Sony v Kindle

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by elcreative

Sorry bookworm_girl but I wasn't clear... The person I responded to was UK based and I was talking about the UK ad campaign which was spread over several months and didn't use US celebrities but no-name actors as the reader was the point of the ads...

You're right that Amazon are conducting a major UK advertising campaign at present: I've noticed, for example, that they often have the whole back page of the "Radio Times". Sony did advertise their Reader extensively in the UK when it was launched here a couple of years ago, but they don't seem to be actively advertising at present.

[evwool]

Originally Posted by AlexBell

I'm only surprised that the scores are so close. I have both a Sony 650 and a Kindle 3, and very rarely bother with the Kindle.

Alex, that's useful to know - it's my birthday soon and I'd like one or the other of these two e-readers - but please could you list why you prefer the Sony.

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by elcreative

Sorry bookworm_girl but I wasn't clear... The person I responded to was UK based and I was talking about the UK ad campaign which was spread over several months and didn't use US celebrities but no-name actors as the reader was the point of the ads...

No problem. The last question of carpetmojo's post was "Is it the same Stateside?" and that's what led to the confusion and what I was responding to.

It's interesting that the UK campaign was focused on the features of the ereader whereas our campaign was focused on testimonials of celebrities (which I didn't really find to be believable and convincing anyway). I find the difference in the US and UK Sony Style websites to be interesting too. I haven't looked at the UK site recently, but it also used to have more videos highlighting features and user interface with the device than the US website. The Kindle and Nook ads are also more feature-focused.

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by Rizla

Re: the light, I have a mightybright travelflex. It is very light and runs on one (rechargeable) AAA battery. It clips to the standard case and is not heavy or imbalanced.

I have a Mighty Bright as well. I find I don't care for the more pin-point light. The Verilux gives a nice, even light over the Sony screen, so I prefer it despite it being top-heavy. So much of this is just a matter of personal preference.... No one will ever create the perfect ereader, or the perfect light.

[Lilly]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

I've owned 4 different Kindles.... none of them have creaked, nor have they cracked. Neither have my Sonys.

All mined does at one point or another. I hate the noise when you change pages (there a noticeable creak). It gets louder the longer you have the reader. I don't know if it's because debris gets into the crack. My 1st Kindle was a K1 in 2008 which I sold here to get the K2 the day it was announced. I gave the K2 away a year later and bought the wifi only K3 which I still have.

By the way, I still have my PRS-505 (my very 1st reader that I bought in December of 2007) and I can still use it. In fact I took it for a week vacation to Orlando, Florida visiting different parks and it worked perfectly. It was small enough to fit in my cargo short pockets so I was able to keep it while waiting in lines since most of the parks force you to put all belongings in lockers before each ride. Plus, I would not have been devastated if I lost it doing a ride and I only own Sony's 7-inch readers beside my PRS-505.

[pidgeon92]

Yep, there is a noticeable clicking noise when you use the page turn keys. However, it's only noticeable (to me) when I'm paying attention. Which I rarely do.

[EatingPie]

Long post, but thorough! A while back, I participated in a focus group comparing E-Readers.

I have owned every iteration of the Sony, and currently have the PRS-650 and PRS-350. I have never owned a Kindle K3, but I compared it pretty thoroughly in the group.

Size/Ergonomics

The Sony's win on this count, hand's down (or up, see below!). They are incredibly light, even though mostly made of metal. And if you consider the PRS-350, it's like holding a feather.

Actually, these are so light, that the covers (Sony basic leather) add a substantial amount of weight. Of course, that's "substantial" in relative terms; you easily notice it. My wife actually hates reading with the cover on for this very reason!

I would not necessarily call the Kindle heavy. If I were to pick it up on its own, I'd be happy. But when doing a side-by-side, I want to call it heavy!

I read one-handed, and always have. Annoying with paper books, since you need two hands to turn pages. With the PRS-*50, I use my thumb on the page button, and am one-handed all the way. I could not figure out how to manage this comfortably with the Kindle. A little too much reach for me... and I'm very flexible!

Plus, the weight makes a difference too. Fatigue sets in much earlier on the Kindle than the Sony; again, particularly the PRS-350!

Speed

A tie with a caveat.

From main interface to random book page, the K3 jumps around pretty quickly. On the Sony side, a large book gives that thrice-damned spinning-arrow way too often. And in reading Fellowship of the Ring ePUB, my PRS-350 has spun three times just on a page turn!

However, in terms of page-to-page turning between the K3 and PRS-650 (more fair comparison than the PRS-350), I didn't notice any difference. This is what you do far more often than anything else, so that's why I consider speed a wash.

Screen.

The Kindle screen is better. Not a knock-down-drag-out-blow-your-socks-off better. A TAD better. You probably would never notice unless you had the two side-by-side and were really looking for it, but the difference is there.

Okay, now I know what you are thinking: they're the same screen! Nope!

The Sony uses a slightly glossier screen. Sort of like the difference between the new generation of laptop screens, coming in either glossy (the Sony) or matte (the Kindle)... not nearly as dramatic as laptops by any means, but that's the difference I see.

The Kindle is "duller" in terms of external reflections, so it's easier to read. You don't see reflections off paper, do you? That's one reason I preferred the Kindle.

Now before I go on, something bears repeating: the difference is very, very slight. If you didn't hold them side-by-side, you wouldn't notice. You may not even if you do have them next to each other. But I was pretty thorough, and everyone else I asked said they could see it too. Again, very slight, but still there.

