ts Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 So I've been looking at getting an e-book reader as a gift for a family member ... the "Kindle" and the "Sony Reader Touch Edition" seem to be the front runners in terms of features & functionality, with the Sony actually getting better reviews based on the research I've done. Here's the catch - I have some concerns in that the Sony reader apparently uses a proprietary file format - not "Kindle compatible" - meaning you might want to buy an e-book but can't get it for the Sony. Apparently, ANY book sold on Amazon is "Kindle compatible" since Amazon promotes the Kindle? This smells like the old "VHS vs BetaMax" battle - what e-book file format will win out? I don't want to get an e-book reader that can only be used to read a smaller percentage of all the books in the world because of it's proprietary file format restrictions. Anybody have any experience or advice on this? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylive5 Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 I don't own either one....but you can't keep my daughter off her Kindle. I will see what she says about the availability of books and if they checked out the Sony when she got her Kindle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaP'N GRuNGe Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 (edited) Also check out the Nook from Barnes & Noble. Bonus here is you can go into the store, use their wi-fi. And read any book in the electronic library while there. Also you can lend/borrow books from other nook owners for 14 days. Same price as the Kindle. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/index.asp?cds2Pid=30919 edit: out of stock until january Edited November 21, 2009 by CaP'N GRuNGe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ts Posted November 21, 2009 Author Share Posted November 21, 2009 (edited) wait, they built a dedicated and proprietary file format for TEXT?! It isn't just a PDF file? From MobileTechReview.com, FWIW, italics below are mine ... as an aside the "DRM books" mentioned are "digital rights management" books, with access restrictions (similar to iTunes recordings) built into the file: "For DRM books, the [sony] Reader supports Sony's own BBeB (.lrf) file format. If you buy a book from the Sony storefront, it will be in BBeB format. Sony will be moving to ePUB format ... Adobe Digital Editions ePUB books are becoming the closest thing we have to a standard for commercial digital books. Libraries with digital lending facilities mostly use ePUB and the desktop software has a digital library finder (that uses Overdrive.com) and built-in support for ePUB DRM, making it easier to check out ebooks..." Anyways, I'm not really sure if I need to be concerned about varying file format compatibility, but want to take it into consideration before making any buying decision ... having a reader with nice features helps little if the availability of e-books for that particular reader is more limited than other possible choices for reader devices. Edited November 21, 2009 by ts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffraff Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 I never understood why people didn't just read the e-books on a laptop. Can serve more functions than just a book reader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
untateve Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 I don't have time to read books the old fashioned way. I download audible books from audible.com right to my Ipod and listen when I'm in the car, doing chores, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJoTheWebToedBoy Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 I don't have time to read books the old fashioned way. I download audible books from audible.com right to my Ipod and listen when I'm in the car, doing chores, etc. That's a damm shame.... I love to crash into my favorite chair, but on some tunes and get into a good book. Just chills me out, a lot. Not sure I could get into the audio books. I've been considering a Kindle just because of the availability of material, but the Barnes and Noble one has peaked my interest also. Any Sony owners out there want to chime in about material availability.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
untateve Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 That's a damm shame.... I love to crash into my favorite chair, but on some tunes and get into a good book. Just chills me out, a lot. Not sure I could get into the audio books. I've been considering a Kindle just because of the availability of material, but the Barnes and Noble one has peaked my interest also. Any Sony owners out there want to chime in about material availability.... Yea, I miss reading books as I once did. Life is too busy with children (and their schedule), work, and real life. I have limited free time and I tend to play chess during that time. Audible books can be amazing. You know you're into a good book when you wish you had further to drive or you volunteer to do the food shopping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMikeinNY Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 Bump. Looking to get an e-reader for the wife's birthday. Anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perchoutofwater Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 I have a Kindle and love it. So far every book I've wanted to read has been available, some very old and not exactly currently on the NY Slimes best seller list, so it seems there is a pretty wide selection of reading material out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driveby Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 Sorry, call me an old fart but I'll take a dog-eared, slightly musty paperback from Half Price books any day. And I try to read at least an hour before I go to bed, helps me unwind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WashingtonD Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 I absolutely love my Kindle Got it for Christmas this year and its literally been the best present I've gotten in years. I travel a lot for work and the convenience of having many books with me at all time in one device is fantastic and saves a lot of weight I was carrying in my carry on bag. The internet connection is fast and reliable, most books download in under 30 seconds. I was even able to use it to download books while in Europe on business when I finished everything that I had loaded up for the trip. The interface is good, not great though, there can be a bit of lag after you push a button and wait for a response while navigating the online amazon store which is no good for impatient fellows like me and has resulted in some accidental purchases. But you can cancel those out right away with no penalty which is nice. The text is extraordinarily readable, very much like reading a book. I purchased a leather case for mine which also helps keep that book feel to it. As a side, it's a GREAT work out companion, because of it's size it fits perfectly in the cradles in the ellipticals, stair master, bike's etc...and because you don't have to turn the page except by pushing a button it's that much easier to deal with (this would be true of any of the readers I'd imagine). I didn't look into the Barnes and Nobles reader, but did compare the Sony and ultimately the Kindle just felt like the better device and the better long term bet. WD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddahj Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 What's the charge per book? