Sony PRS700 – Meet The PRS505’s “Little” Brother

Yes, this is what all the "October 2nd" fuss (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29112) has been about!

First Things First: What: Sony PRS700 -- a higher-end model with some fancier features and a sleek new look.
When: “End of October/beginning of November.”
Where: SonyStyle.com (http://www.sonystyle.com/Reader), “more than 40 SonyStyle stores nationwide and at authorized retailers across the country.”
How Much: $400.

What about the 505? Sony is saying they’re not replacing the 505, but rather adding a higher-end model to the PRS line. Buyers can go with the 505, or shell out the extra cash if the 700's extras are worth it to them. The 700's specs (what we have of them so far) are pretty close to what the 505’s specs are: same display size, same overall dimensions, same format supports. The differences are mainly in fancier touches.

For example: touch screen control.

The 700 has dispensed with the 0 through 9 buttons in favor of a direct touch screen selection of menu options. It also has text highlighting and annotation, via an on-screen virtual keyboard. That keyboard is also used to support searching within text -- no word yet on whether it will search across texts or not.

Pages can be turned with a finger swipe on the screen -- and the swipe direction is configurable! The 700 will include a stylus for those who have larger fingers, or just hate having fingerprints on the screen. For the old-school types, it still has hardware page change buttons.

Some other nice incidentals include a reportedly much snappier page change speed, bigger page block jumping (i.e. 20 or 30 pages as well as the 10 pages -- the "go to page" feature is still intact, again via the virtual keyboard), but in my view the biggest new feature after the touch screen is easily the built in frontlight.

Let me say that again: Built. In. Frontlight.

Answering the question of how exactly that will play out with the touch screen will have to wait until we get first-hand looks at the device itself, but the picture we have of it already is enough to start me slavering.

Other new features include five font sizes and what seems to be a totally new zoom feature.

There’s still no wireless (they say they’re looking at it for future devices), the battery still isn't user replaceable, and there's no true digital ink capability, it's all handled through virtual keyboard/menu interaction. Sony expects a firmware update at some point in the future to allow exporting text annotations from the device, which could be handy for students. The other noticeable lack is geographic: it's U.S. only for now. The explanation for that had to do with the markedly insular nature of the various Sony divisions (i.e. Sony USA compared to Sony Europe), but I really think they should have worked that out, perhaps they will do so quickly.


But wait! That's not all! Along with this launch, Sony will be launching a new version of their eBook Store (http://ebookstore.sony.com/). It is supposed to have easier searching and navigation, as well as a "streamlined checkout process." Personally, I'm most hoping they get rid of the frames within frames thing, and make it easier to find things like the wishlist and books already bought. Making purchased books easier to download in bulk would be a nice touch too.


Even as I post this, our pinch-hitter reporter is attending the "Event" and will have first-hand impressions to share with us as soon as he can, so stay tuned!


The press release is here (http://news.sel.sony.com/en/press_room/consumer/computer_peripheral/e_book/release/37586.html), and the SonyStyle Reader Page (http://www.sony.com/reader) should have full specs shortly.


Okay, folks, no shoving now. The line forms right here (yes, yes, that's right: right there behind me :nice:) -- so who's ready to queue up?

It looks great!

Is it still the same vizplex display under the touch screen?

Man! Touch screen... Hmmmmm!

Well, I was right about the built in light. The touch screen is pretty nice. Overall, it appears to be a pretty good update of the 505. However, I don't think I'll be trading my 505 in anytime soon.

Is is using the new Epson controller?

Dictionary support? Would go very well with the touch screen.

Interesting way to go.

Did they say if the Sony store is 100% web based now so Mac/Linux users will be able to buy books via it?

[I suspect not due to the need to register the device. But they could do that via serial number entry on the web site or something, similar to Kindle.]

BOb

Meh. I'm underwhelmed. Despite just buying the 505, I would have considered upgrading if Sony's new offering really blew the 505 out of the water.

At $100 more than the 505 for touchscreen functionality and some improved features (like search, which is pretty irrelevant to me), and without any wireless connectivity, I can't really say I think it's worth it. As for the integrated "frontlight", it would be nice if the 505 had it, but with the availability of the integrated cover/light, it's hard for me to justify the price.

And as I posted in the other thread, I've seen Plastic Logic's touchscreen "swiping" motion and I wasn't impressed. I hope that Sony has improved upon it, at least.

But at least it looks like we are getting a revamped bookstore, so that's a major plus!

Is is using the new Epson controller?We think so, but we can't confirm it yet.

Dictionary support? Would go very well with the touch screen.No word on that yet, but it looks hopeful at least. :shrug:

The press release states Microsoft Word support? Is that a mis-print or do you reckon it will natively support .doc rather than .rtf?

Hurumph, and I just bought a lighted cover for my 505 last weekend.

Stangely enough, I can buy that "higher end 505" justification - I'm not seeing any compelling reason yet to run right out and buy the 700 they way I did when I upgraded from the 500 to the 505.

Of course if I could sell the 505 + Lighted book cover for $250, I'd probably go for it. :D

Did they say if the Sony store is 100% web based now so Mac/Linux users will be able to buy books via it?They didn't say all that much about the bookstore, just what's in their press release, really, but they didn't seem to be moving away from the PC side software.

At $100 more than the 505 for touchscreen functionality and some improved features (like search, which is pretty irrelevant to me), and without any wireless connectivity, I can't really say I think it's worth it.

Wait now. Its $100 more. Has a touch screen interface. Document highlighting, annotation and searching.

Also, it has integrated lighting. Isn't the lighted wedge cover for the 505 like $80? So, if you are going for a 505 + Light wedge the 700 isn't much more. Right?

BOb

Is it 16 "colors" or still 8 ?

Can someone show close up of the buttons - where they are and the size - using the touch to change pages is idiotic idea, it will become dirty and scratched very fast, stylus is not convenient when reading a book.

Is it actually 6" and not 6.5" as all others ?

At $100 more than the 505 for touchscreen functionality and some improved features (like search, which is pretty irrelevant to me), and without any wireless connectivity, I can't really say I think it's worth it. As for the integrated "frontlight", it would be nice if the 505 had it, but with the availability of the integrated cover/light, it's hard for me to justify the price.

But the lightwedge thingy is £35 (approx $75) so not really that much extra to pay really for the extra features... and it looks so good...

The press release states Microsoft Word support? Is that a mis-print or do you reckon it will natively support .doc rather than .rtf?Same thing it's always been, I expect: it uses Word to convert .DOC to .RTF in the background. :shrug:


I did notice that this thing doesn't cost all that much more than the 505 plus the lighted 505 cover.

I invite you to take this poll (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30025): Is the Sony PRS-700 your next device?

Is it 16 "colors" or still 8 ?Dunno yet.

Can someone show close up of the buttons - where they are and the sizelook at the attachment, it's got more detail on it when you open it all the way.

- using the touch to change pages is idiotic idea, it will become dirty and scratched very fast, stylus is not convenient when reading a book.Still some folks like the idea.

Is it actually 6" and not 6.5" as all others ?Nope, it's 6"

I invite you to take this poll (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30025): Is the Sony PRS-700 your next device?

To early to tell , no tech details , not to mention reviews.

Hmm... guess the next chapter on digital reading is a filler chap. It kills some time, but I'm not impressed.
Compared to the new Irex, this is quite a letdown.

Or mabye I'm expecting too much? Hope the extra competition speeds up the true exciting chapters.

Hi Bob,

The integrated light/cover is $65 at Target. I know it's not that far off when you compare the two prices, and if I were someone without a reader at all, I might spring for the 700 for that very reason. But as someone who would be upgrading, I can't see shelling out $400 for what amounts to (for me) the integrated light. The other stuff (search, annotating, highlighting), while nice and probably useful to some folks, doesn't really do anything for me, and I actually dislike the idea of a touchscreen. Have you seen the Plastic Logic demo?

Can someone show close up of the buttons - where they are and the size - using the touch to change pages is idiotic idea, it will become dirty and scratched very fast, stylus is not convenient when reading a book.

It also has plain ol' buttons as well.

Nope, it's 6"

Ok... so are we saying the eInk screen is smaller than the 505 screen? Or is it the same size?

BOb

I'm sold as soon as igorsk can hack the firmware. I'm spoiled by my fonts and I'm not going back to Dutch Roman even if they bloody gave me the PRS-700.

Woot!

But as someone who would be upgrading, I can't see shelling out $400 for what amounts to (for me) the integrated light.


Ok, I see where you are going. I thought you were saying it wasn't worth $100 more than the 505. Also, I assume we are talking retail diff here... the 505 SRP is $299 so this one will be $399 SRP. If so, that means we should be able to find it for about $360 or so soon.


...and I actually dislike the idea of a touchscreen. Have you seen the Plastic Logic demo?

