Amazon's Kindle - Page 2

january · October 7th, 2009, 08:01 PM

Thanks so much, NoDay! I'm doing some brief research on it, and it seems like people are saying that the Kindle has much more available content than the Sony. I'm not sure how much I believe that though. I need to do some more research, I want to buy one and the Sony is less expensive, but if its due to limited content, etc. then that would just be silly.

**NoDayButToday** · October 7th, 2009, 08:07 PM

The Sony is a great machine, I've had no problem with the older edition Sony I've been borrowing. My parents both like the Sony ones, I have the one I'm borrowing b/c my dad just upgraded his and passed his old one to my mom. I'm the kind of person who will use the instant download option though, I read some series and when I finish one book I immediately have to run out and get the next one.

I don't know anything about availability of the books though, the stuff I've been reading are all things my Dad had already bought.

L1049 · October 7th, 2009, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by january

I admit that I'm not well-read regarding the Kindle, but can someone tell me if the Sony Reader is better/worse?

Jan, here's an article that might help you
Showdown: Kindle 2 vs. Sony Reader | Gadget Lab | Wired.com

january · October 8th, 2009, 01:39 AM

Thanks so much! I'm going to read that (already bookmarked) when my eyes aren't so tired - thanks!

michaelchance · October 19th, 2009, 07:55 PM

Until recently I never even had the option, my big problems with the version - Amazon.com: Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6" Display, U.S. & International Wireless, Latest Generation): Kindle Store - that can be used overseas as well as in the states is the price. It's $(US)279 for the reader itself and the ebooks cost more when you're overseas.

At the moment, I'm not going to bother due to it's price and I'm not sure how much I'd actually use it. Combined with fact that I'd prefer real books most of the time

McJag · October 19th, 2009, 08:02 PM

Looks to me like Kindle beats out Sony...

Nightdragon · October 20th, 2009, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by witchcurlgirl

I can't.

Part of my romance with books is the actual books, the new paper, the smell, the feeling when I first open a new one, and the comfy feeling of when I find an old second hand one.

I've been lucky enough to have the space to build a library for my babies, I just can't see liking this.

I agree totally, I gave up a room of my house for all my books. I would be lost reading them online. You cant beat the timelessness of a good book.

Mel1973 · October 21st, 2009, 07:52 AM

I just got an email notification from Barnes & Noble - it looks like they are entering into this field as well. They have the "nook" and it costs $259.00 and will be available November 30th. I'm with the rest of you that said to wait. With all of these coming out, the price will be dropping soon.

**NoDayButToday** · October 21st, 2009, 10:50 AM

Looks like the biggest difference with theirs is that it's a touch screen (which I think would annoy me), it has color (which for me is unnecessary since I don't need color to read text), and that you can put your own pictures on it for the screen saver (Kindle just has a bunch of preloaded ones, sony doesn't use a screen saver at all). They also have more styles of cover available.

I also noticed the battery life is a bit shorter, Kindle is 14 days, nook is 10.

NVash · October 23rd, 2009, 01:20 AM

Did they finally make an EReader that can read LIT and PDF properly? Id get a Kindle but thats one thing thats been holding me back since forever.

Im kinda glad the new Nook has color. Itll come in handy looking at pics in the book and at the cover of it.

KristiB · October 28th, 2009, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NVash

Did they finally make an EReader that can read LIT and PDF properly? Id get a Kindle but thats one thing thats been holding me back since forever.

Im kinda glad the new Nook has color. Itll come in handy looking at pics in the book and at the cover of it.

The Nook only has a color browser.

And it can read PDF. I also like that with the Nook you can lend books.

I want one but I don't buy first generation anything and I keep hearing Apple is coming out with a reader. Not that I'd choose the Apple but it would level the playing field and once the Kindle and Nook respond to whatever Steve comes up with there should be some kickass readers on the market.

It's a want not a need so I can wait....

