E-readers are sophisticated gadgets that might essentially replace physical books over the years; they have become much better and much more affordable such that any book lover that can afford new hardback physical books can easily buy an entry-level e-reader.
The Kindle Fire and the Sony e-reader are the two most popular options for lovers of e-readers. This article will be helpful to those who already own an e-reader or would like to try their hands on an e-reader.
Kindle Fire is an e-reader owned by Amazon; it is supported by the Whispernet infrastructure that allows Kindle Fire and other Kindle models to connect to the Amazon bookstore wirelessly.
Sony owns the Sony e-reader; it comes with a touchscreen display, Mac OS & Windows compatibility, and also has support for e-books in pdf format.
About Kindle Fire
What You'll Learn
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The Amazon Kindle Fire was released in November 2011; it is considered a competitor to Windows RT tablets, iPad, and other traditional Android tablets.
One significant difference between the Kindle Fire and other tablets is that it can only gain access to the Amazon app store instead of Google Play. Let’s look at the amazing & unique features of the Kindle Fire.
Features of Kindle Fire
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1. Kindle Fire Is Portable Yet Viewable.
It is smaller than the Apple iPad yet more extensive than the iPhone; it is the perfect in-between size. The Kindle Fire has a 7-inch display that allows users to easily access almost limitless entertainment time on a lighter, smaller, and portable device.
Unlike the small screens on other smartphones, the Kindle Fire 7-inch screen is just perfect for using the touch screen – its display makes it much easy to enter URLs, searches, emails, notes, and much more.
2. Fast Dual-Core Processor.
Everyone loves a super fast device, which the Kindle Fire offers. Most electronic devices function excellently well, just as they’re supposed to. Still, as soon as it malfunctions or fails to respond to requests, we instantly notice, especially when surfing the web.
The Kindle Fire is super-speedy; it allows you to surf the web, check emails, and more with almost little or no problem.
3. Free Cloud Storage.
When you buy the Kindle Fire, you will be gifted with free cloud storage on Amazon’s server; it is for all your digital purchases from the Amazon store, which includes e-books, movies, apps, music, etc.
Also, you’ll be given a unique Kindle Fire email address with which you can send documents to your tablet. You can store your primary documents with your other content on Amazon Cloud.
What’s incredible is that it doesn’t cost you any extra dollars to use Amazon cloud storage.
4. Excellent Price.
At the time of Amazon’s Kindle Fire release, the first Fire was less than half the price of an iPad.
Its low cost, and built-in features make it an excellent deal for your pocket. You could purchase 2-3 Kindle Fire for the price of one iPad.
5. Wi-Fi Internet Capability.
The Kindle Fire has Wi-Fi compatibility as long as the Wi-Fi hotspot isn’t locked. You can access any public or private Wi-Fi connection, but it doesn’t allow peer-to-peer networks(ad-hoc).
With the availability of free public Wi-Fi, you can set up your Amazon Kindle Fire account and use it to the fullest. Airports, hotels, coffee shops, bookstores, bagel shops, and many other establishments offer free Wi-Fi access.
It’s not ethical to use somebody else’s bandwidth, although if it has no lock, your Kindle Fire will easily connect to it.
Kindle Fire Specification
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The Amazon Kindle Fire tablet has a 7-inch display with 1024 x 600 pixels resolution at a pixel density of 169 PPI (pixels per inch). The Kindle Fire comes with a ram of 512MB and is powered by a 1GHz dual-core Cortex A9 processor.
A 4400 non-removable Li-ion battery powers the Kindle Fire and runs on Fire OS; it also has built-in storage of 8GB. It weighs 413.00 grams and measures 120.00 x 190 .00 x 11.40 mm(height x width x thickness). The connectivity options of the Kindle Fire include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n.
Sony E-reader
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It is a series of other devices manufactured by Sony; Its first e-reader was launched in 2004 and gained popularity quickly. Sony e-reader is compatible with all file formats; it allows users to open images and works as an audio player with headphones.
The Sony e-reader offers both landscape and portrait modes. In August 2014, Sony exited the e-reader business; Sony close down the e-reader store and sold all their customers to Kobo, although Kobo officially ended their support to lovers of the Sony e-reader in early 2019.
Sony produced the first commercial E ink reader in conjunction with the Sony Librie in 2004. The Sony e-reader used an electronic paper display developed by an e-ink corporation making the e-reader viewable in direct sunlight requiring zero power to maintain a static image.
