eBook readers

[iamdragonrider]

I'm in the market to get a digital eBook Reader. For the longest time, I thought I'd go for Amazon's ever popular Kindle. But then I started hearing about Sony's collection of digital ebook readers, especially the touch and pocket edition, because I don't really need all the wireless connectivity that the Kindle offers (though if I did, the Daily Edition model is comparable)

And what Sony has that Kindle doesn't, is the support of ePub, supported by the publishing industry, and allowing you to purchase from more sources than just Sony's book store, as well as downloading from the local library (I checked, and my branch supports Overdrive, the system that makes the download of eBooks at libraries possible.)

Kindles proprietary nature locks the purchaser into only purchasing from Amazon, which isn't necessarily a hardship, since there are plenty of books to choose from, and they have good prices.

So I'm just wondering, does anyone have either of these readers? Sony sounds great, being able to choose from more places, but is it really that much of a benefit? I feel like Amazon is a pretty big giant in the field, and I do like Amazon, but I don't like feeling locked into one proprietary label.

Any thoughts? Personal reviews?

[knowles2]

All of them are good quality. Personally having had to chance to use both the The Sony eBook Reader Touch I an the Amazon Kindle, I found Sony offerings to be better, it was easier on my eyes.

But I would not buy one just because of e-pub, especially as rumours continue the Amazon will soon be offering a update to there devices to allow them to read that file format an that publishers are said to be eager to avoid fragmentation of the industry by having multiple devices.

I would also avoid buying just as this moment, as there are also to be price drops on the devices planned for the second half of the year.

[iamdragonrider]

Yes, I had heard that publishers were eager to avoid fragmentation, which was why to my understanding they were adopting ePub. The fact that Amazon has to this point refused to support ePub, choosing instead to push their own proprietary format, and according to various articles I've read, shows no inclination to let go of the niche they currently have. Though if it's true they have no intention of doing so, it seems rather short sighted, since their two main competitors support the format that allows greater shopability and support.

But most of the other readers seem to have no holdouts for adopting what the industry is trying to advance as a standard.

I did look at B&N's Nook. It does have some nice features, and the bookstore isn't too bad, with surprisingly competitive prices, I've always thought that B&N was generally overpiced, compared to other retailers like Amazon, and tended to mostly just browse there. The Nook also seems a little too first gen yet, and while I could wait, I don't really want to wait forever to get a reader.

Really, tax refund is coming, and I'm in the market now. If I put it off, something may come up and I'll ahve t okeep putting it off like I've been doing.

Anyway, even if you take the ePub issue away, and say, made it available on the Kindle, so that you could then have access to the public domain and libraries, then what?

[iamdragonrider]

Personally, I hate all this proprietary nonsense, I would like to buy any reader I want, and then be able to purchase or borrow an ebook from whatever store or library I wanted, just like I can buy a book from whatever store I wanted. I guess it will be a matter of time, before publishers get tired of making ten different formats. And start to get picky about who they do business with.

[Skydiver]

I think IRiver has one that's soon to come out, here in the US anyway. A friend of mine in Holland got one...blanking on its name though.

Personally? I guess i'd go for one that's as non-propriatary as possible, but that's due to my personal quirk of hating to be told 'sorry, you're not allowed to do that' by some faceless company. (the reason i bought a zen MP3 player, because i didn't like Zune and Ipod telling me that i HAD to use this or HAD to use that style or format)

[iamdragonrider]

Heh, I have a Zen too. I have a tendency to not necessarily buy what's on mainstream, if it's better, more reliable, which compared to ipod at the time, Zen was. But I think it's maybe time for something new. I was using my Zen the other day and a friend said, "what the hell is that thing?" I guess it's a little old and chunky compared to some of the stuff out there now. But then, I guess, so am I

[Skydiver]

mine is a bit clunky too....but if i watch a movie on it the screen is 2x3 inches or so and i can actually SEE the movie

It works for what I want it for, saving me from country and christian radio stations when i'm out in the boonies and giving me a refuge from the 'yes, you're trapped on a plane and it's a boring 5 hour flight, but we're gonna charge you to watch the movie' schemes

I do think, if i feel like splurging on a new gadget this year, i might get a classic ipod. the thought of 120 gigs of music and movies and never having to mess with it is wonderful as far as i'm concerned. I hate the 'must use itunes' aspect but might live with it.

jury's still out on that one though.

