A 2009 Comparison of the Amazon Kindle 2 Vs Sony Reader PRS-700

The Amazon Kindle 2 and the Sony Reader PRS-700 are two of the hottest ebook readers to hit the market in the past 12 months, bringing reading pleasure to an entirely new level. For those who are new to ebook reading devices and are interested in getting one, here's a comparison of the Amazon Kindle 2 vs. Sony Reader and how they match up against each other.

Price

The price of any gadget is a big factor for many individuals especially for first-time buyers. The Amazon Kindle 2 is currently priced at $359, while the Sony Reader is currently pegged at $399, making the Kindle 2 cheaper by $40.

ADVANTAGE: Amazon Kindle 2

Size and Weight

The size and weight of these gadgets don't really give one distinct advantage over the other. The Sony Reader PRS-700 weighs around 10 oz., the Kindle 2 just slightly over that. The Sony Reader is a bit wider and thicker, while the Kindle is a couple inches longer. In any case, both are very convenient to carry around.

ADVANTAGE: Tie

Display

The two reading devices both use e-ink technology which creates a display that is very similar to text on paper, eliminating eye strain, and providing an easy read with crisp, clear text and images. The Amazon Kindle 2009 however, is now enhanced with 16 shades of gray, while the Sony Reader has an 8-level gray scale.

ADVANTAGE: Amazon Kindle 2

Wireless Capabilities

Here is a category where the Sony Reader is clearly bested by the Kindle. The Amazon Kindle 2nd generation makes use of the Whispernet technology, providing free wireless coverage in the US via Sprint's 3G high-speed network. Kindle users can gain access to over 240,000 book titles, magazines, newspapers, and even blogs. By just choosing the reading content of choice and paying for it, the book or magazine will be downloaded to the Kindle anytime, anywhere within minutes! The Sony Reader PRS-700 on the other hand, still lacks this wireless capability, and with only less than 100,000 books to choose from, it does not even come close to the breadth of content that the Kindle offers.

ADVANTAGE: Amazon Kindle 2

Formats Supported

Both electronic book readers support most commonly used formats such as TXT, MP3, JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP, plus some formats unique to each device. The Sony Reader however, supports PDF while the Kindle 2 does not - not directly, anyway. PDFs still need to be emailed to Kindle's support desk to be converted for viewing on the Kindle and Amazon has gives an advance notice that "some complex PDF files may not format correctly" on the Kindle.

ADVANTAGE: Sony Reader 700

Storage Capacity

In this feature, the Sony Reader gains the clear upper hand. True, the Amazon Kindle 2 has 2G of internal memory of which 1.4g is available for content and can hold up to 1,500 books, but it no longer supports external memory cards. While the Sony Reader's 256mb internal memory may seem like peanuts compared to the Kindle, the main advantage actually lies in the Sony's ability to support up to 16G of external memory. Now that's a great benefit not only when it comes to holding thousands of content should one need it, but also for managing files into different memory cards.

ADVANTAGE: Sony Reader PRS-700

Battery Life and Charge Time

The two ebook readers have the same capacity when it comes to battery life. On a fully charged Kindle 2 or Sony Reader, one can read straight for two weeks without needing a recharge. The only difference is that if the Kindle 2 is used with the wireless turned on, the battery capacity is reduced to just four days. Charging time for both readers is four hours via USB, or two hours using an AC wall charger.

ADVANTAGE: Tie

The Bottom Line 2009 Comparison of the Amazon Kindle 2 vs Sony eBook Reader:

Although it's not a total knock out for the Kindle over the Sony Reader, it's close! The Amazon Kindle 2 remains the better ebook reader hands-down. The price, breadth of content, wireless capabilities, and overall design improvements of the Amazon Kindle 2nd generation makes it a clear winner over the Sony Reader 700.

Get the full Amazon Kindle 2 review here and take the video tour to see just how cool this handheld ebook reader is!