Sony PRS-650 and KIndle 3 Generation

Sony PRS 650 and Kindle 3, which one to pick?
Internet or touch screen? Loads of storage or
unicode support out of the box? It is all up to you!

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• sony
• 650
• kindle
• ebook
• touch
• screen

[Anakha13]

Great review. Expandable memory, touchscreen, and not being locked into only one source to buy books from more than make up for the 650's lack of wireless and text-to-speech in my opinion.

[the3onna]

To be fair- Kindle is not locked to Amazon only, you can read any unprotected pdf, mobi or rtf file. For other formats there are converters.

[LibertyObserver]

I went back and forth trying to decide on these two and I finally picked the Sony. Amazon's arrogance in being the only reader to NOT support the industry standard EPUB format was the major deciding factor as well as the touch screen, on screen notes (excellent for college) and of course the two memory card slots. All major ebook providers have their books in EPUB format. When Amazon decides to support it natively without having to use a converter each time, I'm there but not until then.

[Leilond74]

@Anakha13 Metal housing > Plastic? I think is simply heavier and make your hand tired faster, if you read (like me) standing on. Touchscreen > Non-touchscreen, you repeat this again and again. I yet said that if you simply READ novels, thouchscreen is completely useles, completely. The only real flaw of the kindle is that you need to convert epub into azw before loading them to the device.

[Anakha13]

@Leilond74 You're absolutely fixated on one thing I had mentioned in response to your assertion that a touchscreen is nearly useless whilst reading a novel; page swiping. Want more? Metal housing > Plastic. Touchscreen > Non-touchscreen. Expandable memory > Non-expandable memory. Open format > Proprietary format. On-screen keyboard > Space-wasting keyboard. The one thing the Kindle has over the 650 is wireless connectivity, but that's highly overrated. Once again, this is a matter of opinion.

[Leilond74]

@Anakha13 You say that you feel Sony is superior, but the only evidence you wrote about is the "page swapping". Clicking a button is quicker, but less fascinating... this is the only real difference you showed and you think it worths 100 dollars?

Why Sony is superior? What you can do it better with the sony? Have you got both, or you simply tryed one or the other only once or twice?

[Anakha13]

@Leilond74 For that one feature? Of course not. (Even though I think touchscreen ereaders are preferable to non-touchscreen models.) For the overall package? Yes. I would rather take the time needed to save up the extra hundred dollars in order to buy what I feel is a superior piece of kit than have something that I feel is an inferior piece of kit right now. Again, this a matter of opinion.

[Leilond74]

@Anakha13

And does it worth 100 dollars? The possibility to "emulate" the page swapping with your finger instead of pressing a button worth 100 dollars? If you think so...

[Anakha13]

@Leilond74 Yes, as was pointed out about 9 months ago. You do, however, have fewer sources to buy books from than folks who have ereaders using the epub format. As for the touch screen not being useful for reading, that's your opinion. I find it quite useful while reading and its swiping motion more like reading a pbook than pressing a button (which you can still do on the Sony).

[Leilond74]

@Anakha13 Kindle ISN'T locked onty to one source

And for the pourpose of reading books (not study and taking notes, but reading books, novels) the touch screen is nearly unusefull

I've got the kindle and my wife took the sony... nearly equivalent, but very different prices

[yayjohnnydepp]

I'm also deciding on the kindle or sony. if I bought the Sony ereader, then I download the kindle app for my laptop. would it be possible to still buy books of amazon, download them unto my laptop and then transfer them to the sony ereader i.e. can the sony ereader read the mobi format?

[julebuggy]

For reading PDFs, Sony blows away Kindle. This is especially true for academic papers that are 2 column. The quadrant view is only on Sony readers I believe and makes all the difference in the world. Even the basic PRS-350 is superior to Kindle for this feature.

[crimsure]

The sony looks stylish but im loving the business look on the amazon