I recently received a Kindle for my birthday. Coals to Newcastle,
because I already have the Sony Reader (not the touch screen one, but
the one before; can't remember the nomenclature). Anyhow, I thought t
it might interest some of you to see what differences I found hands
on.
First, the ugly factor: Kindle is hideous! The Sony is sleek and
technolicious. But the Kindle is a plastic-y unwieldy thing. The
buttons on the Kindle look like (dare I say it?) lipstick on a pig.
Anyhow, it's really hard to hold without inadvertently turning a page,
and it's bulky, to say the least. All that aside, the derned thing
does so much! I wish the Sony could do as much. The dictionary is a
great feature, as is the web buying. I was shocked that I was able to
receive the Sprint signal here, since my friends can never get a
signal from their cells at my house. But the web access, although not
always available, is there enough to buy a book or check out what's on
the site. I don't find a lot of price difference in the books,
although there is some, and I've not had any more problems finding
books on the Sony site than on the Amazon site. Neither have
everything I want, but so far, they are about equal. The Kindle has a
neat sleep feature and displays all sorts of pictures onscreen when
it's sleeping, but I have to wonder how much memory all that junk
takes up inside. It's fairly useless, in my opinion. The Sony starts
up as quickly from a dead shutdown. The Sony's add on memory, of
course, is the memory stick, and the Kindle uses the easy to find sd
card. I had a bunch of memory sticks lying around from old devices,
but I can see how Sony's proprietary doo dads could be annoying in the
extreme.
Anyhow, if any of you want a comparison with this feature or that,
let me know.
Thanks for the comparison. I like my Sony reader a lot, but every timethey drop the price a little further on he kindle I get tempted. It's good to know it really is as ugly in person as in pictures. My sony uses SD as well as memory stick. It's the version that came out last fall (prs-505). Using any card draws from the battery so I stopped using expansion cards altogether. The 160mb (I think) internal holds about 90 books, which is more than enough between sync sessions.
- Kerry
On Nov 8, 2008, at 10:51, Gate <gate...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> I recently received a Kindle for my birthday. Coals to Newcastle, > because I already have the Sony Reader (not the touch screen one, but > the one before; can't remember the nomenclature). Anyhow, I thought t > it might interest some of you to see what differences I found hands > on. > First, the ugly factor: Kindle is hideous! The Sony is sleek and > technolicious. But the Kindle is a plastic-y unwieldy thing. The > buttons on the Kindle look like (dare I say it?) lipstick on a pig. > Anyhow, it's really hard to hold without inadvertently turning a page, > and it's bulky, to say the least. All that aside, the derned thing > does so much! I wish the Sony could do as much. The dictionary is a > great feature, as is the web buying. I was shocked that I was able to > receive the Sprint signal here, since my friends can never get a > signal from their cells at my house. But the web access, although not > always available, is there enough to buy a book or check out what's on > the site. I don't find a lot of price difference in the books, > although there is some, and I've not had any more problems finding > books on the Sony site than on the Amazon site. Neither have > everything I want, but so far, they are about equal. The Kindle has a > neat sleep feature and displays all sorts of pictures onscreen when > it's sleeping, but I have to wonder how much memory all that junk > takes up inside. It's fairly useless, in my opinion. The Sony starts > up as quickly from a dead shutdown. The Sony's add on memory, of > course, is the memory stick, and the Kindle uses the easy to find sd > card. I had a bunch of memory sticks lying around from old devices, > but I can see how Sony's proprietary doo dads could be annoying in the > extreme. > Anyhow, if any of you want a comparison with this feature or that, > let me know.
I have the Sony 505 as well. I keep everything on the SD card. The battery lasts so long I have never even thought about ways to try and save power. I think I charge this thing once every 2 weeks or so.
I definitely prefer the look of the Sony over the Kindle, but the cell connection on the Kindle is a killer feature. Perhaps the Kindle 2.0 won't look so hideous. If so, I'll most likely sell my 505 and pick one up.
Kerry Lannert wrote: > Thanks for the comparison. I like my Sony reader a lot, but every > timethey drop the price a little further on he kindle I get tempted. > It's good to know it really is as ugly in person as in pictures. My > sony uses SD as well as memory stick. It's the version that came out > last fall (prs-505). Using any card draws from the battery so I > stopped using expansion cards altogether. The 160mb (I think) internal > holds about 90 books, which is more than enough between sync sessions.
