Kindle Review – Kindle Fire Review, Kindle 4 Review

Update, June 1, 2009: Kindle DX release date has been confirmed to be June 10, 2009. Stay tuned for a full kindle dx review and comparisons with the Kindle 2.

There have been a lot of comments recently asking whether waiting for the Kindle DX is a good idea (or to just get Kindle 2 now). These comments got me wondering about how Kindle DX compares with Sony Reader PRS700 (with its PDF support and touchscreen).

There is no Kindle DX review available and there is no Kindle DX Release Date. I don’t own a Sony Reader and haven’t had the chance to try out one. So this Sony Reader PRS700 vs Kindle DX post is not really a review and only based on videos and data available on the Internet.

Sony Reader VS Kindle DX – Videos

First, a decentish video of the DX (you could also check out the Kindle DX Video at Amazon) –

Next, a video of the Sony Reader PRS-700 (for some reason the only decent review on youtube is all the way from Kuwait) -

The video makes you realize how much of a difference the touchscreen makes to usability. We will however see below that it negatively impacts readability.

Sony Reader Vs Kindle – Poll Results

There were polls in an earlier Kindle Vs Sony Reader post asking our readers about Kindle and Sony Reader comparative advantages -

1. 29% thought PDF support was the Sony Reader’s biggest advantage. The DX neutralizes that.  
2. DX however does not address some of the remaining top voted Sony advantages i.e. touchscreen (22%, although it messes up visibility), backlight (21%), and ePub support (15%).
3. Looks – DX doesn’t really improve enough to match or beat the newer Sony Reader.  
4. It is also noticeably more expensive (although with a bigger screen).  
5. The DX meanwhile maintains the top 4 voted advantages the Kindle had over Sony PRS 700 i.e. whispernet, 60 second downloads, wider range of titles, and physical keyboard. 

At first glance it seems like the DX will measure up favorably against the PRS 700. However, there are a lot of aspects the poll didn’t cover. Lets discuss features and relative advantages and disadvantages in depth.

Sony Reader Vs Kindle DX – Areas DX beats Sony Reader PRS 700

1. Larger Screen – 9.7″ screen with double the surface area of the new Sony Reader’s 6″ screen. 
2. 16 shades of grayscale (Sony Reader has just 8).
3. More hard drive space – 3.3 GB free Vs 512 MB on Sony Reader.
4. WhisperNet - Free Internet, 60 second book downloads.
5. Larger range of new books - 275,000 titles available in the Kindle Store.
6. DX will come with a wall charger while Sony’s Reader does not.
7. No Mac software for Sony Reader.
8. Screen visibility is better than the Sony Reader’s (which becomes unreadable due to glare in bright light).
9. Kindle Store books cheaper than Sony ebook Store books.
10. Onboard dictionary.
11. Has a physical keyboard.

Sony Reader Vs Kindle DX – Areas Sony Reader beats Kindle DX

1. Lower Price of $349 (Kindle DX is $489).  
2. Folders – being able to organize documents into folders.  
3. ePub support. 
4. 500K free public domain books courtesy Google.
5. More portable (lighter, smaller – 10 ounces, 5.11″ x 6.77″ x .4″) than the Kindle DX (10.4″ x 7.2″ x 0.38″, 18.9 ounces). 
6. Expansion via memory cards – DX does not have a SD card slot.
7. Side-light.
8. If you don’t prefer a physical keyboard you’ll like that the Sony Reader’s on-screen keyboard. Plus it saves space (making the PRS700 even more compact).
9. Available Now (Kindle DX Release Date isn’t even known).
10. Better looking (most people find the Sony Reader easier on the eyes).
11. Available to play with at Sony Stores.

The touchscreen as an advantage gets neutralized, and in fact messes up readability, because the Sony PRS 700 uses a capacitive membrane layer over the EInk display to enable touchscreen and this reduces the amount of ambient light the Eink can receive and reflect. The capacitive membrane is also quite reflective. (More details at this PRS700 Vs PRS-505 comparison).

There were a surprisingly large number of Sony Reader owners who had complaints with the screen and readability.

Kindle DX Vs Sony Reader – Closing Thoughts

The Kindle DX actually comes across as a clear winner over the Sony Reader PRS700. The higher price and unknown release date are two disadvantages – However, the sheer number of other advantages (larger screen, better readability, whispernet, free internet, better selection of new book titles, etc.) make the DX the better choice.

If you’re focused on portability and lower price then Kindle 2 Vs Sony Reader PRS700 becomes the more relevant comparison. Which is not as clear cut (people focused on touchscreen or pdf and epub support might choose Sony while people who prefer convenience of whispernet 60 second downloads, free internet, and better selection of books would pick Kindle 2).

Sony took a gamble with the touchscreen and it didn’t pay off. Sony is rumored to be working on a new large screen model and hopefully that avoids the ‘touchscreen messing up readability’ blunder.

It would be cool if the new, large screen Sony Reader has some cool cutting edge features that motivate Amazon to further ramp up the speed at which they are improving Kindles.

Filed under: kindle dx, reviews Tagged: | sony reader vs kindle, sony reader vs kindle dx