Amazon Kindle or Sony E-reader?

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Smoky

Smoky

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Been getting ready to take advantage of Amazon's free 2 day shipping for that $139 Kindle then suddenly saw an ad in the paper for a Walmart Black Friday Sony reader.  Walmart doesn't say which Sony reader but other sources tell me it will be the PRS-300 offered as a door buster at 5 am for $99.

So what to do?

Is the $139 Amazon kindle worth the extra $40? The biggest deciding factors for me are the breadth of book selections, readability in sunlight, ease of moving back and forth between PC and reader.  Not so important is 3g access.  I plan to used my PC to download books.  In the summer I am reliant on my satellite router and do not have 3g access.  Wi-fi would be nice.

Any recommendations?

Smoky
 
The $139 Kindle does not have 3G, just WiFi.  I have one and it works fine over WiFi using my satellite internet connection to download books from the Amazon store.  For the many free books I download, I've always used USB to transfer them, both to the my old Kindle 1 and the new Kindle 3.  The Kindle 3 has excellent contrast, but any current generation ebook reader is very usable outdoors.  The primary difference in the Kindle and the others is the Kindle doesn't support epub format, but since Amazon doesn't sell epub books, that's not a problem (for me).
 
Ned said:
The primary difference in the Kindle and the others is the Kindle doesn't support epub format, but since Amazon doesn't sell epub books, that's not a problem (for me).
Click to expand...

DW has the Nook and finds epub important to her.  She downloads a lot of books from the public library.
 
Lots of new tablets coming out in early 2011, so I'm waiting for something that combines decent reader function with basic internet, ala Ipad, but a bit smaller and with Android applications.

The new Color Nook looks interesting too.
 
Yep, the Nook is an Android platform, and the color version is on Santa's list.
 
The downside to a color reader is the shorter battery life.  My Kindle 3 was only at 50% charge after over 2 weeks of use with the WiFi radio on constantly.  But an Android table with a 7" display at under $250 would be a priority item for me :)  And with Kindle for Android, it could replace the Kindle for some reading, especially magazines with color illustrations.
 
I like my Nook, great for reading. It sounds like it may use batteries faster than the Kindle, I think I went a week with the Airplane Mode On and dropped down to about 30%. Of course, it does have that color band and touch pad. The color Nook would be awfully nice for magazines but I guess I can wait for it to go down in price. And I still like that iPad but it's definitely not in the budget.

I've used the Nook a couple of times to check on mystery shops online but it's not terribly easy to use for surfing the internet.

Wendy
 
I just got the kindle about two weeks ago and I'm thrilled.  I suggest trying the Kindle reader for PC, available as a free download on the amazon site.  I did this, then downloaded a half dozen free books and gave it a test drive.  2 hours later I was ordering the kindle. 
 
I have mildish retina problems and, in decent lighting, I simply could not read a friends Sony product as the background was too dark compared to the letters.  Another friends Kobo was very decent with the background much lighter.

Therefore I'd suggest viewing them in person just to be sure you're comfortable with them.

I personally will not buy an Amazon product as, in my opinion, they are too much of a monopoly and are not treating authors or publishing companies fairly.
 
Tony, I agree that you should play with the eBooks live and in person. I know that Best Buy has the Kindle, Nook, and Sony all in one place so folks can see which they prefer. As for retina problems, I have MAJOR retina problems (RP) and I don't have a problem with the Nook, so long as there's sufficient light.

Wendy
GO BRONCOS !!
 
Wendy ~~ You mean you can see/buy a Kindle somewhere other than Amazon?? Is this new??  Don't think my BestBuy offers that.  JM2?  Kate
 
Target also has the Kindle and Sony on display, but the Kindle merely loops around a pre-determined demo; The unit is otherwise non-functional.
 
I bought my Nook at a Best Buy in New Mexico. They had the Nook, Kindle and Sony all out on anti-theft wires and you could play with all 3. I don't think they were set up to get on-line but that wasn't something I was looking at anyway.

We also went to Target where they had the Kindle but, like Tom's Target, it was on a demo loop and they wouldn't get one out for me to look at unless I bought it.

I didn't want to buy any of them without actually holding them in my hands, looking at the screen, and seeing which one I thought would work best for my vision and arthritis.

Wendy
San Elijo State Beach
 
All prices being equal, I would take the iPad, but budget-wise, not so much.  The wifi Kindle seems to be the winner, but...  I would like to download some photo technical books with color illustrations.  I will continue to hold back.  Fiction, I do a lot iof swap books.
 
Bill, you can read the books with color illustrations on the Kindle PC application.
 
Me Again ~~ OOPS  ~~ Just got back from BestBUy and not only do they have Kindle on display THEY are for sale. WOW !!  Altho since I am frugal (CHEEP) will stick with my 2 Originals for now. Nice to see the new stuff tho'.
 
Maddog, how much? 

Ned, I have the app on my PC, but would need 2 screens, one of the functions I want is to look at PhotoShop how-tos, while working on images.  I can also use my iTouch, have the app on that too, but want more 'landscape'  to see what is going on.

 
PancakeBill said:
I would take the iPad,
Click to expand...
I wouldn't as I feel Apple are being very restrictive with their third party apps and such.  I want to do whatever i want with my devices. 
 
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