13 Jun
Posted by: bookman in: Amazon Kindle, Reviews, Sony Reader
February 2009 saw the launch of the Amazon Kindle 2.0 e-Book Reader and many have commented that this updated version will bring electronic book readers to the masses, not just to book worms and technology enthusiasts.
The Sony Reader PRS-505S, launched in the UK at the end of 2008 and was the UK’s introduction to the world of electronic book readers. The initial high cost and limited number of titles available have proved, so far, to be impeding the success of what is a nifty bit of kit?
As yet, there has been no announcement as to when the Kindle will be sold in the UK so our choice is rather restricted. Would it be worth holding out until the Kindle arrives or is the Sony just as good or even better?
The Sony Reader costs around £180, is available to buy on-line from a choice of retailers as well as in Waterstone’s book shops and branches of John Lewis department stores. The Kindle, on the other hand, is only available in the US, for now, and when it does arrive in the UK it will be only be sold by Amazon on-line and will cost maybe £200 or more?
However, looking at the practicalities of using each machine the Kindle wins hands-down. You can download a book or newspaper to the kindle from anywhere there is a 3G mobile phone signal. The Sony requires you to purchase your books on-line and download to your PC. You then have to connect your reader to your PC to load your book. Not the biggest deal in the world, but if you travel a lot or don’t always have access to a PC then the Kindle is the best option.
In the UK, Sony have partnered with Waterstone’s to provide a selection of best selling titles to download. Most titles retail at around the £6 to £7 mark, which seems expensive considering what the physical equivalents tend to cost?
Over time the number of titles available will grow and hopefully as the service becomes more popular then the costs will fall. You have to download the book to your computer and then transfer it to your reader.
Amazon currently offers over 230,000 titles in eBook format and aim, over time, to have every single book available in this form.
You can browse the book store from your Kindle’s screen and purchase directly or you can buy and download to your PC to transfer, as with the Sony.
Direct downloads use the 3G mobile phone network and are very fast. (Typically 30 seconds for an entire book). You don’t need an airtime contract, the download service is provided by Amazon and the cost of this is incorporated into the price of the book. In the US, the cost of titles tends to be similar to the paperback cost but, of course, there is a real potential for this to fall dramatically eventually.
You also have the advantage of being able to download the first chapter of any book for free, just to see if you will like it?
Another advantage that the Kindle has is the ability to download newspapers and magazines. Once subscribed your chosen publication is delivered directly to your Kindle as soon as it becomes available.
At the moment, in the UK, you can only buy the Sony Reader. The Amazon Kindle is not currently available in the UK. The Kindle will be available though later this year, so the Sony better enjoy its glory while it lasts. Once the Kindle gets over here then it’s going to be a no-contest!