Yes... I've seen that video. But, that doesn't make me dislike a touch screen. ???:chinscratch:

BOb

OK two things that makes "No Way" for me - I actually wanted BIGGER screen , not smaller and the page turning buttons, yes they have the buttons but they are totally unusable for reading , the menu buttons good for menu but not to turn pages.
Page turning buttons should be under the fingers !

The same size, I think.

I'm not entirely sure whether I want one or not...
I thought that I would really want it. But it would cost a lot to get it shipped to the UK, then to pay VAT. And the US warranty wouldn't be worth much here.
I may yet just update to the 505, which is now on sale here.

One thing for sure. Sony *does* know how to produce sleek hardware that distinguishes itself from the rest. :drool:

Hmm, looks interesting.

Now why do I think that the 505 is going to go down further in price to justify the premium pricing of the 700 :chinscratch:

Still the touch screen features look nice, and it looks like they'll finally be able to add dictionary support to the range, the only feature that all its competitors already support.

Do we know yet if the software on it is similar to the 505 or did they switch to Win CE? Cos the screen in the promo pic does look very CE like.

Image gallery. (http://news.sel.sony.com/en/image_library/consumer/computer_peripheral/e_book/relatedAlbum?article=37586&page=1)

I'll hold off upgrading, but glad they finally got the light in there. That's what everyone I know seems to complain about. Also, touchscreen doesn't impress me, but I love that they are still thinking about and acting on the future of ebooks. YAY!

And I really, really would love the store to be web-based (just like the amazon kindle store) for us mac-heads without windows...

Of course if I could sell the 505 + Lighted book cover for $250, I'd probably go for it. :DThat was fast - I just had a call from a friend of mine with a PRS-500 and she said "I know you're going to upgrade. I'll buy the 505." :D

I think it's the same OS, but the software has been updated, obviously.

Ok... so are we saying the eInk screen is smaller than the 505 screen? Or is it the same size?It is the same size, I misunderstood what you were getting at. :smack:

Did someone say, "Plastic Logic?" My understanding is that their eInk technology is entirely plastic, omitting the thin, fragile glass membranes inside the current Sony screens THAT KEEP !@#$% BREAKING unexpectedly in 10-15 percent of the machines.

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29270

All-plastic technology screens would be a great improvement if my assumptions prove out. Just a guess at this point.

- The Inspector

Any word on the processor/memory specs? Battery life?

The 505 is also a 6" screen. Whoever came up with 6.5" is clearly incorrect.

Do we know yet if the software on it is similar to the 505 or did they switch to Win CE? Cos the screen in the promo pic does look very CE like.

Please don't... for a second I was so shocked, my heard stopped. :sos:

I hope my original post didn't come off as insinuating it wasn't worth the extra $100 to a new buyer. It is. But it's not worth the upgrade for me.

As for the Plastic Logic demo, I think it makes the touchscreen look a little flaky (again, I'm hopeful that Sony has improved upon it, and that maybe what we were seeing was a beta product from Plastic Logic).

But honestly, I don't see the value in adding a touchscreen. Knowing me, my touchscreen would be constantly dirty, full of fingerprints, and well-scratched up in short order. And where's the advantage, really? I mean, is pressing a button really that difficult, and is swiping a finger really that much easier?

Any word on the processor/memory specs? Battery life?

I'd like to know this too.

Not sure I like the idea of the touchscreen. I mean it's an obvious evolution, but I'm afraid I'd keep accidentally activating functions while carrying it or brushing it while reading. I often have to grab my backpack and exit a train quickly while holding onto the eBook with fingers on screen and being grateful that the screen isn't touch-sensitive!

I was the person who mentioned Plastic Logic...and of course, there's no Plastic Logic technology in the 700 (if only...then I could step on it to my heart's content :rofl:). But I would imagine the touchscreen technology is similar. If you watch the demo on You Tube, you'll see that it's functionality looks a little.....well, flaky, I guess.

Any word on the processor/memory specs? Battery life?

I'd like to know this too.So would I -- hopefully our pinch-hitting reporter will be able to get more of these details for us, otherwise we'll have to wait 'til they update the product pages over at SonyStyle. :sad:

Well, the touch screen does offer one major advantage.

It allows them to add annotation, notes, dictionary, search, etc without having to bolt on a hardware keyboard.

And while I agree that a hardware keyboard is king for longer data entry's, for the purposes of the reader it should be enough.

What I'm curious about is whether it supports handwritten notes or markup? If it does, Irex is going to have a major competitor on its hands. While it may not be as accuret, it may be enough for many peoples needs

What I'm curious about is whether it supports handwritten notes or markup? 'fraid not... there's no true digital ink capability, it's all handled through virtual keyboard/menu interaction.

Not the news I was hoping for, unless it moves the 505 price downwards.

Too much to hope for a PRS-500 to PRS-700 trade-in like they're doing for the PRS-505? Been holding out until today for this announcement... now it looks like I want to finally upgrade my PRS-500 :)

Oddly enough, I actually asked that question. :whistle:

The answer was to the effect that they didn't have anything like that planned at the moment. :shrug:

Hi Bob,

The integrated light/cover is $65 at Target.

Thanks! I didn't know that.

...If you watch the demo on You Tube, you'll see that it's functionality looks a little.....well, flaky, I guess.

What YouTube demo? Sony? Or PlasticLogic? Can't find a Sony PRS-700 eBook Demo on YouTube, I'm afraid.

PlasticLogic.

There is a press-kit, here: http://news.sel.sony.com/assets/Reader_2008/

Expect the spec sheet to show up there as well.

Thanks NatCh, I did mean PlasticLogic.

There is a press-kit, here: http://news.sel.sony.com/assets/Reader_2008/

Expect the spec sheet to show up there as well.

Nice find, TadW! Yep there's all kindsa links there! :grin:

'fraid not

That's a bit of a bummer. But still, the availability of the touch screen does leave that a possibility in the future.

If not officially, perhaps unofficially :chinscratch:

Or would it be too difficult? I know that you're not going to get Wacom levels of accuracy and writing quality on a passive touch screen, but PDA's and other devices have been able to offer a reasonable experience on such screens.

We think it's a capacitive touch screen, they don't do so good on digink, apparently. :shrug:

Ooo: More pix here (http://news.sel.sony.com/en/image_library/consumer/computer_peripheral/e_book/relatedAlbum?article=37586&page=1).


Direct links (very hi rez!):
1 (http://news.sel.sony.com/en/image_library/images/small/consumer/computer_peripheral/e_book/high/37581)
2 (http://news.sel.sony.com/en/image_library/images/small/consumer/computer_peripheral/e_book/high/37540)
3 (http://news.sel.sony.com/en/image_library/images/small/consumer/computer_peripheral/e_book/high/37541)
4 (http://news.sel.sony.com/en/image_library/images/small/consumer/computer_peripheral/e_book/high/37542)
5 (http://news.sel.sony.com/en/image_library/images/small/consumer/computer_peripheral/e_book/high/37545)

For now, I'll buy the booklight and start saving my pennies for the 700.

Person who decided to remove page turn buttons from under fingers holding the book killed the device. Period.

Did anyone notice this snippet from the press release (emphasis mine):

With the included eBook Library 2.5 PC software, you can easily transfer Adobe PDF documents with reflow capability, Microsoft Word documents, BBeB files and other text file formats to the Reader.

My installed version of eBook Library says V2.2.00.18100, and when I click on check for updates, it says I am using the latest.

We think it's a capacitive touch screenCapacitive? With a stylus? Wouldn't the sylus need to be negatively charged then?

Person who decided to remove page turn buttons from under fingers holding the book killed the device. Period.
I would say that's typical SONY STYLE: nice looking but not practice.

To me, one advantage of ebook reader is that I can operate it by one hand. And now we are back at the starting point? The location of the remaining page-turn buttons doesn't seem to be convenient at all.

My installed version of eBook Library says V2.2.00.18100, and when I click on check for updates, it says I am using the latest.I don't think that'll be out until the end of the month. :shrug:

Capacitive? With a stylus? Wouldn't the sylus need to be negatively charged then? ... are fingers negatively charged? Surely they can make a stylus that works with a capacitive touch screen.

If they can't (I honestly don't know) then it would have to be some other sort of touch screen. :shrug:

I also kinda think that the PRS-505 looks cooler/hi-tech. This 700 is just a big ol' rectangle. And they should have kept the 505's page-turn placement for those of us who wouldn't be using the touch screen.

Not hatin' on it, I'm just sayin'... :)

To me, one advantage of ebook reader is that I can operate it by one hand. And now we are back at the starting point? The location of the remaining page-turn buttons doesn't seem to be convenient at all.I've had a bit of time to think about this, and I think it could be held in one had by the edge, and swiped with the thumb.

Won't really know until somebody get's a hands-on report. Perhaps our pinch-hitter reporter will have a better answer -- I know there are PRS700's at the "Event." :nice:

Ooo: More pix here (http://news.sel.sony.com/en/image_library/consumer/computer_peripheral/e_book/relatedAlbum?article=37586&page=1).

