Sony PRS-T1 vs Amazon Kindle – Which? members have their say
During our rigorous ebook reader testing we find out a lot about a product. The things that make reading on the device a pleasure, and those that make you want to put your book down and do something else instead.
But there’s nothing quite like real-world use to reveal small foibles, bugs and issues that aren’t present when brand new. That’s why we have customer views, where Which? members can share their experiences using the products they’ve bought and used.
Do you use a Kindle or Sony PRS-T1?
We’ve reviewed more than 30 ebook readers and ebook reader apps recently, and two of the most popular for customer views are the Amazon Kindle and the Sony PRS-T1. Below is a selection of what Which? members have had to say about them.
To add your own view of a product, go to the ebook readers reviews page, find your model, and write your own review under the ‘customer views’ tab.
In the meantime, read what Which? members have to say about the Kindle and Sony PRS-T1.
An anonymous member is off to a good start with their Kindle, and is already in the market for a new accessory…
Just bought the new Kindle Wifi for my hols. It took a while to set up the Kindle, but once I had done that I’ve not had any problems with it. Very easy to find free books to download or priced ones from the book store. I’ve even been told about some other free books I could download after converting. The only thing I’m missing now is a light, which I will buy at the airport for reading on an evening.
Rating 4 out of 5
…and RobertG likes borrowing books from the library on his Sony, something you can’t do on a Kindle
My Sony reader is great – bought for reading both fiction and technical books and it works well for both. I use it all the time on the long bus journey to work – it’s much easier to use than books or magazines. One of the main reasons I bought it was its ability to read library books and I make lots of use of that. I’ve also tried project Gutenberg books in French, and for that the built-in dictionary is very good, as is the direct Wikipedia look-up.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Cherlet likes the Sony’s touchscreen…
The screen is good. The touch screen makes dictionary searches quick and easy.
Rating: 5 out of 5
…while Keeblies wishes the Kindle had one too
The downside for me is the on-screen keyboard. Moving around it with the arrow keys is not very slick and I always expect/want it to be touch screen like my phone and other gadgets.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Pappyon is struggling with the page turn buttons on the Kindle…
My only complaint relates to turning the pages. You cannot turn the page of a book with the same hand as you are holding the Kindle with, at least I can’t and imagine that people with arthritis problems of the hand would find it extremely difficult to use the page turning function. I read a lot in bed during the night because I cannot sleep, and have to keep my free hand under the blankets to stop it freezing up. As a result when I want to turn a page I have to bring this hand out from “hibernation” and it can be a nuisance. Apart from that I am extremely pleased with my purchase!
Rating: 4 out of 5
…but Moose44 has no problems and talks about another advantage of the Kindle
I find page turning simple. In fact, after a few days of use I no longer think about it any more than I would when turning the page on a paper book. Downloading books from Amazon is a doddle and if you have wi-fi at home your purchase arrives on the Kindle almost before you’ve completed the order! The choice of books is fantastic with many free or very cheap – I expect to spend time this winter reading some of the classics which I’ve never got round to purchasing in paper form.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Go to our ebook reader reviews to leave your own review. For more information on how to leave a review, and to be in with a chance of winning £600 of John Lewis vouchers, go to our customer views advice page.
- Read about how we test ebook readers
- Find out more about the new Kindle Touch models
- Something for nothing? How to find find free ebooks
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Stuart Calderbank
Most of the books which are available on the internet are in Adobe Acrobat. Until ereaders can process these I won’t even consider buying one. Rather use my laptop.
RussellR
Stuart – on a quick browse through the Which reviews, the Kindle and Kobo and Sony PRS-350 at least can handle pdf files.
Polterry
Stuart
plenty of free file conversion programs for ebook readers. Mobipocket Creator is very good for PDFs for Kindle. My Kindle is an old one so I am not sure regarding latest Kindle registered accounts. However I can send PDF, Word etc. files to Kindle and they will send back the file converted to Kindle format. Some PDFs are fine on the Kindle but for many the screen size makes reading difficult and conversion is better.
I think you should spend time checking out ebook sites as most now offer files in several formats. If you are a serious reader you really should get an ebook reader.
george
Stuart,
How do you manage with your laptop while lying on the beach in bright sun, or in the park?
Carol
I currently have a Samsung Galaxy Tablet with a fair number of books on it. It’s fine for reading indoors but useless out in the open (where the glare makes it impossible to read) or in my conservatory where I like to read in the summer months. I’m definitely going to have a Kindle as soon as I’ve read the Which report on the new one coming out next week.
bob(mc)
Does anyoneknow whether these devices can cope with the mathematical symbols used in, eg, Astrophysics?
Chris Christoforou
Hi bob(mc).
Assuming you mean “can ebook readers display mathematical symbols found in an ebook”, we think the answer is yes, as long as the publisher has formatted them correctly.
Chris Gordon
I decided on a Sony PRST1 – you can borrow library books, use a micro SD card and above all you are not tied into Amazon’s disgraceful policy that you don’t own outright the books you buy for a kindle. I think Which as a consumer organisation should take that into account when reviewing e-readers. And the design of the PRST -1 is much nicer than the kindle but that’s minor compared to the Kindle issue.