Why I chose a Sony Reader
Below is my response to Social Networking - Task 2 (it was easier to put links in a new post rather than in a comment).After much research on forums like MobileRead and Whirlpool (a good Australian site), followed by an in-store demo, I decided on the recently released Sony Reader PRS650. This is a an e-book reader with a 6 inch e-ink screen, the same size display as the Kindle 3, Kobo, Kogan, and a host of other brands. 6-inch screens seem to be the industry standard these days, although Sony and BeBook, for example, also make 5 inch models, while Kindle and Sony have 7 inch readers as well.
Everyone who considers buying an e-reader will have different priorities, and mine were readability, portability, file formats and a touch screen.
Readability – The new batch of Sony Readers use E Ink Pearl, an e-ink screen that offers a 16 grayscale display with a contrast ratio of 10.1 (compared to 6.1 for most other e-ink readers). Simply put, the contrast and resolution is better, particularly in bright, natural light. The text appears blacker and sharper against the almost-white electronic page. At time of writing, the Kindle 3 is the only other e-reader using Pearl, so this was a big factor for me.
Portability – So why not choose the much cheaper Kindle, considering they both use E Ink Pearl? Well, despite the Sony and Kindle 3 both having 6 inch screens, the Sony is a smaller and lighter unit:
Sony = 168 x 119 mm, 215g
Kindle 3 = 190 x 123 mm, 246g
File Formats – In addition to PDF, DOC, RTF and Adobe DRM, Sony Reader supports the open-source EPUB format. I have a lot of public domain texts in this format on my PC ready to go. If created with care (like those available for FREE from epubBooks), EPUB texts read quite nicely on an e-reader. Kindle will not read EPUB. Also unlike Kindle, the Sony Reader is Overdrive compatible.
By the way, PDF can a tricky format for any e-reader and it is also the most difficult to convert to another format (like EPUB). Even though the Sony Reader can re-flow PDF text to fit the screen, the results are mixed. If you love your PDFs, maybe get an ipad, or a bigger e-reader.
Touch Screen – No clicking of buttons required to turn the page, just a light swish of the finger. You can even program which direction (right to left, or vice versa) to swipe to turn a page forward / backward. Includes the option of clicking buttons. Additionally, the touch screen is fantastic for quick access to the dictionaries – just tap twice on a word and your preferred dictionary supplies a definition.
You can also add notes, (with a keyboard or freehand with stylus), search text and the battery lasts for weeks and weeks. Above all, I suggest try before you buy. Happy (e) reading.
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2 comments :
It sounds really good Brian and I'm just about convinced that the Sony reader is the one I should be saving my money for. We were looking at the Library Sony e-book reader here the other day and I was impressed by how light it was. I also like the idea of being able to download Overdrive e-books onto it as I'd be more likely to borrow e-books than buy them. How is it to read indoors? And how is the battery life going?
Reading indoors is fine Karen, except if you are sitting under a bright spotlight, in which case you might see a spot of glare on the screen. In this case, you could just tilt the reader to avoid the glare (the orginal Sony Readers had a glass screen that caused big problems, but these new ones have a matt finish).
I have found the best reading experience to be in diffuse, natural light, indoors or out. Excels in bright sunlight.
Reading a big novel night (by a bedside lamp, for example) you notice the benfits of a flat screen - no problems with juggling a hefty book, shadows in the gutter between pages, etc. And the dictionary on demand is brilliant.
The battery is still on full, though because I am experimenting a lot with loading books and documents from my PC, the unit is getting a lot of re-charging.
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