Aug 06 2007
Sony ereader review update
Since I wrote my last review on the Sony reader, it stayed mostly untouched on my desk. While the device is portable it didn’t fit well in my purse and I found myself wishing more and more for a stylus and back light. That said my newest reader du jour was my HP Ipaq 4700 recommended by Dear Author. All that changed in May when I had Lasik surgery. Suddenly the glare of any PC or PDA screen wreaked havoc on my eyes. So I decided to dust off my Sony reader and give e-ink another try. Boy, did it do the trick. That is along as there were enough light in the room. Having no choice in reading devices for a while also afforded me the time to actually read the user manual. There were some features such as history that I never paid attention to. The only use I have for that feature is when my finger accidentally hits one of the number keys and the reader fast forwards to another section in the book. I can then use history to get back to where I was originally. I wish I had more good things to say, but I don’t.
Take the history feature. Is this because Sony knew that I would touch the number button and lose my place, and instead of moving or eliminating the buttons, they added this “feature” to help me out?
I still don’t buy books from Sony. I buy elsewhere and then convert. Yes it is a hassle, but I am getting a lot better at it. I do browse whenever I get their newsletter. The Connect Store is still as clumsy as ever. Browsing for books should be fun, not an exercise in hide and seek. Maybe now that Sony has closed its music store they will be able to concentrate more on on the e-book front. I hope so, but I have learned not to hold my breath. Another feature I have been looking at is the ability to add RSS feeds to the reader. Sony offers very few feeds. In their defense they do state that theirs is a small offering. My complaint is not about what they offer, but the inability to add my own feeds. Some folks over at Mobileread have devised a way to add your own feeds to the device, but I have not had the time to delve into it. Once I do read through the thread and give it a try, I will report back here. My Connect software still gives me frequent “not responding” messages and even when it works, it is so slow. No, it’s not my computer, it is the software. I only say this because new users will often automatically assume that something is wrong on their end and start doing all sorts of things on their PC that can change something that didn’t need changing. This can lead to frustration and possible rejection of the reader.
I feel that in their effort to make their reader simple to use, Sony ended up making the reader too simple. It irritates me that it can’t be adjusted suite individiual needs. In other words, it is impossible to customize this reader. This may be fine for first timers, but sooner or later they too will want to customize settings. Really sooner since there really isn’t much of a learning curve to the device. By allowing the user to make changes, Sony can increase perceived usefulness. Then again, maybe that’s on purpose. Afterall, if we had a reader that truly grew with us, then why buy a new reader when the next generation comes out?
So after all this I have to admit I bought a second reader. Why? Because this reader does exactly what it says it does. It allows me to read and access hundreds of books wherever I go. It will never be my favorite reader, but to date this reader has never failed me. In that it is a quality reader that I do like.
Posts
