# considering second ereader which do you prefer and why sony or nook



## mistyd107 (May 22, 2009)

I'm considering a second ereader if the issues with amazon and publishers are not solved soon. For those that have one of the other readers which you prefer and why?


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

I don't have a Sony, but do have a nook. I think there are three things to consider.

The nook touchscreen. It's very pretty, not the greatest interface. They have just added wi-fi internet access, a few games, and some other stuff I will never use. If you like the idea of a touchscreen, go nook.

You can buy B&N books for nook, but not for the Sony _at this time_ (I've read that support for the Sony readers is coming "soon"). However, you can buy books from the Sony store for nook.

Do you spend a lot of time at B&N? If so, sometimes you get coupons on nook for discounts (other than ebooks), and the occasional free cookie from the café. You can also read _selected ebooks_ for _up to one hour_ at the store. (Yes, that is as lame as it sounds.)


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## tomh64 (Apr 29, 2010)

We added a Kindle DX to our reader collection recently and it has displaced the previous favorite, a Sony Daily Edition. But the Sony still goes with me on outings because it is easier to carry.

The Sony DE has a lot of strengths. It has the shape of a 6 inch reader, meaning it fits the hand pretty well, but it is a little longer than a 6 inch reader and you see more text at one time. Getting more text at one time is good when you are reading thoughtful non-fiction, not so important when relaxing with fiction. Sony lets you show your ebooks as collections on the reader. Once you get beyond a screenful of book entries, you will know how important this is. 

Sony did an excellent job of automatically setting us up with Adobe Digital Edition, which lets you read your ebooks on up to six authorized devices. Without their help I would have had a difficult time finding out how to do this. Sony charges more for their ebooks but we have the convenience of moving books to our nook, something that does not work going nook to Sony, so we put up with higher cost. But then we learned Amazon charges a lot less for their ebooks...

Downside on the Sony DE is the touch screen overlay. It reduces contrast and makes text harder to read. This is not terrible; reasonable light for reading is all it takes to see screen contents. But, at the end of the day when your eyes are tired and the last thing you want is bright light, the Kindle DX is our go-to reader.

I would not recommend a nook. While it has the potential for being a great reader, it suffers from a weak software implementation. Battery use is the worst of all the readers we have and managing a collection of ebooks on the reader is a disappointment.


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## mistyd107 (May 22, 2009)

tomh64 said:


> We added a Kindle DX to our reader collection recently and it has displaced the previous favorite, a Sony Daily Edition. But the Sony still goes with me on outings because it is easier to carry.
> 
> The Sony DE has a lot of strengths. It has the shape of a 6 inch reader, meaning it fits the hand pretty well, but it is a little longer than a 6 inch reader and you see more text at one time. Getting more text at one time is good when you are reading thoughtful non-fiction, not so important when relaxing with fiction. Sony lets you show your ebooks as collections on the reader. Once you get beyond a screenful of book entries, you will know how important this is.
> 
> ...


Thx Tom! Does the Sony have a wireless connection to shop/download books or do you need to connect to the computer to do that?


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## tomh64 (Apr 29, 2010)

The Sony Daily Edition is the only one in their line that has a wireless connection. I don't think lack of wireless is a deal breaker, though. It is easy to download an ebook to your computer and move it to the reader via usb. You may even prefer to do it this way rather than depend on a bookseller to archive your purchases.

If you have not looked into it, there is a free program named Calibre for PC and Mac that helps you manage an ebook collection. It keeps an archive copy of each book on your computer and sets up the usb connection to send books to your reader when you plug in. When you are done reading the book on your reader, you just delete it, knowing Calibre has the main copy. Calibre can even delete the book if your reader lacks the ability to do this (nook cannot delete books). Using Calibre means you also don't need a reader that has an SD chip socket for extra storage. Even the smallest readers that lack SD chips can store a couple hundred books, plenty for a roaming library.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

I have a Sony Touch, which I do like as a reader.  
I like the dictionary feature.  You touch the word and the definition pops up.  Love that.  
I don't mind not having wireless.  It's not hard to download from my computer.  
They do not send it with an AC adaptar.  So I have to remember to charge while my computer is on.  
The downside is you can only read one format on the reader at a time.  (unless I'm doing something wrong, which is entirely possible).  
I do like the size of the reader.  I've been using it to get books from my library.
deb


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

drenee said:


> I have a Sony Touch, which I do like as a reader.
> I like the dictionary feature. You touch the word and the definition pops up. Love that.
> I don't mind not having wireless. It's not hard to download from my computer.
> They do not send it with an AC adaptar. So I have to remember to charge while my computer is on.
> ...


