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Old 09-26-2009, 09:58 PM   #1
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I just had a chance to see both the Sony Pocket Reader and the Sony Touch Reader in person in the local Best Buy store. I was really surprised at how much better the screen contrast was on the Pocket Reader than the other model. I have not seen a Kindle in person yet and I was wondering if anyone can comment on how the screen contrast compares with the two Sony readers. If I had not seen the two readers side-by-side, I would have wanted the Touch version, due to the expanded features of that model. But my bifocal-assisted eyes need the best possible contrast I can find. I'm considering buying one of these later this year, but am still evaluating different models and features. The difference in contrast was really striking; and I'm wondering where the Kindle fits into the spectrum.

(Not completely off topic, I hope, since these gadgets are really practical for book lovers in small spaces like fiberglass eggs.)
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Old 09-27-2009, 06:54 AM   #2
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(Not completely off topic, I hope, since these gadgets are really practical for book lovers in small spaces like fiberglass eggs.)
Nope, not in General Chat. And, I'm waiting for answers to come in. I do see some of the colleges are putting textbooks on Kindles and making them a requirement for some classes. I haven't found the reasoning other than standardization. But then again, maybe someone has done research on durability. Kinda like the reason they use Macs in schools. A technology that can take physical abuse?
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Old 09-27-2009, 08:48 AM   #3
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I'd love it if we had texts on Kindles- a typical organic chemistry text is 3 inches thick and weighs a LOT (I haven't weighed one but I'd guess 8 lbs.) For a student, add physics and calculus and you might have 25 lbs of books, add a laptop to that... well, you get the idea.

I'm not familiar with the Sony and only have Kindle on my Ipod Touch. Kindle has one big advantage which is the buy a book anywhere, anytime feature. On the other hand, I understand it has a button to turn pages. On the Touch app, you turn pages with a touch, and I like that. From what I hear the Kindle has a great screen. Oh, and I'm not sure about the Sony, but the Kindle reads out loud. I think I'll probably buy one eventually as my eyes are not good enough for a lot of reading anymore and being able to enlarge the text or listen to it would be a huge benefit.

In fact, the dogs may be planning to get me one for Christmas if they don't spend all their money on vet bills.

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Old 09-27-2009, 09:06 AM   #4
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And reduce the price for textbooks! I ordered a reasonably small one for my class this fall. It cost the students $130.00 in the bookstore! Outrageous! If it were not written by someone who writes part of the final test that students have to take to be licensed, I would find another.

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Old 09-27-2009, 11:02 AM   #5
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I have a Kindle 2 and can't compare it to the Sony since it has been a while since I have seen the Sony players but the Kindle is easy to read and the screen has good contrast indoors and outdoors. It is much lighter than the original Kindle and it is very easy to navigate. It has soft touch buttons on both sides of the screen to change the page and you can change pages with a barely perceptible touch of the finger. It is easy to make bookmarks, to clip articles for later reference or to make notes about contents. You can "dog ear" pages for future reference and the Kindle will remember your last page read in many books or articles at one time as long as you have the Whisper net on. You can save battery power by only turning on the Whisper net when you are buying new materials or open it before you close a book so it can record your latest progress. It is easy to change font size on any book to accommodate for poor lighting or a time when you are reading without glasses if you usually wear them. I find that I can read books more quickly on a Kindle than I do in paper form. I'm not really sure why that is but I know it is true for others as well. The Kindle has a much better selection of books than does the Sony. The downside is that you can only share books with others on your account. Each account can have up to 6 registered Kindles so to share a book on another account, you must first de-register from one account and reregister it on another. That is a quick process and can be done in less than a minute but it is a downside. Obviously you would only share an account with someone you trusted. It is not like handing a used book to a stranger and passing it on.
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Old 09-27-2009, 01:16 PM   #6
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And reduce the price for textbooks! I ordered a reasonably small one for my class this fall. It cost the students $130.00 in the bookstore! Outrageous!
Yeah, and the worst thing is they push revisions every three years so that used books won't be available. Our books are usually good for two semesters but cost about $180. And the alternatives are all equally pricey since chem texts are pretty standard. Some students buy from Amazon UK and get foreign editions which are much cheaper. (Kind of like Canadian drugs.)

