A Comparison Between the Sony Touch Edition Reader and the Amazon Kindle eReader

With different eReaders on the market one has to ask which product is better and why. To help you decide between the Sony Reader and the Amazon Kindle, we have examined both products for a series of elements. We looked at the size, weight, price, usability, and how you download the eBooks. This information has helped us reach the conclusion that the Amazon Kindle is still the better electronic reader on the market compared to the Sony Touch Edition. Sony does have other readers available, though.

Sony Touch Edition:

Size: 6.9x4.8x.4 inches

Weight: 10.1 ounces

The Sony Touch Edition is $299.99 at most stores and online. Best Buy is just one place you might find this reader if you are looking to test it out. When testing the device the power button was easy to see, as were the memory chips. You have clear instructions on how to use it. There is a button marked home that takes you to the book options you have, such as downloading a book or reading one in your storage files. There are two buttons on the left hand side of the bottom of the reader to flip from page to page. There was also an option button to change how pages are displayed and any resolution situations you might wish to correct. The downside to the Sony Reader is the lack of wireless connectivity. For the Touch Edition, you must use the USB cable to hook it up to your computer to download books.

Amazon Kindle:

Size: 7.5x5.3x.7 inches

Weight: 10.3 ounces

The first thing noticed about the Amazon Kindle is how it is set up. On the lower panel of the Kindle you have a keypad. It has all of the letters on a regular keyboard, plus the numbers. Along the right hand side the Kindle offers a menu, next page, previous page, and options buttons. The original wireless device has the next page and previous page options on both sides for comfortable handling. The latest generation of the Amazon Kindle is the Global Wireless for $259.00. It offers you 3G wireless technology to allow you on the internet from anywhere. It uses the same technology as mobile phones, so you do not have to look for a Wi-Fi hotspot.

The Amazon Kindle is slightly larger and heavier than the Sony Reader, but we are talking a very small difference. Usability shows that the keyboard on the Kindle allows you an easier time searching for books, pages, and any other option required. For $40.00 less than the Sony Touch Edition you also get access to the 3G network to download books directly to the Kindle, where as the Sony eReader requires you to hook up to a computer.

Matan Josefsberg is a professional writer and a book lover who discovered ereaders about a year ago using the Amazon Kindle and since then decided to review the entire range of electronic book readers available on the market. He is the owner of http://www.best-ereaders.com

What Are the Differences Between Amazon's Kindle 1 & Kindle 2?

With the release of the much anticipated Amazon Kindle 2 which is meant to be better and sleeker than the original, you may be asking yourself whether you should buy the upgraded version or stick with the popular Kindle 1. If that's the case then read on, this article will take you through the differences between the two versions of this popular eBook reader.

First just looking at the two machines you'll see a lot of differences. The Kindle 2 is a lot slimmer than its predecessor at only 9mm thick and while it weighs the same as before it's now easier to hold and carry around.

The screen size is also the same at 600 x 800 but the new model has better graphical capabilities so that you'll now get 16 shades of grey rather than the four of the first Kindle.

This makes the text on the screen easier to read and quite sharp (less bleed into the screen). Of course the original version still had good readability and at first glance you might not notice much of a difference, but after reading many pages you'll appreciate the subtle crisper text. The background has also changed from a slight paper textured look in the first to a smooth flat surface in the second.

While the Kindle 2 is meant to be faster at page turning and overall speed, we can't say we noticed any significant difference between the two, after all it was never like Amazon's original model was slow - it wasn't.

The differences that were significant and enough to warrant considering an upgrade was the design changes in the newer model. The power switch is now conveniently at the top of the Kindle rather than the back which makes it much easier to turn it on and off. The volume buttons have also been moved to a rocker switch now on the right hand side of the reader (rather than the bottom).

The navigation system is now much more intuitive with the 'next' button sitting conveniently where your thumb rests so you can easily turn the page and it feels more natural.

Overall the differences between Amazon's Kindle 1 and 2 are subtle but do improve your ebook reading experience. So it's up to you whether you want the latest and greatest or don't mind the older version for up to $100 cheaper.

