Does Sony's New eReader make me regret my kindle 3 preorder?

[Shetlander]

 This was a much more natural experience than reaching down to press the page turn on non-touch readers (which I frankly don't understand why the page forward buttons are so far down on these ereaders instead of being centered in the middle).

Another nice thing was the ability to use the stylus to write my notes on screen freehand style. Pretty amazing.  

Since I've only ever had Kindles, I don't understand the issue about "reaching down to press" the page turn buttons. I hold my Kindle so that my fingers rest on the button and press automatically as I read.  There isn't any reaching down.    

The stylus function sounds cool, though.  

[MJGhajar]

For me, it's Kindle! I just ordered my K3 3G. I have K2, but I can't wait to get my hands on my new K3.

[amafan]

...because you might go to the library and check out a book instead of buy it from Amazon?? Just a guess!

[Wisteria Clematis]

I would really, really hate having a touch screen e-reader....I'm too phobic about trying to read through fingerprints. But the real deal killer for me would be not having any 3G connectivity. It sounds like the Sonys still have to have everything downloaded from a computer, is that correct?

[KayakerNC]

Until I read these posts, I didn't realize that I could "borrow" electronic books from my local library, rather than buy them from online retailers.  THIS IS AWESOME!  I just checked out my local library's electronic collection and saw that it is part of an organization called OverDrive that has thousands of current copyrighted materials.  I wonder why Amazon chose not to incorporate support for this format.

Sony supports the open ePub format and free local library e-books.
Amazon doesn't seem too interested in encouraging competition in its own backyard by allowing free books from the library.  Of course, Amazon is making big bucks with the Kindle, Sony's e-reader future seems iffy.

[muggle]

After reading their website, they do have one model that supports wireless, called "Daily Edition" with adcopy that talks about it getting newspapers, magazine, etc.

[history_lover]

Well, I keep my hands clean and occasionally swipe my iPhone screen with my sleeve or shirt and I've never had to read through fingerprints. It's not that big of a deal to me. The ease of use and functionality of a touch screen, even if it's just to browse and buy books, is worth wiping off a few fingerprints now and then.

[4Katie]

Until I read these posts, I didn't realize that I could "borrow" electronic books from my local library, rather than buy them from online retailers.  THIS IS AWESOME!  I just checked out my local library's electronic collection and saw that it is part of an organization called OverDrive that has thousands of current copyrighted materials.  You can just download them from the internet without having to physically go to the library too.  Too bad Amazon chose not to incorporate support for this format.

I love my Kindle, and Amazon in general. But if I was ever in the market for a new eReader, this is what would have me switch to another brand.

[Wunderkind]

How well did this feature work?  I'm interested in touchscreens for this reason because I'm often correcting my own work by writing on the printed page.  However, I have a touchscreen mobile internet device (5" screen) and the sensitivity/accuracy leaves a lot to be desired.  I can't just jot down a sentance or two because it has difficulty with small and subtle movements (it handles big sweeping movements fine, but I don't want to fill the screen with one word!  ).

So, I'm curious how well touchscreens work on small ebook readers and would grateful for your experience.

I didn't use this feature a lot so I don't know how well it will work if you are looking to do extensive notes. If your interest is to edit a document, I would do a lot more research on this feature (for example, how the notes transfer to your computer). The writing itself was very easy and the screen was responsive so I could make out what I wrote. There is also an onscreen keyboard to capture comments so that would be another option.

[Wunderkind]

Since I've only ever had Kindles, I don't understand the issue about "reaching down to press" the page turn buttons. I hold my Kindle so that my fingers rest on the button and press automatically as I read.  There isn't any reaching down.     

The stylus function sounds cool, though. 

I often read laying down on my couch with my Kindle resting on my stomach. As with a book, I would often prefer to hold my Kindle at the top. For me, it's just not as natural to hold the Kindle where the page forward buttons are located - they just feel too far down sometimes.

[Addie]

When Sony's new e-readers do finally come out, I may consider buying one. Being able to borrow books from the library appeals to me, and if I like what I see from Sony and if the Kindle hasn't come out with an e-pub update, there's a good chance I'll buy one. I'm really interested to learn more about this ability to have a touchscreen without needing to place an extra layer over the e-ink screen.

[akpak]

Touchscreen = bad on a reader, IMO.

Also, I think the Sony bookstore still "sucks," as regards price and selection. So not tempted at all.

Not to mention, Sony is evil. Any company that is ok with installing malware on people's computers to "protect" their content gets a huge black mark from me.

[Jason in OH]

I think that the advantage of Amazon's bookstore, customer service, and high visibility in the eReader market make the Kindle a better choice. Amazon's name is very closely aligned with the Kindle in the eye of the media, and they don't want to do anything that will harm that reputation. For Sony, their readers are just one small part of many, many other products. I don't think they are as "emotionally" tied to it as Amazon is to the Kindle.

Also, Amazon has the advantage of having reading software on just about any platform you would want. Mac, PC, Android, iOS, Blackberry, etc. I can read my Kindle books anywhere. This is a nice plus for me.

Jason

[castro]

Oh, and, for the record, I still don't think you're allowed to strip DRM, even for your own purposes.  But I did not read the actual ruling, and it's not something I'd be interested in doing anyway since it would be against the Terms of Service I agreed to when I bought the Kindle.    But that's just me.

LOL.  Ann you crack me up!  Not everyone thinks that Amazon's Terms of Service trumps United States Copyright Law, so that may be just you.  Also, I usually don't voice my opinion about public laws until after I've read them. But that's just me.

[pidgeon92]

Not everyone thinks that Amazon's Terms of Service trumps United States Copyright Law, so that may be just you.  

