Comparison of the Kindle versus Sony Reader
Amazon Kindle Vs Sony Reader - Which EBook Reader Should You Buy …
Trying to choose between the Amazon Kindle vs. the Sony Reader is no easy task! This is made even more difficult by the fact that there are fans on both sides of the argument. The best thing for you to do is to look at the facts for yourself to make your decision. 
The first thing to consider when comparing these devices 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 very important feature when comparing the Kindle vs. the Sony Reader 700 is the availability of content. In this category, the Kindle beats the Sony Reader hands down. At the time of this writing, there are over 190,000 books available at the Kindle Store as well as today’s most popular magazines, newspapers, and blogs. The eBook Store from Sony only has 60,000 titles but that is expected to grow to 100,000 by early 2009. You cannot download newspapers, magazines, or blogs from Sony’s store either.
The next thing you’re probably concerned about is which one is better visually both to read from and to look at and to show off to your friends. The good news here is that both readers use the e-ink technology that makes it look just like regular paper. This reduces the possibility of strain on your eyes and makes you feel more like you’re reading a "regular" book.
In terms of what these devices look like, the Sony Reader easily trumps the Kindle. The biggest gripe about the Kindle is that the device is plain ugly! It looks like a device designed in the late 90’s. The Sony Reader 700, on the other hand, has a slick black "iPodish" look to it. It is what you would expect for a design of a device in 2008.
Click here to buy Sony Digital Reader
Speaking of design, the Sony Reader display is a touch screen while the Kindle is not. While this is a great step forward for ebook readers and would seem to give the Sony the advantage, it seems to have affected the overall quality of the Sony’s display. Sony had to add the touch screen
layer on top of their e-ink screen layer. This means that some of the contrast and "real book" feel that is noticeable on the Amazon Kindle are missing. That doesn’t mean that books are unreadable, it just means that if you were to compare the displays on these two devices side-by-side, you’d probably be able to tell the Kindle has better contrast and is a bit sharper.
Both of these ebook readers allow you to make the font size of the book you are reading bigger. This is a really great thing if you have a hard time reading print that is too small. One slight advantage that the Sony Reader 700 has o
ver the Amazon Kindle in terms of readability is the LED backlight for reading in low-light environments. On the surface this sounds great-no more need for a clip-on light but not so fast. Reviews of the Sony Reader have reported that the light does a poor job of lighting the screen and in some cases makes it harder to read because it affects the contrast and visibility of the text.
Since no one wants to carry around a big, bulky device, you’ll also be pleased to know that both units only weigh in at about 10 ounces. That is about the weight of some paperbacks! This makes them easy to travel with and easy to carry while reading. Still, the Sony reader is a little bit smaller than the Kindle, which can be good and bad depending on how you look at it.
Where these two devices really separate is the ease with which you can download books and get them on your reader. With Sony you have to download them to your PC, hook up a USB cable, transfer the files to your reader, and then open them. With the Kindle you don’t need a computer thanks to its free wireless capabilities. You simply connect to the Kindle Store, find the book you want, click a few buttons, and within a minute or so it’s there for you. The Kindle is definitely easier in this regard.
Storage space is something else that you really need to consider. Both readers offer plenty of storage space for the average user with the ability to store over 200 books. If you tend to buy a lot of books or need to reference many different ones you might want to consider the Sony Reader. It holds more books than the Kindle and it also supports larger external memory cards giving it far more storage capacity than the Kindle.
Last but not least, you need to concern yourself with the ebook formats you can use on each device. While they have both come out with their own format, only Amazon’s reader accepts the very popular MOBI file format. If you have files in that format, your choice is probably very clear.
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 free wireless capabilities and breadth of available content.
Author: Travis Van Slooten
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