By Jack Andrew
It's not a simple thing to decide whether to purchase the Amazon Kindle or the Sony Reader! Each device has its advocates, so it's difficult to make a choice by relying on the opinions of others. You really must examine all the information yourself and draw your own conclusions.
The first thing you might be interested in looking at is the price. The price is around the same for both ebook readers. However, Sony's newest model, the PRS700, is priced at just under $400-$40 more than the Kindle which is currently at $359. While neither version is cheap, the Kindle wins out on the price front.
Another crucial factor is the amount of content available for both readers. In this aspect, the Amazon Kindle, which has more than 190,000 books available online at the point of writing as well as an impressive collection of newspapers, blogs and magazines, is clearly the superior choice. In comparison, the Sony device has only 60,000 titles although the number is expected to increase to 100,000 by early 2009. Another weak point of the Sony device is that it does not offer the ability to download newspapers, magazines or blogs from the online store.
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.
If you consider the looks of the devices, the Sony Reader definitely looks better. The biggest complaint against the Kindle is its ugly looks-it looks as if it was designed in the late 90s. In contrast, the Sony Reader 700 has a slick, iPod-like look that would be expected for device that debuted in 2008.
While we are on the topic of design, the Sony Reader features a touch screen display which the Kindle lacks. Unfortunately, the touch screen feature seems to detract from the quality of the Sony Reader's display. Because the touch screen layer was superimposed on top of the e-ink screen layer, the contrast and "real book" feel are lacking on the Sony as opposed to the Kindle. In a side-by-side comparison of the two, you would probably notice better contrast and sharpness on the Kindle.
You can increase the font size in both of these readers. This is good for those occasions when you have difficulties reading small print. The Sony Reader 700 has a slight edge over the Kindle in that it comes with a LED back-light for reading in low light conditions. While this at first instance sounds great because there is no longer the need for a clip-on light, reviewers have complained that the back light performs poorly and even, at times, makes reading more difficult due to its adverse effects on text contrast and visibility.
Fortunately, both readers are only about ten ounces. This is good news to those who don't want to carry something large and awkward around. Instead, it would be like carrying around a small paperback novel. For this reason, many will find the readers great for travel. If size was the main factor for you, the Sony reader is slightly smaller than the Kindle. Smaller is good for those who want the convenience of carrying a small device, though sometimes bigger is better.
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.
You also need to consider the amount of storage space available. Both devices can store over 200 books, which is more than enough for the average reader. If you intend to buy many books or need to refer to many different ones, the Sony reader is perhaps more suitable as it can store more books than the Kindle and the external memory cards it supports have larger memory capacity than those for 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.
There you have it-a comparison of the two best ebook readers on the market. What is right for one person might not be right for the next, so you need to think long and hard about these features to consider which one is right for you. For most people, however, the Amazon Kindle is one device that simply can't be beat due to its wireless capabilities and breadth of available content.