Has Sony lost the e-book battle against Amazon?

[gregr209]

So what is the status quo? In terms of titles and features the Kindle seems to have a clear advantage:

* Sony eBook store: 45'000 titles
* Amazon store: 145'000 titles, including newspapers and blogs

* Sony Reader: no online connectivity
* Amazon Kindle: 3G "Whispernet" connectivity

Not sure it really matters but the Kindle actually uses Sprint's EVDO network and it isn't 3G like what is on the iPhone.

Not sure if this is really a good thing or bad but I realized the other day that I haven't purchased a real paper book since Nov 07 when I got my Kindle!

Greg

[JSWolf]

* Kindle is sold only in the USA
* Sony is sold in the USA, Canada, and soon UK

[JeffElkins]

Originally Posted by gregr209

Not sure it really matters but the Kindle actually uses Sprint's EVDO network and it isn't 3G like what is on the iPhone.

Shhh! Please don't tell my Treo 700p that EVDO isn't a 3G network! It might get upset and stop downloading content at 750Kbps

[scottiac]

Although not properly on the topic of number of books available (for which I ascribe to the "who cares what's on Sony store, I've never bought a single book *there*), my thoughts on the two are simpler.

I must admit like the fact that the Sony is thinner, and is almost entirely reading surface, with no keyboard, etc. I use it to read books. Period. I don't need a dictionary, a thesaurus, or anything else. I don't honestly need to e-slurp books off the store directly; I can do the extra steps once a month to get another couple dozen books! Not that those are bad features, their really quite cool, but it eats into my reading surface, which I find hard to forgive.

For me, the ideal reader would be close to 100% reading surface (controls on edges), with faster e-paper, with better variety of format support without pre-conversion.

With that, the Sony is a bit closer to what I want. Unfortunately, by comparison, Sony couldn't market their way out of a wet paper bag.

[carld]

Originally Posted by scottiac

I can do the extra steps once a month to get another couple dozen books!

Once a month!? I'm snooping around the Kindle store at least once a day. I mean there might be something new that I'm interested since the last time I checked. How will I know if I don't check again?

[TallMomof2]

I wasn't even interested in an eInk reader until the Kindle came out. Even though I own a few now I like the Kindle the best and use it the most. The Kindle has one advantage over the Sony and the Cybook in that it not right hand centric. Both the Sony and the Cybook are annoying for me, a lefty, to use. Page turn button on the right is awkward for me.

I'm surprised that there are still people who think that the only place to get Kindle content is from Amazon. At least 95% of my content is from elsewhere other than Amazon, admittedly most of it is not DRMed but there are options available if it is legal to do so where where you live.

Sure, I don't care for the Kindle proprietary format but guess what? That's why I buy/acquire the vast majority of my content from places other than Amazon.

[scottiac]

Originally Posted by carld

Once a month!? I'm snooping around the Kindle store at least once a day. I mean there might be something new that I'm interested since the last time I checked. How will I know if I don't check again?

Habit from the olden days... Once upon a time there was a really good bookstore for sci-fi near me. Once a month I'd go in and buy all of the books that I could fit between the crook of my elbow and a fingertip. I'd then go scurry back into my hole, not to see the light of day for weeks!

Hmmmm. Now there's an idea... Pizza and ebook delivery... Sorry. Getting hungry here!

Seriously, if I only load up once a month, there is a much better chance that something new from one of my pet authors will be there, and I won't have to get completely enraged with the publishers who think you should charge hardback prices for ebooks when they first come out... at least not too often.

[=X=]

First I want to say I really like my PRS-505, its a fantastic device and SONY and contrary to its normal business practices, it's opened up the device. By supporting competing products and releasing its LRF specs. For me that is a big selling point.


However from a business perspective I believe the tides have shifted and SONY has losing the war. I also believe the worse is yet to come for SONY.

Here why.
The real war is Kindle vs ePub. (Had SONY still been in the game it would have been Kindle vs BeBB.)
While ePub is great for the publishers and consumers it is terrible for the content providers. It forces content providers to give up revenue due to competition and commoditized their eBook readers. Since any device can now enter the eBook market without having to pay large royalties to the owner of the proprietary format.

Now SONY will be hit on two fronts. It will start seeing a reduction in sales on its BeBB books as well as more competition on it's PRS Readers, we are seeing this develop even now.

