Electronic Books: The reality for this holiday season

It's official: If you were considering buying an Amazon Kindle for someone on your holiday list, it's time to make alternate plans. The online merchant says that the $399 electronic book/wireless device is now "sold out." And any new orders will be filled on a "first come, first served" basis. Amazon's site also warns: "Your Kindle will not arrive by December 24th."

There appears to be availability still for the Sony Reader PRS-505, the updated version of the first-generation Sony Reader. At $299, the Sony device is cheaper than the Kindle and has comparable readability. (Both Sony's and Amazon's devices use so-called eInk technology.)

We've taken a closer look at the revamped Sony Reader and one of the things we've discovered: It's harder to use than the Kindle, in part because you need to connect the Reader to a computer in order to download books and other content. (Unlike the Kindle, the Reader doesn't have wireless broadband access to the Net.)

However, Sony is offering a great deal right now for those who want a collection of classic books on their Reader: Buy the device before January 31 and you can download 100 classic titles (a $199 value) from Sony's Connect eBooks store for free. (Click on the "Specials" tab on Sony's Connect Web site for more details.)

If you're looking for last-minute gift alternatives to the sold-out Amazon Kindle—or even if you're just curious about electronic book technology—check out our First Look at the Sony Reader for free on ConsumerReports.org.

—Paul Reynolds

Comments

[Travis C.]

I need a comprehensive up-to date review the major e-books available on the market. Including but not limited to Sony, Amazon, Barnes and Noble,Jinke, Bookeen, the market keeps growing and I need to know where the future bulk of books are going to be available, no to mention all available features, best construction and handling among many other attributes

[Bill]

I'm just looking for a good reader that will read books from a number of different sources. I wish someone would concentrate on making a piece of hardware that would support books from Amazon, Sony, my local library, and anywhere else eBooks can be found on the internet.

The reason I haven't bought a reader is that I don't want to be stuck with one vendor's bookstore (and prices). I also want to borrow eBooks from my library and read them on my reader.

[Yitzhak Dar]

Although I do not reside in the US, I got myself a kindle (I have to use my US Credit Card to pay for books. Amazon refuses to take any CC which is not issued by a US Bank).
I have been using it while in the US (Dec. - Jan.), and am using it now at home. The Kindle is a real pleasure to use. Books are downloaded (via cell in the US) in a very short time, and the ability to get a sample is helpful.
On one hand, it's nice to check new books from your recliner at home, taking your time reading, while on the other hand, you might miss the pleasure of sitting in your bookstore, reading parts of new books in order to decide if you want them, but you can still do it.
I do not know, as yet, how complicated it might be to download books via a PC (while out of the US), but reading is a pleasure. Do not forget the luxury of being able to change the font size. All of us who use reading glasses are familiar with the small type books, which make you hesitate if they are worth the bother.
To sum up: I love it.

[Robert]

I bought a Sony Digital Reader Book PRS-505 as my Christmas Present, and I LOVE it. I've read 5 - 250+ page books on it so far, and the only charge is has gotten is when I hook it up to add new books I've found, onto it. Sony is giving books away every week to get people interested in new genre's and authors, plus there are scores of websites around the internet that cater to e-book readers. I'm finding things quicker than I can read them. Plus I noticed last week, when I went into Books-A-Million, they are now selling the reader. I haven't heard anything about them teaming up, but if they are selling the reader, it may be just around the bend.

Here are a few key points to consider when you read the reviews. As for the refresh rate between pages. It takes you a few seconds to turn a page and pick back up at the top when you are reading paper. The Sony e-ink generates the next page just as quickly. I guess because it's not instant like a computer, it gives someone a reason to shout!

The Amazon Kindle is very proprietary. For you to read a book that is public domain, or that you buy from another site, you must first send it to Amazon for it to be formatted to be read on your Kindle, then they will email it the Kindle, for a $0.10 additional fee. The Sony will read PDF,RTF,TXT,BBeB, and Microsoft Word documents, plus Sony’s books.

The Sony comes in different "COLORS"!!! Silver,Dark Blue, or Red. The Kindle comes in White, White, or White. The Kindle has an issue with the battery no longer charging after about 3 months of usage, and then you have to order another. Guess what, it's on back order!!! (check the website) I've read reviews across the web and I have found not a single complaint of the Sony battery giving problems.

