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carpetmojo

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  1. Yes, a lot of people seem to think the Kindle is the only viable ereader - it's not ! I am a Sony PRS650 owner, a choice arrived at after I clarified what I wanted an ereader for ! I was then swayed by the sheer quality of build of the Sony, and the fact it was not tied to a bookseller, and that it used, among others, ePub, the most widely used digital format world-wide. The only facility that the Kindle and the iRiver ereader have that others don't - AT THE MOMENT -is the ability to d/load books without using a computer. As I'm never likely to need a book desperately, at a moment's notice, because I've read all the books I've d/loaded alraedy, I ignored that so-called advantage. (Um, and a Kindle at Waterstones ? That's a first....... As well as someone who knows anything about readers !) And the "free books" facility is a huge bonus - not just out of copywrite are available, loads offree modern and new books available on a lot of sites, plus giveaways on sites like MobileRead. AND with ePub etc.. you can access libraries for Audiobooks to lend, and some ebooks - and, the big plus, the Philladelphian, and the Singapore, Free Digital Library, with 1,000's of ebooks for borrowing. So, think before you buy, I say !!!
  2. Are you assuming the Kindle is the best ereader ? Without looking further into the subject ? Ereaders are for reading, & listening to audio & mp3, nothing else, and they are designed for just that purpose. If you just think it would be good to read the odd book, the app is probably best for your purpose. But if you want to read a lot, a reader is what you need, and there are quite a few. The kindle, along with the iRiver, has the option of being able to d/load books directly, wifi, and that is the only major difference with these two readers and the other major players - if you think that is important to you. Many, like me, don't see that as a huge advantage - nice to say you have,perhaps, but will you use it a lot ? I did a lot of research, hands-on, before buying my reader, and the basic was , I wanted a dedicated reading device, not an add-on. It sounds like that is the thing you need to sort out first - want a reader, or just a facility you'll use now and then ? Then view what's available, or just get the app. I chose The Sony, I liked a lot about it, mainly it's build quality, but wifi didn't bother me. Kindle is by no means the only reader, but it is the only one tied and made for, a specific seller of books. The iRiver isn't, along with all other readers that I know of.
  3. Except with very rare tales, Amazon are terrific with all returns, it is'nt just Kindle (I presume, unusually, they make 'em/have them made don't they ? Do they have a dedicated Kindle repair/warranty work department, for example ? ), and especially so with big elec's stuff. Allthough I have read one article where a buyer's account was blocked , for using the returns facility too often ( It sounded like a beaurocratic hiccup, but interesting nonetheless. )
  4. Calibre does have a few problems with manuals and the like, but is generally A Good Thing.
  5. NOT "Argos" !!! I have a little "breaking news" about the mighty "Argos" - over-priced, "free credit" catalogue sellers with High Street premises in a number of cities. You may decide, like me, that there is little chance of us giving them any of our lolly anytime soon...... A decision I'd reached years ago, but this just reinforces it. Walking into town recently, and remembering some blurb or other I'd seen in a paper somewhen, out of sheer noseyness I popped into the Argos I was passing, and looked up "ereader" in their bulging tome of junk, oops, sorry, goods on offer....... To find two Binatone offerings, at £79.99 & £ 144.99 (yes, that's correct, and the cheapest one was the colour version !), under the delightfully informative heading ....... " An ebook, or ereader as they are sometimes known, is a device ........." etc.. blah blah. It makes you feel they haven't quite gone into the subject with too much care, doesn't it - especially as with these particular products, and at these prices, they might well be dipping the wrong toe into too deep a pond with the wrong fishing rod ..... well, you know what I mean.
  6. Hello all, nice to see another ereader Forum . Allthough they'll never take the place of "real" books, I've found mine a real boon to the serious (ie readin' a lot, not necessarily serious that is !) reader. I'm a definite Sony fan - my Christmas present was a SONY PRS650 and I love it. I did a lot of research before deciding which one to put on the list - very short list, I was told, if I wanted a reader - and have not regretted it one bit. The only real question was 650 or 350 - won by the 650 when I found it would fit most pockets I'd be putting it in ! I was helped greatly in my search by having relatives who are a "Kindle" , and tech-savvy, family - 2 adults, 1 teenager, one growed up, all of whom have the WiFi/ 3G Kindle. Having narrowed it down to Sony & Kindle, I found the only plus I could see over Sony was the WiFi/3G bit - which, when I thought about it sensibly, was of no interest to me. ( The whole point of a reader , to my thinking, is to have a good number of books at your beck and call, and the occassions I would be in a desperate state 'cos I'd run out of books was so unlikely as to be not worth considering ! ) Against this, having played intensively with the Kindle, was a long list of "plus-es" for the Sony :- 1) The superb engineering on the Sony, real class, aluminium not plastic, and you really feel you have a class act in you hands. And yet it's lighter than the K, apparently. 2) No fiddly keyboard, just 5 good size buttons, page turn back or forward, Home, Zoom for text size, and Options. Everything else is done through the excellent touch screen, either stylus, finger, or whatever you've got in hand at the time (!) - and a swipe page action for the lazies. It just shouts class, frankly, compared to any other product I've seen. 3) Get free/buy/access books almost anywhere, as the Sony uses ePub, the biggest global format, and about 99% of others - in fact the only place you "can't" get books is Amazon ! [ I use quotes, 'cos there is a way to do so, but haven't felt the need to do so yet, and doubt I ever will ]. But W'stones, Smiths, and most any ebook seller is OK, U.S also, and you can get books & audiobooks from your library if they offer them (more are), and, join the brilliant Philladelphia & Singapore Free Digital Libraries. (Philly now makes small annual charge for us foreigners.) 4) Excellent device cover available, with light, which is very useful at nigh, for significant others sleep.... 5) Compatable with Adobe Digital, Copia, Overdrive (Audio), Mobipocket, as well as the Sony Reader software, a huge plus, and also Calibre, the terrific media converter. 6} Got the VAT back - now finished, I think. 7) mp3 etc... included of course. I think that's all, but probably not. Against ? 1) Well it is dearer, but that shows in the quality end result, and not enough to put me off. 2) You can lose a stylus, but you can replace/buy another/use generic ones(£land!)/make your own/use an eraser tipped pencil - or stick to fingies......... 3) Being a general tech-dunce. and computer idiot, I needed help from No.1 son to get me going, but that's true for anything involving gadgetry for me, I'm afraid, so no surprise there ! I'm now pretty laid back about it - and if I can do it , anyone can.............. Oops, just seen length of this blurb - shall cease, look forward to visiting again.
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