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Old 09-27-2009, 01:51 PM   #7
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I'm thinking we'll see some substantial deals this Christmas season, and hopefully that will include a deal or two on the Kindle, though I'm likely to hold off for the Kindle 3, whenever it comes. I'd still rather have a touch screen.
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Old 09-27-2009, 06:09 PM   #8
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Charlene,
Have you used the search function very much? It works within individual books as well as across the whole machine, doesn't it? I'm thinking it would be a necessary feature if you got any reference type books that were arranged alphabetically. It's not the sort of situation where you'd read it straight through.
Thanks for all the information.
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Old 09-29-2009, 06:07 PM   #9
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I just had a chance to see both the Sony Pocket Reader and the Sony Touch Reader in person in the local Best Buy store. I was really surprised at how much better the screen contrast was on the Pocket Reader than the other model. I have not seen a Kindle in person yet and I was wondering if anyone can comment on how the screen contrast compares with the two Sony readers. If I had not seen the two readers side-by-side, I would have wanted the Touch version, due to the expanded features of that model. But my bifocal-assisted eyes need the best possible contrast I can find. I'm considering buying one of these later this year, but am still evaluating different models and features. The difference in contrast was really striking; and I'm wondering where the Kindle fits into the spectrum.

(Not completely off topic, I hope, since these gadgets are really practical for book lovers in small spaces like fiberglass eggs.)
Pamela.....
It has been several days since you posted this question,but I thought I would do some research before commenting on it. As for myself I have a Plam One Tungsten T 5 and a Palm..Z 22 . I love both of them for different reasons. The Z 22 is very small and easy to carry in my purse. The T 5 is bigger and holds more information. What I like about BOTH of them over the Amazon kindle or th Sony portable reader is that they are both back lite( means I can read in the dark with no book light)....but it is hard to read in the bright outside sunlight. You can do thateasy with the kindle or Sony. I know about them because my DD did LOTS of research before she got her Sony( she gave me her old Palm Z 22)

I told her about your question and she suggested that I point you to these 2 sights.......they are sights that she used to do her research and where she still vists almost daily. The first one is
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54982

The second one is http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix

DD gets all of her books from Sony and has a Great selection to choose from and they offer lots of free book. I get mine from E reader and they also have very good books. Sony sight seems to be cheaper than Amazon and E Reader ........also Amazon can ( and has done it) take the books you have bought off of your reader.


Oh and I have seen both the Sony and the kindle( sister -in -law has one) side by side.......but have only done any reading on the Sony I think I would like the Sony better if it was back lite. Anyway try looking at these two sights maybe they will help you decide.

Hope this helps you ...Lynn
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Old 09-29-2009, 06:26 PM   #10
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You kids with your electronic book gadgets are jes makin me feel my years.
I afraid I won't be able to move away from the old familiar look and feel of a "real" book.

Besides I read every night in the hot tub and have on occasion dropped my book in the water, which it usually recovers from after a few hours although the pages never lay quite flat again they're still legible. I'm afraid that if I dropped one of these new fangled gadgets in the tub while reading, the thing would be toast.....
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Old 09-30-2009, 10:22 AM   #11
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Greg,
I hear the thing to do is put your ereader in a ziploc bag before taking it to the beach or pool. Should work for the hot tub, too.

Lynn,
Thanks for the info; I'll check out those websites.

Pamela
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Old 09-30-2009, 01:40 PM   #12
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Rumor has it that Apple is developing something.

My PDA holds ebooks too. I find it difficult to scroll on my current Centro though.

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Old 11-14-2009, 11:15 AM   #13
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Well, with the recent price drop, I bought a Kindle. I love it so far, and one thing that I don't think was mentioned was that it has a primitive web browser. I found I could do gmail with that browser. It isn't easy like a real computer (interface is a bit clunky, all b&w, small screen) but as of now there is no charge for it. (It's an experimental feature so could disappear or they could start charging for it- though frankly I don't see anyone willing to pay for it.) For now, it will be nice- yesterday my computer was in the shop at work and I used the Kindle to keep up on email (just forwarded work email to gmail.)

Anyway, other things: it has this weird flash to black then back to light gray when you change the page but within a couple of minutes your eye adjusts and I think you start blinking just as that happens as you stop seeing it unless you try to. Interesting phenomenon- I thought it would annoy me but since I adjusted it isn't an issue.

The text to speech doesn't work on every book, but when it does it is very good. The volume isn't very loud but loud enough if you aren't in a noisy place. I set it on the dryer when I was doing laundry and that amplified it nicely. Not a sub for audiobooks but a nice feature.

The screen is grayish but with good contrast and there are two text sizes larger than the one I use, so it has room for my eyes to get worse! Naturally the smaller the text, the less often you have to turn the page, but I wanted the larger text. The type is easy to read.

You need to buy a case of some kind, at least a sleeve. I ordered a case (zippered) that can also have a special reading light that fits the case, though I didn't order that (yet.)

