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What I Read
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RE: Why I did/didn't choose kindle
Why did I get a Kindle?
Because I already had a Sony 505.
Rather a simple answer but one that actually swayed my decision in the Kindle's direction in the end. I had been interested in the Kindle when I first went looking for a dedicated reader but this way prior to the Kindle 2 international version coming out, also the Sony I settled on was the only reader available to the UK which was under the £200 mark when I bought it.
So, a year or so later, I am seeing how the reader market has changed and getting a tad antsy and feeling tempted by the newer readers being announced when I found out via the mobileread forum that a UK Kindle was available, or rather available to pre-order even though it was sold out and the release date hadn't even arrived yet.
So off I trot to Amazon and there in bold ads are the new Kindles available for pre-order from only £109 which was way lower than any other reader currently available. So I read up on what exactly a Kindle could do but was hit with only one 'real' roadblock. All my DRM'ed epub books which I had amassed since buying my 505. Totally incompatible with the Kindle. All the none DRM titles I owned? Easily converted via Calibre for the Kindle.
So I hemmed and hawed, checked out the threads on the new Sony readers due out just after the Kindle's release date, and eventually after much thinking, researching and changing my mind for and against purchasing a Kindle I suddenly had a light bulb moment.
I wasn't intending to sell on or in any way get rid on my 505, so all those DRM titles I could still read although I couldn't read them on a Kindle, so that problem was easily sorted out. Also did I really want to pay out more than the cost of a Kindle on a second epub reader? My main problem of late was getting the titles I wanted at a reasonable price which would be available to a UK resident. So I did some comparison's and went to Waterstones, a shop which I have never purchased an ebook from, and randomly took note of the top five best sellers they had on the front page. I then checked the same titles on WHSmith, which I have purchased from, and found that four were cheaper than Waterstones and a fifth wasn't available. I then checked with Amazon's Kindle store and found that all four that WHS had were even cheaper there and a fifth not available yet.
So, Amazon was cheapest of all three, WHS had their 30% off retail price, but Amazon had the four titles (at least I'm sure it was 4, might have been only three though), at even cheaper than 30%. In fact they were closer to 50% cheaper for those best sellers. I then started trolling through their store checking the prices of books in various genres and was impressed with what I found when compared to the same books elsewhere.
Even though some books are more expensive than I would like, I simply don't buy them until the price is more reasonable in my mind, the same as I did (and still do) with tree books. I find owning both a Kindle and a Sony, I basically have the best of both worlds, if WHS has another big 50% sale, I don't loose out, I buy epub versions and read them on my 505. If Amazon has the title/s I want cheaper, I purchase the Kindle version. Freedom of choice.
Although the new, non-glaring, touch screen Sony has released with their newer readers, given their abilities to highlight and annotate, more accurately and quicker, I don't regret not waiting and buying a new Sony.
Why?
Well, touch screen, while quicker and maybe easier than the Kindle way, using the cursor which is controlled via the buttons, I can't shake my experience with my iPod touch. While I wouldn't be without it, I love it, it's a major pain to keep clean. No matter how clean you keep you hands when using it, natural oils on the skin transfer and it's a continual battle to keep the screen clean and smear free.
As someone who has used, and will use, her iPod touch to occasionally read books, I know the problem with using a touch screen technology when doing so and while there is advantages. There are also disadvantages.
Also the newer Sony's are more expensive on initial outlay, more expensive than buying a Kindle. So while I could justify buying a Kindle, to read Kindle books and compatible formats, could I justify buying a new Sony. Even with the advancements Sony has made in their new models I just couldn't do it.
Basically I wrote down and pro and con list with each reader and knocked the points down one after the other.
The down side of Kindle.
No epub ... DRM or otherwise ... no problem I already own a 505 for reading them. One point cleared up.
No expansion slots ... but then I sat down and did some soul searching. Did I really need more memory than the Kindle has. The answer was a resounding no. While it's a nice option, one which my 505 has with it's two expansion slots, it's not a requirement and probably wouldn't be used even if it was there. Another point cleared up.
No touchscreen ... well I already covered that one. While turning pages is quick with a touchscreen, well it's just as easily to accidentally turn pages as well. Much easier in fact, something else I can atest to while reading on my iPod.
So there are my reasons for buying a Kindle. Which has turned into another long lecture ... I've did it again. But then it wasn't a simple straight forward question I could answer in two lines or less.
 Veteran Digital Reader.
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