For more information about the Amazon Kindle 2 visit http://www.squidoo.com/amazons-kindle for all the latest information including wait times and tech specs.

What Are the Differences Between Amazon's Kindle 1 & Kindle 2?

With the release of the much anticipated Amazon Kindle 2 which is meant to be better and sleeker than the original, you may be asking yourself whether you should buy the upgraded version or stick with the popular Kindle 1. If that's the case then read on, this article will take you through the differences between the two versions of this popular eBook reader.

First just looking at the two machines you'll see a lot of differences. The Kindle 2 is a lot slimmer than its predecessor at only 9mm thick and while it weighs the same as before it's now easier to hold and carry around.

The screen size is also the same at 600 x 800 but the new model has better graphical capabilities so that you'll now get 16 shades of grey rather than the four of the first Kindle.

This makes the text on the screen easier to read and quite sharp (less bleed into the screen). Of course the original version still had good readability and at first glance you might not notice much of a difference, but after reading many pages you'll appreciate the subtle crisper text. The background has also changed from a slight paper textured look in the first to a smooth flat surface in the second.

While the Kindle 2 is meant to be faster at page turning and overall speed, we can't say we noticed any significant difference between the two, after all it was never like Amazon's original model was slow - it wasn't.

The differences that were significant and enough to warrant considering an upgrade was the design changes in the newer model. The power switch is now conveniently at the top of the Kindle rather than the back which makes it much easier to turn it on and off. The volume buttons have also been moved to a rocker switch now on the right hand side of the reader (rather than the bottom).

The navigation system is now much more intuitive with the 'next' button sitting conveniently where your thumb rests so you can easily turn the page and it feels more natural.

Overall the differences between Amazon's Kindle 1 and 2 are subtle but do improve your ebook reading experience. So it's up to you whether you want the latest and greatest or don't mind the older version for up to $100 cheaper.

For more information about the Amazon Kindle 2 visit http://www.squidoo.com/amazons-kindle for all the latest information including wait times and tech specs.

Differences Between the Kindle Wi-Fi and Kindle 3G As Available in the UK, And Kindle DX

There are now two types of Amazon Kindle available from Amazon UK, and the Amazon DX which at present you have to order from the States. Amazon has not done a great job making it easy for customers to identify the difference between the models so I will try and demystify below.

Kindle Wi-Fi.

Currently £109.00 including free shipping and this is the 'base' model available. This model has a 6 inch diagonal screen, 9mm think (less than a pencil), can hold up to 3,500 books, has a battery life of one month with the Wireless turned off and three weeks with the Wireless turned on. It downloads books from Amazon UK in 60 seconds, has Wi-Fi access for Internet browsing etc,

Kindle 3G + Wi-Fi

This is currently £149 in the UK and is exactly the same to look at the Wi-Fi model, but it has the addition of free 3G global wireless coverage for downloading books and Internet access in over 100 countries. It is very slightly heavier than the model above and the battery life with wireless on is reduced to 10 days. In all other respects it is exactly the same.

Therefore in deciding between the two models that consideration is whether you will be using the Amazon extensively outside the UK and wanting access to the free 3G network while you are away (you can still access the internet (with it's basic browser) using the Wi-Fi, in hotels, bars etc). I guess unless you travel a lot and need to access your e-mail etc while you are away and do not possess one of the latest smart phones such as an iPhone, HTC desire, Blackberry etc, then the more expensive 3G model may be what you are looking for. I suspect for the majority of people the standard Kindle Wi-Fi will be the most appropriate model out of these 2.

Kindle DX

This is currently $379 ( approx £250) and has to be purchased from Amazon.com although they ship to the UK. This has a 9.7 inch diagonal size screen, it still holds 3,500 books, includes the 3G access and has a reduced battery life of seven days with wireless on and 2 to 3 weeks with a wireless off it is also approximately double the weight and slightly thicker. So the difference other Kindle 3G + Wi-Fi being the screen size.

Conclusion

The Kindle Wi Fi is exactly the same as the Kindle 3G except it does not have 3G, so for use as a ebook reader only and not wanting to download books while out of the UK it is perfect. To surf the web, download books abroad and over the internet you need the 3G, and if you want a bigger screen then the DX has it and the 3G.

