Should I switch to Kindle from Sony?

gdaydigger · 08-17-2010, 11:54 AM

Hi

I have a Sony PRS 600, my first e-reader. Firstly, let me say that I will never go back to paper-based books -- I am a devout convert. Whilst I am pretty happy with my Sony I have a couple of grievances, namely screen glare and contrast, and the inability to upload books that can only be found on Amazon's US site (not on Kobo/BoB/darknet etc). So, I am considering changing to a Kindle but I have a few questions/concerns that hopefully you can help me with:

1. I live in Asia and so potentially face the problem of geographic restrictions. With Borders and several other sites there are work arounds (gift certificates/proxy servers etc) that enable me to get the required books on to my Sony but I would be pretty cheesed off if I switched to a Kindle in order to access Amazon-only books but find I am blocked from doing so because I am outside of the US. Any thoughts/advice (if necessary please PM me)?

2. I buy all my books using my Mac/USB upload and do not envisage ever buying books on a Kindle through the device itself or browsing the internet on it (why why why ??? -- that's what an iphone/smart phone is for) and so whispernet/3g/wifi is meaningless to me. For those, who have used other devices before switching to a Kindle, is the better screen contrast/lack of glare a sufficient reason in itself to make the switch?

3. I occasionally obtain books from the darknet or Burgomeister etc -- can these be uploaded to the Kindle via USB? Would I need to convert them using Calibre? What is the best format?

4. I have no use for the keyboard on the Kindle other than to occasionally search a book for previous references to names etc. With my Sony I often hold the reader along the bottom. I assume that this is not possible on the Kindle and that the only place to hold it is along its vertical sides (making sure you don't hit the page turn button by mistake) -- correct?

5. Whilst Sony's Reader Library is pretty limited in functions etc it does nevertheless provide a fairly decent place to store my ebooks, and files them all neatly under Documents-MyBooks-ReaderLibrary on my Mac. Is there a default place where Kindle books, once downloaded to my Mac from Amazon, are kept? How, where and in what application do you recommend I combine my existing ebook collection with Amazon purchases? I don't want to end up with ebooks scattered all over my Mac.

Sorry for the "beginner's" questions but I want to make sure I am doing the right thing before migrating from my pretty decent first ereader. Any thoughts/comments from others who have already made the switch would be much appreciated.

Many thanks

nimblem · 08-17-2010, 12:08 PM

Should I switch to Kindle from Sony?

YES

Sydney's Mom · 08-17-2010, 12:28 PM

I am a US Kindle/Calibre user, so I speak from my perspective. I have no issue with geographical restrictions, and I can put library books on my kindle, so I have the kindle for the Amazon store. But you can get access to the Amazon store through kindle 4 pc, and I immediately remove drm anyway.

Although I love the Amazon store, I do not think mobi will be the long term format winner. That is why I remove drm - so I can convert books to another format and won't lose those books I have paid for.

I bought the new Kindle because the better resolution was worth $139, and my husband wants my K2. If I were happy with the Sony, and had no need for a kindle to access the Amazon store, I would wait for Sony to come out with the new screen (see News section) and replace my Sony. Or get the Kindle and have access to all!

Mike L · 08-17-2010, 12:43 PM

GDayDigger,

You've asked some good questions. I'm not qualified to answer them all, so I'll just try to answer the one about geographic restrictions.

It's no longer true that you can only buy Kindle books if you are in the US. If you go the page on the Amazon site from which they sell the new Kindle ("Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6" Display, Graphite, 3G Works Globally - Latest Generation"), and scroll down to where it says "Massive Selection", you'll see a link, "Check your country". You can then pick a country, and it will tell you all the country-specific information, including how many titles are available to you.

Also, if you browse the Kindle store from within that country, you'll see the actual titles available in the country (but priced in US dollars). That should give you a good idea about whether you'll be able to buy the books that interest you.

Keep in mind too that you don't have to buy your books from Amazon. The Kindle supports Mobi-format books, which are widely available from many public-domain sources and elsewhere.

I hope this helps.

JeremyZ · 08-17-2010, 12:47 PM

I'm not sure, as I bought a Kindle to start with. (US resident) But it seems to be that you will not be happy with Kindle due to geographic restrictions hassles. I'm not sure, but it seems that you're willing to hack a bit. That's way too much trouble for me.

