I plan on checking another Sony out in a different store tomorrow and see how much the lighting in the first store may have had to do with my reaction.

A second concern was that even though there’s magnification, it didn’t go as large as I would have liked (you should see how large I blow up my html files to read on my laptop :). I did figure out that it is bigger when you change the orientation on the Sony so that would alleviate that problem for me.

Too bad I didn’t win one! :) That would have been a great way to test one out.

ET fix typos and grammar boo boos. Must have parked my brains somewhere else tonight.

Also, keep in mind that the lighting under which you view the screen will alter its appearance.

For what it’s worth, I’ve been reading a couple of books on my iPhone lately, and while VERY handy for me when out and about I much prefer the Sony. Easier on the eyes.

I’d love to see a comparison picture of a Kindle and Sony!

I finally saw a Sony 505 yesterday in Chattanooga, but I had to admit I was disappointed in the quality of the screen. I’ve seen a Kindle and to me the contrast on the Kindle was much better (the screen looked ‘whiter’ and the ink on it much more like the page of a paperback book), whereas the Sony looked almost like a regular computer screen to me, which I found baffling because I know it’s e-ink and not backlit.

I’m confuzzled! Since you have both, would you agree that the Kindle’s e-ink looks more paperback like?

Right now I’ve given up on the idea of buying a Sony any time soon. Especially since somebody said that the quality of the 700 is worse due to the inbuilt light.

I don’t want to give any money to Amazon for another proprietary format, but I have to admit at this point in time the Kindle looked much better to me. So between, no sales for Amazon and not loving the Sony that means no money for anybody and no reader for me, grumble.

Now, it’s possible that the store lighting had something to do with it and how long that model had been a display. If I make it to Huntsville, I’ll check one out there too, just to see if the one I saw was not typical.

Still want 2.0 for faster refresh but yes, I wish they’d hire a (better?) outside design team to give the kindle a nicer look to it. Maybe I would pony up for a larger e-ink screen like “collegiate” edition and not sell my 1.0…

Also, I prefer e-ink over the itouch. It is easier on my eyes, easier on my wrist when holding it, and the battery lasts longer. And there’s nothing quite like whispernet for ease in downloading (except perhaps wifi except my work network is secured and the touch can’t get in.) I also like the amazon kindle store’s wide selection and pricing. DRM isn’t great but unless you go with the paperback releases, it is hard to legally buy new books DRM free and the .azw format should be here for a few years, at least.

I read that the Kindle 2.0 will have the faster refresh rate, comparable to the Sony 700.

How I love teh interwebs. Especially the intelligent blogs.

It did have a nice feel to it (even though they won’t let you pick it up). I think it’s something I would use if I had one—if Angie uses it the most, it’s probably the best—but the iTouch is awesome enough so I don’t really covet one.

(Too much. The special Harlequin edition makes me weep with want, actually.)

But I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the iTouch. I love it.

Also note that you can't use more than one program at a time. So you can't, for example, read via Stanza and listen to iTunes simultaneously. I like being able to put music on the Reader and listen while reading. I'm not sure why the iP's don't have that, I guess the technology is sufficiently more complicated.

This is actually not true – at least for these two apps. I was able to start music and then open Stanza and start reading a book, so yes, you can do both of those at the same time.

The refresh you don’t even notice about 30 pages in. It really takes only one book to acclimate you to the difference. But yes, you can’t fit it into a pocket.

Last Friday the Sony at Target was finally functioning (according to the label it was the 505) and I played with it for a few minutes. The way the screen flashes every time you turn the page would drive me insane and, while the amount of text on the page was nice, it didn’t have the sharp contrast of the iTouch. (Admittedly, people could have been messing with the display controls.) It also wouldn’t fit in my coat pocket.

(Ummm…I wasn’t trying to steal it. I don’t carry a purse during then winter because I have coat pockets.)

I’ve only seen a Kindle live and I really liked the e-ink look, but it seemed pretty darn big to me compared to a paperback, which is my measuring stick.

I’m hoping to go to the big city this weekend and maybe Target will have them back in stock by then so I can look, weigh and decide if it’s what I want for my conveniently upcoming birthday. :)

If I had to give up one of the devices, it would be the iPod, as much as I love it. But you ain’t parting me from my Reader :p Plus it fits nicely in my Cole Haan bag (along with pretty much the entire world), so I’ve never felt like I’m lugging it around.

I'll have to look into that some more! I like the idea of having the bigger screen and e-ink of the Sony reader, but I hate the idea of schlepping yet another good sized electronic gadget around

There is no real replacement for reading on an eink screen, in my opinion. Given the choice between putting the Sony in my purse or just carrying the iPhone to read on when needed, I will always put the Sony in my purse. I would note that the Sony is actually quite small, at least the 505 is, I’m not sure what the 700 looks like. But in terms of weight, it’s pretty negligible and the design itself is thin and compact, even with the cover on (unlike the Kindle which I found a little bulkier to carry)

Also note that you can’t use more than one program at a time. So you can’t, for example, read via Stanza and listen to iTunes simultaneously. I like being able to put music on the Reader and listen while reading. I’m not sure why the iP’s don’t have that, I guess the technology is sufficiently more complicated.

ETA: The new Palm Pre is supposed to allow you to use multiple applications at once. Against all evidence and good sense, I continue to be a Palm fan.

ETA2: Oops, I crossed posts with Laurel and Terri. Sorry to repeat!

Terri is right that you can’t just surf and check email anywhere/anytime, but you CAN whereever there’s an open network….so if you stop at a Starbucks or whatever on that road trip…the iTouch will find that network and ask if you want to log on.

I also am a little dismayed at the continued high prices of ereaders, so I like letting people know about this option.

GRANTED – smaller screen, and it IS backlit, of course – so if you have eyestrain issues, this won’t help. But you CAN make the text pretty big