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Sony Reader eBook Space for Up to 160 eBook
See it at Amazon.co.uk for £229.99Average Customer Rating
(4.0 out of 5)
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Most Helpful First | Newest First | + Share250 of 251 people found the following review helpful:
Loads of content, just not at Waterstones
(5 out of 5) by Dave Mitcalf Isabel Contreras on Nov 12, 2008I have been using the Reader for a while now and I must say there is a lot more content available than appears at first sight. Waterstones has a small selection of over-priced books, WH Smith also have compatible books and their site is better and has more choice. Penguin is also worth a look. Sony have an online bookstore which is very cheap except they will not sell to UK residents - unlike the rest of the US sellers who are quite happy to take your money. Look at Fictionwise, BooksOnBoard and EBookMall as the top three but there are many more. Shop around as prices vary quite a bit.
I think Sony have done their homework well as far as usability goes. You only appreciate some of the features after you have been using it a while. Here are a few:
- Page turn button is duplicated on the right and left so you can hold it in either hand.
- Bookmark feature lets you skip quickly between the books you are currently reading. Handy when you have more than a hundred books on the device. The bookmark list has its own separate button so jumping books is very quick.
- History feature lets you skip ahead in a book and then use the 'back' button to get back to where you started. It works like your browser back button, undo/redo the last navigation step. There is even a history list so you can jump back without lots of button presses.
- Keys down the right edge makes selecting menu items fast. Jump to a specific page number or holding down a button skips to a percentage of the book. The top keys take you somewhere near the begining, the bottom near the end.
- The supplied 'leather' cover is magnetic which holds the Reader well while you are reading and closed when not.
I think Sony have done their homework well as far as usability goes. You only appreciate some of the features after you have been using it a while. Here are a few:
- Page turn button is duplicated on the right and left so you can hold it in either hand.
- Bookmark feature lets you skip quickly between the books you are currently reading. Handy when you have more than a hundred books on the device. The bookmark list has its own separate button so jumping books is very quick.
- History feature lets you skip ahead in a book and then use the 'back' button to get back to where you started. It works like your browser back button, undo/redo the last navigation step. There is even a history list so you can jump back without lots of button presses.
- Keys down the right edge makes selecting menu items fast. Jump to a specific page number or holding down a button skips to a percentage of the book. The top keys take you somewhere near the begining, the bottom near the end.
- The supplied 'leather' cover is magnetic which holds the Reader well while you are reading and closed when not.
428 of 431 people found the following review helpful:
check for content first!
(3 out of 5) by N. Brett on Oct 31, 2008 (Wiltshire, England)I was an early adopter of the Reader, got it on day one.
Let me give you my background as it might put my views into perspective.
I read a lot and am always in and out of bookshops, I have a pile of about a hundred books piled up waiting to be read, and yet I keep adding to them. When I go on holiday, I take about a book per day, so for a 10 day holiday, that's 10 books which is a bit heavy on the luggage.
So the Reader appealed because I could take my collection with me and read anywhere.
So, the Reader... It looks good and is easy to load up. Had slight problems loading the Adobe Digital Editions until I realised I had to turn my firewall off each time I wanted it to connect to the Net. The typeface is nice and clear with no light reflection and although page turning is a little slow, you soon get used to it. It is a nice bit of kit, although I would rather have the US Kindle with it's download capability, but that is another story.
Anyway, by now I have the thing up and running and am keen to start loading it up so a quick jump onto the Waterstones and WH Smiths sites to see what I could buy and......not a lot.
1. e-books are not much cheaper then the books you can buy in the shops
2. deals you see in the shops are not reflected in the e-book version (Waterstones might have the latest Bernard Cornwall at half price in the shop, but not as an e-book!)
3. Lack of three for the price of two deals means hard copy books are still cheaper!!
4. Navigation on line to find books available as e-books in the right format
Sadly the availability of new release books has not caught up with the technology, I have seen improvement over the past few weeks but it is not there yet.
The kit is great, and a good job by Sony. If you are thinking of getting one,please accept this advice -
1. Check if the last three books you bought are available as e-books
2. See if the next three books you want are available as e-books
3. Do a price check
If the above works for you then maybe it is worth the expense. In all honesty I wish I had waited for a few months
Let me give you my background as it might put my views into perspective.
I read a lot and am always in and out of bookshops, I have a pile of about a hundred books piled up waiting to be read, and yet I keep adding to them. When I go on holiday, I take about a book per day, so for a 10 day holiday, that's 10 books which is a bit heavy on the luggage.
So the Reader appealed because I could take my collection with me and read anywhere.
So, the Reader... It looks good and is easy to load up. Had slight problems loading the Adobe Digital Editions until I realised I had to turn my firewall off each time I wanted it to connect to the Net. The typeface is nice and clear with no light reflection and although page turning is a little slow, you soon get used to it. It is a nice bit of kit, although I would rather have the US Kindle with it's download capability, but that is another story.
Anyway, by now I have the thing up and running and am keen to start loading it up so a quick jump onto the Waterstones and WH Smiths sites to see what I could buy and......not a lot.
1. e-books are not much cheaper then the books you can buy in the shops
2. deals you see in the shops are not reflected in the e-book version (Waterstones might have the latest Bernard Cornwall at half price in the shop, but not as an e-book!)
