Neither the Kindle nor the PRS-300 are versatile devices, though in their own ways, both do try.
Sony doesn't make a great start by offering just 512MB of built-in storage. That does seem measly, though for casual users it won't be a huge problem. Worst of all, there's no SD Card slot or even a MemoryStick Duo slot for expanding its capacity and the Kindle is similarly hamstrung.
The Kindle does, of course, have a very significant ace to play; a 3G (HSDPA) and EDGE/GSM wireless modem.
Amazon pays for your browsing and downloading of books, hoping you'll shell-out (in US dollars only) on its books, newspapers and magazines.
There's no doubt that 3G is a fantastic advantage of the Kindle if you want to read novels or, more likely, international newspapers, but Amazon's service to non-US customers is a little too cumbersome. Pictures tell a thousand words? Not on the Kindle they don't. Digital newspapers (including UK dailies The Times, Daily Mail, Financial Times and The Daily Telegraph at $1.49 per issue or $22.99 per month) don't contain pictures, while its experimental' browser only works within US borders for now. Amazon has said that it plans to allow its browser to work internationally at some point, which does lend it future-proof power. That possibility alone broadens the Kindle's appeal among IT users.
The future is now for bored business travellers; the downloading of books to a Kindle is free in 100 countries.
Winner: Amazon Kindle