I really love the preview feature. You can download sample chapters and see if you like a book before buying it. There are also a lot of free books. Many, many classics are free, and some newer books. Some series have the first book free (to get you hooked.)

Anyway, so far (1 week in) I'm a happy camper.

Bobbie
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Old 11-14-2009, 12:10 PM   #14
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Is reading on an e-reader the same as reading on a computer? The reason I ask is my daughter does her schoolwork on-line and when she has to read say History and it's several pages of scrolling down neither one of us can absorb what we are reading. We must print out a hard copy of that chapter and read it off paper in order to digest it. It's not just History, we have the same problem with Algebra or Biology. For some reason we just don't comprehend nearly as much when we are reading on a computer screen vs. sitting down with a hard copy. I've heard of other students having this issue as well and in fact the school recomends printing off any text. Is it a sensory issue where we need the tactile feedback of pages in our hands and will we eventually adjust? I have no problem reading emails or short articles online but for some reason if I'm trying to learn or remember a lot of info it doesnt stick. Just wonder if we're the only ones who have experienced this?

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Old 11-14-2009, 12:12 PM   #15
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Hmm, interesting. I prefer the Kindle to reading on a computer screen but I haven't tried textbook kind of things. I suspect what you miss on the computer is the sense of seeing the whole thing at once, and that might be a problem with a Kindle textbook reader, too, but I don't know. That's not where the complaints have been.
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Old 11-14-2009, 07:35 PM   #16
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I have a Kindle II -- which has been on loan to my wife so she can try it out -- and love it. Its "e-paper" technology (something that was being developed at Xerox PARC while I was working there on a different project) screen is very readable. Not quite like the page of a book, but much nicer than the first generation Sony reader or any computer screen. It's also great to be able to download a free sample of some interesting-sounding book before I buy it, and nice to be able to get a sample to look at as I'm reading a book review in the paper or listening to a book author and guest on some media show. It's nice to be able to download a book or a current copy of a newspaper or magazine I want to read while out in a bookstore desert (or campground with cell phone service). It's also nice to be able to get a wide range of book titles -- mostly classics and the occasional new book -- for free or very cheap. I downloaded all of Sir Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories for $3 or so. (I could have gotten it for free, but decided to pay extra for better formatting.) Lastly, you can have up to six Kindle readers registered to one account, and they can all share the same library of books you've downloaded. You can even move from one reader to another and Amazon/Kindle will keep track of where you are in the book and ask you if you want to pick up from where you left off on the other reader.

There is also something new in the Kindle universe, a PC/Windows based reader Kindle reader was released (in Beta) this week. (A Mac version due out soon as well.) Also new is the Barnes & Nobel Nook, an e-reader with the exact same e-paper screen and screen size as the original Kindle and Kindle II and shares pretty much all its advantages and disadvantages. The biggest differences between one and the other are that the Nook is slightly thicker, replaces the miniature keyboard under the Kindle's main screen with a nifty iPod/iPhone color touch screen that lets you finger-swish your way through your library or store book catalog, and Barnes & Nobel allow you to "loan" your Nook books to nook-owning friends for 15 days at a time. (I hope this idea catches on at Amazon.)

Thinking about Amazon vs Barnes & Nobel vs Sony readers, I trust the major-bookstore-heritage book buying clout of Amazon and Barnes & Nobel more when it comes to making titles available on their reader more. Sony has not been a major player in the book business before, and has a less than stellar track record of playing nice with others. I don't trust them. Now if Apple or Google come up with a reader (as both are reputed to be doing) . . . hmmmm . . . that would be something to look at.

Back to my Kindle II, there are things the it does not do well, and I assume this applies to the Nook:

First of all, at the rate I usually read the Kindle will last one week between charges, sometimes less, sometimes more. One advantage a conventional book has over the Kindle is I have yet to see a paperback tell me I have to plug it in if I want to keep on reading. The Kindle does this to me once or twice a month, but at least it gives me fair warning, an hour or two's reading time before it shuts down.

Kindle graphics. One of the first titles I read on my Kindle II was The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, which has some wonderful pen-and-ink drawings that were completely unrecognizable, and for color pictures, forget it! I tried an anatomy textbook sample that had color illustrations on my Kindle, and found most of the illustrations and figures were equally unreadable. (This problem is mostly resolved in the PC-based reader.)

Footnotes: Footnotes often do not appear at the bottom of the same page they were noted on. They often appear one, two, even three screens later on.

Formatting: Some publishers and authors do a better job of formatting their book for the Kindle than others do. A couple books I've read on the Kindle have had many of the right-most characters clipped off, and some books (including a great a many of the public-domain titles that can be had for cheap or free) are not formatted by chapter or section.