I also like the Kindle because the font creates greater contrast between the letters and the background. Again, we aren't talking night-and-day here, but it's still a definite advantage. Each iteration of the e-Ink screen has been an improvement; the background becomes a little less "greyish," the "ink" becomes a little darker (aka contrast ratio improves). However, it's been small increments, and the resolution remains unchanged. So anything -- anything -- you can do in software to help... well it shows. And that's why Amazon's font really makes a difference. You can tell it's easier on the eyes. And, personally, I also like the font's style.

If it purely came down to the screen/font, I would certainly pick the Kindle over the Sony. As I said, it's a tad better. But at this point the game, e-Ink is about subtleties, and when you take the Kindle's more "matte" display together with their awesome font, it's the winner.

Kindle or Reader?

You can't go wrong with either!

I think the Sony's industrial design is sublime, a work of art. But Amazon's reading experience (software) is a bit better. But, remember, if you weren't looking at them side-by-side, and paying attention you probably wouldn't even notice (with the exception of the font).

So it's still a tough call, or my fall back: can't go wrong with either.

-Pie

[Ditchleyportrait]

,,,,,,,,,,,

[hols57]

I have ditched my Sony 300 because it developed a software fault, and went out today and bought a Kindle. So far, so good - easy to download anyway.....

[Richey79]

Originally Posted by EatingPie

Screen.

The Kindle screen is better. Not a knock-down-drag-out-blow-your-socks-off better. A TAD better. You probably would never notice unless you had the two side-by-side and were really looking for it, but the difference is there.

Okay, now I know what you are thinking: they're the same screen! Nope!

The Sony uses a slightly glossier screen. Sort of like the difference between the new generation of laptop screens, coming in either glossy (the Sony) or matte (the Kindle)... not nearly as dramatic as laptops by any means, but that's the difference I see.

The Kindle is "duller" in terms of external reflections, so it's easier to read. You don't see reflections off paper, do you? That's one reason I preferred the Kindle.

-Pie

I agree that the screens are different. The blacks on the Sony look deeper and the background lighter, making it easier to read in low-light. I suspect you're right that it makes the Kindle slightly more pleasant to read from / a more paper-like experience in direct sunlight.

[carpetmojo]

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

.................I find the difference in the US and UK Sony Style websites to be interesting too. I haven't looked at the UK site recently, but it also used to have more videos highlighting features and user interface with the device than the US website. .............

And are you by any chance feeling a lot older ??

The UK/Euro site must be up there alongside the clunkiest, slowest, most contrary site in computerdom !

I compare it with here, and V Forums, or rather I don't, 'cos there's no comparison !
How a high-tech company like Sony can't get a decent website up I have no idea.

And, if I can find a week or two to spare to investigate (! yes, it is that bad...but p'raps it's just me...) I must try to find these videao's, never seen them before........

[Terisa de morgan]

I've played around a it with K3 and I own a Sony 350 and Sony 650. I mainly use Sony 350 because of the size (I carry around almost always my reader and 6" readers are too bigs for if t -at least for me). K3 has two points that put it out of the market FOR ME: size (as I've said, I prefer 5") and no covers at the library: sorry, this means cheap software for me, as if I come back to terminal instead of PC, perhaps I'm too vain, but it' my like. And dictionary use is quite easier at Sony than K3 (I've had an Opus, so I know what I talk about), and I read mainly in foreign language -English- so dictionary is a main concern.

Wi-Fi is not a selling point for me: no book gets virgin into my reader, I modify them according to my likes (pricky, yes, but I can afford to modify css and html as I like them), and I don't keep all my books in calibre (I mainly use it for converting purposes), so access to calibre server is not a main point for me.

Sony versus Kindle? None is better than the other in a general way (cheaper yes, better no), they only fit better for some persons than other.

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by carpetmojo

And are you by any chance feeling a lot older ??

The UK/Euro site must be up there alongside the clunkiest, slowest, most contrary site in computerdom !

I compare it with here, and V Forums, or rather I don't, 'cos there's no comparison !
How a high-tech company like Sony can't get a decent website up I have no idea.

And, if I can find a week or two to spare to investigate (! yes, it is that bad...but p'raps it's just me...) I must try to find these videao's, never seen them before........

Perhaps my post wasn't clear. I'm not talking about a forum. I mean the product sale pages. These links here:
http://www.sony.co.uk/hub/ebook-reader
http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/sto...ortable_Reader

I haven't looked at the UK website since last year. It's different now. The video has been replaced with a slideshow. Stlll, I think the UK pages are much better at selling the key features and showing people interacting with the devices. The first page of the website is to draw you in with topics like "Introduce me", "Why would you want a reader", "What makes the reader different" , "Find the perfect reader for you", "More about my Reader". The language is personal, the people are casual and attractive, the colors emphasize the purple of the Reader logo, etc. There's a YouTube video of a guy demonstrating key features. This type of layout reminds more of the Kindle and Nook adverts here.

On the other hand, the US store takes you to an intro page where you aren't meant to linger and wants you to jump straight to the technical product pages. They couldn't even be bothered to update all of the images to show the latest models! They have added videos since they last time that I looked, but they put them on the individual product pages rather than a "why should I buy" page like the UK site. And, the videos are not that great. Like a guy in a business suit sitting on a park bench loosening his tie with bad lounge music in the background really makes me want to use an ereader... Office workers and business travelers must be the target market for Sony in the US. Or, there is a video of Martha Stewart but she spends her time talking about her reading blog rather than the reader.

[carpetmojo]

Bookworm Girl - gotcha , thatmakes it clear - but are those pages lightning fast, I wonder ? [Not prepared to risk more old age looking !]

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by carpetmojo

Bookworm Girl - gotcha , thatmakes it clear - but are those pages lightning fast, I wonder ? [Not prepared to risk more old age looking !]

They are for me, but I suppose it depends on your connection to the internet.