You can get a cheapo Playstation (PSP) wall charger for your Sony, works just fine. Doesn't have to be a Sony brand. Someone on Mobileread forums mentioned getting one at Target for $5.


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## Wunderkind (Jan 14, 2009)

I have owned the Sony Touch previously as a second reader (I also have a Kindle) and currently own a nook as well. For me, the nook is a great second reader since my local library has a terrific selection of e-books to check out. I prefer the nook to the Sony Touch (which I gave to a family member) due to the glare on the screen (touch screen overlay). Sony is readable but it is jarring to go from the clarity of a Kindle screen to the Sony. That difference does not exist with the nook, and for my two machines the nook has slightly better clarity than the Kindle (I have the font hacks on my Kindle so the difference would probably be more noticeable if you had Kindle's original font loaded). The battery life of the nook is significantly less than the Kindle but I can get about a week's use if I read a few hours a day (I tend to read more than that especially if there is a weekend in the middle so I may charge more frequently). That continues to be a key issue I have with my nook but I have not had any other software issues (freezing, etc) that others may have experienced.

One other benefit that I do like with nook over Sony Touch is the wireless. While I primarily use my nook for reading library e-books, when I traveled I was hesitant to take just my Sony because I might get an itch to read something other than a library book. With my nook I can still download a book using the wireless connection so I don't feel I have to bring my Kindle along as well -- although on personal vacations I bring both . On the other hand, the Sony Touch is significantly thinner than the nook and also does not have the keyboard so even though it has the same 6" screen as the Kindle it is much shorter. 

Depending on your reasons on why you want a second e-reader, either of these machines could probably meet your needs.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

mistyd107 said:


> I'm considering a second ereader if the issues with amazon and publishers are not solved soon. For those that have one of the other readers which you prefer and why?


I have a second reader - the Sony Pocket reader. I like it a lot for the collections feature (reading about the coming Kindle collections update I'm thinking the Sony software makes that a LOT easier), the small size (fits in almost any purse), and yes, I'll say it - it's pink and cute. It's a very basic reader, but it makes a nice secondary reader for my non-Amazon downloads, and I have bought a few things from the Sony store (which is a pain in the hoo-ha to navigate) and gotten a few free downloads from them (not nearly as many as from Amazon though - although that might change with the agency model). I got mine on eBay brand new for $156 - bought it back in October. I'd recommend it as a secondary reader. Sony makes a great cover with a built-in light for it too.


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## tomh64 (Apr 29, 2010)

Nice to see other people have multiple readers. I thought we might be, er, silly. We read a lot. Each reader does something well, so they all get used to some degree. Being a new convert to Kindle, I tend to be enthusiastic about all the things it does well.

Wunderkind has a good point about nook screen clarity. If you look closely you will see their screen background is whiter than the light gray on Kindle and darker gray on Sony. This adds a lot to clarity.  

Nook was our first ereader because the screen was so readable. After using it for a while, there is a love/hate relationship. For me the negatives outweigh the positives, but the new sudoku game tips the balance to positive for my wife. I keep thinking nook could be such a great device if only B&N spent a little money on finishing the implementation. You can tell they don't have their act together. Selling accessories has got to be very profitable and B&N lost months getting their accessories to stores.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I don't have a dedicated eReader other than my Kindle, but I appreciate the thoughtful and complete responses to the question here.  If/when I decide to get another eReader, this information will be very helpful.  Great job!

Betsy


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Meemo said:


> You can get a cheapo Playstation (PSP) wall charger for your Sony, works just fine. Doesn't have to be a Sony brand. Someone on Mobileread forums mentioned getting one at Target for $5.


Thank you. 
deb


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I am really tempted by the Sony Pocket, they have it for 148 on Walmart.com. My reason for consideration is library checkout. Our library system has been adding more and more ebooks its now up to 560 for fiction. I tried reading on my Netbook with Adobe Digital Edition software and although it looks quite nice, I just can't enjoy reading on backlit screens. Its also hard to prop up the Netbook comfortable for long periods. I read one book and it took me almost 2 weeks when I normally read a book in 2 days or so. 