Overall I would suggest that for most people the basic Kindle Wi-Fi meets their needs and at £109 it represents a bit of a bargain. Having used the 6 inch Amazon Kindle (an older model) the 6 inch diagonal screen is perfectly adequate and I suspect is easier to read, than the larger screen, as there is reduced eye movement.

For those of you that are interested in how the Kindle has developed from the earlier generation, it has reduced in overall size and weight whilst maintaining the same screen size, increased the already impressive screen contrast by 50% and has increased the number of books that can be stored by nearly double and has an improved PDF reader along with various other improvements and of course reduced the price!

The Amazon Kindle does appear to be marking itself out as the way forward for electronic book reader's.

Buy the Kindle in the UK

Kindle Readers available in the UK

The Squabble Between iPad Vs Kindle

So you want to buy an e-Reader, but you don't know which one to buy? Well you have come to the right place because in the following article we will be looking at each of these hot products that are flying off the shelves. We will pit each one against one another under several different categories to find out which will reign supreme. But ultimately only you know which you prefer, so which is better, the Apple iPad or the Amazon Kindle?

For thousands of years man has read books! Books printed on paper! But in the last few years this has suddenly become lame. Who wants to be seen with an old fashioned book when you could be reading on a shiny new e-Reader. Many people said that the e-Reader would never catch on, but how foolish must they feel now, major egg on face! The e-Reader is one of the hottest products on the market at the moment and they are getting even more popular. Two of the most famous and equally popular are the Apple iPad and the Amazon Kindle. Both are fighting it out for this newly emerging and highly profitable market. But which one will win your custom? iPad vs Kindle, let the squabble begin!

Design

These two products have very different designs for what is essentially a simple concept, to read books electronically. The iPad follows in the footsteps of it's siblings the iPod and iPhone by being sleek, sexy and uber cool. A large, full colour LCD touchscreen allows the user to realistically turn pages with just a single swipe of the finger across the screen and you can zoom into pages if you find any print too small with the use of two fingers. The only draw back of this is persistent fingerprints, but a quick wipe with a suitable cloth gets rid of them easily. The iPad screen is also backlit with the ability to adjust the brightness, which means that you can read all of your books in the dark. The Kindle is, well let's face it, no where near as sexy or cool as the iPad, but for what it lacks in style it more than makes up for in practicality. You can read the Kindle in direct sunlight due to it's E-ink screen, however this only offers 16 shades of grey and can struggle with some graphics.

To compare the two based on design, the iPad would win hands down. Yes, the Kindle does the job of allowing the user to read books, however the iPad let's you do it in style.

Battery

The iPad has a battery life of approximately 10 hours, which is more than than enough for the average person to read in a single sitting. This is however annihilated by the Kindle which can go for days and weeks without needing a charger. Amazon claims that it will last up to a month with the wireless turned off. Kindle wins hands down!

Portability

Admittedly, either of these are infinitely better than hauling all the physical books and magazines around on your back, but for simple everyday portability the iPad is beaten by the feather like Kindle. Apple's iPad is 680g (iPad 2 is 600g) compared to the Kindle weighing in at 247g.

The iPad is 13mm thick (iPad 2 is 8.6mm) Compared to the Kindle which is 8.6mm. The Kindle can be carried around in your back pocket due to it's size (190 x 123mm), whereas the iPad needs to be carried around in a bag due to it's larger size (243 x 190mm). Therefore the Kindle is king in the portability category.

Content

The point of having an e-Reader is to let you read the books that you want to read. The Amazon Kindle has a vast library of books of over half a million for you to download and read. It also allows you to read blogs, newspapers and magazines that are uploaded to your device daily. This amazing amount of content simply cant compete with the huge volume of content that is available on the iPad. This is because the Kindle is exclusively for Amazon content, whereas the iPad has access to it's own iBooks store, the whole of the amazon kindle library through the Kindle App, and many other vast libraries of content through corresponding apps, as well as being able to download and read PDFs from anywhere on the web. The iPad wins easily due to it's vastly superior amounts of content.

