First reader - Sony or Kindle

bingobango · 09-06-2010, 02:01 PM

I nearly bought the Sony Touch PRS-600 last year but looking at it in the Sony shop I found the screen and text not to be clear like the 500 - and the hight price also put me off.

I found the 5" Sony just to be too small - I think a 6'' screen is definately a mininum.

So I left it for a year knowing that the technology would improve and the prices woul inevitable drop.

The imminent release of the PRS-650 here in the UK has got me looking at the ereaders again. From reports, does seem like a large improvement over the PRS600.

But the Kindle 3 seems to fit the bill also, and the price point is a major plus. Although being locked into Amazon and no epub support is a bit of a no no.

I am a casual reader, who reads at night or especially on holidays - so it will be used for reading novels primarily.

Anyways - some questions:

If you buy a Kindle 3 - are there any issues with downloading epub or LRF and converting to mobi?

Is it easy to transfer a book onto the Kindle 3 if not bought from Amazon?

If you opt for the Sony, but want to buy from Amazon - can you do this using Kindle for PC and then convert using say, Calibre?

Any more links or info on how these 2 devices compare?

carld · 09-06-2010, 02:18 PM

Which ever way you go, ePub to Amazon, or Amazon to ePub you'll need to strip the DRM first. If you can manage that, then the actual conversion between formats is trivial.

desertgrandma · 09-06-2010, 03:06 PM

Welcome to MobileRead, bingobango.

bingobango · 09-06-2010, 03:06 PM

Thanks - I'm not sure I can justify the price of the Sony - so might go with the Kindle 3. But just wanted to make sure I can get any book onto it no matter where I get it from.

Can you convert any format into mobi?

e.g. LRF, PDF, HTML? Or is the Kindle better at reading some other formats like PDF better?

bingobango · 09-06-2010, 03:07 PM

And thanks for the welcome!

daffy4u · 09-06-2010, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bingobango

Thanks - I'm not sure I can justify the price of the Sony - so might go with the Kindle 3. But just wanted to make sure I can get any book onto it no matter where I get it from.

Can you convert any format into mobi?

e.g. LRF, PDF, HTML? Or is the Kindle better at reading some other formats like PDF better?

You can convert any format to mobi by using the free ebook management program called Calibre very easily. The books must be DRM-free, so if you purchase from a store other than Amazon, you will have to remove the DRM before converting.

desertgrandma · 09-06-2010, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daffy4u

You can convert any format to mobi by using the free ebook management program called Calibre very easily. The books must be DRM-free, so if you purchase from a store other than Amazon, you will have to remove the DRM before converting.

Well put, Duck. The ducks links are awesome.

RonF · 09-06-2010, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bingobango

Although being locked into Amazon and no epub support is a bit of a no no.

I just wanted to address this quickly. You are locked into Amazon with a Kindle as much as a Nook is locked into B&N and the Sony's are locked into Sony.

If you own a Nook and download a book from B&N it has a DRM lock. Download from Sony and it has a DRM lock. You can't put the B&N book on the Sony, like you can't put the Amazon books on the Nook.

If you can get a drm free copy of an ebook, you can read it on the Kindle. It doesn't matter what format you find it in (to a certain extent

) if it is drm free, you run it through Calibre and read it on the Kindle.

I used to think the Kindle was locked into only Amazon books also

but after much reading here with these fine folks, I realized the error of my ways. Can't wait for my K3 Wifi to get here. I still love my PRS-300, and they will both have their uses.

I am also in the process of re-formatting my epubs to mobi. Calibre handles batch processing very well. All of my books are drm free so it's easy to use any reader. And yes, if Amazon would go to epub, it would make things easier, but it's not tough to batch convert.

The main drawback to the Kindle is that they are in essence locked out of Library ebook lending. That is the one main point that Nook & Sony have over the Kindle. Not a big deal for me as I don't use the library option as I have too many books to read right now. I also have a Sony that I could use if needed.

Quote:

Anyways - some questions:

1- If you buy a Kindle 3 - are there any issues with downloading epub or LRF and converting to mobi?

2- Is it easy to transfer a book onto the Kindle 3 if not bought from Amazon?

3- If you opt for the Sony, but want to buy from Amazon - can you do this using Kindle for PC and then convert using say, Calibre?

4- Any more links or info on how these 2 devices compare?