Um, looks REALLY thick.

Perhaps our pinch-hitter reporter will have a better answer -- I know there are PRS700's at the "Event." :nice:

Your who? :o

... are fingers negatively charged? Surely they can make a stylus that works with a capacitive touch screen.They are indeed, it's how capacitance works. You can make a stylus that does work, but it needs a power source - a small battery will do.

As an example, if you have an iPhone, you probably know that you can tap with a plain stylus all day long and nothing happens, but touch the screen with the negagtive pole of a AAA battery and it reacts just like a finger touch.

I'm a little disappointed but I have to admit that it blows the Kindle out of the water (except for the wireless). The hardware is slick and the touchscreen allows a lot more than just fingerswiping with the keyboard search, possible dictionary support and annotation that I think a lot of potential education and business users might find necessary. I think overall it's a good move, though a little WiFi would have gone a long way. I'm still holding on to my 500 for now, because all I do with it is read and I don't really have much need for the touchscreen/keyboard/annotation, but as soon as I can come up with a reason, I might get one.

Just realized that the one-handed reading might be difficult... ooh I'd love to get my hands on one to play. Button position is interesting.

On my PRS-500, reading in bed is usually right handed with my thumb using the bottom left < and > buttons. Or left handed with the left side buttons.

Hmm...

Um, looks REALLY thick.
Actually it could make it more comfortable to hold. At least I prefer the overall profile of PRS500 to PRS505. In any case, since it is not really a pocket gadget I could care less about the exact dimension.

Too much to hope for a PRS-500 to PRS-700 trade-in like they're doing for the PRS-505? Been holding out until today for this announcement... now it looks like I want to finally upgrade my PRS-500 :)

An answer of "No" by Sony would very likely have me waiting to see what Amazon comes out with as their next generation (and more likely to convert) since the discount offer would clearly have been put in place to clear the decks of 505s in prep for the 700.

I would say that's typical SONY STYLE: nice looking but not practice.

To me, one advantage of ebook reader is that I can operate it by one hand. And now we are back at the starting point? The location of the remaining page-turn buttons doesn't seem to be convenient at all.


I believe they actually tried to mimic iPhone style navigation.
The problem is that Aple have proprietary "multitouch" system , the only touch screen I saw that works good with a finger swiping , all other either work good only on press or require stylus.

Someone had already a hands-on experience with the touchscreen:

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30027

Perhaps our pinch-hitter reporter will have a better answer -- I know there are PRS700's at the "Event." :nice:Your who? :oOur pinch-hitter. Nate was all set to go, but he had something come up suddenly, Alex found us a replacement who could go on short notice, and yes, he has a camera.

I'll let him reveal himself at his discretion (which I expect he'll do with a thread of his own) -- don't want to spoil his fun, doncha know. :nice:

I don't think that'll be out until the end of the month. :shrug:

... are fingers negatively charged?

The answer there would be yes......and ATM cards act as multipliers.....

And this thread hints that dictionary look-up is a possibility.
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30027

An answer of "No" by Sony would very likely have me waiting to see what Amazon comes out with as their next generation (and more likely to convert) since the discount offer would clearly have been put in place to clear the decks of 505s in prep for the 700.They say they're not phasing out the 505, Mooch. I'd say that choosing a different series number is a point in support of that. :shrug:

Someone had already a hands-on experience with the touchscreen:

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30027

As I said - changing the pages will be a problem for most of the people.

NatCh, any word on different case colors?

The answer there would be yes......and ATM cards act as multipliers.....

So all you need is your stylus to be conductive :)

NatCh, any word on different case colors?Not that I've heard, :shrug:

They say they're not phasing out the 505, Mooch. I'd say that choosing a different series number is a point in support of that. :shrug:

Which only makes sense. I more than likely have it reversed in that they want to clear the decks of the 500s. Either way, not offering the trade in/up for 500 owners is only going to alienate those that waited to see what they were going to offer up today. I think they'd be smart to offer it. It keeps existing customers loyal and appeased. I highly doubt that they'd lose much in the way of margin by offering the upgrade since the number of 500s in the world is dwindling (thanks to the 500 to 505 offer). ;)

I think the trade in for 505's is still ongoing ... it's still on their Reader page at the moment, anyway ....

Edit -- Oops, it's not on the Reader page that was something else I saw, but I do believe the offer is still ongoing ....

I am getting another 505 actually , as soon as prices goes down , got my 500 for $90 at tiger back then :)

I believe they actually tried to mimic iPhone style navigation.
The problem is that Aple have proprietary "multitouch" system , the only touch screen I saw that works good with a finger swiping , all other either work good only on press or require stylus.

Actually that is not true. I know my HTC Touch phones has quite a few features that works quite well without using a stylus and with moving your finger. In particular, Opera Mobile works quite well without a stylus. As thus the Touchpal keypad screen I normally use.

--
Bill

Someone said earlier that most people are bound to be disappointed because "you can't please everyone". This is absolutely true. The only thing that would have made me personally run out and buy the 700 would be a WiFi connection. I feel like the kid that didn't get the number one thing on my Christmas list!

I use my finger on my Trēo 680 regularly, it works pretty well there. :shrug:

I think the trade in for 505's is still ongoing ... it's still on their Reader page at the moment, anyway ....

Edit -- Oops, it's not on the Reader page that was something else I saw, but I do believe the offer is still ongoing ....

Last I saw the offer was good until the end of the year. That's why I had waited. There was time to see what they released and still use the offer if I didn't like what came out. I'm still inclined to go for the 700, but would like the trade-in to apply to it.

Actually that is not true. I know my HTC Touch phones has quite a few features that works quite well without using a stylus and with moving your finger. In particular, Opera Mobile works quite well without a stylus. As thus the Touchpal keypad screen I normally use.

--
Bill

I have HTC TytN II (Kaiser) and navigation there without stylus is pain in the ...

Someone said earlier that most people are bound to be disappointed because "you can't please everyone". This is absolutely true. The only thing that would have made me personally run out and buy the 700 would be a WiFi connection. I feel like the kid that didn't get the number one thing on my Christmas list!

I agree with you 100%. The only thing that I have ever really wanted for the 500 or 505 is Mac compatibility or whispernet. Both of these options would make it possible to use the reader without the use of Windows. Just so that I don't get a thousand replies... I know calibre is out there.

Anyway, with more selection and no computer needed, I think I will move on to the Kindle soon.

The only thing that I have ever really wanted for the 500 or 505 is Mac compatibility...

Hear, hear. All Sony would have to do is hire two decent Mac programmers to port the Ebook Library over to Mac. Why do they not understand? Mac support = more potential customers = bigger market share = more money. :smack:

I started a wiki page. It is very preliminary but does have a picture. PRS700 is its name.

All Sony would have to do is hire two decent Mac programmers to port the Ebook Library over to Mac. Why do they not understand? Mac support = more potential customers = bigger market share = more money. :smack:
I've always wondered if it might be a matter of the fact that they make PC's, and obviously don't make Macs. I've gotten the impression on several occasions that the anti-Mac decision is ... higher.

I use my finger on my Trēo 680 regularly, it works pretty well there. :shrug:

The Treo is not a capacitive touchscreen; it's a membrane. Works OK with stylus or finger as long as you aren't trying to hit a tiny target with a big, irregular finger.

The capacitive touchscreen is not conductive, and it does not require a battery-powered (or bio-powered) item in contact, and it will not respond to a thin stylus electrically coupled to your body (at least the capacitive touchscreen on my iPhone won't) in contrast with what others and what Wikipedia says.

A capacitive touchscreen responds when something with an electrical charge or charge capacity gets close to it. It's all a matter of shifting electrons with a non-contact electrical field. FYI, I just triggered my iPhone screen with a plastic lens-cleaner body by pushing the broad edge of it against the screen. Probably had to do with the material having a static charge on it different from the screen and inducing a shift of electrons.

The broadness of the area affected is key to triggering these capacitive touchscreens. iPhone styli are available and they have broad, mushy tips. Not sure about the material composition, but they're not specifically conductive.

Ok... so are we saying the eInk screen is smaller than the 505 screen? Or is it the same size?

BOb

I am sure it is the same size.

Hear, hear. All Sony would have to do is hire two decent Mac programmers to port the Ebook Library over to Mac. Why do they not understand? Mac support = more potential customers = bigger market share = more money. :smack:

Why don't they just do it with a standard browser interface and a standard browser plugin to handle the DRM like everyone else does? then it would be easily cross-platform portable, AND WOULD ACTUALLY PERFORM WELL.

I've always wondered if it might be a matter of the fact that they make PC's, and obviously don't make Macs. I've gotten the impression on several occasions that the anti-Mac decision is ... higher.

Even then all they really need to do is make the store web-based. Since the 505 acts as a storage device you could download the content from the web with an embedded code based upon your username that will work with your registered reader. Once downloaded drag and drop... voila!