Price

Currently here are the versions that you can buy for an approximate price at today's prices;

iPad 2

Wi-Fi...................................£399. ($650). (?450)

3G access...........................£2-15 a month. ($3.25-24.45). (?2.26-16.96) Varies depending on network

Kindle 3

Wi-Fi only..........................£111. ($180). (?125)

3G lifetime access.............£152. ($248). (?172)

Prices obviously vary from shop to shop, and currency to currency, and you can buy more expensive models with larger storage capacity. Amazon tends to sell their books much cheaper than iBooks do. My advice would be to shop around and find the best price/bundle for you!

Conclusion

Well pitting these two products against each other is a bit unfair due to the varying uses of the iPad. If you are after a device to solely read books on then buy a Kindle, it's a great product and serves it's purpose excellently. If however you are looking for a device to read books on AND do other things like listen to music, write, draw, watch movies, surf the Internet, do presentations, things for work, view photos, etc. then the iPad is for you. Ultimately, only you know which you prefer, so which do you think is better, the Apple iPad or the Amazon Kindle?

My name is Matt and I am a writer for http://www.TheSquabble.com a great website that lets people discuss and debate over a wide variety of topics. Currently we have articles added regularly covering products/brands, politics, sport, people and many others. If you have something to squabble about, then we are the place to do it.

So check out http://www.TheSquabble.com - Because everyone has something to squabble about!

Differences Between the 2009 EBook Readers, the Amazon Kindle 2 and the Sony Reader PRS-700

The new Sony Reader PRS-700 and the Amazon Kindle 2 are this years most talked about ebook readers, offering an increased amount of reading pleasure. For those who aren't familiar the recent ebook reading devices and are interested in purchasing one, we will compare the Amazon's Kindle 2 and Sony's Reader to see how they compare.

Pricing when it comes to any gadget is always an important factor especially for those who are first time buyers. Currently, the Amazon's Kindle 2 priced at $259, but Sony's Reader is priced almost double that at $399, which means that the Kindle 2 is lower priced and has a better value.

When it comes to these gadgets their size and weight comparisons don't really give them a unique advantage over each other. While the Sony reader PRS-700 weighs in at 10 oz, Amazon's Kindle 2 is just a bit heavier. Although the Sony's Reader is wider and thicker, the Kindle is a few inches longer. Either way, they're both at a convenience when you have to carry them around.

Both ebook readers use the new e-ink technology which means their displays are as close as regular text on paper as you can technically have at the moment, which makes it easier to read since the technology can display crisp text and images. Although Amazon's Kindle 2 is capable of producing 16 different shades of gray, and Sony's Reader is only capable of 8, this makes Amazon's Kindle 2 much crisper.

In the area of wireless technology, Amazon's Kindle 2 is the clear winner. Using Whispernet technology, Amazon's Kindle 2 can receive free wireless coverage. Kindle owners also have access to a collection of over 350,000 books, newspapers, magazines, and even blogs! You just simply choose the reading content of your choice, pay for it, and you can download the magazine or book to your Kindle when you want, anywhere you want, in only minutes! On the other hand Sony's Reader PRS-700 completely lacks any sort of wireless capabilities and only has access to a collection of 100,000 titles, which doesn't even compare to the amount available to Kindle users.

Both readers can read common formats such as TXT, JPEG, GIF, MP3, GIF, BMP, and PNG not to mention other formats which are unique to each device. Although Sony's Reader can read PDF's while Amazon's Kindle 2 can't - well not directly anyways. PDF's are sent to Kindle's support desk for conversion, then they can be read on the Kindle, although Amazon warns that "complex PDF files might format incorrectly" on the Kindle.

Now in the memory options, Sony's Reader has a clear upper hand. Although Amazon's Kindle 2 offers 2GB's of internal memory, which only 1.4GB is accessible for content storage, it can hold an estimated 1,500 books, although it doesn't support use of external memory cards anymore. However while Sony's Reader only offers 256mb's of on board memory, its advantage lies in the fact that Sony's Reader is capable of supporting 16GB's through the use of an external memory card. Not only is that a good benefit for having tons of content accessible to you when you need it, but it's also good for managing files onto other memory cards.

