them a lesson". Marketing people simply tell reviewers what to do, on which features to focus and so on, nowadays it has become a norm...

[Halk]

Originally Posted by kartu

Kinda offtopic: After "kind request" from nVidia, Anand "first refused" but then, because of some ridiculous reasons "on his own" decided to include overclocked, cherry picked, hardly available card from nVidia into review of new ATI cards running at stock clock. The fact that nvidia's card was overclocked wasn't even visible on most charts. Previously iPhone dissapeared from a number of side by side comparison shots, where it would look unfavourable (it was obvious from the charts, that it had inferior screen). When article's author was asked "why is iphone missing on those photos" answer was "oh, I've just forgotten it in my pocket".

After writing unfavorable article about nVidia card, Anand has once missed very important launch (they simply didn't get the cards) so I guess it "taught them a lesson". Marketing people simply tell reviewers what to do, on which features to focus and so on, nowadays it has become a norm...

Ah, I've noticed that with reviews going back to the 80s. Nothing quite as clear as that, but it's obvious that the bigger the company is the better the reviews will be.

[lack]

Originally Posted by kartu

3) Colleagues from non-IT department start to explain, why this restriction is a good thing. I fail to grasp any of their arguments, but after being told that this is actually a good thing, I'm forced to believe it is. Colleagues from IT department don't say a word.
.....
(because bloody reviews do not mention these uninteresting details about how Apple cares about you and protects you from yourself and from the confusion freedom might cause)

Spot on. That is Apple summed up for ya.

There was the time when all reviewer say something along the line of "if you are XXX kinda person..." or "if XXX sounds good to you..." then "this product might work for you..". But nowadays it's all left for the readers to find out. Heck, they might not now what they want

Wow, didn't know Anand has that kind of story too. But I still dig their review. I wouldn't know where to go if they too have gone astray

[SeaBookGuy]

I know absolutely nothing about iTunes myself, but to hear some folks describe their experience, it's the greatest software ever invented!

Off-topic posts can be interesting if well written, as this one certainly was, including the expression "trembling fingers" - LOL!

[harriska2]

I don't care about the ebook store, myself. I have found nice tools so that I can read legally purchased ebooks on my sony or ipad. I'd gladly spend $14.99 on an ebook that I can manipulate and make use of than $14.99 on same book from Costco - I don't have to drive, I don't have to sell it/give it away, and I don't have to continually lose my place in the book. Some day publishers/online ebook sellers will figure this fact out so that I don't have to use the tools but instead purchase their books at a reasonable price and then go about my business.

[harriska2]

OK, having read thru all the posts on this thread, I have to agree with the op (original poster). The kindle forum is huge because they are now selling kindles at an irresistible price. The sony forum is less busy because they put out some really bad products, their marketing & support sucks, and they are expensive. That said, their new products are great. In trading in my Kindle 3 for the Sony 650, I figured at worst case if I need support, I hope it is at a point to where the Sony is so old I might as well upgrade to something newer at the time.

That said, the ipad is wonderful for pdfs. I have big honkers (image PDFs) that I load on the ipad and can make notes directly on the pages just like the sony - using good reader. It is still an impressive device.

[edbro]

Originally Posted by harriska2

The sony forum is less busy because they put out some really bad products

Really? Is that why a lot of of are willing to pay $90 more for the Sony over the Kindle? I don't think so. We are willing to pay more because the Sony is a quality product. I've owned both the PRS-505 and the PRS-650 and I couldn't be happier.

Sure, if plastic is your thing, then maybe the Kindle isn't that bad. I prefer a quality build that reads epubs.

[grooks]

Originally Posted by edbro

I prefer a quality build that reads epubs.

And epubs that I can get from my public library. That is important to me.

[JWLaRue]

I think there are more Kindle owners on the forum because the Sony owners are.......reading on their e-readers.

-Jeff

[NNolan]

Edbro - I think Harriska was referring to the 600/900 with the blurry touchscreens as bad products. We're all fans of the new *50 models.

[Lilly]

Originally Posted by harriska2

OK, having read thru all the posts on this thread, I have to agree with the op (original poster). The kindle forum is huge because they are now selling kindles at an irresistible price. The sony forum is less busy because they put out some really bad products, their marketing & support sucks, and they are expensive. That said, their new products are great. In trading in my Kindle 3 for the Sony 650, I figured at worst case if I need support, I hope it is at a point to where the Sony is so old I might as well upgrade to something newer at the time.

I agree with you. But I also believe the Sony form factor is one of the best. And aesthetically, nothing beat a Sony Reader in my opinion. The PRS-950 is a great value, you are getting a lot for the $299 ($249 permanently would be a great target price). Also, the touch technology for e-ink is pretty expensive at this moment (the Sony Rep mentioned that on my Sony Forum). The previous clarity issues is not the only reason that Amazon has not released a touchscreen reader. If I have to pay a little more for touchscreen, then I'm fine with that since I don't think I will be able to love any reader without the touch technology!

[jaxx6166]

You know, if it wasn't for MR, I would have bought a K1 a long time ago.. When I first came here all those years ago, the Kindle had just come out and the news was making a big freakin' deal about it. So I trolled the interwebs and eventually discovered MobileRead and promptly bought myself a Sony-505, which I didn't know existed prior to joining MR.

And now I've got a 350 and a 650...and my Kindle sits gathering dust.

[Salgueiros]

I have a both Sony and a Kindle DX and i can say that the Sony readers are way better built and give me a better reading experience than the Kindle. Not to mention that they are (specially the latest ones) a LOT more beautiful than the kindle. I do have a feeling i am reading a book with the Sony 350 while with the Kindle, i can never abstract of the fact that i am reading in a kind of tablet with keyboard... looks like a modified and simplified computer.
In the Sony the experience really comes close to a real book. It is soo simple and pleasant to read in it!

[mbelec]

I, too, started researching before buying the kindle that was in all the news and found Mobileread. After reading up on all the options I, too, decided on a Sony. I like being able to read anything from anywhere, don't want to be tied to one bookseller, and I also like the solidness of my red metal frame. I just want a dedicated reader and am not interested in going online with it. I bought a 600 a year or so ago, but just upgraded to the 650 because the screen is so much better (hubby gave it to me for my birthday). I tried out a friends kindle but didn't like that so much of the device was taken up by a keyboard I would never use, and the plastic casing. But I'm glad there are so many devices to choose from; if there was just one, we'd all be locked into buying everything from them!