> - Kerry
> On Nov 8, 2008, at 10:51, Gate <gate...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>> I recently received a Kindle for my birthday. Coals to Newcastle, >> because I already have the Sony Reader (not the touch screen one, but >> the one before; can't remember the nomenclature). Anyhow, I thought t >> it might interest some of you to see what differences I found hands >> on. >> First, the ugly factor: Kindle is hideous! The Sony is sleek and >> technolicious. But the Kindle is a plastic-y unwieldy thing. The >> buttons on the Kindle look like (dare I say it?) lipstick on a pig. >> Anyhow, it's really hard to hold without inadvertently turning a page, >> and it's bulky, to say the least. All that aside, the derned thing >> does so much! I wish the Sony could do as much. The dictionary is a >> great feature, as is the web buying. I was shocked that I was able to >> receive the Sprint signal here, since my friends can never get a >> signal from their cells at my house. But the web access, although not >> always available, is there enough to buy a book or check out what's on >> the site. I don't find a lot of price difference in the books, >> although there is some, and I've not had any more problems finding >> books on the Sony site than on the Amazon site. Neither have >> everything I want, but so far, they are about equal. The Kindle has a >> neat sleep feature and displays all sorts of pictures onscreen when >> it's sleeping, but I have to wonder how much memory all that junk >> takes up inside. It's fairly useless, in my opinion. The Sony starts >> up as quickly from a dead shutdown. The Sony's add on memory, of >> course, is the memory stick, and the Kindle uses the easy to find sd >> card. I had a bunch of memory sticks lying around from old devices, >> but I can see how Sony's proprietary doo dads could be annoying in the >> extreme. >> Anyhow, if any of you want a comparison with this feature or that, >> let me know.
I forgot about the sd card on my Sony. Yes, mine's a 505 as well. And
I have stuff on the card, but also on the memory stick. I also have no
problems with battery usage, and the books I like best are on the
Sony. But that cell connection really is nice. And yes, Kerry, it's
every bit as ugly as you thought. Not only the shape, but that ooky
plastic. The Sony looks so sleek and high tech next to the Kindle.
Even the cover is better on the Sony. Aaron, I'd think long and hard
about selling that Sony for the Kindle. I know you're visually gifted,
and you'd really hate that ugly thing! Even with cell connection!
Oh, I almost forgot: the Kindle would work with a Mac, and the Sony
won't, at this point. I haven't tried, since my Mac is only my surfing
toy, but that would be another thing in Kindle's favor.
On Nov 8, 2:33 pm, "Aaron F. Gonzalez" <aaron_w...@aaronfg.com> wrote:
> I have the Sony 505 as well. I keep everything on the SD card. The
> battery lasts so long I have never even thought about ways to try and
> save power. I think I charge this thing once every 2 weeks or so.
> I definitely prefer the look of the Sony over the Kindle, but the cell
> connection on the Kindle is a killer feature. Perhaps the Kindle 2.0
> won't look so hideous. If so, I'll most likely sell my 505 and pick one up.
> Kerry Lannert wrote:
> > Thanks for the comparison. I like my Sony reader a lot, but every
> > timethey drop the price a little further on he kindle I get tempted.
> > It's good to know it really is as ugly in person as in pictures. My
> > sony uses SD as well as memory stick. It's the version that came out
> > last fall (prs-505). Using any card draws from the battery so I
> > stopped using expansion cards altogether. The 160mb (I think) internal
> > holds about 90 books, which is more than enough between sync sessions.
> > - Kerry
> > On Nov 8, 2008, at 10:51, Gate <gate...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> >> I recently received a Kindle for my birthday. Coals to Newcastle,
> >> because I already have the Sony Reader (not the touch screen one, but
> >> the one before; can't remember the nomenclature). Anyhow, I thought t
> >> it might interest some of you to see what differences I found hands
> >> on.
> >> First, the ugly factor: Kindle is hideous! The Sony is sleek and
> >> technolicious. But the Kindle is a plastic-y unwieldy thing. The
> >> buttons on the Kindle look like (dare I say it?) lipstick on a pig.
