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Old 09-10-2012, 02:03 AM   #1
Rizla
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Has Sony lost the edge over other readers?

I just saw a video for the Amazon Paperwhite. The illuminated screen is nice. It seems to me that for the first time Sony has fallen behind Amazon in technical innovation.

In the US market, I cannot see why anyone would buy a Sony. It costs more and does not have more. If you want buttons over pure touch, you would buy a Nook which also has glow. I think Sony will only do well in places where the Paperwhite and Nook are not available.

Sony needs to up its game fast if it wants to stay alive in the market. Is it too late?
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Old 09-10-2012, 04:32 AM   #2
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And to be honest, even in the UK where the Nook and Paperwhite aren't out yet, the Kobo has a good lead on the Sony in both features and availability...
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Old 09-10-2012, 08:16 AM   #3
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To me yes. I love my T1 and was looking forward to the new model but was totally underwhelmed when I saw the spec. Sony seem to have lost the will to innovate in the ereader market.

I'm not anti-Sony by any means (I've had 505, 600, 300, 650 and T1 readers), but the new T2 model seems to offer very little. The screen resolution is the same, the size is similar, in fact the biggest difference to me is the loss of MP3. We don't all need social media add-ons (which seems to be the only 'new' feature).

Maybe I'm unique. I only use my ereader to read books. I don't actually take notes, I don't publish my status to the internet. I only connect it to the internet as a means of downloading books.

So to me, clearer, lit screen and cheaper price trumps reshaped buttons.

Kindles not an option for me, as Amazon aren't selling the new model to the UK and I like the option of downloading ebooks from the library. So for me it's got to be the Kobo Glo. I ordered on preorder within an hour of getting the notification email

If the Kobo is as good as it looks then Sony are likely going to need to move the technology on a fair bit to win back my custom.
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Old 09-10-2012, 09:08 AM   #4
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What Sony is doing is fine.
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Old 09-10-2012, 09:31 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by Rizla View Post
In the US market, I cannot see why anyone would buy a Sony. It costs more and does not have more. If you want buttons over pure touch, you would buy a Nook which also has glow. I think Sony will only do well in places where the Paperwhite and Nook are not available.
The T1 is a great device for the more advanced user. And for the user who doesn't want to be so tied to the Amazon or B&N store. And for the user who likes the shape and weight. Lighting is NOT everything. The Kindle can NOT match what the Sony does with Calibre in displaying series information in the title list. That is invaluable. (Don't have the NookGlow but I don't think it can do that either).

Did you know you can not even use the Nook without registering? I've never had to register my Sony and I use it every day.

Last edited by booklover6; 09-10-2012 at 09:40 AM.
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Old 09-10-2012, 11:15 AM   #6
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The T1 is a great device for the more advanced user. And for the user who doesn't want to be so tied to the Amazon or B&N store. And for the user who likes the shape and weight. Lighting is NOT everything. The Kindle can NOT match what the Sony does with Calibre in displaying series information in the title list. That is invaluable.

Yeah, after trying several other current readers (and watching the Kindle press conference) I did go with the T1 after all, since it still seems to be the best option.

My first try was a Kobo, and while the size and feel was nice, and their software fairly open and flexible, the page turns (via touch) were just way too erratic, so it went back to the store.
Then, with my bad touch experience, I figured a Nook with "real" buttons would be the solution, but they turned out to be useless—their softspot was way to small, and you have to press them pretty hard to respond, so I never used them for actual reading.
The touch screen on the Nook worked pretty well though, so that was encouraging, but their "walled garden" philosophy seems to be even worse than Amazon's. It doesn't even have a rudimentary browser, so if you want to download from anywhere else but B&N, you always have to go through PC=>USB cable, which is pretty annoying.

The Kindle Paperwhite looks nice (on screen), but I just know Amazon is gonna try as hard as they can to keep you inside of their walls, and that's just not something I'd feel comfortable with.

So, it seems the Sony is still the best of the bunch.
Even though I could've gotten the T2, I decided to go with the T1 instead, due to the audio support, the button shapes, and the fact that (going by some screenshots) it's contrast actually seemed better than the T2 (the T2 just seems brighter overall, and I just came across a new user's post that confirmed this suspicion).
Sure, calling it a "T2" is a bit of an exaggeration—something like "T1.1" may have been more appropriate, but hey, that's marketing...

I don't have it yet (it should be delivered today), but going by my experiences with the Kobo and the Nook, and playing around with some in stores, I'm pretty confident that I won't be returning the Sony any time soon.
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Old 09-10-2012, 11:59 AM   #7
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I just saw a video for the Amazon Paperwhite. The illuminated screen is nice. It seems to me that for the first time Sony has fallen behind Amazon in technical innovation.

In the US market, I cannot see why anyone would buy a Sony. It costs more and does not have more. If you want buttons over pure touch, you would buy a Nook which also has glow. I think Sony will only do well in places where the Paperwhite and Nook are not available.

Sony needs to up its game fast if it wants to stay alive in the market. Is it too late?
The SD card, sony has it over the kindle there, but not the nook
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Old 09-10-2012, 12:26 PM   #8
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Personally I'd still go for the T1/2 (what's the difference?) over the Kindle and the nook. But I'm what you'd call a power-user. I want the flexibility of Android. I take a lot of notes. But I am the tiny minority. Sony cannot survive on selling to my demographic.
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Old 09-10-2012, 12:35 PM   #9
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It made me sad when I saw the new Sony model and then saw the Amazon model. I've resisted Kindle so long... I've never cared for the casing on the Kindle much less the software. I like how the Sony is much more suited for the reader that likes things a bit more customized (vs. relying on default manufacturer settings). However, it now appears that the new Kindle is to be matte black, simple, and rectangular. The biggest killer of Nook for me is that it seem too "squat" with ugly rounded edges. Or, a flattened turtle as I've seen it described.