I have never had an issue with screen contrast or glare on the Kindle. No experience with Sony.

I hold my Kindle in a variety of different ways, including along the bottom. I just hold it by the edge and keep my thumb off the keys. It seems to work well enough. Alternately, if you had the Kindle in some kind of book-style case, that should help too. (I have the Belkin neoprene sleeve for mine, rather than a book-style case)

Sorry I can't answer some of your more specific questions. I think you should repost this in the General forum. I suspect a lot of us Kindle folks bought our Kindles as our first reader and may not have experience with other readers. Most of us are probably US based too. You'll get a better variety of replies, including a lot from folks outside the USA in the General forum.

HarryT · 08-17-2010, 12:51 PM

The "Which one should I buy?" forum is the best place to get assistance with comparisons between devices.

Sydney's Mom · 08-18-2010, 05:17 PM

While you are reading, the keys don't work. So you can hold it by the bottom.

Solicitous · 08-18-2010, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nimblem

Should I switch to Kindle from Sony?

YES

That was helpful LOL.

I see you have a Pocket Pro and a Kindle DX. I've ordered my K3, out of curiosity how do you find the firmware on the Kindle compared to the Pocket Pro? More intuitive?

nimblem · 08-18-2010, 07:51 PM

I don't want to bad talk other people's work into their product... but in order to stay within the honesty realm it can't really be avoided. I had my PocketPro for five months, in that time I have had to send it back to be replaced four times. While I really miss being able to organize my books into folders, that is all I miss from it. The firmware was often buggy forcing my to restart the device several times during reading. The reader never hooked up properly to the computer and often needed to be reformatted as well as my SD card.

Main reasons for buying PocketPro

Reads just about every format
16 GB expandable SD Card
Color choices (red, black, blue, purple, pink, white)
Outstanding customer service

Reasons not to buy the PocketPro

Pealing paint
faulty firmware
not reliable

Please know this is just from my experience. The folder organization and expandable SD slot were my selling points when I bought it, however I would much rather have a reader that is dependable, than have one with the extra features that only works part of the time.....

Anyone want to buy a Pink Pocket Pro

JSWolf · 08-18-2010, 08:04 PM

You have a reader... stick with it and wait and see what Sony does before moving to a new platform.

Solicitous · 08-18-2010, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nimblem

Please know this is just from my experience. The folder organization and expandable SD slot were my selling points when I bought it, however I would much rather have a reader that is dependable, than have one with the extra features that only works part of the time.....

Very similar to me, the folder organisation and SD card. It started to frustrate me sometime ago with the huge array of 'supported' formats, yet only a few of them actually work. I'd rather a limited number that work well rather than a huge array that kind of work. The peeling paint didn't affect me but the fear of it did, and I ended up buying a new cover as the 'apparent' reason was the older covers. The form factor of the PP I think is great too, and I did seriously think about the updated 6" but at the price of the K3 with the new pearl screen and from what I have read, rather stable and reliable firmware/hardware, it was damn hard to go past.

That said I'm not going to get rid of the PP, means we'll now have two ereaders in the house, and having one support Amazon, and the other epub essentially means we can buy/borrow from everywhere and do it at the best price possible. I am certainly getting the feeling that the K3 will be great.

sirmaru · 08-18-2010, 10:17 PM

I have a Sony PRS 900 and just ordered the Kindle 3 LG WiFi. I like the prospective better contrast on the new kindle without glare.

The Sony PRS 900 does have some glare but has a bigger screen.

Plus, I like the Direct Verse Jump available on Kindle Bibles. Sony does not have this feature.

It certainly doesn't hurt to have 2 eReaders. You can always give one away as a gift.

nimblem · 08-19-2010, 12:39 PM

My son wants my PocketPro, but I dont think he's ready for it yet. When I asked him "Isaac why do you want mommy's old book?" He responds with "because I love to make it into pieces and build things" .... UGH!

Solicitous · 08-20-2010, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nimblem

My son wants my PocketPro, but I dont think he's ready for it yet. When I asked him "Isaac why do you want mommy's old book?" He responds with "because I love to make it into pieces and build things" .... UGH!

It'll solve the frustrations of poor firmware and the unit locking up wont it?

Myself personally I am all for my kids having an ereader each when they get older, but only as an extension of their love of books, not just so they have a new gadget.

nimblem · 08-20-2010, 08:33 AM

I agree... Isaac is a very unique kido. He has autism, and while he can't tell me simple things like letters, he can sit down and read A Tale of Cities with no problems. I am not sure he understands what he reads but it make schooling him a challenge.