As for a backlight for the screen. The purpose behind the e-ink is for 0% eye strain. If you back-light the screen it increases eye strain slightly. However the new Sony PRS-700BC does have a back-light feature, though you pick up some glare because of this. The 505's have an optional case you can buy with a very nice plastic screen that overlays the regular screen and you are able to read in the dark quite nicely. This case is built to house two AAA batteries, so you are not draining the battery of the reader it's self.

I will grant you there are some features of the Sony I would like to see improved. However this device is leaps and bounds better than what has been on the market in the last 10 years. Sure, it's not up to an iPhone, but then again the iPhone is the size of a phone, and cost more. One more model and I think Sony will have the lead, especially if they can get a jump on Amazon's store size. Whispernet, Store Size, Oprah and Martha Stewart is what got the Amazon Kindle the head start is currently has!

[Kim]

Does anyone know if there really is an Amazon Kindle 2 coming out? I am waiting to order (8-10 week wait anyways) to see if there is an updated version coming! Thanks!

[Heather]

I just returned my sony reader after owning it for just a few days. The Sony rep at the store swore that it could handle PDF's and I found it had a major design flaw - there is no way to handle/manage PDF content. For example, as a doctoral student, I have a vast amount of medical literature - journal articles, etc. The sony reader can only assign the original file name provided by the pdf (adobe) publisher. So while I had my pdf files stored via first author (as is the way we do it in medicine), it appeared in my table of contents as hundreds of pdf with random serial numbers as titles - no way I can actually know what is inside the PDF. I called Sony and they had no advice for me - not their problem I guess. During the short period of time I owned the sony reader, I looked up 5 books I was interested in buying - the price difference between the amazon kindle format and the sony ebooks were about $35. So, quickly the price difference between the sony device and the kindle gets eaten up in the cost of books. I read DOZENS of books a year - so Sony is not a good choice. Besides those classics - BORING!!! Sony can keep them.

[Cat Faber]

The "free" ebooks Sony is offering with the PRS-505 are all out-of-copyright books anyone can get free online from Project Gutenberg and read on *any* e-book reader (including the Kindle, the Cybook Gen3 or the iLiad).

Also to use the Sony Connect store you don't just need a computer, you need a *Windows* computer. Mac and linux users need not apply.

Two things to keep in mind as you consider various e-book readers.

[Robert Nagle]

Why perpetuate the myth that transferring ebooks through USB is hard? It isn't. USB isn't hard. Also, for free ebooks, you can put them on an SD card easily (without even using the Sony software).

In the previous PRS-500 downloading ebooks via USB was complicated by the fact you needed to install a special USB driver (which wasn't Vista friendly). Fortunately, for the latest version, they use a generic USB driver.

Even if you assume that it is hard (which it is not, I promise you), it's an inconvenience you only have to do once in a while. After it's transferred, you no longer have to worry about it again. (There is the inconvenience of having to backup files though).

I don't deny the usefuless of downloading Amazon books directly through Whispernet (esp for RSS feeds). But Whispernet adds another layer through which you need to go through to obtain an ebook. What happens if the wireless receiver stops working? Also chances are the ebooks offered through Amazon's channel are going to be pricier than those you can transfer through USB.

The main disadvantage of Sony right now is that its inventory is smaller than Amazon's, but that could change with their upcoming firmware update when they plan to support Digital Edition formatted ebooks (which would be a major deal if that happened).

[Mike Cane]

>>>It's harder to use than the Kindle, in part because you need to connect the Reader to a computer in order to download books and other content.

Well, that's only part of it. I'd argue that the Kindle is harder to use than the Sony because of all of its buttons. People too often lose their place with the Kindle. The Sony Reader is the only current ebook reader that was designed with a "book experience" in mind.

http://mikecane.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/sony-reader-part-4-of-4/

[Gareth]

I've had the Sony Reader for about 3 months, and I've been delighted with the way it performs. And although the Kindle is an interesting device, I still struggle to see why the wireless feature is such a big draw. I read about 1 book a week, not all of the e-books, and so I cannot see me having to connect my Sony Reader to my PC more than 4 or 5 times a YEAR to download new books. I've only hooked it up TWICE so far, and bought 3 or 4 books each time, and with all the free "classics", and even more free public-domain books from the ebook enthusiasts at www.mobileread.com, I've got plenty of material on my Reader for MONTHS to come. The Reader performed flawlessly on a recent long-haul trip, and I would recommend it to anyone who is a big reader, and travels a lot. Keeps the weight down in your hand luggage tremendously.