Features Of Sony E-Reader
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1. Display(Reflectiveness and Resolutions).
Resolution: 1024 x 600
Display Type: 7-inch monochrome e-ink display
Color depth: 4 bits monochrome and 16 gray levels.
With the rising number of colorful e-reader devices, Sony gives its users a monochrome e-ink screen, although its choice is more traditional. It is infinitely more readable than other tablets that have a full-color screen.
It has a 1024 x 600 resolution which means its display is as wide as other 7-inch devices. The Sony e-reader offers more readable lines of text than the regular e-readers, meaning fewer page turns.
2. Design(Dimensions And Weight).
Weight: 9.6 Ounces
Dimensions: 7.87″ x 5.04″ x 0.38″
Colors: Available in Silver
The Sony PRS-650 is longer than most traditional e-readers because it offers a touchscreen over a physical input. The device is longer in dimension, which makes it easier to hold its bottom if you’re reading the top section of your favorite eBook.
In summary, it is portable and comfortable to hold for long periods as it doesn’t cause any strain on your hands.
3. User-Friendliness And Interface(Touchscreen Vs Keyboard).
Every company can have various ideas for their e-reader; they might choose to include a traditional keyboard or a modern touchscreen display.
Sony decided to go with a modern touchscreen display that has on-screen navigational controls that are activated by a user’s touch and are context-sensitive.
This is great for users using touch-based tablet devices, but the transition will be difficult for new users. Over time, many users may prefer the context-sensitive controls on the device’s screen to physical keyboard controls.
4. Formats (PDF, Third-party DRMs, and ePUBs.
Supported image formats: PNG, BMP, JPEG, GIF.
Supported text format: PDF, EPUB, BBeW, TXT.
Sony e-reader supports primary textual format that includes the ubiquitous PDF format; however, it doesn’t support Microsoft Office’s most popular format, i.e., the DOC. This is a huge concern for users who would prefer not to carry their laptops with them every time.
The Sony e-reader supports all the major image formats and displays all the images in monochrome on its excellent e-ink screen.
5. Applications And Web Browsing.
Sony e-reader comes with support for Sony’s bookstore and boasts 20,000 book titles that are available for download.
Additionally, it supports users to download e-books from various e-stores and can transfer them via SD card Media, USB, or downloaded with 3G connectivity or Wi-Fi.
It also has an AAC and MP3 file support in its music player app.
Difference Between Kindle Fire Vs. Sony E-reader
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Amazon Kindle Fire and Sony e-reader are significant players in the digital world, and they are both ergonomic and aesthetic. The competition between them is nail-biting as they leave no stone unturned to attract lovers of e-readers. Let’s check out their differences;
1. Connectivity.
Amazon Kindle Fire allows users to use a Wi-Fi connection and 3G connection to download ebooks quickly. In contrast, the Sony e-book can only connect to Wi-Fi and is not Incorporated with 3G; this means if you’re on a beachside, you cannot efficiently use your gadget.
2. Battery Life.
The Kindle Fire has an excellent battery life that can last for up to 10 hours if your Wi-Fi is on but longer if it is just for reading alone. The Sony e-reader, on the other hand, can last for 22 days if you turn your Wi-Fi off, but if the Wi-Fi is on, the average battery life is for only ten days.
3. Memory.
Kindle Fire has at least 16GB of internal storage, enough to download various shows and run a few games. The latest Kindle Fire supports 1TB of external storage, which makes investment into a micro SD card a wise decision. The Sony e-reader can expand up to 32GB with micro SD Cards.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What Are The Main Differences Between Kindle Fire And Sony E-reader?
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- Kindle Fire devices are future-proof, whereas Sony discontinued manufacturing new models of e-readers in 2014.
- Kindle Fire offers wireless connectivity, while the Sony e-reader allows wired connectivity.
- Kindle Fire devices are independent of PCs for electrical books, while Sony e-readers depend on PCs.
2. What Are The Versions Of The Sony E-reader?
The Sony e-reader has three versions which are; Reader Pocket Edition, Reader Daily Edition, and Reader touch edition. All these three models are lightweight, offering fully adjustable warm lighting and anti-glare screen.
Final Thoughts.
The Kindle Fire and the Sony E-Reader make reading e-books, newspapers, and magazines interesting. You can purchase e-books on your Kindle Fire from the Amazon e-book store.
At the same time, you can’t access Sony’s online store as they have officially ended their e-reader manufacturing. However, you can still use their library software or Adobe Digital Editions to manage your ebooks.