Even then all they really need to do is make the store web-based.

They could even run it on Google Gears (http://gears.google.com/) for offline usage as well.

Hey, preachin' to the choir here, guys!

I have HTC TytN II (Kaiser) and navigation there without stylus is pain in the ...

I've often run into the same problem, and have found SPB Mobile Shell Incredibly useful.

It actually makes it finger friendly for most things, and i only need to drop into stylus territory occasionally.

Add PocketCM Keyboard, and you hardly need the stylus.

Some passages from the PR.
Five pre-set text sizes are available so readers can find the one most comfortable for them and for those who need an even closer look, zooming in is as easy as tapping the screen.
Expanded memory offers enough capacity to store about 350 average digital books.
For PRS-505 it was "160 books" so I guess they roughly doubled the flash memory size.
Like its close relative the PRS-505model, the new 700 model uses minimal power and can sustain up to 7,500 pages of continuous reading on a single battery charge.
I guess that's without the light, but probably including the touch screen. So I think they either used a more efficient CPU or a bigger battery.
And, at about 10 ounces, it’s the perfect way to carry all of your favorite books with you wherever you go.
IIRC 505's weight is stated to be "9 ounces". So it's a bit heavier but not by much.

I was going to trade up my 500 in a few weeks. I wonder if I can get the $100 credit towards the PRS700?

Nice evolution. Not enough for me to throw away my 505 but probably enough to make me upgrade if mine breaks. Integrated front light? Someone at Sony was listening.

LOL The perfect new product! I really like it, but at the same time there's nothing that makes me regret having gotten my 505. If it had been a bigger screen, though... ;)

So I think they either used a more efficient CPU or a bigger battery.It's supposed to be the same battery. :rolleyes:

I was going to trade up my 500 in a few weeks. I wonder if I can get the $100 credit towards the PRS700?Oddly enough, I actually asked that question. :whistle:

The answer was to the effect that they didn't have anything like that planned at the moment. :shrug:

I think the trade in for 505's is still ongoing ... it's still on their Reader page at the moment, anyway ....

Edit -- Oops, it's not on the Reader page that was something else I saw, but I do believe the offer is still ongoing ....

Yeah, it's still going on (500 -> 505):

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&categoryId=8198552921644574903&langId=-1

Do you think they'd let me trade in my 500 refurb with the internal crack in the membrane (and lines on the screen)?

Especially for a 700? (If and when they get a 700 trade-up program going)

Not what I'd hoped but guess who'll be at the door of the Sony Style shop the day it comes out

I just bought a PRS505 last week and I'm loving it. If the 700 was available in Canada immediately I'd probably be bummed out, as having search would be a totally great thing, but since it's not available in Canada, I'll be happy with the 505 for awhile still. :-)

Although I assume it's completely trivial to get the American version of the reader in Canada... does anyone know what the return policy is for ebook readers in Canada? I checked the SonyStyle.ca site and it's not listed: http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/servlet/StaticView?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&contentpage=CustomerSupport/ShippingNReturns/shipping_returns.html

Not what I'd hoped but guess who'll be at the door of the Sony Style shop the day it comes out

...me too. Time for a trip around the D.C. beltway.....

-Jeff

Any word on what the new font sizes look like? The main reason I prefer my Kindle over my PRS-500 is the larger font sizes.

Also if, like eReader on the Ipod Touch, you could change the page turn gesture from a stroke to just a touch, that might make it easier.

on the Gizmodo review (http://gizmodo.com/5058380/sonys-third+gen-prs+700-reader-adds-touchscreen-frontlight) the text seems quite big !

One thing for sure. Sony *does* know how to produce sleek hardware that distinguishes itself from the rest. :drool:
Meh.. :S


Two questions (Sorry if i missed anything, loads of pages in this thread):
• Better PDF support? I noticed several zoom levels..
• Mac support?

I'll be interested in see the system software spec's (not available yet). Can it handle 2000 books on the navigation system without problems...

on the Gizmodo review (http://gizmodo.com/5058380/sonys-third+gen-prs+700-reader-adds-touchscreen-frontlight) the text seems quite big !
They have it set to the XL zoom level.

I read a lot on my P3300 smartphone and don't like the "page turn with a screen touch" at all.
Its force me to move my hand and put a finger over the text on the screen, which is annoying as considering the way the device is hold, the finger will move over the last lines of text of the page. So you have to wait to finish the last lines, then move to touch the screen.

It breaks the reading, I find it much easier to keep a finger over the next page button for an instantaneous page turn as soon as I finish the last line.

I feel it would be the same with the 700, as it is a far bigger device than a phone you will have to put it down or use your second hand to turn the page using the touchscreen.
I think I would miss the second set of page turning buttons (on the right).
The touch screens is still a great additions for the lot of functions its add and the ease of navigation in the menu that it will offer, but for page turning it's not that good.

As for the Windows Mobile debate, I hardly ever get the stylus out. I control all with my finger and with the buttons.
Ie, i don't like the phones that only have a touch screen and almost no button.
You can't beat the ease of use of a few well placed buttons to dial or answer without watching at the screen, and well placed buttons which fell under the hands are more ergonomics than having to use the touchscreen for every simple interactions.

They have it set to the XL zoom level.

Yeah, that's because cfc asked about the max font size in comparaison of the Kindle and I think it's bigger when you see in these pictures :p

I'll have to see it first, but the integrated frontlight was my killer app. I don't care about buttons or anything as long as I can read at night.

Hopefully the new store is nice, too.

yeah I'm very intrigued by this feature. It seems really cool !
But here (http://krisabel.ctv.ca/blog/_archives/2008/10/2/3912118.html) the guy said you have to have a lamp or an exterior light, it's not enough in darkness apparently

I just bought a PRS505 last week and I'm loving it. If the 700 was available in Canada immediately I'd probably be bummed out, as having search would be a totally great thing, but since it's not available in Canada, I'll be happy with the 505 for awhile still. :-)

Although I assume it's completely trivial to get the American version of the reader in Canada... does anyone know what the return policy is for ebook readers in Canada? I checked the SonyStyle.ca site and it's not listed: http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/servlet/StaticView?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&contentpage=CustomerSupport/ShippingNReturns/shipping_returns.html

The 500 has never been sold in Canada, only the 505. Logically no trade-in possible. Although 505 to 700 could be possible.

Personnally I'll keep the 500 for sentimental purposes. The 700 is reeeeeal nice but I'll wait till a version is available in Quebec .

From Kris Abel's review:

It isn’t enough for complete darkness, but for reading in bed or in a room with few lamps, it works far, far better than I imagined.

Strange - I would have thought the darker the room the more effective the certain amount of light would be? I know that it's a reflective screen but even so..........

yeah I'm very intrigued by this feature. It seems really cool !
But here (http://krisabel.ctv.ca/blog/_archives/2008/10/2/3912118.html) the guy said you have to have a lamp or an exterior light, it's not enough in darkness apparently

I don't quite understand how 6 side LEDs wouldn't illuminate in total darkness well enough to read, but I reserve judgement for when I see it.

The 500 has never been sold in Canada, only the 505. Logically no trade-in possible. Although 505 to 700 could be possible.

I'm speaking entirely about the 505, which I just bought last week, as I mentioned in my post. :-)

I would say that's typical SONY STYLE: nice looking but not practice.

To me, one advantage of ebook reader is that I can operate it by one hand. And now we are back at the starting point? The location of the remaining page-turn buttons doesn't seem to be convenient at all.

This is exactly my feeling. I hold the reader with one hand and turn the page with the same hand. I read a few pages and then I switch to the other hand. I lay down on my right side and use one pair of buttons for page turning; I lay down on my left side and I use the other pair. The new single pair of buttons is in a dreadful location!

I like the ideal of a touch screen with a stylus --- like my Palm Tungsten E. It opens the reader up to a whole new range of possibilities, such as a decent dictionary. I'm not a fan of gumming up the screen with my "damned stinking paws." :eek:

Kudos to Sony for doing something, though. An "A" for effort and a "B-" for execution.

Tim

Wow! For me the built in light and annotation are HUGE.

These where the features I felt the SONY PRS-505 was missing. My only real grip with the reader was the need for a light and annotations. The only feature that is lacking for me is the dictionary lookup.


Had I not recently purchased the 505 I would have gone for the 700

=X=

Do you think they'd let me trade in my 500 refurb with the internal crack in the membrane (and lines on the screen)?


I bet they would. Just bring in the thing and hand it to the clerk, they deduct $100 off your purchase. I bet they won't even try to use it.

BOb

The new single pair of buttons is in a dreadful location!


Really hard to say that until you try it. It looks to me if you hold it near the bottom left corner you thumb would be close to the page turn button.

Also, if you can hold in with your right hand and also a quick thumb swipe up the edge of the screen shouldn't require to much movement.

Once again... it seems hard to judge without trying it.