Flak · November 7th, 2009, 01:10 AM

I have a tablet PC that I use as a reader. You can get them very cheap on ebay, and you can use them for other things as well. I hate having uni-taskers cluttering up my space.

misrule · November 7th, 2009, 01:24 AM

This may be a really, really stupid question, but I am a tech-tard!

But how does the Kindle screen fare against flare / bright lighting?

I've been dying to get one as I think it would be great for my commute to work (2 hours each way gives you a lot of reading time!) so I go through books like crazy, but i'm concerned that if I was sitting outdoors or had bright sunlight coming through the window it could make it difficult to read the screen - like when direct sunlight glares out your tv screen or something...

I think technology has progressed enough to counteract this...but like I said - technology is not my strong point!

L1049 · November 7th, 2009, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by misrule

This may be a really, really stupid question, but I am a tech-tard!

But how does the Kindle screen fare against flare / bright lighting?

I've been dying to get one as I think it would be great for my commute to work (2 hours each way gives you a lot of reading time!) so I go through books like crazy, but i'm concerned that if I was sitting outdoors or had bright sunlight coming through the window it could make it difficult to read the screen - like when direct sunlight glares out your tv screen or something...

I think technology has progressed enough to counteract this...but like I said - technology is not my strong point!

From the sounds of it, the Kindle has a matte finish screen so there wouldn't be much glare, but here's a couple of comments on the screen:

Quote:

The screen on the Kindle 2 is your typical e-ink screen. It looks like newsprint or the slightly grey-green tinted paper that is found in some paperbacks. It has a matte finish that is in no way reflective except when a very bright light source is shining directly into the screen, at which point you will notice no real bright reflection pointing back at you, but rather a slight dispersed bit of light as you're most likely used to seeing reflected on some less glossy magazines. Holding the Kindle at a slight angle does away with this slight reflection and makes the text on the Kindle extremely crisp and clear for reading. If you've never used an e-ink display before, you'll be surprised by how much it behaves like actual paper. It loves light, and is perfect for taking a whole library of reading to very sunny places like the beach. There is no backlighting, or in fact any sort of lighting, with the e-ink screen. It is designed to function as paper and it does, with the notable exception of a quick flash of "ink" across the screen as you turn the page.
The screen in the 2nd generation Kindle measures 3.5 inches x 4.75 inches, displays sixteen shades of grey at a resolution of 600 x 800 pixels, and manages to turn the pages faster than the previous generation e-ink screens. On my first generation Sony Portable Reader, I had become accustomed to reading the last line or two of a page while clicking the next page button, so that I would finish just in time for the screen to refresh. On the Kindle 2, I'm much more naturally clicking to turn the page on the last few words. It's also a brighter overall "piece of e-paper" than the first generation screen that I had been used to using on my first generation Sony Portable Reader. There have been some complaints as of late about the new font-smoothing on the new Kindle making some smaller fonts appear too washed out and light, but as it only occurs with small fonts and the Kindle has the ability to toggle to larger-sized fonts it's something that I have not yet noticed in my testing except when browsing some websites with small fonts in the experimental web browser. This is not a problem with the Kindle's screen, however, but rather a software problem, and is something that Amazon should be able to fix with a firmware update, should the complaints continue.
Also, unlike the screens on your computer and cellphone, the Kindle's e-paper screen, like actual paper, can be touched by clean hands without leaving smudges and marks. The feeling of the screen is a bit smoother than the feeling of the white face of the device, but you can hold the device with your fingers touching the screen or read along with your finger underlining the text as you go, if that is your habit, without leaving big smudges that you must then read through or obsessively wipe away.

Amazon Kindle 2 review: Part 1

Comparing it to the Sony e-reader:

Quote:

Features & Performance: There is no doubt that the Kindle 2 has much more features than the Sony model. In terms of readability though, I personally think that the PRS 505 is more readable than Amazon's model. It seems to have better contrasts and can easily be read even under bright lighting conditions. The Kindle 2's screen did not fare so well under bright lights.

Amazon Kindle 2 Vs Sony PRS 505

misrule · November 7th, 2009, 11:57 PM

^^^Thanks! That's a huge help, and much appreciated!