Not sure if I can decide on a color though  . I am thinking the silver would be the least distracting. 

But here is the thing, I am still using a K1 and I have to keep the funds aside to replace it if needed so I don't want to have to buy 2 devices in a short time period. What do do, what to do lol


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## sherylb (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm thinking about a second ereader and have been looking at a PocketBook 360. http://www.pocketbookreader.com/PocketBook_360.html
It has great reviews over on Mobileread and I like the size and the adaptability of the linux based operating system.
The only thing I am worried about is buying from out of the US, but their customer service also gets great reviews.

Amazon also has them through a third party seller, but I think I would rather go direct to the company.


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## Selcien (Oct 31, 2008)

I'd like to point out that the Sony Touch has an issue which isn't mentioned much, which is that debris can get trapped under the touch screen.

I've had a minuscule speck in the reading space for some time now, minor annoyance, today I went to read on my lunch break and found that I now have a very noticeable speck in the reading space, I also noticed that there are six minuscule specks in the lower right hand corner, non reading space but the fact that there are so many is rather alarming, especially since there's no way to remove them (that I know of.)


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

My second e-reader is Bookeen's Cybook Opus. It's very lightweight and has 5" screen. I use it for library books in Adobe Epub format.


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## Keef (Feb 25, 2010)

Bookeen's Cybook Opus looks pretty nice. The only concern I would have is where will the company be in the next 2-5 years? What support do they have, and the likely-hood of the company being around. No one knows, so getting a Sony or Nook which is more main stream would make me feel a little bit better.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Bookeen is mainstream in Europe.  They've been making ebook readers since well before the Kindle came out.  They have a 6" reader, but I just wanted something for library books.  I took a look at one in J&R and couldn't get over how light it is.  Was tempted to buy it then and there, but I looked for better price and got it at Books on Board for $199, no tax and no shipping (ships from Texas).  I was also interested in the Sony pink pocket reader, but now I can't justify having both.  The screen is the same size.


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## PG4003 (Patricia) (Jan 30, 2010)

I love my Kindle and it's still my primary reader.  Recently I bought the Sony Pocket Reader, mostly so I can read the Epub library books.  I really like the Sony too, even though the screen is smaller.  The only thing I find it hard to get used to is on the Sony, in order to press Next Page, the button is on a little circle in the center toward the bottom.  I really miss not having the Next Page on each side of the unit, like the Kindle does.  I haven't found a comfortable way to hold the Sony in just one hand, to read and press the Next Page button, without my thumb getting tired.  I don't miss having the wireless on the Sony at all.  It's not a problem to me to download via the USB cable.

I'm actually surprised at the number of people who seem to have 2 Ereaders, I used to wonder why you would want 2, but that's before I understood about Epub and stuff like that.

Patricia


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## Cherchezlafemme (May 3, 2010)

I have a Sony Reader (the discontinued PRS-700) and I love it. Granted, it doesn't have the ease of the Kindle (wireless buying+Amazon deals), nor the look of the nook, but it works well for me since I like its open format capability as I like to upload notes in .rtf typed for either class or for my own writing. I'm biased towards the Sony since, well, I have one, but I think a lot of factors go into choosing an e-reader (price, appearance, ease of use, price for books, screen/glare, if the company is on the cutting edge, etc) and I would definitely go with gut instinct over hype or marketing.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Cherchezlafemme said:


> . . . , but it works well for me since I like its open format capability as I like to upload notes in .rtf typed for either class or for my own writing. . . .


For the record, you can load .rtf files on a Kindle as well. Also .txt. and .pdf. Many other file types are easily converted using third party software.

Not disputing your preference, you understand. . . . as you say, there are a LOT of factors and it is a very individual, personal decision!

For me, at this point, I have no need for a second device that's not a Kindle. (I already have a second device that IS a Kindle.  ) I'm comfortable with the number of books available and the publisher brouhaha is just not that big a deal to me. But if I were only just now looking, either the nook or the Sony Daily would be in the running. . . I'd have to play with both to see which had the edge for me. . . .


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