> >> Anyhow, it's really hard to hold without inadvertently turning a page,
> >> and it's bulky, to say the least. All that aside, the derned thing
> >> does so much! I wish the Sony could do as much. The dictionary is a
> >> great feature, as is the web buying. I was shocked that I was able to
> >> receive the Sprint signal here, since my friends can never get a
> >> signal from their cells at my house. But the web access, although not
> >> always available, is there enough to buy a book or check out what's on
> >> the site. I don't find a lot of price difference in the books,
> >> although there is some, and I've not had any more problems finding
> >> books on the Sony site than on the Amazon site. Neither have
> >> everything I want, but so far, they are about equal. The Kindle has a
> >> neat sleep feature and displays all sorts of pictures onscreen when
> >> it's sleeping, but I have to wonder how much memory all that junk
> >> takes up inside. It's fairly useless, in my opinion. The Sony starts
> >> up as quickly from a dead shutdown. The Sony's add on memory, of
> >> course, is the memory stick, and the Kindle uses the easy to find sd
> >> card. I had a bunch of memory sticks lying around from old devices,
> >> but I can see how Sony's proprietary doo dads could be annoying in the
> >> extreme.
> >> Anyhow, if any of you want a comparison with this feature or that,
> >> let me know.- Hide quoted text -
I don't understand this "ugly" Kindle thing at all. I look at the text
on the e-ink page when I am reading, period. I could not care less how
it looks when I am not reading, thus comparing the looks of the two
readers side by side is to me a pointless exercise. Moreover, the
large buttons on either side make page turning when holding the Kindle
in one hand very easy. The only time I have turned pages accidentally
is when I have closed the reader without first reverting to the splash
screen. The book selection on Amazon is much greater (I am talking
about current and not so current drm'ed books, of course). The Kindle
will certainly not make it into the MOMA design catalogue, to which
all I can say is, "so what!"
On Nov 9, 12:51 pm, Gate <gate...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> I forgot about the sd card on my Sony. Yes, mine's a 505 as well. And
> I have stuff on the card, but also on the memory stick. I also have no
> problems with battery usage, and the books I like best are on the
> Sony. But that cell connection really is nice. And yes, Kerry, it's
> every bit as ugly as you thought. Not only the shape, but that ooky
> plastic. The Sony looks so sleek and high tech next to the Kindle.
> Even the cover is better on the Sony. Aaron, I'd think long and hard
> about selling that Sony for the Kindle. I know you're visually gifted,
> and you'd really hate that ugly thing! Even with cell connection!
> Oh, I almost forgot: the Kindle would work with a Mac, and the Sony
> won't, at this point. I haven't tried, since my Mac is only my surfing
> toy, but that would be another thing in Kindle's favor.
> On Nov 8, 2:33 pm, "Aaron F. Gonzalez" <aaron_w...@aaronfg.com> wrote:
> > I have the Sony 505 as well. I keep everything on the SD card. The
> > battery lasts so long I have never even thought about ways to try and
> > save power. I think I charge this thing once every 2 weeks or so.
> > I definitely prefer the look of the Sony over the Kindle, but the cell
> > connection on the Kindle is a killer feature. Perhaps the Kindle 2.0
> > won't look so hideous. If so, I'll most likely sell my 505 and pick one up.
> > Kerry Lannert wrote:
> > > Thanks for the comparison. I like my Sony reader a lot, but every
> > > timethey drop the price a little further on he kindle I get tempted.
> > > It's good to know it really is as ugly in person as in pictures. My
> > > sony uses SD as well as memory stick. It's the version that came out
> > > last fall (prs-505). Using any card draws from the battery so I
> > > stopped using expansion cards altogether. The 160mb (I think) internal
> > > holds about 90 books, which is more than enough between sync sessions.
> > > - Kerry
> > > On Nov 8, 2008, at 10:51, Gate <gate...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> > >> I recently received a Kindle for my birthday. Coals to Newcastle,
> > >> because I already have the Sony Reader (not the touch screen one, but
> > >> the one before; can't remember the nomenclature). Anyhow, I thought t
> > >> it might interest some of you to see what differences I found hands
> > >> on.
> > >> First, the ugly factor: Kindle is hideous! The Sony is sleek and
> > >> technolicious. But the Kindle is a plastic-y unwieldy thing. The
> > >> buttons on the Kindle look like (dare I say it?) lipstick on a pig.
