When it comes to hardware, Amazon and Sony are battling it out for leadership in the e-book reader market. For now these two models hold the most appeal–for very different reasons. We note the similarities and differences between the Amazon Kindle 2 and the Sony Digital Reader PRS-700, and point out how each does a better job at presenting books digitally. (For more on how the Kindle 2 operates, and how it compares to the first-generation Kindle, see our Kindle visual tour.)

The Amazon Kindle 2 (right) is taller than the Sony Reader. Both have a 6-inch, 800-by-600-pixel E-Ink display, but text on the Kindle 2 appears sharper than on the PRS-700. The Kindle 2 provides a usable QWERTY keyboard, whereas the Sony feels downright incomplete without a physical keyboard of some sort (its on-screen keyboard gets tiresome very quickly). But the Sony has its own advantages: I found that its black metallic chassis, with a gray matte bezel, is easier on the eyes over the long term than the Kindle’s stark off-white case.

The Sony’s Main Menu Is Designed for Touch

The 10-ounce Sony PRS-700 may lack a keyboard, but it boasts a touchscreen–which explains the setup of the main Home navigation menu. Big, roomy buttons dominate the screen, one each for Continue Reading, Books, Collections, and All Notes; three more buttons, Audio, Pictures, and Settings, line the bottom of the screen. I appreciated the PRS-700’s display, but I disliked having to press hard to make the touchscreen work. I could use my finger to select words and annotations (not easy with the on-screen touch keyboard). The screen supports gesture motions, too: Conveniently, I could swipe my finger left or right to change pages (even at an angle–neat), and swipe and hold my finger to jump through multiple pages at a time. But even with page swipes, I thought the pressure required to accomplish tasks was unnecessarily hard, and nothing like what I’m used to on, say, a Palm Treo 680 or an Apple iPhone.

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