BOb

whenever I read criticism of touch screens that involve gunking up the screen it makes me wonder if people have truly stopped washing their hands. I have owned a number of touchscreen phones and find that a day or two's worth of fingerprints rarely detracts from the ability to accurately see the information on the screen. If it does I lock the device, take one wipe with my shirt and unlock the device. I am sure at the end of my life when I add up all the 5 seconds twice every week it has taken me to do this, I might wonder what I could have done with that extra day or so.

Regardless.

This is pretty neat, but for most I can see this not being a real necessity over the 500. The touchscreen is "neat" but only adds some of the functionality that you would have with other devices. If you really wanted a touchscreen (and for the cost) you can jump on the iliad train and at least get a wacom screen that allows note taking.

I like it. This just may make me a fan of e-ink. Now if I can just wait until it is available.

Ellen

Really hard to say that until you try it. It looks to me if you hold it near the bottom left corner you thumb would be close to the page turn button.

Also, if you can hold in with your right hand and also a quick thumb swipe up the edge of the screen shouldn't require to much movement.

Once again... it seems hard to judge without trying it.

BOb

BOb, et. al.,

I'm sitting here with my PRS-500 stepping through a short document with the buttons along the bottom of the screen. It's too much of a reach for my thumbs if I try to hold it at either corner in a single hand. I can do it if I perch it in my hand with my hand in the center of the bottom and my little finger bracing the bottom edge of the unit (and three fingers behind). Do-able, but definitely more awkward.

That being said, I realize that I rarely read exclusively one-handedly. Even when I hold it in my left hand with my fingers over the page buttons, I rarely go more than one or two pages without switching hands and or absent-mindedly touching it with the right hand. Often I just holding it in the right hand for a page (which CANNOT turn a page with the 500) and then switch back when I come to the end of a page.

More to the point, when I hold it even briefly with two hands, I have no problem accessing the middle of the bottom row buttons. My conclusion is that at least for me, I don't think it'd be too problematic using those buttons or making a little thumb swipe to turn the page. I'm trying it (obviously pretending with the thumb swipe part) and it feels pretty natural.

Of course YMMV and the real thing may feel a little different, but it's a pretty good way to evaluate it before it hits the street. I'm going to practice (when reading on my 500) holding and making the motions that I'd have to make with the 700 for a while to see how it feels after some elapsed time.

- The Inspector

No announcement of new books? No deal with a big publisher or even a brick-and-mortar seller? So we're going to have to continue buying books from the little Sony "bookmobile" while the real stash of ebooks remains over at Amazon or else still on paper? Man, I am really bummed. I coulda sworn this was gonna turn out better. Oh, well. Have a good night, all.

Oh! The touch screen control sounds great. When I got my 505 a couple months ago, I immediately wanted touch screen. My Sony video camera has me used to the touch screen and it's really nice.

I wonder if Sony's trade-in deal for the old 500 models will also be applicable for the 700. I could see trading in my old 500 for a $100 credit towards this new model...especially with the new features.

Any word on what the new font sizes look like? The main reason I prefer my Kindle over my PRS-500 is the larger font sizes.

Also if, like eReader on the Ipod Touch, you could change the page turn gesture from a stroke to just a touch, that might make it easier.

Unlike the Kindle the font sizes are not fixed. The smallest font size is determined by the book author and then scaled up from there. The older 505 and prior had 3 levels of fonts sizes (2 up from the default). The 700 have 5 levels which means the largest should be quite a bit bigger but still not an absolute number.

You can program the strokes to be what you want but I am not sure about just touch. The default for just touch is to zoom (increase the font size). I am not sure what other strokes can be recognized or how programmable they are.

Dale

whenever I read criticism of touch screens that involve gunking up the screen it makes me wonder if people have truly stopped washing their hands. I have owned a number of touchscreen phones and find that a day or two's worth of fingerprints rarely detracts from the ability to accurately see the information on the screen. If it does I lock the device, take one wipe with my shirt and unlock the device. I am sure at the end of my life when I add up all the 5 seconds twice every week it has taken me to do this, I might wonder what I could have done with that extra day or so.

Regardless.

This is pretty neat, but for most I can see this not being a real necessity over the 500. The touchscreen is "neat" but only adds some of the functionality that you would have with other devices. If you really wanted a touchscreen (and for the cost) you can jump on the iliad train and at least get a wacom screen that allows note taking.

I suspect note taking will work on this device, if not now then in the future. There is a virtual keyboard for searching which the 500 cannot do. I expect the touch screen will allow marking text and doing dictionary look up.

Dale

Unlike the Kindle the font sizes are not fixed. The smallest font size is determined by the book author and then scaled up from there. The older 505 and prior had 3 levels of fonts sizes (2 up from the default). The 700 have 5 levels which means the largest should be quite a bit bigger but still not an absolute number.

You can program the strokes to be what you want but I am not sure about just touch. The default for just touch is to zoom (increase the font size). I am not sure what other strokes can be recognized or how programmable they are.

Dale

That is one thing I didn't like about my PRS-500, one books large font would be the same size as anothers medium. When I would import Baen books in RTF, I would edit it first to increase the font size. But you can't do that with books from the Sony store.

I think I'll just have to wait to see it in the Sony retail store.

I think another good feature would be if Sony would allow people to browse their bookstore in a normal web browser, purchase a book and download it to be copied onto the reader with the USB cable. When on vacation you could use any available computer to purchase a new book.

For me, I think the most important new features might be considered very minor tweaks.

Carl

So I sent this thread to my wife and she replied that now they have one with all the features she wanted so we will be buying the 700 for her and giving her 505 to her 16 y/o sister who has been wanting to get a Reader but can't seem to save up the money. It would be as one heck of a Hanukkah present this year.

I guess we will see what happens. Hell, it may suck. First gen tends to be buggy in most hardware. And yes, I know this is not the first gen Reader but it is the first gen with touch screen and built-in lighting.

I do hope the pinch hitter is ok.

So in all probability no dictionary support despite highlighting abilities? Especially since the press release is silent on it :(

So in all probability no dictionary support despite highlighting abilities? Especially since the press release is silent on it :(

Even if it's not available in this round, the hardware is all there. I'm sure a firmware upgrade will add the option. Keep posting messages like "I'd have bought it if only it had dictionary support". "Great device, shame about the lack of any dictionary support" and we'll get there :).

Even if it's not available in this round, the hardware is all there. I'm sure a firmware upgrade will add the option. Keep posting messages like "I'd have bought it if only it had dictionary support". "Great device, shame about the lack of any dictionary support" and we'll get there :).

:)

Sony you are loosing a customer.....:D

I don't see any reason for me to upgrade from my PRS500...unless the new bookstore offers a significantly wider range of books than I can get from other sources such as fictionwise and only offers them in a format the PRS500 cant use.

Other than that I'll be sticking with my PRS500 as it does exactly what I want it to do.

Did someone say, "Plastic Logic?" My understanding is that their eInk technology is entirely plastic, omitting the thin, fragile glass membranes inside the current Sony screens THAT KEEP !@#$% BREAKING unexpectedly in 10-15 percent of the machines.


Where do you get your figure of "10-15% of machines" from? I'd be astonished if that figure were accurate - Tribble, the German seller for the CyBook Gen3, which some people regard as more fragile than the Sony Reader, tells us that he's seeing failure of rates of under 1% for the machines he's selling. If Sony really have a failure rate more than 10x that of Bookeen, there's something very badly wrong.

I'll stick with the 505.
Touch-screen not really useful, I hate fingerprints on my screen. And using the stylus is cumbersome. If you really want annotation capability and more software choices (not just books), the Iliad is the way to go.
Thumb swipe - :eek:
You will have a smeared and scratched screen quite soon. No way.

The light is no big deal, it just kills your battery sooner. Easier and cheaper to light it with a normal book-light.

Nice looking device, but I would not even consider it if it was cheaper than the 505.

Why do they not understand? Mac support = more potential customers = bigger market share = more money. :smack:

= more support issues = higher support costs = less money. It's not as one-sided as you suggest!

I don't quite understand how 6 side LEDs wouldn't illuminate in total darkness well enough to read, but I reserve judgement for when I see it.

I wonder if it was just a quick "knock the lights off & look" trial, without waiting long enough for the eyes to adjust? That typically requires at least 20 to 30 minutes - although significantly longer if the viewer was previously in bright sunlight.

Don't know how similar the 700 screen is to the iPhone's, but with the iPhone it doesn't get dirty, per se, more lightly smugged after a while, though even that doesn't interfere with reading the screen. A quick swipe with a microfiber cleaning cloth and it's as good as new. I would imagine the 700's screen would be similar since they are both capacitive.

I also don't know how the built-in light on the 700 compares with the light wedge Sony sells for the 505, but if they are similar, then reading at night (in near to total darkness) should be no problem at all. I did exactly that for over two hours last night.

The light is no big deal, it just kills your battery sooner. Easier and cheaper to light it with a normal book-light.

