| Amazon Kindle vs. Sony Reader: The 2008 Review |
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| Electronics - Gadgets |
| Written by Jack Andrew |
| Wednesday, 18 February 2009 10:38 |
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It's not a simple thing to decide whether to purchase the Amazon Kindle or the Sony Reader! Each device has its advocates, so it's difficult to make a choice by relying on the opinions of others. You really must examine all the information yourself and draw your own conclusions.
It's not a simple thing to decide whether to purchase the Amazon Kindle or the Sony Reader! Each device has its advocates, so it's difficult to make a choice by relying on the opinions of others. You really must examine all the information yourself and draw your own conclusions. The first thing you might be interested in looking at is the price. The price is around the same for both ebook readers. However, Sony's newest model, the PRS700, is priced at just under $400-$40 more than the Kindle which is currently at $359. While neither version is cheap, the Kindle wins out on the price front. In the decision between the Amazon Kindle and the Sony Reader content should be taken into consideration. The Kindle flat out wins in this department, their store has 190,000 books available, compared to only 60,000 at Sony. The Kindle Store also offers newspapers, magazines, and blogs, while the Store does not. In Sony's defense, their book library is expected to be at 100,000 in the coming year, still some 90,000 short of the Kindle Store though. Your next concern is probably which reader has more visual appeal, in both senses of how it is easy it is for reading from, as well as how nice it looks for showing off to friends. Both readers exploit E-ink technology which visually resembles 'normal' paper, so that eye strain while reading is reduced and it feels as if you are reading a "normal" book. As far as looks, the Sony Reader is far superior to the Kindle. The thing that most people hate about the Kindle is its dated look. It looks like a product of the '90's, not 2008! In comparison, the Sony Reader 700 has a far more appealing look, similar to that of an iPod. This is more in line with a device marketed in 2008. While we are on the topic of design, the Sony Reader features a touch screen display which the Kindle lacks. Unfortunately, the touch screen feature seems to detract from the quality of the Sony Reader's display. Because the touch screen layer was superimposed on top of the e-ink screen layer, the contrast and "real book" feel are lacking on the Sony as opposed to the Kindle. In a side-by-side comparison of the two, you would probably notice better contrast and sharpness on the Kindle. You can enlarge the font size of the print in both of these products which is a godsend if you find it challenging to read small print. The Sony Reader 700 has an LED backlight which, in theory, is quite helpful when you are trying to read in an environment with little ambient lighting. The reality of the situation is, though, that many Sony Reader users feel that the backlight does not adequately light the screen; sometimes it even makes it more difficult to read due to poor contrast and visibility of the text. So although the Amazon Kindle does not have a backlight feature, it may not be at much of a disadvantage. Fortunately, both readers are only about ten ounces. This is good news to those who don't want to carry something large and awkward around. Instead, it would be like carrying around a small paperback novel. For this reason, many will find the readers great for travel. If size was the main factor for you, the Sony reader is slightly smaller than the Kindle. Smaller is good for those who want the convenience of carrying a small device, though sometimes bigger is better. Where these two devices really separate is the ease with which you can download books and get them on your reader. With Sony you have to download them to your PC, hook up a USB cable, transfer the files to your reader, and then open them. With the Kindle you don't need a computer thanks to its free wireless capabilities. You simply connect to the Kindle Store, find the book you want, click a few buttons, and within a minute or so it's there for you. The Kindle is definitely easier in this regard. You also need to consider the amount of storage space available. Both devices can store over 200 books, which is more than enough for the average reader. If you intend to buy many books or need to refer to many different ones, the Sony reader is perhaps more suitable as it can store more books than the Kindle and the external memory cards it supports have larger memory capacity than those for the Kindle. And finally and most importantly, it is within your great interest to take responsibility for managing the eBook formats you choose to utilize on each device. Although both tools have been designed to work with their own proprietary formats, only the Amazon reader also interfaces with the highly preferred MOBI file format. So if you have MOBI files, your choice of readers is a no-brainer. Now, the two best ebook readers on the market have been compared. Everybody has different tastes and needs, so when you shop around, be sure to consider all the features. The Amazon Kindle has the capability to become wireless, and is one of the best readers due to the wide variety of content available for it. About the Author: Still not sure which of these handheld ebook readers is right for you this year? See the side-by-side comparison of the Kindle vs. Sony Reader and it will make your buying decision much easier! |