Paging back to find a page: Often times I'll remember reading something 5, 10, 50 or 100 pages ago, the "Wasn't there something odd about Aunt Florence mowing the lawn or clipping the roses earlier on in the book?" when she appears with the lawn mower just after Timmy disappears. In a paper book I'd page back until I was able to zero in on the book section where Aunt Florence was planting tulips, but with the Kindle I can't do that. I have to go back to a chapter heading and scan through page by page. (If I could remember it was tulip-planting I could construct a search, but that might reveal that Aunt Florence plants tulips right after Uncle Richard dies later on, but chances are my memory will be vague enough that I'll go looking for lawn mowing instead and come up with nothing at all.)

I have a similar problem on those occasions when I want to flip back and forth between some figure or table in the book I'm reading and the text that discusses it. With a paper book I'll put my finger in the pages where the figure is and flip back and forth, but on my Kindle each page back and forward requires a button push and pause while the page re-paints itself.

Lastly, I very much believe that books are something you share with friends. Even if Amazon starts letting you loan books to friends like the Nook does, buying an eBook limits your book sharing to fellow Kindle (or Nook) owners.

The published author in me has a different bent on the book gifting and eBook concept, and it goes like this:

Since eBook owners can't gift a book to one friend who will eventually gift it the book to another friend or sell it at a used book store, eBook readers will likely lead to more sales of individual books. Yay for writers and book publishers!

Another advantage of eBooks is they don't take up shelf space or book press time and money, so books could conceivably continue generating revenue well after they have (or might have) gone out of print or been pulled from book store shelves. Yay for book writers and publishers!

And going electronic will allow writers to take more control of the publishing process. Just as iTunes has enabled more bands to get their music out in front of fans without having to go through a big record company, electronic books will allow authors to get their books in front of readers without going through a big publisher, too. Given that my take on my book was a paltry $1.50 per book sold, with the remainder of the $22-$30 sales price per copy going to the publisher and retailer, I could learn to love earning $2.50 for every $10 eBook I sell . . . love it even more because more people will buy my book when it's cheaper and can't be gifted to interested friends. Yay for book writers! (Publishers are looking a little less enthused.)
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Old 11-14-2009, 07:43 PM   #17
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Just a reminder- sharing with six readers also means sharing your account info- they have to be on the same credit card. So great for most couples but not so great for sharing with friends.

I have no problem with that part, though, as I don't care if I can share books with friends. At least with the Nook, though, they HAVE to return the book after two weeks.. no more disappearing books.

You also don't have to dust the books in your Kindle! I know it won't always be the Kindle, but I can foresee in the future drastically thinning my library, especially since I plan to move in a few years.

Bobbie
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Old 11-14-2009, 11:58 PM   #18
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I have no problem with that part, though, as I don't care if I can share books with friends. At least with the Nook, though, they HAVE to return the book after two weeks.. no more disappearing books.
But that plus is also a minus. You can share your book with that one friend just one time for 15 days. No renewing the loan . . . AND it turns out that the publisher and author have to agree that their book can be shared in the first place. It's not clear how many are willing to do that.
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Old 11-18-2009, 10:42 PM   #19
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Hello Everyone,
I ended up ordering a refurbed Kindle 1 and I absolutely love it. It goes everywhere with me. Although the Kindle 2 is "prettier" and lighter, in terms of functionality mine is quite comparable. It is very easy to increase the font size if my eyes get tired or I don't have as much light as I'd like. I have added a ton of old favorites which I re-read periodically, along with quite a selection of new items, and a lot of reference titles. Amazon's selection is the best for the topics I am interested in. This thing is perfect for camping because of the long battery life and space savings. My husband and I are both voracious readers, and I am probably going to buy him one of these, too. If I add it to my account we can share most of the books and not need to buy duplicates. The prices are also quite good. For anyone who likes to camp and can't live without a stack of books, these things are awesome!
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Old 11-18-2009, 11:35 PM   #20
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I still love mine, too. Did you order a case, Pamela? I got the M-edge Latitude case which zips up and plan to get the booklight that fits it; I haven't yet as I have a birthday and so put it on my wish list since my daughter usually goes there to pick out a gift for me... if she doesn't get it then I'll order one for myself. Anyway the case zips closed so can keep out dust and dog hair when I'm not reading the Kindle. I can see where it would be great to have the Kindle for camping- I have used my iPod touch with the Kindle reader for camping (one advantage there is reading in the dark) but it still creates some eye strain which I don't find I get at all with the Kindle.

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