> > >> Anyhow, it's really hard to hold without inadvertently turning a page,
> > >> and it's bulky, to say the least. All that aside, the derned thing
> > >> does so much! I wish the Sony could do as much. The dictionary is a
> > >> great feature, as is the web buying. I was shocked that I was able to
> > >> receive the Sprint signal here, since my friends can never get a
> > >> signal from their cells at my house. But the web access, although not
> > >> always available, is there enough to buy a book or check out what's on
> > >> the site. I don't find a lot of price difference in the books,
> > >> although there is some, and I've not had any more problems finding
> > >> books on the Sony site than on the Amazon site. Neither have
> > >> everything I want, but so far, they are about equal. The Kindle has a
> > >> neat sleep feature and displays all sorts of pictures onscreen when
> > >> it's sleeping, but I have to wonder how much memory all that junk
> > >> takes up inside. It's fairly useless, in my opinion. The Sony starts
> > >> up as quickly from a dead shutdown. The Sony's add on memory, of
> > >> course, is the memory stick, and the Kindle uses the easy to find sd
> > >> card. I had a bunch of memory sticks lying around from old devices,
> > >> but I can see how Sony's proprietary doo dads could be annoying in the
> > >> extreme.
> > >> Anyhow, if any of you want a comparison with this feature or that,
> > >> let me know.- Hide quoted text -
I have a question concerning book availability. One of the things I really appreciate about eReader and similar services is that they carry large libraries of out-of-print books. Two examples from my personal experience: - My wife is a big mystery reader, and one of her favorite authors is Lawrence Block, has been writing books since the 1960s. A couple of years ago she mentioned that she would love to read his early novels, but they are long out of print. Turns out eReader has his complete collection, and now so does she. - The other week I heard an interview on Fresh Air with Robert Baer. He is a former CIA officer who is a recognized expert in the Near East. He has just published his fourth book. I checked him out on eReader and found his first three, including a very interesting autobiography, "See No Evil" about his 20+ years in the CIA, a novel based on that experience, and a book about US relations with Saudi-Arabia. I have now read the first two and am starting the third. I may end up buying his new book on paper if it doesn't show up on eReader, but I am getting a huge amount of knowledge from these first three.
So does either Amazon or Sony provide these kinds of electronic libraries of out-of-print books? Often authors and publishers look at ebooks specifically as a secondary market for books that are out of print. Since it costs virtually nothing to maintain those electronic libraries, epublishing becomes a perfect answer for maintaining residual sales of out-of-print books. And for readers, it is a huge potential boon. I seldom start reading a writer when when he publishes his forst book. Often, as with Baer, I hear about him only after he has published several books. Then I want to go back and read those books, but getting them from used book sources is often hit or miss. instead I can go to eReader and order them (or order one or two and put the rest on my wish list) and have them immediately.
On Mon, Nov 10, 2008 at 11:39 AM, PhilippeR <pdrad...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I don't understand this "ugly" Kindle thing at all. I look at the text > on the e-ink page when I am reading, period. I could not care less how > it looks when I am not reading, thus comparing the looks of the two > readers side by side is to me a pointless exercise. Moreover, the > large buttons on either side make page turning when holding the Kindle > in one hand very easy. The only time I have turned pages accidentally > is when I have closed the reader without first reverting to the splash > screen. The book selection on Amazon is much greater (I am talking > about current and not so current drm'ed books, of course). The Kindle > will certainly not make it into the MOMA design catalogue, to which > all I can say is, "so what!"
> On Nov 9, 12:51 pm, Gate <gate...@earthlink.net> wrote: > > I forgot about the sd card on my Sony. Yes, mine's a 505 as well. And > > I have stuff on the card, but also on the memory stick. I also have no > > problems with battery usage, and the books I like best are on the > > Sony. But that cell connection really is nice. And yes, Kerry, it's > > every bit as ugly as you thought. Not only the shape, but that ooky > > plastic. The Sony looks so sleek and high tech next to the Kindle. > > Even the cover is better on the Sony. Aaron, I'd think long and hard > > about selling that Sony for the Kindle. I know you're visually gifted, > > and you'd really hate that ugly thing! Even with cell connection! > > Oh, I almost forgot: the Kindle would work with a Mac, and the Sony > > won't, at this point. I haven't tried, since my Mac is only my surfing > > toy, but that would be another thing in Kindle's favor.
> > On Nov 8, 2:33 pm, "Aaron F. Gonzalez" <aaron_w...@aaronfg.com> wrote:
> > > I have the Sony 505 as well. I keep everything on the SD card. The > > > battery lasts so long I have never even thought about ways to try and > > > save power. I think I charge this thing once every 2 weeks or so.
