<p>If there’s enough of a cross section here on CC, would love to hear opinions about both the Kindle and the Sony Reader. I actually like the looks/feel of the Sony better, but most online reviews rate the Kindle higher. Even the new Sony is lacking, according to one review I read. Thoughts?</p>
<p>I did some research on it months ago when I bought my daughter the Kindle. She has a mac and the Kindle was much more user friendly with the mac. If you have a PC it might not matter which you get…</p>
<p>OK, thanks, ebeeeee – I’m on a Mac. Other opinions/information?</p>
<p>Hmm, the Kindle has more books available, but far from every book on Amazon. Don’t know anything about the Sony. Amazon’s pricing is a little odd - if a book is an NYT bestseller, then it is automatically $9.99 (I think this is still true, I don’t download a lot of bestsellers), but if a new book comes out that is not on the NYT bestseller list, it’s initial price might be $25, sometimes even more than the hardcover. BUT, if you watch the book on Amazon for a week or so, the price will typically drop to $9.99 or less. After seeing this phenomenon for awhile, I decided it had something to do with Amazon’s computer setting prices, maybe some formula in relation to the hardcover price, I don’t know.
The other quirk I’ve noticed with popular fiction in series, is that they must be going back in time to convert the series to Kindle - you can get the current book, and maybe the one or two more recent, then the older ones aren’t on Kindle. But that is changing literally daily as they add more books.</p>
<p>I have had my Kindle for over a year, and I love it. </p>
<p>For those who are interested, I think the most important consideration is whether Amazons present library meets your needs. For example, I read a foreign language, and the Amazon selection is not very good. Despite this and other minor shortcomings, I think the Kindle can be a great buy for someone like me. My eyesight is not what it used to be. I read a lot. Im simultaneously reading two to three books at any one time. I dont mind buying the printed book if the title I want to read is not available in Kindle format. Kindle prices do seem to be creeping up a bit, but there are lots of books that are less than the $9.99 reserved for bestsellers, and I seem to download plenty of free classics from other sites, too.</p>
<p>I cant make a valid comparison to the Sony since I have only seen/used the Sonny once. I do agree that the Sony looks a lot nicer. However, the Kindles functionality is hard to beat. I love the instant gratification. I have been at the airport or the beach, and Ive wanted something different to read, and in less than a minute, there it has been on my Kindle. </p>
<p>The Kindle is definitely not for everyone. However, I have been amazed of how attached I have become to mine. Although I still love the experience of real books, I find myself searching first for Kindle availability. It is that wonderful to use and absolutely the best present I have ever given myself.</p>
<p>justanother – can you mark passages or pages with the Kindle if you want to go back and look at them? Like an electronic sticky note?</p>
<p>CBB - yes, you can formally bookmark, and it automatically goes back to where you were when you turned it off.</p>
<p>In addition to bookmarking a page, you can highlight text, (no color, so highlighted text just appears in a box) clip an entire page, and you can write notes and comments with the available keyboard. You can access your list of bookmarks and notes with just a couple of clicks. One thing Ive noticed, though, is that I highlight more than I take notes. The keyboard is tiny, so I keep comments and notes shorter than if I were using a pencil and an actual book. However, I hate texting, so others might not find the keyboard to be such a problem.</p>
<p>I think the neater thing about the Kindle is its search option. Cant remember a character, an event, or description earlier in the book? Extremely easy to go back to refresh your memory. I do this constantly, and I miss it a lot when Im reading something not in the Kindle</p>
<p>OK, thanks for the info. This is sounding better and better to me all the time.</p>
<p>Glad to help. </p>
<p>The best bet is to get your hands on a Kindle and play with it for a bit to see if you like it. Many complain about how easy it is to unintentionally turn a page, and although not a problem now, it was a minor issue for me until I figured out how to hold the Kindle. BTW, I replaced the original cover, and that helped a lot. Others complain about the fact that the background is not white/beige but a light shade of gray. Others want to read textbooks with lots of diagrams or maps, and the Kindle is not good for that. Again, it all depends on the user and intended use. It has been great for me, but my husband, who reads a lot and has played a bit with my Kindle, remains uninterested.</p>
<p>I got a kindle for my birthday. Wanted one last year, but I wanted to see how it did first … and if the number of books increased. Very, very pleased with my Kindle. It goes everywhere with me in my purse. I love to read (several books typically going at once), so this solves my ‘where the heck do I put another book or bookshelf?’ problem, as well as always having access to reading material … in doctor’s offices, waiting at the oil change place, yada yada. They probably love me because I know I’m buying even more books than I normally did because of how easy it is to download. No getting in the car and driving to the bookstore. (I’m not a library kind of gal; I re-read books and I want my own to mark up and write on, as I’m also a writer). That’s a feature on Kindle I enjoy … the ability to add notes to sections of a book or to add notes to Bible passages as I listen to the sermon on Sunday. I also like that Kindle’s easy on the eyes, no backlight on computers to give eye strain. I think Kindle would be great for textbooks. Not sure if they have enough availability yet for that … but in the future. My S loves the idea of having all of his textbooks on an ebook reader. </p>
<p>I’ll probably keep this one for a bit before I upgrade. I like to see manufacturers shake out bugs before I buy. (Learned that from son w/ xbox 360)</p>
<p>There is a kindle forum on the amazon site. They discuss lots of things there, such as how to convert different kinds of files into the ebook formats. </p>
<p>zebes</p>
<p>The NEW kindle 2 is now available for preorder.
[Amazon.com:</a> Kindle 2: Amazon’s New Wireless Reading Device (Latest Generation): Kindle Store](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00154JDAI/ref=amb_link_83626371_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=gateway-center-column&pf_rd_r=0WSTVTJ6BS7BD65NX481&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=469548931&pf_rd_i=507846]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00154JDAI/ref=amb_link_83626371_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=gateway-center-column&pf_rd_r=0WSTVTJ6BS7BD65NX481&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=469548931&pf_rd_i=507846)</p>
<p>I am getting it for DH for an early birthday gift.</p>