eReader Part II - Purchase

I decided it was time to take the leap and purchase and eReader. But, which one? Should I choose the biggest threat to the independent book world or the more useful "work" tool? The Amazon Kindle clearly has all the bells and whistles that any avid reader needs. All the books are at your convenience in mere seconds and you never have to connect the computer to a computer. Completely wireless. Also, the Kindle gives you access to many magazines and newspapers, inculding the New York Times. However, without the connection to a computer I worried about the limitations on Kindle for reading advanced galleys from the publishers. On the sony eReader it appeared that I could easily transfer emailed files of word documents or PDFs to my computer and then onto the eReader with ease. Also, the Sony version was currently being used by both the Penguin and Random House publishing houses. These two major players in the publishing world are saving paper and dollars by sending all their manuscripts to their field reps in eFormat. Despite my greater interest in getting the more feature rich Amazon Kindle, I realized that besides an industry experiement that I would certainly want to use whichever version as a tool. Thus, the Sony eReader became my choice. Within a few quick clicks I had the Sony version in a shopping cart, engraved with my name, and charged to the HugoBooks, Inc, credit card (thanks Dad). I even received a $100 gift card to purchase discounted classics. For ease of buying a new toy, the Sony website gets an A-plus from me. The whole process took less than five minutes from start to finish. Although you can buy the Sony eReader from Amazon, Borders, and many other online locations I was glad I chose to get it from the manufacturer just in case any problems arise in he future...now I just have to wait...