Nice looking device, but I would not even consider it if it was cheaper than the 505.
It doesn't look as if the light adds (significantly?) to the size of the device, so compared with the cost of a 505 plus the illuminated cover, the 700 seems a reasonable price.

I'd not upgrade from my 505, but if buying new, the 700 would certainly be considered...

Will it be sold in the EU?
I'll have it, if it'll be under 200€...

Will it be sold in the EU?
I'll have it, if it'll be under 200€...

Nope. US only. At least for now. There's always B&H (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/), though.

Will it be sold in the EU?
I'll have it, if it'll be under 200€...

It's probably going to be sold in the EU soon, but don't hold your breath for that 200€ price.

Its being aimed as a premium model, and with the 505 being sold for around 250€ , this is probably going to be around 300€ - 350€ or so.

What I'm hoping is that this and the recent price reduction by Bookeen will make Sony drop the price of the 505 in Europe. Seriously the € = $ is getting old.

Ok initially I was like ok I was wrong they waited 33 days after I bought both my 505's to release a new model. And yes at first I was impressed but after looking at what was offered and the deal I got. (I purchased two 505's for just 50 bucks more than one 700) I realized that my 505 suits me just fine. I purchased it for Reading which it does wonderfully, I was never interested in a touch screen, My big feature would have been WI-FI or Mac compatibility. The latter obviously has nothing to do with the Device. I was really hoping Sony would add Epub and secure PDF books to its store. So I think I can wait for a couple more versions before feeling the need to upgrade. Plus I really like my Red Reader.

JJ

I would really like to have search inside a book. What I often would like to do is to mark a word and search for all occurrences. I am very bad at remembering names when I read so this would help me.

Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! I'm saving up for a digital SLR camera....perhaps I should put that in past tense now. I need this model, I crave it.....

Well, my guesses were waaay off... I didn't expect new hardware. Will I buy it? Unfortunately, I thought the 500 and 505 were overly-costly, and this is $100 more. At $200, I wouldn't have hesitated, but at $400, I'm standing pat.

With my iPaq.

= more support issues = higher support costs = less money. It's not as one-sided as you suggest!

Well, you also get more support issues with more customers... but I doubt that most companies would be worried about it. None of this software needs to be that complicated; it should be relatively easy for a company like Sony to support their reader software on more than one platform. Not to mention, the purchase rate amongst Mac users might be far higher than amongst windows users. Lets consider the fact that none of the Hardware based readers properly supports Macs yet; therefore Sony could get a much larger piece of the market. In addition, Mac owners are often amongst the earliest adopters of new Technology.

I am sure there is probably a bean counter somewhere who figures that maybe, 5-10% of the people who buy the readers might end up buying a Sony PC. Of course the last Sony PC I saw was so crowded with junk software that it barely ran (and that is from the store).

--
Bill

No announcement of new books? No deal with a big publisher or even a brick-and-mortar seller? So we're going to have to continue buying books from the little Sony "bookmobile" while the real stash of ebooks remains over at Amazon or else still on paper? Man, I am really bummed. I coulda sworn this was gonna turn out better. Oh, well. Have a good night, all.

I didn't expect anything along those lines. I certainly didn't expect anything with Amazon. (see my other messages about that.)

It is actually [sort of] what I expected, a new device to supplement the 505. But, truth be told I thought they might be announcing a bigger screened device. I didn't see this one coming.

The revamp of the ebook store will be nice. Hopefully there will be a performance improvement with the changes.

One thing that this does show is that Sony is committed to this space and all the nay sayers about Sony abandoning the reader look to be wrong at this point. I hate to say I told you so...

BOb

= more support issues = higher support costs = less money. It's not as one-sided as you suggest!

What they could do is open up the specs needed to write a driver and get the device authorized then start an open source project. This way they wouldn't really have to "support" it but it would go a long way to getting Mac/Linux support.

Then of course, as others have said here, allowing the purchase via a browser from the store. Even it you would need some open source app to be able to authorize to your account from Mac/Linux.

(I think people that buy a Mac would be more likely to by a reader. Because they have already proven that they don't make their choices by following the crowd and are willing to pay a bit more to get what they like and want. Nothing against Windows users... I actually use both.)

BOb

Ohhhh say it again, say it AGAIN!

Let me say that again: Built. In. Frontlight.

SOLD!

Many people have talked about the $100 credit for a used 500 being usable to buy a 700. I have no doubt that Sony will do this. Hopefully they will amend the current deal soon. Any one have a good contact to put this bee in their bonnet?

BOb

It's really a shame that we lose the joystick button --- but the touch interface is a big plus for me. If/when it can annotate and mark up a .pdf directly, and upload the marked up .pdf to a PC, it'll be huge w/ editors and the publishing industry.

If it just had handwriting recognition and calendar and address book and notepad and sketchpad/ink functionality it'd be the Newton MessagePad replacement I've been waiting for.

William

Did someone say, "Plastic Logic?" My understanding is that their eInk technology is entirely plastic, omitting the thin, fragile glass membranes inside the current Sony screens THAT KEEP !@#$% BREAKING unexpectedly in 10-15 percent of the machines.

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29270



Where do you get your figure of "10-15% of machines" from? I'd be astonished if that figure were accurate - Tribble, the German seller for the CyBook Gen3, which some people regard as more fragile than the Sony Reader, tells us that he's seeing failure of rates of under 1% for the machines he's selling. If Sony really have a failure rate more than 10x that of Bookeen, there's something very badly wrong.

Harry,

It was right in that thread whose link you edited out of your quote of my message (restored above). It was 11.27% of the respondents to JSWolf's poll "Has the screen of your 505 ever broken?" Granted, I made a big leap as I implied it was 10-15% of the general population. Hopefully it's not that much, but it was that fraction of the poll respondents. Go figure.

- The Inspector

Many people have talked about the $100 credit for a used 500 being usable to buy a 700. I have no doubt that Sony will do this. Hopefully they will amend the current deal soon. Any one have a good contact to put this bee in their bonnet?

BOb
Not if they give a higher credit. I think it is not hard to eBay PRS-505 for around $200.

Not if they give a higher credit. I think it is not hard to eBay PRS-505 for around $200.

True.. not hard but a bit of a hassle.

BOb

Thats the problem with statistics ;)

What sort of people are voting in such a poll? Maybe the rough ones? Or those who have a screen break and are looking for help in a forum? Or those who are geeks, using their reader excessivly and therefore will experience more hardware problems.

We don't know. Even Tribbles statistic will not show the real size of screen breaking.

Gogolo

Wow, could this be more underwhelming? I am sorely disappointed with Sony and this is a pathetic effort in my opinion. I recently purchased a Kindle recently after being told by a Sony rep with customer relations that maybe I should "spend my money somewhere else". No problem. Will do. So far I love the Kindle.

I was hoping that this would be huge but not so. Very disappointing effort, and overpriced.

Wow, could this be more underwhelming? I am sorely disappointed with Sony and this is a pathetic effort in my opinion. I recently purchased a Kindle recently after being told by a Sony rep with customer relations that maybe I should "spend my money somewhere else". No problem. Will do. So far I love the Kindle.

I was hoping that this would be huge but not so. Very disappointing effort, and overpriced.

I sense a great deal of disappointment from you, that's clear, but you've not said at all what you're disappointed about. What were you looking for?

Come on $100 bucks extra for a light?? Thats BS. I'm really disappointed in this also. You can buy a book light for $15 and attach it to the cover and it works great.

I'm really worried about this move of little improvements and big price hikes like the Iliad. eReaders are already overpriced for the average consumer and it seems like they are trying to find the pricing point where the first adopters won't want to buy it either. I'm not a big fan of needing to slide your finger across the page to turn the page, its just a silly gimick leave the button for page turn. We'll see how their search works.

I truly feel that they need to stop trying to come up with the next small add-on and figure out how to speed up those page turns. There are some real issues that people have with the readers and they need to concentrate on those and not on BS add-ons. I know Sony is a poorly run company but trying to make a big deal out of this announcement is just ridiculous, someone over there should be fired

I think it is great that Sony is making an effort to add more to their Reader line-up. This particular device holds no interest for me, but I am sure it will be great for others (the thought of touching my reader screen all the time gives me the heebie-jeebies – it’s the main reason my iPod Touch rarely gets used). I love my 505 and think it is still prettier than the new offering (and I am so happy they didn’t make it obsolete).

I am looking forward to seeing how they’ve improved the Reader software. It’s too bad they didn’t just take it web-based but something is better than nothing!

Come on $100 bucks extra for a light?? Thats BS. I'm really disappointed in this also. You can buy a book light for $15 and attach it to the cover and it works great.

I'm really worried about this move of little improvements and big price hikes like the Iliad. eReaders are already overpriced for the average consumer and it seems like they are trying to find the pricing point where the first adopters won't want to buy it either. I'm not a big fan of needing to slide your finger across the page to turn the page, its just a silly gimick leave the button for page turn. We'll see how their search works.