3. Lack of three for the price of two deals means hard copy books are still cheaper!!
4. Navigation on line to find books available as e-books in the right format
Sadly the availability of new release books has not caught up with the technology, I have seen improvement over the past few weeks but it is not there yet.
The kit is great, and a good job by Sony. If you are thinking of getting one,please accept this advice -
1. Check if the last three books you bought are available as e-books
2. See if the next three books you want are available as e-books
3. Do a price check
If the above works for you then maybe it is worth the expense. In all honesty I wish I had waited for a few months
155 of 157 people found the following review helpful:
Great device, but for one thing
(4 out of 5) by G. Brown on Sep 19, 2008 (UK)I pre-ordered this device as it seemed really good and I was not disappointed when it eventually arrived. I've only charged it once so far and it's not needed it again yet. It's everything I wanted in an electronic reader. I have found one drawback though and this hasn't really got anything to do with the device. Although it comes with the 100 classic titles I've yet to be able to purchase and download titles from Waterstones who are Sony UK's recommended partners. After numerous unanswered emails to Waterstones customer service desk I've had to start looking elsewhere for available ebooks. Hopefully I can find another source soon otherwise this will have been one of the most expensive books I've ever bought.
314 of 320 people found the following review helpful:
three stars (for now)
(3 out of 5) by N. Brett on Oct 27, 2008 (Wiltshire, England)I was an early adopter of the Reader, got it on day one.
Let me give you my background as it might put my views into perspective.
I read a lot and am always in and out of bookshops, I have a pile of about a hundred books piled up waiting to be read, and yet I keep adding to them. When I go on holiday, I take about a book per day, so for a 10 day holiday, that's 10 books which is a bit heavy on the luggage.
So the Reader appealed because I could take my collection with me and read anywhere.
So, the Reader... It looks good and is easy to load up. Had slight problems loading the Adobe Digital Editions until I realised I had to turn my firewall off each time I wanted it to connect to the Net. The typeface is nice and clear with no light reflection and although page turning is a little slow, you soon get used to it. It is a nice bit of kit, although I would rather have the US Kindle with it's download capability, but that is another story.
Anyway, by now I have the thing up and running and am keen to start loading it up so a quick jump onto the Waterstones and WH Smiths site to see what I could buy and......not a lot.
1. e-books are not much cheaper then the books you can buy in the shops
2. deals you see in the shops are not reflected in the e-book version (Waterstones might have the latest Bernard Cornwall at half price in the shop, but not as an e-book!)
3. Lack of three for the price of two deals means hard copy books are still cheaper!!
4. Navigation on line to find books available as e-books in the right format was not easy at times
Sadly the availability of new release books has not caught up with the technology, I have seen improvement over the past few weeks but it is not there yet.
The kit is great, and a good job by Sony. If you are thinking of getting one,please accept this advice -
1. Check if the last three books you bought are available as e-books
2. See if the next three books you want are available as e-books
3. Do a price check
If the above works for you then maybe it is worth the expense. In all honesty I wish I had waited for a few months.
Let me give you my background as it might put my views into perspective.
I read a lot and am always in and out of bookshops, I have a pile of about a hundred books piled up waiting to be read, and yet I keep adding to them. When I go on holiday, I take about a book per day, so for a 10 day holiday, that's 10 books which is a bit heavy on the luggage.
So the Reader appealed because I could take my collection with me and read anywhere.
So, the Reader... It looks good and is easy to load up. Had slight problems loading the Adobe Digital Editions until I realised I had to turn my firewall off each time I wanted it to connect to the Net. The typeface is nice and clear with no light reflection and although page turning is a little slow, you soon get used to it. It is a nice bit of kit, although I would rather have the US Kindle with it's download capability, but that is another story.
Anyway, by now I have the thing up and running and am keen to start loading it up so a quick jump onto the Waterstones and WH Smiths site to see what I could buy and......not a lot.
1. e-books are not much cheaper then the books you can buy in the shops
2. deals you see in the shops are not reflected in the e-book version (Waterstones might have the latest Bernard Cornwall at half price in the shop, but not as an e-book!)
3. Lack of three for the price of two deals means hard copy books are still cheaper!!
4. Navigation on line to find books available as e-books in the right format was not easy at times
Sadly the availability of new release books has not caught up with the technology, I have seen improvement over the past few weeks but it is not there yet.
The kit is great, and a good job by Sony. If you are thinking of getting one,please accept this advice -
1. Check if the last three books you bought are available as e-books
2. See if the next three books you want are available as e-books
3. Do a price check
If the above works for you then maybe it is worth the expense. In all honesty I wish I had waited for a few months.
132 of 134 people found the following review helpful:
Light weight library
(4 out of 5) by H. Hinds on Nov 2, 2008 (Newcastle, UK)I've been reading e-books for a while on my laptop mainly because we had run out of space of our bookcases. Like the previous reviewer I read a lot especially when on holiday and have the same issue with weight in my luggage. My husband bought me an e-book reader not long after it was released and I use it everyday, I can just slip it im my bag and I've got all my latest books with me. I agree with the previous reviewer that the big chains have yet to catch up with the demand for e-books but I've found a couple of American sites that usually have what I want. The main one I use is Books on Board. The only small down side is the time it takes to 'turn' a page, but still much easier to use than a laptop!