Amazon Kindle vs. Sony Reader
The Tech Brief’s first look at the Amazon Kindle took a quick glance at the Sony Reader as well, but how do the two competing devices really compare? While the Kindle has received quite a bit of criticism from techies, it definitely holds its own against Sony’s device in the eyes of avid readers.
The Kindle and the Reader each have their definite pros and cons. The Kindle’s maximum battery life is one week if Internet is off and two days if on. The Reader’s battery wins hands down with a max life of three weeks. While both devices have the same size screen, the larger, more expensive Kindle also offers EVDO Internet and over 80000 book titles–that’s four times as many titles as the Sony Reader. Kindle’s Internet capabilities, however, don’t work outside of the US and are only meant for accessing paid content,not general Internet browsing. While the Sony Reader offers free books, free blogs, and free RSS, magazine and newspaper subscriptions are not available. With the Kindle, there is tons of content to choose from, but it all comes at a price–even transferring your own content from your computer costs a dime. The Reader is more compatible with more file types and can be used worldwide, but the device is only compatible with PCs, leaving Mac users with little to no reason to even consider it. The Kindle needs no computer to get its content.
There are a few other differences that those simply looking for a good reading device may find to be immaterial. While both devices have headphone jacks, the Kindle also has a speaker. Some argue that the Kindle is easier to navigate, but the Sony Reader looks better. Both have SD card slots, and the Reader also has a memory stick slot. This allows each device to hold a lot of content, but the Reader cannot search like the Kindle can. And with the second-generation Reader costing $300 and the new Kindle costing $400, price may be an issue for many consumers. Learn more about the Kindle at amazon.com and the Reader at sonystyle.com. Other e-readers to look into include the Seiko, the iLiad, and the Cybook.