I truly feel that they need to stop trying to come up with the next small add-on and figure out how to speed up those page turns. There are some real issues that people have with the readers and they need to concentrate on those and not on BS add-ons. I know Sony is a poorly run company but trying to make a big deal out of this announcement is just ridiculous, someone over there should be fired
The page turn speeds are due to the speed of the vizplex eink screen. Sony cannot do anything about that. That's something you have to complaint o PVI about.

As for $100 for a light... not so... there's the light and the touch screen. The touch screen allows more functionality. So it's actually both that make up the $100 difference.

How is Sony a poorly run company? They seem to be doing a pretty good job to me. It's things like this that help spread the word about readers. And the 30 days reading in the window will help as well.

Why is it that you are so negative?

It looks to be the same thickness, or very nearly the same, as the 505. Look at the high resolution shots of the top and you'll see how thick it is compared to the memory expansion slots.

I personally like it alot. I would have like see wireless connectivity to rival Amazon's store, and perhaps some sort of new arrangement with a retail bookstore. I would also have liked to see full operating system neutrality. It seems as though it's still PC imprisoned.

Wow, could this be more underwhelming? I am sorely disappointed with Sony and this is a pathetic effort in my opinion. I recently purchased a Kindle recently after being told by a Sony rep with customer relations that maybe I should "spend my money somewhere else". No problem. Will do. So far I love the Kindle.

I was hoping that this would be huge but not so. Very disappointing effort, and overpriced.

Welcome to MobileRead.

1.) You are underwhelmed.
Perhaps you can point out the ways in which you were underwhelmed by news of Sony's new Reader? Details into what you would have liked to see would have been helpful in your post.

2.) Why are you disappointed?
Can you elaborate on your disappointment? Perhaps this question is related to your being underwhelmed?

3.) Why is the effort pathetic?
What kind of an effort were you expecting from Sony? Can you give the reader of your post details on what you were expecting?

4) "So far I love the Kindle."
I'm extremely pleased that you like your purchase. I think it's important for customers to like the products they purchase. There's a lot of money involved in the purchase of a Reader, be it Sony, Gen3, Iliad, Kindle, eBookwise, et al. I've read that many people are quite satisfied with the purchase of a Kindle, and to know that you're a satisfied user is indeed good news.

I'm a satisfied owner of the Sony PRS-505.

Perhaps these two Readers can co-exist, that of the Sony and that of the Kindle?

Sincerely,
Don

I truly feel that they need to stop trying to come up with the next small add-on and figure out how to speed up those page turns.Perhaps it got lost in all the verbiage of the original post:Some other nice incidentals include a reportedly much snappier page change speed ....

CNet has commented that this is so as well, so we have some preliminary confirmation.

Hopefully our representative will be able to clarify it more.

As JSWolf said, the page turn speed is mostly a function of the e-ink itself, which Sony isn't in a position to "work on" since that tech is owned by eInk Inc. Also the controller seems to make a difference, and Sony has consistently gone with the best controller available to them for each model.

To me that 2 and 2 add up to a fairly persuasive 4 that Sony is actively pursuing faster page turns here. Are there things that they could do but aren't? There may well be, I have no visibility of that. :shrug: But I don't really think that it's fair to suggest that they don't care about that point. :unafraid:

I'm a bit disappointed by the announcement. Not so much with the 700 -- it seems a capable enough device (although leaving out WIFI was a strategic blunder) -- but in a "is that all there is?" sense.

I would have liked to see Sony introduce a cheaper device (perhaps a plastic-bodied 5" screen) to entice more folks to e-reading.

I'd also like to see a roadmap of where they are going with the 505's firmware. Will there be a bug update? Addition of SDIO WIFI? Nokia's done this pretty well with OS updates for their tablets. Even with the elderly 770 they produced a no-support "hacker's edition" OS update.

Why not open the store to all platforms and make it International.

Sony software for the Mac/Linux platforms. There's really no excuse not to.

I really want search and dictionary.

Is there any possibility they may add that to the prs-505?
They could do it with the 10 side keys with a phone line key press arrangement.(as previously suggested).

Is it possible igor's hacks can provide that functionallity?

bob

p.s. I love my 505.

How is Sony a poorly run company? They seem to be doing a pretty good job to me. It's things like this that help spread the word about readers. And the 30 days reading in the window will help as well.

Why is it that you are so negative?

I'm only mad at Sony because I think they have no idea of what they are doing. Sony has been a poorly run company for years, they just began trying to clean up their act thats why they constantly fall behind their compeition. In an article about their CEO Howard Stringer he even notes:

"But how could Stringer get his devices talking to each other in a company whose executives were barely talking to each other? When he took over, Sony was so dysfunctional–and divisions guarded their territory so fiercely–that managers working for one division wouldn’t return phone calls from their counterparts in another division. "

I'm glad that Sony is staying in the eReader business but this is a lackluster release and they should be pushing the technology not waiting to see what others are doing and staying one step behind.

I have the PRS500 and I love it but I'd like to see them do some more with it, get the software right at the very least. They should be working on lowering the price (eink is now about 3 years deep, if they can't reduce prices now then they never will and they will never get more customers) and sizes (get a couple of different size eink devices in and figure out a way to cut the costs even if it means losing money on it for a while, look what Microsoft did with the Xbox to overtake Playstation). I had to stop even trying to use the Connect store because it kept getting trapped in an endless search whenever I was looking for books. Hopefully they get the program right with this change but they need to get it web-based and more user-friendly as amazon is. This would have been a great release if it was priced around $150 to $200 to pull in new customers. Its not worth an upgrade and if someone wasn't going to buy a 505 they certainly won't buy this at a higher price.

At their current rate I fear that Sony will drop out of the eReader business. Raising prices will not bring in new customers, making a cheaper model that appeals to more people will. They are just further isolating their consumer base and its just being short sighted. Look at iPods, everyone has one now even though there are tons of other mp3 players. Why? because it did one thing very well and it was priced where people could easily afford it. Sony doesnt need an even more exclusive device, they need one that the average person would be willing to buy and the volume would offset the price, its called taking a risk and they haven't done that in years thats why they fell behind in TVs, video games and personal audio. They never learn.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't iPods originally sell for ~$400? The non-nano/shuffle types are still mostly above $200 on Amazon.

I'm not as familiar with iPod pricing as I might be if I actually had one, but I went with a Sansa player, mostly for the (massively) better battery life it gets. :shrug:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't iPods originally sell for ~$400? The non-nano/shuffle types are still mostly above $200 on Amazon.

I'm not as familiar with iPod pricing as I might be if I actually had one, but I went with a Sansa player, mostly for the (massively) better battery life it gets. :shrug:

I think the smallest hard drive version of the iPod has always been around $250. Each release they bump up the capacity and features of that base (now classic) model. For example, I have a gen 4 which has a 20gb drive and monochrome screen that cost me $250. The new gen 6 iPod classic now has a 120GB drive, a color screen that plays movies and games.

BOb

I think the smallest hard drive version of the iPod has always been around $250. Each release they bump up the capacity and features of that base (now classic) model. For example, I have a gen 4 which has a 20gb drive and monochrome screen that cost me $250. The new gen 6 iPod classic now has a 120GB drive, a color screen that plays movies and games.Okay, my numbers are a bit off. :shrug: Still that sounds a fair amount like what Sony's doing with their prices -- the newest model is the price of the old one when it was new.

I also feel it should be noted that Sony has no control over the cost of the most expensive component in these devices: the display. That's PVI's call.

Loss-leading is a strategy that works well in some markets and not in others. Books are rather a smaller industry than video games, and Sony isn't really even trying locking us into their bookstore -- the multiple formats and the new epub support are evidence of that. Even Amazon's Kindle, the single most locked down reading device available, isn't loss-leading, and Amazon knows quite a bit about the subject ... how many years did they operate before they first showed a profit? :shrug:

I guess what I'm saying is: pineapples to kumquats.

Touch screen? Internal reading light? Sign me up!

I'll be replacing my 1 month old 505 (with wedgelight cover) shortly after some reviews are posted from new owners (to ensure it's not flaky). Of course, one of these days I need to seriously think about selling my 2 GEB 1150s or my REB 1200 or this 505... I just love ebook readers! :book2:

When it comes to consumer electronics you usually see one of two things happen over time: either rapid price drops, or performance/capacity increases at about the same price point. Sony seems to be following the latter strategy. It's not the one I would prefer, but it's normally how things work when the components dictate a price floor, which is the case with E-ink. The screen seems to enforce a hard price floor at about $300, which is where the Sony is sitting right now.

Given those circumstances, the PRS-700 is probably the best thing Sony could have done. It's not what I wanted, but it makes a lot of sense for Sony. It widens the range and provides tangible additional functionality for an added cost. By keeping the same screen it also avoids raising the price floor.

