Ordered my Reader today

[hockeynut]

Should be here early next week.

It was between this and the Kindle. Cellular is nice but I can't see myself sitting in an airport saying "oh man, I wish I could have War and Peace RIGHT NOW". Plus I'm normally not too far from my laptop

I assume the display is pretty close altho the Sony has 8 scale vs 4 for the Kindle.

Both seem to have ample content available. I have no problem running files thru converters if thats what it takes to get .FOOBAR files to work on my device.

I like the size of the Sony too.

But it came down to price. Got a new Sony credit card that gives me $150 back. I ended up paying $269 less $150 is $119. Plus tax of course

Once I get it and come up to speed I hope I can contribute to these forums.

[Catire]

I thought the kindle and the reader had the same screen?

Anyways enjoy your reader

[dordale]

Catire--They both use vixplex screens--the Sony 505 does support 8 shades of gray while the Kindle only supports 4. Not a big deal for general reading.

dordale

[wmrawls]

I hope you enjoy your reader as much as I enjoy mine. And the resources on this site have been wonderful to help me get the most out of my reader.

[MickeyC]

Hi hockeynut. I felt the same way about the Kindle. The cell phone feature didn't outweigh the pluses with the Sony, mainly that I got it as a window model just after Christmas and got 40% off.

[Elsi]

I'm fortunate enough to own both a Kindle and a Sony. The Kindle is currently my preferred device -- primarily because of the easy and inexpensive access to current releases. The Sony Store doesn't have as good of a selection nor as good prices -- and although I *can* deal with format shifting, I don't want to have to. Even if I didn't use the wireless connectivity, I'd still have a preference for the Kindle. One thing that I *really* like about the Kindle is the ability to highlight portions of text and create a note, kind of like writing in the margins of a paper book. This highlight and note are also copied into a text file which I can transfer to the PC and use however I wish. That makes it really easy to extract quotes for a book review!

Don't get me wrong ... I do like my Sony Reader as well. And one reason why I bought it is that there are a significant number of books posted here at MobileRead which have been formatted only for the Sony. Since I'm lazy and don't want to go to the trouble of building the books in MobiPocket format, I got the Sony.

[acemccloudxx]

I've had my 505 since just before Christmas - almost 10 months. I've read about 60 books since then, but only two in paper form. Admittedly, lack of ebook availability is almost a non-starter for me anymore. I'll check paper out of the library, but I won't buy it.

The whole thing with wireless access for these devices is something that I find amusing. I'm sure that there are folks who actually DO use it, but I would be that the real need for it relatively small.

The 505 is a solid-feeling, attractive unit with well placed controls. The Kindle is an ugly looking thing (can't speak to ergonomics though).

My two biggest complaints about the 505 are the bookstore software and the fact that the charger is sold separately. (like you're not going to want it - HAH!)

Ace

[TheHeartlessHero]

Well you can already use a psp charger for the reader. It's what I use instead of buying the $30 charger. It works like a charm.

I prefer the 505 over the kindle because it is more aesthetically pleasing and I don't purchase many ebooks nor do I keep few things on it to find that I need to buy a new book now. Yes the keyboard and free internet is nice but not really necessary with a ton of phones having full featured browsing. If you can afford a reader, you most likely already have a full featured phone and maybe even a laptop.

I would say to all future buyers, if possible, try the readers in person first. You may prefer the design of the 505 over the kindle or feel the kindle's internet makes it the better choice.

Anyways, congrats on your purchase. If you run into any problems, don't be afraid to post them here. This is a great community that is active enough to give answers. Also, get calibre and give it a whirl. I was put off by it at first when I first got the 505 but I use it now and love it. Maybe it's just all the updates since I first tried it.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Catire

I thought the kindle and the reader had the same screen?

Anyways enjoy your reader

The screen used on the Kindle and the 505 are the same Vizplex 6" eink screen. The difference is that the controller used in the 505 can display 8 shades while the controller in the Kindle display 4 shades. As to dithering that's up to the software in each device.