Now that's all holding me back from Kindle is the lack of epub and the browsing experience.

Physically, the new Kindle is almost exactly what dreamed/envisioned could be the first time I saw articles about eBooks in my dad's Consumer Reports magazine back in the late 90s (probably Rocketbook?) I'm the kid that used those cheap dollar store booklights that drained AA batteries like crazy. On car trips at night I would use the headlights of the car behind us to read. So, yes, I pretty much think a self-lit page that is NOT backlight and has reasonable battery life is pretty much the ultimate achievement in ebook technology.

But back to the Sony model. I like that it's still the same basic shape. I like that there is matte black. Strangely, I actually preferred the T1 button style. But how could the not include LED "glow" ?!?

Then I realized that my Sony is only one year old and I plan on getting at least another year out of it. Maybe the next generation will have something better to offer. So, in truth it doesn't affect me too much. Let's see what's out there in a year. If nothing else, at least Nook vs. Kindle is pushing the limits higher and higher and Sony is going to have to keep up. So I'll probably get a lit-up Sony in the next generation. Whatever the "newest" out next will probably have to do with taking notes/social media/etc. and I'll be less distressed about going with the Sony and "missing out."
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Old 09-10-2012, 12:43 PM   #10
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I have 2 Kindles, 2 Sony T1's, and a Paperwhite ordered. I like to be diverse
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Old 09-10-2012, 12:47 PM   #11
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I am also still happy with my Sony readers, and will not likely abandon them soon. I went over to Sony from Nook for one overwhelming reason, organization and the ability to easily find what I want on the reader. Being able to tag books in Calibre and then have those tags become collections when I transfer the books is WONDERFUL!

I am a "whim" or "mood" reader, I read fast and like to have a lot of books on tap. But my memory just isn't going to be able to remember all titles or authors for a direct search.

That feature so far doesn't seem to exist in any other reader. Sadly for Sony, most folks are probably not such voracious readers as I am. I also re-read a lot.

Even so, my aging eyes really appreciate higher resolution, and the convenience of a built in light could be useful to me at bed time.

I think the T1 is a wonderful reader, and I'm sure the T2 is as well, but there are clearly a lot of folks who at least like the idea of the built in light if not the higher resolution and the subtleties of the Sony that make it a nice reader just don't stand out enough for the average buyer.

They botched it by not incorporating both higher resolution and a light.
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Old 09-10-2012, 08:18 PM   #12
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The T1 was competitive, when it was introduced. It would at least be on the short list of best ebook readers as late as the summer of 2012. Now, the T1/T2 is a mid-range ebook reader and Sony has no high-end competitor to the Amazon PaperWhite, Kobo Glo and the Onyx Boox i62m.

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with mid-range ebook readers, but Sony seems to have given up trying to innovate in the ebook market.
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Old 09-10-2012, 08:22 PM   #13
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I love my Sony T1 but I am also *gasp* loving my Kindle. I'd really like to bug the hubby for the Paperwhite Glow for our anniversary. I'm a brat. LOL

I love everything about the Sony that's already been said, even with it's odd quirks. We all have them don't we? While some have been mindbogglingly frustrating (first day with it) they're not deal breakers.

I like being able to buy books on Amazon that aren't available on my Sony. I think I have the best of both worlds. It was easy to convince the hubby to get me the Kindle at $79 not too sure how he'll feel about the $120. But at $69 for their new one, they're gonna give a lot of folks a run for their money. How do you resist the cheap price, decent device and the Amazon book offerings? I don't know how anyone could.
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Old 09-10-2012, 09:02 PM   #14
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I am also still happy with my Sony readers, and will not likely abandon them soon. I went over to Sony from Nook for one overwhelming reason, organization and the ability to easily find what I want on the reader. Being able to tag books in Calibre and then have those tags become collections when I transfer the books is WONDERFUL!

I am a "whim" or "mood" reader, I read fast and like to have a lot of books on tap. But my memory just isn't going to be able to remember all titles or authors for a direct search.

That feature so far doesn't seem to exist in any other reader. Sadly for Sony, most folks are probably not such voracious readers as I am. I also re-read a lot.

Even so, my aging eyes really appreciate higher resolution, and the convenience of a built in light could be useful to me at bed time.

I think the T1 is a wonderful reader, and I'm sure the T2 is as well, but there are clearly a lot of folks who at least like the idea of the built in light if not the higher resolution and the subtleties of the Sony that make it a nice reader just don't stand out enough for the average buyer.

They botched it by not incorporating both higher resolution and a light.
I am with you in wanting lots of books on my reader and the wonderful calibre collection options.

I think Sony botched it whenthey did away with the alphabetical index on the side. I know how the slidebar works, but first you have to tap the slidebar area (often more than once) to get it to appear. Then you have to tap it or slide it or tap the arrows which seem to jump huge distances. Then when you finally get to the area you want and tap the collection, it makes the slidebar dissappear and you have to tap the collection again to open it. Whith the alphabetical lttters on the side, you tap the C at the top and you are in the front of the c section or tap in the middle etc. I

I am used to it now but when I use my 350 on the bus, I think how nice is that.

Helen
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Old 09-10-2012, 09:43 PM   #15
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I will be sticking with Sony for the time being.

They are easy ereaders to use and coupled with Calibre, the organisational advantages totally overwhelm other ereaders such as the Kindle and Kobo.

To organise collections on my wife's Kindle keyboard requires an additional Calibre plug-in, more steps and more time.

My PRS-650 and PRS-T1 coupled with Calibre do this without any additional steps.

No contest for me.
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