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmarc117 Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 wife loves the kindle. one thing missing is a backlight. the light stays on at night when shes reading in bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WashingtonD Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 (edited) Depends on the book Average 8.99 to 9.99 I'd say Also a lot of free books (classics and a selection of lesser known authors) EDIT - it's a much better deal to buy the kindle version of first run hard back's when they come out, because you don't really see a significant price drop from a "paper back" issue from a "hardback" issue. Edited March 4, 2010 by WashingtonD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddahj Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 Depends on the book Average 8.99 to 9.99 I'd say Also a lot of free books (classics and a selection of lesser known authors) EDIT - it's a much better deal to buy the kindle version of first run hard back's when they come out, because you don't really see a significant price drop from a "paper back" issue from a "hardback" issue. My daughter wants one. She reads all the time. I saw that Kindle offers the same software for the PC. Has anyone used it yet? Does it have the same features as the reader? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perchoutofwater Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 wife loves the kindle. one thing missing is a backlight. the light stays on at night when shes reading in bed. That is one of the best things about it. It helps reduce eye strain. If it was back lit you wouldn't be able to read it for more than an our or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WashingtonD Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 Haven't used the PC version sorry... I will say this, if your daughter reads a lot and is a speedy reader, expect the total number of books purchased to go up from paper versions...the easy access (essentially one click) to purchase has essentially doubled the amount of books I've bought in the past two months versus what I did last year in the same timeframe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmarc117 Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 That is one of the best things about it. It helps reduce eye strain. If it was back lit you wouldn't be able to read it for more than an our or two. ya, great for the reader. bad for the sleeper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perchoutofwater Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 ya, great for the reader. bad for the sleeper. Buy her a book light like this, they are great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ts Posted March 4, 2010 Author Share Posted March 4, 2010 (edited) Bump. Looking to get an e-reader for the wife's birthday. Anyone? FWIW - After doing some more research after I first posted this question back in November, I ended up buying a Kindle ... so far at least, it seems like the best gift I ever got for anyone - the recipient loves it, uses it every single day, and has nothing but good things to say to me about it since the gift was unwrapped. The download speed is good & the connection seems reliable ... cost per book is reasonable, and as many titles as you could need seem to be available ... and the device itself seems lightweight but sturdy & easy to use. The Kindle has been a big winner around here. Edited March 4, 2010 by ts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaP'N GRuNGe Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 If I were to buy one of these, I'd still look at the Nook over the Kindle because you can go into a B&N and have a coffee and sit and read anything in their store through their Wi-Fi just like going to the shelf and bringing something back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caveman_Nick Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 If I were to buy one of these, I'd still look at the Nook over the Kindle because you can go into a B&N and have a coffee and sit and read anything in their store through their Wi-Fi just like going to the shelf and bringing something back. I was at B&N over the weekend and they were doing Nook demos. I asked if this were true and they said that is wasn't, at least not at this time. You can browse anything that they have available in ebook format in the store, but that does not necessarily mean anything they have in the store. They plan on getting it there, so if someoen told you this it's not exactly misinformation, it just doesn't seem to be true yet in all stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaP'N GRuNGe Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 I was at B&N over the weekend and they were doing Nook demos. I asked if this were true and they said that is wasn't, at least not at this time. You can browse anything that they have available in ebook format in the store, but that does not necessarily mean anything they have in the store. They plan on getting it there, so if someoen told you this it's not exactly misinformation, it just doesn't seem to be true yet in all stores. Ok, well I'd assume most books are available in e-book form by now. But maybe I'm wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caveman_Nick Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 Ok, well I'd assume most books are available in e-book form by now. But maybe I'm wrong. I think that it is a question of store/IT infrastructure, not the availability of the individual books. It seems like this is something they are working on from store to store....at least that was the impression I got. Soon to be there, but not there yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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