Comments on: For novices: Which Sony Reader to buy, if any?

By: Khidr

Khidr — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:52:00 +0000

Got a used PRS 505 on craigslist for 150.00. It does everything I would want it to do (which is reading ebooks). Just couldn’t justify spending double on a 600, but then, 150 is a great deal. I would love the additional levels of zoom that you get with the 600, otherwise it’s just about ideal.

By: Brad Vertrees

Brad Vertrees — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:28:28 +0000

Personally, I’m in love with my new Sony Pocket Edition Reader (PRS-300). It’s small and portable, yet has really good display quality with much improved contrast between the text and background.

For me, features like wireless and note-taking are less important. While the Sony Touch (PRS-600) allows you to annotate the text and take notes. Also, I find the feature of playing music on a reading device to be useless and a waste of resources. If I want to listen to music, I’ll fire up my iPhone. Just my own opinion though.

David: Thanks for the links in the previous post. Like always, I really appreciate it.

By: Phil

Phil — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:00:52 +0000

Of possible interest: At my local Sony Store I bought a display model 505 they were selling for %40 off. They weren’t being displayed anymore (only the new models were out on the floor), but when I asked if they had any 505s they let me know about it.

By: Joscha

Joscha — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:48:51 +0000

Pretty difficult… I have tried them all, pretty extensively, with the exception of the Daily Edition. The 300 is too small for my taste. But it is faster then the 505, which in turn has a much better display than the 600. (The 600′s touch screen eats away some of the contrast and adds glossiness.) The 700 has lighting, which is practical for nightly reading, but the effect on the display contrast and sharpness is abysmal.

I dislike the page-turning buttons on the 505 (too small and stiff; not nice on my precious little programmer-fingers), and they are even worse on the 500. Also, the 500′s display is pre-Vizplex, so it does not offer the same contrast. It seems that my 500′s display is getting darker with age.

The touch UI of the 600 and 700 is pretty slick, but the page turning by swiping does not work very well for me.

In my experience, the ergonomics of the Kindle are better than the Sony’s. I like EPUB, because it is easier to decripple, but Amazon is likely to offer a greater range of interesting titles.

So… If it has to be a Sony, I would be pretty open to any of the following:

If you are ok with 5 inch, go for the 300. It is good value for money. If you can accept a slightly darker display, get the 600, which will also supply you with scribbling features. And if you want the best display and you can live with slower page-turning, get the 505.

By: Brian Carnell

Brian Carnell — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:27:08 +0000

I have a Sony 505 as well and initially was excited at seeing the PRS 600 thinking “ooh upgrade”…except, it almost seems like a downgrade if anything.

The only thing about the PRS 505 is that yes you can annotate it but the interface is awful. They should really simplify that — I’d really like to be able to enter a mode where I can just highlight text at will and use the buttons to navigate instead of selecting the annotate option, then highlighting, then selecting annotate option to highlightagain ad nauseum

By: Devini

Devini — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:27:05 +0000

Go for the PRS-300. Small, portable and has a fantastic screen for reading. Better than the 505. Although, I’m still not ready to say the PRS-600. Still like that one.