08-17-2010, 11:54 AM	#1
gdaydigger Member Posts: 22 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: Sony PRS 600	Should I switch to Kindle from Sony? Hi I have a Sony PRS 600, my first e-reader. Firstly, let me say that I will never go back to paper-based books -- I am a devout convert. Whilst I am pretty happy with my Sony I have a couple of grievances, namely screen glare and contrast, and the inability to upload books that can only be found on Amazon's US site (not on Kobo/BoB/darknet etc). So, I am considering changing to a Kindle but I have a few questions/concerns that hopefully you can help me with: 1. I live in Asia and so potentially face the problem of geographic restrictions. With Borders and several other sites there are work arounds (gift certificates/proxy servers etc) that enable me to get the required books on to my Sony but I would be pretty cheesed off if I switched to a Kindle in order to access Amazon-only books but find I am blocked from doing so because I am outside of the US. Any thoughts/advice (if necessary please PM me)? 2. I buy all my books using my Mac/USB upload and do not envisage ever buying books on a Kindle through the device itself or browsing the internet on it (why why why ??? -- that's what an iphone/smart phone is for) and so whispernet/3g/wifi is meaningless to me. For those, who have used other devices before switching to a Kindle, is the better screen contrast/lack of glare a sufficient reason in itself to make the switch? 3. I occasionally obtain books from the darknet or Burgomeister etc -- can these be uploaded to the Kindle via USB? Would I need to convert them using Calibre? What is the best format? 4. I have no use for the keyboard on the Kindle other than to occasionally search a book for previous references to names etc. With my Sony I often hold the reader along the bottom. I assume that this is not possible on the Kindle and that the only place to hold it is along its vertical sides (making sure you don't hit the page turn button by mistake) -- correct? 5. Whilst Sony's Reader Library is pretty limited in functions etc it does nevertheless provide a fairly decent place to store my ebooks, and files them all neatly under Documents-MyBooks-ReaderLibrary on my Mac. Is there a default place where Kindle books, once downloaded to my Mac from Amazon, are kept? How, where and in what application do you recommend I combine my existing ebook collection with Amazon purchases? I don't want to end up with ebooks scattered all over my Mac. Sorry for the "beginner's" questions but I want to make sure I am doing the right thing before migrating from my pretty decent first ereader. Any thoughts/comments from others who have already made the switch would be much appreciated. Many thanks Last edited by Dr. Drib; 08-17-2010 at 04:06 PM.

08-17-2010, 12:28 PM	#3
Sydney's Mom Wizard Posts: 2,895 Karma: 6995721 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Idaho, on the side of a mountain Device: Kindle Oasis, Fire 3d Gen and 5th Gen and Samsung Tab S	I am a US Kindle/Calibre user, so I speak from my perspective. I have no issue with geographical restrictions, and I can put library books on my kindle, so I have the kindle for the Amazon store. But you can get access to the Amazon store through kindle 4 pc, and I immediately remove drm anyway. Although I love the Amazon store, I do not think mobi will be the long term format winner. That is why I remove drm - so I can convert books to another format and won't lose those books I have paid for. I bought the new Kindle because the better resolution was worth $139, and my husband wants my K2. If I were happy with the Sony, and had no need for a kindle to access the Amazon store, I would wait for Sony to come out with the new screen (see News section) and replace my Sony. Or get the Kindle and have access to all! Last edited by Sydney's Mom; 08-20-2010 at 11:23 PM.

08-18-2010, 10:17 PM	#12
sirmaru Wizard Posts: 2,426 Karma: 6561538 Join Date: Nov 2007 Device: Kindle PW 2013, HDX 2013, Galaxy S5 2014	Use BOTH I have a Sony PRS 900 and just ordered the Kindle 3 LG WiFi. I like the prospective better contrast on the new kindle without glare. The Sony PRS 900 does have some glare but has a bigger screen. Plus, I like the Direct Verse Jump available on Kindle Bibles. Sony does not have this feature. It certainly doesn't hurt to have 2 eReaders. You can always give one away as a gift.