When it comes to their battery lives, both readers have equivalent operating hours. On a full charge, both the Kindle 2 and the Sony Reader can handle two weeks of reading without the need to charge. Charging time is also equivalent for both readers, 4hours when charging through USB and 2hours when plugged to the AC wall charger.

The bottom line when it comes to the ebook readers of 2009, the Amazon Kindle 2 and Sony's eBook Reader is:

That Amazons Kindle 2 is the best ebook reader of the two hands-down. Its price, wireless capabilities, content, and overall improvements in design makes the Amazon Kindle 2 the clear winner, as it bests Sony's Reader 700.

For more information about Amazon Kindle Reader news and reviews including the Kindle 2 Book Reader and other Kindle's please visit our website.

Differences Between Kindle 2 and Kindle 1

In this article I explain the differences between the Kindle 2 and Kindle 1 wireless electronic book readers. The Kindle 2 is Amazon's 2nd generation wireless eBook reader and has a new design, updated display, more storage, and a 6 inch 600x800 pixel display that provides 16 shades of gray (the previous generation Kindle displayed just 4 shades of gray). Having the additional shades of gray makes the text clearer, just like a real book, and provides crisper images and photos.

The Kindle 2 is only 1/3 of an inch thick, weighs about 10.2 ounces (lighter than a typical paperback book), has 2G of internal memory and holds 1,500 books--almost 8 times as many as the previous generation Kindle.

 

There are other important differences between the Kindle 2 and Kindle 1. With the new Kindle 2, pages refresh 20% faster and it has 25% longer battery life. You can read for up to 4 days with wireless on, or up to 2 weeks with wireless off, before you need to recharge. The Kindle 2 fully charges in approximately 4 hours, and supports charging from your computer via the included USB 2.0 cable.

 

Additional differences between the Kindle 2 and Kindle 1 are you can change text size, add bookmarks and notes, read PDFs and Word documents, and even search the web. You can increase the text size of your favorite book or periodical with the push of a button. If your eyes tire, simply increase the font size and continue reading comfortably. Kindle has six adjustable font sizes to suit your reading preference. Using the QWERTY keyboard, you can add annotations to text, just like you might write in the margins of a book. You can also edit, delete, and export your notes. Using the new 5-way controller, you can highlight and clip key passages and bookmark pages for future use. You never need to bookmark your last place in the book, because Kindle remembers for you and always opens to the last page you read.

 

One of the key differences between the Kindle 2 and Kindle 1 is that the new Kindle has an experimental text-to-speech function that allows you to listen to books. With the new text-to-speech feature, the Kindle can read every newspaper, magazine, blog, and book out loud to you. Pages automatically turn while the content is being read, so you can listen hands-free. You can choose from both male and female voices which can be sped up or slowed down to suit your preference. In the middle of a great book or article but have to jump in the car? Simply turn on text-to-speech and listen on the go.

 

The Kindle 2 also includes free built-in access to Wikipedia.org, the world's most exhaustive and up-to-date encyclopedia. Looking up people, places, events, and more has never been easier.

 

Electronic books for the Kindle 2 cost about $10 and download in less than 60 seconds. The Kindle has 3G wireless which lets you download books right from your Kindle, anytime, anywhere, with no monthly fees, service plans, or hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots. The Kindle Store offers over 230,000 books, and you can purchase subscriptions that are delivered wirelessly. Newspaper subscriptions currently range from $6 to $15 per month and magazines range from $1.25 to $3.50 per month.

 

I hope you've enjoyed this article on the differences between the Kindle 2 and Kindle 1. If you're transitioning from a Kindle 1 to Kindle 2, all the content you currently have on your Kindle 1 can be synchronized to your Kindle 2 using Amazon's Whispersync technology.

Mark Minks is the founder of MoneyJibe, a Personal Finance website that offers money saving tips, money making ideas, and free online coupons. The Amazon.com Promotional Codes on the site are very popular for site visitors. A special page has been created on the site if you think you might be ready to Buy a Kindle wireless eBook reader. A portion of all money earned by the site from ads, product referrals etc. is given back to the community to help those that are less fortunate. Details can be found on the site.