What reasons would you give for not buying a Kindle?

[melliz]

I have an old RCA 1100 and obviously it has had it's issues. I'm looking for a new unit and would like imput on whether I should be looking for a Kindle or a Sony. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[HarryT]

What reasons would you give for not buying a Kindle?

The fact that Amazon won't sell me one.

[melliz]

why wouldn't Amazon sell you one?

[HarryT]

For the same reason they won't sell one to 95% of the planetary population - I don't live in the USA .

[zelda_pinwheel]

actually i wouldn't buy a kindle because it doesn't have epub support. but if they add that (which they *could* do, via a firmware update, although so far there is no indication they are planning to) it does have a lot of great features.

sony does support epub on both the 505 and the 700.

[zelda_pinwheel]

(funny question... usually people are looking for reasons in favor of buying a device !)

[rhadin]

I won't buy one for several reasons. (1) No ePub support. (2) Buying one helps Amazon build a vertical monopoly position, something I do not want to see happen as it could destroy the publishing world. (3) Amazon's contract terms for publishers (which reflect Amazon's desire to be a monopoly) directly contradict Amazon's PR statements about DRM and openess. If they aren't honest here, where else aren't they honest? Is current pricing a bait-and-switch-type scheme -- low book prices only until they corner the market? (4) I dislike the keyboard as it reminds me of my laptop computer and makes me think of reading on my laptop. I already own a laptop so why buy another?

[lilac_jive]

Because I like my Sony better

I don't want a keyboard, wifi, etc.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by melliz

I have an old RCA 1100 and obviously it has had it's issues. I'm looking for a new unit and would like imput on whether I should be looking for a Kindle or a Sony. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome to MobileRead, melliz.

You may have wanted to phrase your question differently

You will get lots of reasons why people wouldn't buy a Kindle.


That won't help you decide which would be better for you.

What do you like to read? Where do you live? Does your library carry more adobe or mobipocket format e-books?

[melliz]

After 40 years old, I'm just looking for a hassle free. Mellow, drama free life. I just want to be able to take whatever items I buy and have them perform flawlessy the first time. I'm not very computer savy, the terminology confuses me when it comes down to formats, etc. I just like to believe these companies should have their products performing as advertised. But as we all know, that ussually isn't the case. I generally know in advance what's on the box, they ussually don't like to tell you all the little quirks. So that's my theory. Maybe I've listened to John Lennon's "Imagine" one too many times.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by melliz

After 40 years old, I'm just looking for a hassle free. Mellow, drama free life. I just want to be able to take whatever items I buy and have them perform flawlessy the first time. I'm not very computer savy, the terminology confuses me when it comes down to formats, etc. I just like to believe these companies should have their products performing as advertised. But as we all know, that ussually isn't the case. I generally know in advance what's on the box, they ussually don't like to tell you all the little quirks. So that's my theory. Maybe I've listened to John Lennon's "Imagine" one too many times.

I don't think there is such a thing on the market.

The Kindle1 is a great device, and I haven't found it hard to manage changing meta date, etc. Trust me, I'm not the brightest bulb in the box, so if I can do it, anyone can.
Getting library books is a snap. The 'close' automatically after the loan period is over.

Downloading free books from here and www.feedbooks.com is so very easy, either from your laptop or Kindle, once their catalogs are loaded.

Book prices are the lowest apparently, from what I'm reading!

Allbooks aren't available,of course, but every month, more and more are added.

I'm not sure about the K2. Its not my cup of tea, but you might want to watch the reviews to make a decision.

Good luck with your choice.

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by melliz

I have an old RCA 1100 and obviously it has had it's issues. I'm looking for a new unit and would like imput on whether I should be looking for a Kindle or a Sony. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

That's a twist and based on your last response, you should buy a Kindle. There, problem solved. Welcome to the wonderful world of Kindle.

[Ervserver]

What reasons would you give for not buying a Kindle?

I wouldn't buy a Kindle if the Mrs didn't make me, too expensive.

My reasons for not buying the Kindle:
1. Price
2. Vendor lock in (at least to some extent)
3. No eReader support
4. No mobi DRM support
5. Small screen (compared to the iRex)
6. Instant access to Amazon is too much temptation
7. Appearing susceptible to Jeff's infomercials
8. Price

[spec2]

Reasons against Kindle:

Expensive compared to the Sony 505.
Limited format support including no support for ePub and somewhat contrived method o coverting PDFs.
Slightly heavier and larger than the Sony 505.
Enclosure is improved, but still not as elegant as the Sony 505. It's also 1/2 plastic vs. the all metal Sony 505 (feels better and looks more professional IMHO).
Case is approx $30 extra.

Reasons against the Sony 505

No wireless connectivity.
No on-board dictionary.
No text to voice.
No native Mac support for Sony Book Store (Mac support for non-DRM'd books is available via the great 3rd party Calibre app).
Sony eBooks generally are a couple bucks more than the same Kindle book. The Sony Book store also has fewer titles available.

Bottom line, both are nice readers. As far as reading a book they are nearly identical. So it really just depends on what your needs/desires are in a reader.