=X=

[RCR]

Originally Posted by rhadin

The real content question is not Amazon bookstore vs. Sony Connect but rather the number of books available for purchase (or free) to be read on the Kindle vs those available for the Sony regardless of the seller.

Content is king for sure. I currently have 88 waiting-to-be-read books on my Sony, only four of which came from the Sony online store. Living in Australia, could I say the same if I had a Kindle?

[RCR]

Oh, Alexander --- what subtle subliminal message are you trying to send us?

Your picture of the Kindle and Sony 505 side by side shows a bright white Kindle held by lean, tanned hands, while the dull grey Sony is held by fat, pale paws ---

[peitsao]

Just my two cents on the subject. For me, both fall short of what I am looking for.

I don't like the Kindle for anything more than reading sample first chapters to books I might like to buy, but not from them. I think the Kindle is not going to hold up to heavy use. The blasted wheel is driving me crazy, and the plastic page buttons are starting to warp already. The battery dies when you surf the store a lot or use the limited internet. But their tech support is excellent (Sony's sucks to the max).

So where does that leave me for buying ebooks? I buy very few as I am afraid that if the units die or go extinct, I may not have the money to replace them and then what to do with content I cannot read, unless it is available on my laptop or another source to read? That is where Kindle lets me down. It was a gift, so I will keep it, I guess.

The 3 readers on my Palm are all superior in functionality, but alas, the screen is so small, I'm flipping the pages constantly to the point where I busted the button. I wish Palm would make a reader with a larger screen.

[MerLock]

Originally Posted by carld

It does, as mentioned by other posters above. But ePub is a young format and I don't think there's much, if any, content that available only as ePub (I could be wrong about that). Also, any non-DRM ePub files can be converted to the Kindle. I don't, at the moment, see ePub being an advantage for Sony, that may well change in time.

I know there aren't many books in the ePub format that is being sold that I'm aware of, but I think Sony is headed in the right direction by allowing other formats to be read on their device.

I also know that a lot of the formats can easily be converted to be used on another device but when you pay money for such an expensive hardware and the money to buy the book, I think many individuals would not want to hassel with conversions. Amazon currently shines in this department as far as purchased books go since Amazon has so many books formated for the Kindle and sold on their website.

In my opinion I think the only thing that keeps people from buying the Kindle over the Sony is.
1) Look/Design. The the Sony in my opinion has the better look/design
2) Price. The Kindle is just a bit too expensive compared to the Sony
3) Available format. I think if the Kindle would support other formats, a lot more people would be more willing to buy it.

I think if the Kindle were to design a better looking piece of hardware and just drop the price a little, the Kindle would probably out sell the Sony by a lot if it isn't already. And these two items, I think Amazon can easily do.

[FizzyWater]

Originally Posted by TallMomof2

The Kindle has one advantage over the Sony and the Cybook in that it not right hand centric. Both the Sony and the Cybook are annoying for me, a lefty, to use. Page turn button on the right is awkward for me.

As a lefty, I use the button in the lower-left hand corner on the Sony with no problems. Only use the other ones (on the right) if I've got the reader propped up while I'm eating lunch and my left hand is busy shoveling food into my mouth.

I will admit I liked the button placement on the PRS500 better than my current PRS505, but then again, I prefer not to have the joystick...so it's a trade-off.

My favorite reader - for button placement - is the ETI-2. The buttons were right where I rest my hand naturally, and can be rotated to be used by either left- or right-handed folk.

[slayda]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

As a lefty, I use the button in the lower-left hand corner on the Sony with no problems. Only use the other ones (on the right) if I've got the reader propped up while I'm eating lunch and my left hand is busy shoveling food into my mouth.

I will admit I liked the button placement on the PRS500 better than my current PRS505, but then again, I prefer not to have the joystick...so it's a trade-off.

My favorite reader - for button placement - is the ETI-2. The buttons were right where I rest my hand naturally, and can be rotated to be used by either left- or right-handed folk.

I believe you must have the PRS-500. I'm a righty but actually preferred the left hand page turn on the 500.

[Barcey]

I'm right handed but often use my left hand (it feels like someone else is turning the page for me).

I'm normally eating with my right hand at the time and have the reader on a stand or flat on the table.