#1 & #3 - ebooks from Amazon, B&N & Sony store are all drm locked. There are ways to remove the drm and then they can be read on any reader, with the proper conversion (Calibre).

2 - Pretty simple with a usb cord, especially if you use Calibre

4 - There are some Kindle vs. Nook threads, but vs. Sony - not as much, and they are talking about the K1/K2 not the new K3.
Found one

PRS 650 or Kindle 3

ProfCrash · 09-06-2010, 07:45 PM

There are also stores that sell e-books formatted for the Kindle that are not Amazon. Just like there are stores that sell e-books formatted for other readers that are not Sony, B&N, Borders ect...

bingobango · 09-07-2010, 04:33 AM

Thanks so much, some helpful and useful advice there - the Kindle could be the way to go here. The touch screen of the sony would be nice especially since they seem to have solved the dull screen issue that plagued the prs600 - but the price is just too high!

ondrejandrej · 09-11-2010, 06:41 AM

I've had Sony PRS-900 and now I have Kindle 3 and I tell you one thing: if the Sony costed the same as Kindle 3, I would still prefer Kindle. The reason is the display, which is much better on Kindle. Moreover, Kindle 3 has WiFi, which is a very good thing.

Don't buy any touchscreen Sony Reader, the glare is awful and contrast is low.

dieterpops · 09-11-2010, 08:03 AM

Just some 2 cents comments: the glare issues are not true with the new Sony readers. Both Sony and Kindle now have the same screens so that's off the table.

For me personally, I lean to Sony because I can get library books (without any wait usually) for reading. Taking everything into consideration, the price premium of the Sony will be paid back within a couple of months. I'm also willing to pay a premium for build quality.

peitsao · 09-11-2010, 08:41 AM

I'd wait for the K3 and keep reading the reviews as some of the K3 buttons seem to be loose and falling out and some folks are looking at long wait times for replacements. You get what you pay for as the saying goes. I have had both K2 and prs600 and have lots of books in both formats, although I removed the K2 DRM and converted with Calibre so I could read the books on my Sony. Both are good at saving notes and highlights, but Kindle is better at keeping them online for you, where Sony requires a sync with the Connect software which is buggy as hell, and their books tend to be more expensive than KOBO or AMAZON. Download the Kindle for desktop and play around with the notes on a sample or free book and then check out your notes on the following site to see your notes and the summary of highlights that other folks have made on the same book:

http://kindle.amazon.com/home/welcome

It's all a matter of preference, I guess.

Sawduster · 09-11-2010, 08:52 AM

I understand what you're going through. I spent the last few weeks reading websites and blogs etc. I narrowede the field to the Sony 600 or the Kindle 3. After downloading Calber and the Sony software and Kindle for PC I downloaded some free books and played with trying them out. The k4pc seems to be lacking some of the features available on the machine such as collections but both worked fine for downloading books etc.
In the middle of this quest Sony drops the 600 and is going to the 650 which takes the fairly close in price out the door.
A few days ago I found the thread on direct sun screen fade issues with the Sony.
So, the Amazon customer service which has always been great for me and mine, the wi-fi love the idea that if I find something on the computer in the morning and download it that evening when I pickup the kindle it will be on it with having to plug it in, the raves about the screen quality have pushed me over the edge to the Kindle.

EowynCarter · 09-11-2010, 10:05 AM

I would definitively not buy a 600, and wait for a 650 instead.

If you are not in the US -> sony.
If you are in the US, guess it's all about if you feel like you need a keybord or not.

Quote:

A few days ago I found the thread on direct sun screen fade issues with the Sony.

That was an issue with some of the screens, affecting all manufacturers.

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09-06-2010, 02:01 PM	#1
bingobango Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: none	First reader - Sony or Kindle I nearly bought the Sony Touch PRS-600 last year but looking at it in the Sony shop I found the screen and text not to be clear like the 500 - and the hight price also put me off. I found the 5" Sony just to be too small - I think a 6'' screen is definately a mininum. So I left it for a year knowing that the technology would improve and the prices woul inevitable drop. The imminent release of the PRS-650 here in the UK has got me looking at the ereaders again. From reports, does seem like a large improvement over the PRS600. But the Kindle 3 seems to fit the bill also, and the price point is a major plus. Although being locked into Amazon and no epub support is a bit of a no no. I am a casual reader, who reads at night or especially on holidays - so it will be used for reading novels primarily. Anyways - some questions: If you buy a Kindle 3 - are there any issues with downloading epub or LRF and converting to mobi? Is it easy to transfer a book onto the Kindle 3 if not bought from Amazon? If you opt for the Sony, but want to buy from Amazon - can you do this using Kindle for PC and then convert using say, Calibre? Any more links or info on how these 2 devices compare?