> > > I definitely prefer the look of the Sony over the Kindle, but the cell > > > connection on the Kindle is a killer feature. Perhaps the Kindle 2.0 > > > won't look so hideous. If so, I'll most likely sell my 505 and pick > one up.
> > > Kerry Lannert wrote: > > > > Thanks for the comparison. I like my Sony reader a lot, but every > > > > timethey drop the price a little further on he kindle I get tempted.
> > > > It's good to know it really is as ugly in person as in pictures. My > > > > sony uses SD as well as memory stick. It's the version that came out
> > > > last fall (prs-505). Using any card draws from the battery so I > > > > stopped using expansion cards altogether. The 160mb (I think) > internal > > > > holds about 90 books, which is more than enough between sync > sessions.
> > > > - Kerry
> > > > On Nov 8, 2008, at 10:51, Gate <gate...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> > > >> I recently received a Kindle for my birthday. Coals to Newcastle, > > > >> because I already have the Sony Reader (not the touch screen one, > but > > > >> the one before; can't remember the nomenclature). Anyhow, I thought > t > > > >> it might interest some of you to see what differences I found hands > > > >> on. > > > >> First, the ugly factor: Kindle is hideous! The Sony is sleek and > > > >> technolicious. But the Kindle is a plastic-y unwieldy thing. The > > > >> buttons on the Kindle look like (dare I say it?) lipstick on a pig. > > > >> Anyhow, it's really hard to hold without inadvertently turning a > page, > > > >> and it's bulky, to say the least. All that aside, the derned thing > > > >> does so much! I wish the Sony could do as much. The dictionary is a > > > >> great feature, as is the web buying. I was shocked that I was able > to > > > >> receive the Sprint signal here, since my friends can never get a > > > >> signal from their cells at my house. But the web access, although > not > > > >> always available, is there enough to buy a book or check out what's > on > > > >> the site. I don't find a lot of price difference in the books, > > > >> although there is some, and I've not had any more problems finding > > > >> books on the Sony site than on the Amazon site. Neither have > > > >> everything I want, but so far, they are about equal. The Kindle has > a > > > >> neat sleep feature and displays all sorts of pictures onscreen when > > > >> it's sleeping, but I have to wonder how much memory all that junk > > > >> takes up inside. It's fairly useless, in my opinion. The Sony starts > > > >> up as quickly from a dead shutdown. The Sony's add on memory, of > > > >> course, is the memory stick, and the Kindle uses the easy to find sd > > > >> card. I had a bunch of memory sticks lying around from old devices, > > > >> but I can see how Sony's proprietary doo dads could be annoying in > the > > > >> extreme. > > > >> Anyhow, if any of you want a comparison with this feature or that, > > > >> let me know.- Hide quoted text -
I am not familiar with Lawrence Block, but there are a lot of books of
his on the Kindle for prices ranging from ca.$3 to ca. $6, and all
four of the Baer books are available (the most recent at $9.99, the
other three for $6.39).
Well, concerning Baer, let me recommend the books. Start with the autobio, which is an education in his particular approach and outlook, which is quite different from most experts, who are based in academia. His information all comes from primary research -- that is interviewing people in their native languages, often in secret, over 30 odd years.
Bert
On Mon, Nov 10, 2008 at 12:52 PM, PhilippeR <pdrad...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I am not familiar with Lawrence Block, but there are a lot of books of > his on the Kindle for prices ranging from ca.$3 to ca. $6, and all > four of the Baer books are available (the most recent at $9.99, the > other three for $6.39).
I know Baer, two of whose books I have read (though not on the Kindle)
along with some articles and reviews. Question: now that your wife
knows that Block is available on the Kindle (and, remember, she can
buy these books wirelessly as she pleases) is she at all tempted to
get one (or are you tempted to get one for her?)
On Nov 10, 12:58 pm, "Bert Latamore" <bert.latam...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Well, concerning Baer, let me recommend the books. Start with the autobio,
> which is an education in his particular approach and outlook, which is quite
> different from most experts, who are based in academia. His information all
> comes from primary research -- that is interviewing people in their native
> languages, often in secret, over 30 odd years.
> Bert
> On Mon, Nov 10, 2008 at 12:52 PM, PhilippeR <pdrad...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > I am not familiar with Lawrence Block, but there are a lot of books of
> > his on the Kindle for prices ranging from ca.$3 to ca. $6, and all
> > four of the Baer books are available (the most recent at $9.99, the
> > other three for $6.39).