What i'd love is an e-book reader that also accepts text entry and that I can use as a portable word processor so i can write or read.

[KatG]

I have no opinion yet on ebook readers, but am also considering getting one. I would definitely want the least restrictions possible, and since I tend to do most of my reading from the library, it sounds like the Sony one might be a good option.

[Skydiver]

yeah, the sony brand is looking good. I don't like the kindle on the sheer principal of 'you can only get books from us' aspect.

[hedwig]

I have no opinion yet on ebook readers, but am also considering getting one. I would definitely want the least restrictions possible, and since I tend to do most of my reading from the library, it sounds like the Sony one might be a good option.

Ditto on this. I've been wanting an eReader for awhile, and just don't know which one to get. I have been wondering about the size of the screen and the print on the screen. I saw an ad for a Sony eReader that said the screen was about 5" (high?), and on whipping out my tape measure that doesn't seem all that big. My "old" eyes don't want to squint to see what's on the screen, so I'm wondering how easily readable the screens are.

[Skydiver]

i'd suggest to head off to your local best buy (or equivalent) and see if they have any demos out and see how they look and feel

I mean, if you read a paper book, i think the average dimensions for a hardcover is 6x9 inches, paperback even smaller, so 5 inches isn't that out of line with what you'd normally read

and one option that the e-readers - some of them anyway - have is the ability to make the text larger or smaller, as your vision demands

[iamdragonrider]

So i just looked at the sony at best buy (if I buy it I'm buying it onlline, my work has an offer with a company called corporate perks, to get a discount at the sony store online) and they had the touch on demo. Unfortunately, they were both locked into a demo mode. One was locked into the tablet, which I suppose would be nice for taking notes (the possibility also for loading your own or friends fanfic onto it come to mind, because the touch gives you the ability to highlight, circle, make notes, and look up things) the other had only foriegn language books loaded into for some reason, and had been banged up pretty bad, looked like someone had attempted to forcefully remove it from the antitheft device more than once. the text was clear for the most part, and easy to read, without glare despite the flourescent lighting of the store. It did flicker when changing images, but I think it was a result of some sort of short due to the poor handling the device had recieved, because I haven't heard about the flickering being a problem in any reviews I've read.

I am still leaning on the Sony though, even after the battering it was still working (the people that shop my local Best buy are jerks... I also wanted to just look at the Ipod touch... just to look at it... but the demo had been stolen...) I've had a lot of sony products over the years, and have had good experience with warranty services those few times they were needed. I also like that fact that on their older readers, they are offering to upgrade the firmware, for free, on any customer that wants it done, since they chose to go with ePub and made the books in the library unreadable on the old readers. Or if the customer would rather upgrade, the gave a discount on a new reader.

[iamdragonrider]

oh, and as far as screen size, the touch has a slightly larger screen (longer, more akin to a paper back, they are the same width as a mass market paperback) the pocket and touch edition both have five adjustable font sizes (best buy's demo didn't let me play with them, but the text was readable on the smaller size that seemed to be the default, it looked like regular print)

What's making me lean on the touch is it has a few more features, like the ability to highlight text, make notes, look up stuff, things I think will be useful since you can load word and PDF docs onto it, useful for work and play. You can also add additional memory to the touch which you can't do on the pocket. Which might be useful if you want to throw a few pictures or MP3's on it for a long trip, since it support mp3 playback with headphones, and pictures, but i don't know how much color it has, it doesn't really say just that you can put picture and MP3 on it. lol.

I also like that sony gives you a program that lets you read the books on your PC and laptop if you want to. You can register up to six devices. Kindle won't even let you download a book if you don't have a registered kindle.

[iamdragonrider]

This is the one I think I'm getting. Valentines Bundle It's a fun color, and comes with a snazzy matching cover. I'm not so sure about the "free" book, but I guess it's free. I mean, who picked that title out for the Valentines bundle? Guess they wanted something gender neutral. They should have went with the Princess Bride.

[Skydiver]

i saw the sony ones at walmart yesterday, and yeah, i liked them.

still probably gonna wait a few months though, or see if i still want it close to christmas and ask for money for it then

i'd love to find one that lets you read, but also do a bit of writing, kinda like a notebook but without the bulk needed to allow high end processing

we'll see what the coming months bring

enjoy your new toy