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08-17-2010, 12:08 PM	#2
nimblem Addict Posts: 304 Karma: 7102 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Pocket Pro, Kindle Dx	Should I switch to Kindle from Sony? YES

08-17-2010, 12:43 PM	#4
Mike L Wizard Posts: 1,479 Karma: 3846231 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Device: Kindle 3, Samsung Galaxy	GDayDigger, You've asked some good questions. I'm not qualified to answer them all, so I'll just try to answer the one about geographic restrictions. It's no longer true that you can only buy Kindle books if you are in the US. If you go the page on the Amazon site from which they sell the new Kindle ("Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6" Display, Graphite, 3G Works Globally - Latest Generation"), and scroll down to where it says "Massive Selection", you'll see a link, "Check your country". You can then pick a country, and it will tell you all the country-specific information, including how many titles are available to you. Also, if you browse the Kindle store from within that country, you'll see the actual titles available in the country (but priced in US dollars). That should give you a good idea about whether you'll be able to buy the books that interest you. Keep in mind too that you don't have to buy your books from Amazon. The Kindle supports Mobi-format books, which are widely available from many public-domain sources and elsewhere. I hope this helps.

08-17-2010, 12:47 PM	#5
JeremyZ Addict Posts: 303 Karma: 1000702 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Chicago Device: Nook ST, Kindle 2, Samsung Galaxy Stellar phone	I'm not sure, as I bought a Kindle to start with. (US resident) But it seems to be that you will not be happy with Kindle due to geographic restrictions hassles. I'm not sure, but it seems that you're willing to hack a bit. That's way too much trouble for me. I have never had an issue with screen contrast or glare on the Kindle. No experience with Sony. I hold my Kindle in a variety of different ways, including along the bottom. I just hold it by the edge and keep my thumb off the keys. It seems to work well enough. Alternately, if you had the Kindle in some kind of book-style case, that should help too. (I have the Belkin neoprene sleeve for mine, rather than a book-style case) Sorry I can't answer some of your more specific questions. I think you should repost this in the General forum. I suspect a lot of us Kindle folks bought our Kindles as our first reader and may not have experience with other readers. Most of us are probably US based too. You'll get a better variety of replies, including a lot from folks outside the USA in the General forum.

08-17-2010, 12:51 PM	#6
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	The "Which one should I buy?" forum is the best place to get assistance with comparisons between devices.

08-18-2010, 05:17 PM	#7
Sydney's Mom Wizard Posts: 2,895 Karma: 6995721 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Idaho, on the side of a mountain Device: Kindle Oasis, Fire 3d Gen and 5th Gen and Samsung Tab S	While you are reading, the keys don't work. So you can hold it by the bottom.

08-18-2010, 07:51 PM	#9
nimblem Addict Posts: 304 Karma: 7102 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Pocket Pro, Kindle Dx	I don't want to bad talk other people's work into their product... but in order to stay within the honesty realm it can't really be avoided. I had my PocketPro for five months, in that time I have had to send it back to be replaced four times. While I really miss being able to organize my books into folders, that is all I miss from it. The firmware was often buggy forcing my to restart the device several times during reading. The reader never hooked up properly to the computer and often needed to be reformatted as well as my SD card. Main reasons for buying PocketPro Reads just about every format 16 GB expandable SD Card Color choices (red, black, blue, purple, pink, white) Outstanding customer service Reasons not to buy the PocketPro Pealing paint faulty firmware not reliable Please know this is just from my experience. The folder organization and expandable SD slot were my selling points when I bought it, however I would much rather have a reader that is dependable, than have one with the extra features that only works part of the time..... Anyone want to buy a Pink Pocket Pro

08-18-2010, 08:04 PM	#10
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,887 Karma: 128597114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	You have a reader... stick with it and wait and see what Sony does before moving to a new platform.

08-19-2010, 12:39 PM	#13
nimblem Addict Posts: 304 Karma: 7102 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Pocket Pro, Kindle Dx	My son wants my PocketPro, but I dont think he's ready for it yet. When I asked him "Isaac why do you want mommy's old book?" He responds with "because I love to make it into pieces and build things" .... UGH!

08-20-2010, 08:33 AM	#15
nimblem Addict Posts: 304 Karma: 7102 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Pocket Pro, Kindle Dx	I agree... Isaac is a very unique kido. He has autism, and while he can't tell me simple things like letters, he can sit down and read A Tale of Cities with no problems. I am not sure he understands what he reads but it make schooling him a challenge.