09-06-2010, 02:18 PM	#2
carld Wizard Posts: 2,698 Karma: 4748723 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	Which ever way you go, ePub to Amazon, or Amazon to ePub you'll need to strip the DRM first. If you can manage that, then the actual conversion between formats is trivial.

09-06-2010, 03:06 PM	#3
desertgrandma Enjoying the show.... Posts: 14,270 Karma: 10462843 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Arizona Device: A K1, Kindle Paperwhite, an Ipod, IPad2, Iphone, an Ipad Mini & macAir	Welcome to MobileRead, bingobango.

09-06-2010, 03:07 PM	#5
bingobango Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: none	And thanks for the welcome!

09-06-2010, 07:45 PM	#9
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	There are also stores that sell e-books formatted for the Kindle that are not Amazon. Just like there are stores that sell e-books formatted for other readers that are not Sony, B&N, Borders ect...

09-07-2010, 04:33 AM	#10
bingobango Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: none	Thanks so much, some helpful and useful advice there - the Kindle could be the way to go here. The touch screen of the sony would be nice especially since they seem to have solved the dull screen issue that plagued the prs600 - but the price is just too high!

09-11-2010, 06:41 AM	#11
ondrejandrej Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Brno, Czech Republic Device: Android-based tablet	I've had Sony PRS-900 and now I have Kindle 3 and I tell you one thing: if the Sony costed the same as Kindle 3, I would still prefer Kindle. The reason is the display, which is much better on Kindle. Moreover, Kindle 3 has WiFi, which is a very good thing. Don't buy any touchscreen Sony Reader, the glare is awful and contrast is low.

09-11-2010, 08:03 AM	#12
dieterpops Addict Posts: 261 Karma: 134567 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: Always in flux	Just some 2 cents comments: the glare issues are not true with the new Sony readers. Both Sony and Kindle now have the same screens so that's off the table. For me personally, I lean to Sony because I can get library books (without any wait usually) for reading. Taking everything into consideration, the price premium of the Sony will be paid back within a couple of months. I'm also willing to pay a premium for build quality.

09-11-2010, 08:41 AM	#13
peitsao Addict Posts: 211 Karma: 32760 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Allegheny Mountains Device: Kobo mini, PW3,NookST	I'd wait for the K3 and keep reading the reviews as some of the K3 buttons seem to be loose and falling out and some folks are looking at long wait times for replacements. You get what you pay for as the saying goes. I have had both K2 and prs600 and have lots of books in both formats, although I removed the K2 DRM and converted with Calibre so I could read the books on my Sony. Both are good at saving notes and highlights, but Kindle is better at keeping them online for you, where Sony requires a sync with the Connect software which is buggy as hell, and their books tend to be more expensive than KOBO or AMAZON. Download the Kindle for desktop and play around with the notes on a sample or free book and then check out your notes on the following site to see your notes and the summary of highlights that other folks have made on the same book: http://kindle.amazon.com/home/welcome It's all a matter of preference, I guess.

09-11-2010, 08:52 AM	#14
Sawduster Member Posts: 14 Karma: 60 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kindle 3	I understand what you're going through. I spent the last few weeks reading websites and blogs etc. I narrowede the field to the Sony 600 or the Kindle 3. After downloading Calber and the Sony software and Kindle for PC I downloaded some free books and played with trying them out. The k4pc seems to be lacking some of the features available on the machine such as collections but both worked fine for downloading books etc. In the middle of this quest Sony drops the 600 and is going to the 650 which takes the fairly close in price out the door. A few days ago I found the thread on direct sun screen fade issues with the Sony. So, the Amazon customer service which has always been great for me and mine, the wi-fi love the idea that if I find something on the computer in the morning and download it that evening when I pickup the kindle it will be on it with having to plug it in, the raves about the screen quality have pushed me over the edge to the Kindle.

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