Can you post a link to this law? I'd like to read it. Thanks.

[muggle]

Here you go!  It's surprisingly short and lucid.

http://www.copyright.gov/1201/2010/Librarian-of-Congress-1201-Statement.html

[Gerund]

To be perfectly frank, I don't want a touchscreen on my ebook reader, and I'm unwilling to pay a premium to have one.

[JSRinUK]

I didn't use this feature a lot so I don't know how well it will work if you are looking to do extensive notes. If your interest is to edit a document, I would do a lot more research on this feature (for example, how the notes transfer to your computer). The writing itself was very easy and the screen was responsive so I could make out what I wrote. There is also an onscreen keyboard to capture comments so that would be another option.

Thanks for the extra info.  I think you're right about the note-taking option and I suspect that we're just not there yet technically.  The move towards non-stylus capacitive touchscreens suggest that we'll never get to the "write on the screen" stage.

I suspect, for the time being, that the Kindle's "annotation" feature with its hardware keyboard will be adequete enough for me.  I'll still be keeping an eye on future touchscreen models, though.

[muggle]

To be perfectly frank, I don't want a touchscreen on my ebook reader, and I'm unwilling to pay a premium to have one.

It is definitely up to user preference.  I think that having a physical keyboard does lend itself to easier annotation and text entry.  But as far as manufacturing cost (from a cell phone perspective), the touchscreen is much cheaper than building and incorporating a physical keyboard.  I have no idea what technological changes they had to incorporate to enable a touchscreen behind an e-ink display, but in general a touchscreen also has a much lower failure rate because there are no moving parts.

[jmiked]

Can you post a link to this law? I'd like to read it. Thanks.

It’s not a law, it’s a ruling on exemptions by the Registrar of the Library of Congress, who can make exemptions to the copyright law.

He says: “The DMCA does not forbid the act of circumventing copy controls, and therefore this rulemaking proceeding is not about technologies that control copying”

and: “(6) Literary works distributed in ebook format when all existing ebook editions of the work (including digital text editions made available by authorized entities) contain access controls that prevent the enabling either of the book’s read-aloud function or of screen readers that render the text into a specialized format”,

which seems to mean that you can circumvent any DRM that prevents TTS from functioning under certain conditions, i.e., there is no edition published which allows TTS.

Mike

[muggle]

Mike, you're absolutely right.  The ruling also includes "screen readers that render the text into a specialized format" i.e., ebooks should allow for the flexibility of being ported to other equipment, such as: Braille output devices, etc.

[Meemo]

I think that the advantage of Amazon's bookstore, customer service, and high visibility in the eReader market make the Kindle a better choice. Amazon's name is very closely aligned with the Kindle in the eye of the media, and they don't want to do anything that will harm that reputation. For Sony, their readers are just one small part of many, many other products. I don't think they are as "emotionally" tied to it as Amazon is to the Kindle.

Also, Amazon has the advantage of having reading software on just about any platform you would want. Mac, PC, Android, iOS, Blackberry, etc. I can read my Kindle books anywhere. This is a nice plus for me.

Jason

I agree - I just read an article about the fact that ePub isn't really "universal", and part of that article talked about the superiority of Amazon's customer support for Kindle, etc. 
http://mikecane.tumblr.com/post/937239880/epub-is-not-universal-so-stop-the-bs

At any rate, none of this is on Sony's website yet - it may be real, may not. 

[Carld]

There's no indication that the new Sony readers use the new Pearl e-Ink display. Since that's the main reason I'm upgrading from my K1 to a K3 I've got no interest in the new offerings from Sony. It'd be a step backwards as far as I can tell.

[PaulGuy]

For me it's still Kindle. I had the Sony touch when it first came out but returned it. The extra layer made the text soft, not sharp, I hated it. If they've fixed that problem that's a step in the right direction but not the whole story. The only use of the touch screen I found superior to a Kindle was for the dictionary. Just tap the word and the definition came up. Faster and easier than navigating the cursor around. I own an iPhone and my wife has an iPad. Fingerprints on the screen does get annoying. Yes you can clean it but I'd rather not be touching my reading surface and never liked the idea of a stylus I can (will) lose. Now for the rest of the story... Amazon is IMO the far better partner to have in this eReader journey. Their customer support can't be beat. The system works seamlessly i.e. the syncing to last page read across multiple devices, the purchasing of books over 3G, the storing of your library in the cloud. All the others seem clunky, slow, and tedious by comparison when dealing with the Sony or B&N store. The only the thing Kindle lacks, and for some this can be a big deal, is the ability to borrow library books. If the Kindle had this ability there'd be no reason to own anything else, again, IMO. I'd like to see Kindle get this ability some day but in the meantime as prices keep falling on eReaders it is not unreasonable to have a $99 Sony pocket reader or Kobo for this express purpose. In fact a Sony Pocket and K3 Wi-Fi would be less money than a K2 cost only a month ago. And far less than what I paid for my K2 in Feb 2009. So cue up Annie Little and I'll fade out of this post...Silver moons and paper dreams, faded maps and shiny things...

[Selcien]

The only reason I was going to replace my Sony Touch is because of the double layer it uses (lighting issues, the way it traps debris). The K3 is not an ideal e-reader for me because of it's lack of a touchscreen, so not only is there an inferior user interface, but an overly large form factor due to the keyboard, but those things aren't more important than the screen quality, learned that the hard way, and the K3 seemed the best option. The mere chance that Sony will fix the one issue I have with it made it very easy for me to cancel my K3 pre-order. Worst case scenario, this proves to be a rumor or it's true but the screens still aren't good enough, at which point I can quite easily order a K3. My next e-reader will be my fourth one, I just assume be patient in buying it.