Amazon Kindle vs. Sony Reader: The 2008 Review
It isn’t easy to decide between the Sony Reader and the Amazon Kindle! Both devices have their own ardent fan bases, and the best you can do is to evaluate the facts on both devices before you decide.
The price is the first aspect to consider when shopping for ebook readers. In this case the prices for both ebook readers aren’t very different. The Kindle is priced at $359 right now. The PRS700 is Sony’s Newest Model is priced at about $400, which is only about $40 more. With either model, you’re going to pay, but the Kindle is the best buy in terms of price.
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.
In terms of what these devices look like, the Sony Reader easily trumps the Kindle. The biggest gripe about the Kindle is that the device is plain ugly! It looks like a device designed in the late 90’s. The Sony Reader 700, on the other hand, has a slick black “iPodish” look to it. It is what you would expect for a design of a device in 2008.
The Sony Reader does have a touch screen display and Sony would appear to have the advantage, however the kindle isn’t out of the running. Sony’s model isn’t as sharp as the kindle, and the contrast is also worse. Both books are still very readable, but the Amazon Kindle comes in slightly ahead in readability because Sony had to put an additional touch screen layer on top of the existing e-ink screen layer. However the Sony’s touch screen is also a convenient step forward in ebook reader technology.
Both of these ebook readers allow you to make the font size of the book you are reading bigger. This is a really great thing if you have a hard time reading print that is too small. One slight advantage that the Sony Reader 700 has over the Amazon Kindle in terms of readability is the LED backlight for reading in low-light environments. On the surface this sounds great-no more need for a clip-on light but not so fast. Reviews of the Sony Reader have reported that the light does a poor job of lighting the screen and in some cases makes it harder to read because it affects the contrast and visibility of the text.
Nobody wants to lug around a huge and massive device. The good news is that both units only weigh roughly 10 ounces each, about the weight of some paperback books, so that they can be easily carried about while traveling or reading. The Sony reader is slightly smaller than the Kindle, which could be a plus or minus point depending on how you perceive it. Nobody wants to lug around a huge and massive device. The good news is that both units only weigh roughly 10 ounces each, about the weight of an average-sized paperback book.
One of the more important features for some users is the ease of getting the downloaded content onto your ebook reader. The Kindle blows the Sony Reader out of the water in this respect. The Sony requires you to download the file to the computer then use a USB cable to transfer files to you reader before you can acess them. The Kindle handles the task by itself thanks to the free wireless capabilities. Its as easy as connecting to the store, finding the content you would like, click a few buttons, and then enjoy your reading. The Kindle definitely outshines the Sony Reader in this category.
Storage space is something else that you really need to consider. Both readers offer plenty of storage space for the average user with the ability to store over 200 books. If you tend to buy a lot of books or need to reference many different ones you might want to consider the Sony Reader. It holds more books than the Kindle and it also supports larger external memory cards giving it far more storage capacity than the Kindle.
Last but not least, the final factor which you need to consider is the ebook formats supported by each device. While both devices have their own propitiatory formats, only the Amazon reader supports the immensely popular MOBI format. If you own content in that format, then it is obvious which reader you should get.
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.
Tags: amazon kindle, computers, ebook reader devices, ebook readers, electronics, gadgets, handheld ebook readers, kindle, kindle ebook reader, portable ebook readers, sony ebook reader, sony reader, sony reader 700, sony reader prs700, technology