Well, I think the big reason that Sony is not dropping prices is because it is facing little in the way of competition on price. Lets face it, the only dedicated eReader that is actually cheaper than the Sony is the ebookwise reader. And while I know it has many fans, lets face it, it is old technology and is likely not going to steal many buyers from Sony and Amazon.

The one device that might force Amazon and Sony to reassess their pricing is the iPod... its not much cheaper, but it can do a lot more (Though I grant there are many people, especially here, who would never be happy with it as their primary method of reading ebooks).

--
Bill

I think Sony's pricing for the 700 is fine. Think about it...the 505 retails for $299. Add to that the integrated lightwedge/cover, at $65 + tax, and you're up to ~$370, which is only $29 less than the 700, and you get the added benefit of the touchscreen, if you view that as an asset, as well as the integrated frontlight.

I'm not interested in upgrading because I can't justify the extra $100 for the way I use my 505 reader (see my other posts), but for someone new to the ebook reader market, I think it's very competitive with the pricing for other devices.

Getting a low-priced (sub-$100) reader is a pipe dream for now, I think...the cost of producing the eInk technology is just too high, and I don't think Sony (or Amazon, or other reader manufacturers) can anticipate enough ebook sales volume to sell these devices as loss leaders.

Just my $.02 :D

I've been on the fence for a while with the readers. I would like one, but have been trying to jusify one to myself. With my iPod I carry all my music around because I listen to all my music. With my library I carry a book and replace with another when read. I don't add a second and third to my bag in case I want to read the first one again. However something about the reader keeps drawing me back. Perhaps it's the surpressed gadget freak? Perhaps it's the need for a new toy? Perhaps, like my iPod its the desire to buy more and more of the things I want digitally because I am running out of physical space at home? :-)

I played with the 550 at the Waterstones in Bristol, UK and liked it, save the screen refresh part. I know it's not slow but it isn't fast either and seemed distracting. From other sites I understand Sony has worked on this for this new reader with some electronic wizardry and the screen refreshes much faster and nicer. However the touch screen part seems to be the most exiting part of the new model. I did feel with the 550 that this was it's primary weakness. In a landscape now accepting touchscreen as the way forward, buttons seem well....so twentieth century. :-)

I wish Sony would sort themselves out on release dates and do things globally rather than concentraing on one market and moving on. They are a big company and can do it if they wish. I am disappointed that the new machine wasn't announced for the EU market at the same time and if I do get one I may have to order from America online. Oh well, I guess someone has to prop up the American economy somehow ;-)

Overall, it has its weaknesses I admit. What new toy doesn't. However for me I think I may yet dabble. I have been disappointed by the abilities of fbreader on my Nokia N810 and it would be good to carry with me in my bag when I travel around Europe and not take up too much space. Plug in the iPod, fire up the reader and a 3 hour flight should disappear. May even distract me from the arse in the next seat shouting into her mobile phone when the airlines enable that function.

My reading habits are varied. I do like the classics so I guess I am well catered for.

However perhaps can anyone answer this little question for me re the 550 and 700? Can the readers display Cyrilic as well as Latin alphabets? I like to read Russian literature in the original where I can.

I'm intriged. :)

I like the idea of a larger built in memory card. the touch screen has potential, though I'd really like to know if the stylus works like a mouse pointer? thinking about table of contents and being able to select links without having to use the buttons to go down the list. (hope that made sense)

I think this is a step in the right direction.

though I think I'll buy when I know for sure the device can handle more than 2000 books device without such a slow start up time. I know it's better to have smaller SD cards, but I'm a pack rat when it comes to book and I like the idea of carrying my entire ebook library with me at all times.

I dont think the touch screen to turn pages is a good thing, it'd be nice as a secondary option but the best way to turn the page is with a button. They jumped the gun a little on that. I would love to see how you can turn a page with one hand with this. I hope they didn't overlook this since I use my reader when I'm commuting and I need a hand free to hold on so I dont fall.

I dont think the touch screen to turn pages is a good thing, it'd be nice as a secondary option but the best way to turn the page is with a button. They jumped the gun a little on that. I would love to see how you can turn a page with one hand with this. I hope they didn't overlook this since I use my reader when I'm commuting and I need a hand free to hold on so I dont fall.

I agree that turning pages with the touch screen should be a secondary option. I hope to see a video demo soon to see it in action, perhaps it's not as bad as I think.

I wonder if they will release a silver version of the 700.

"Finally, there will be a wireless version. Steve said this is down the road because they want to launch wireless on a open platform. That is one that will have different bookstores and book suppliers, not just the Sony store. This will take a bit of time to set up. No target date was given." From Paul Biba at the Teleread site.

This is very exciting news. Now I know what to buy. I was waiting for the Astak 6 inch with wifi and touch, but it looks like the Sony will beat them to it. The first one with an open platform, touch, and wifi gets my money (and one for my wife too). We live in a 750 sq ft apartment just outside of New York City with free wifi everywhere in the complex of 10 buildings and some of the outside spaces, so it's important to me. I prefer less buttons and I think an on screen touch keyboard is overdue for devices like this. The light integrated into the device is a really nice touch. With the wifi version of this for personal use and a Plastic Logic for business use I'll be set until color comes along.
'

Since it responds to single-touch commands, my hope is that you can just tap the right margin of the screen to flip pages rather than an actual swipe gesture.

All speculation of course until I see a video of it, but that's what I'm hoping for. :)

If the 700 had the wifi support or would allow me to read password protected PDF files I would buy it in a minute.

I am very happy with the 505 but it was impossible to find here in Canada. I was on a trip to Florida and dropped into a Sony store and was shocked to find the box was in English and French, all ready for the Canadian market. I would have expected english only or english/spanish for the US market

Given those circumstances, the PRS-700 is probably the best thing Sony could have done

I still think they blundered by not including WIFI. The press and the public in general are more or less clueless regarding tech. Believe me, had they included WIFI most of the mundanes would not have differentiated between it and EVDO (whispernet). Couple WIFI with a revamped store and they would have had a huge strike back at Amazon.

And this thread hints that dictionary look-up is a possibility.
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30027

How does it hint on dic. support?

If it has one, I am in. If it doesn't have dic. support I am off the hook.

I think it's mainly that the 700 will allow any individual word to be highlighted. It's been reported that the BBeB (and epub, I think) standard allows for integration of a dictionary lookup, but no one's ever implemented one. :shrug:

However perhaps can anyone answer this little question for me re the 550 and 700? Can the readers display Cyrilic as well as Latin alphabets? I like to read Russian literature in the original where I can.
Leaving aside PDFs with embedded font's, while the 505 has software support for Unicode/Cyrilic chars, the default fonts don't have them. However, it's easy to reflash the 505 firmware with fonts that have had Cyrilic chars added & many of us here have done so. This is a well-trodden path for the 505, but the 700's a complete unknown at present.

I think it's mainly that the 700 will allow any individual word to be highlighted. It's been reported that the BBeB (and epub, I think) standard allows for integration of a dictionary lookup, but no one's ever implemented one. :shrug:
There were dictionaries on Librie in the BBeB dictionary format (also supported by stand-alone Sony electronic dictionaries (http://www.sony.jp/products/Consumer/DD/)).

As far as the price goes, Sony does do that $150 credit on products over $299. So one could snag a 700 for around $250. Haven't done it my self but seems like a pretty good offer.
But then again I could be missing something... I hate small print.

There were dictionaries on Librie in the BBeB dictionary format (also supported by stand-alone Sony electronic dictionaries (http://www.sony.jp/products/Consumer/DD/)).

That's good news. Perhaps the unit will have dictionary support when it is released. They are possibly just waiting for some dictionaries to be done in this format. I suspect there are a few such features that may end up in the product by the time it is delivered next month.

Dale

I must disagree.

1. Most people buy Kindles and Sony readers to read on E-ink
2. battery life


I think competition will lower the price to some degree. However, I think 300USD is not a bad price if one uses the produce for a long time.

And YES I think apple products are good; however, the brain-washed macheads that think there is only one solution to technology (apple) I tend to disagree with....

hidari




The one device that might force Amazon and Sony to reassess their pricing is the iPod... its not much cheaper, but it can do a lot more (Though I grant there are many people, especially here, who would never be happy with it as their primary method of reading ebooks).

--
Bill

Since it responds to single-touch commands, my hope is that you can just tap the right margin of the screen to flip pages rather than an actual swipe gesture.

All speculation of course until I see a video of it, but that's what I'm hoping for. :)

If they didn't do that they should. eReader for iPhone/iPod does that. You can configure to page turn on tap or swipe.... which inverts how you bring up the menu. So, tap to turn page, swipe to menu or the opposite. Although eReader if you tap left side it goes backward. I think the tap should only page forward... you can use the button if you want to go back. This way you could tap/touch it with left or right bottom corner/edge with your thumb.

Hey, someone call Sony and tell them to "get 'er done".

BOb


BOb

I just don't get it....

Why doesn't Sony support Mac users? Why alienate a growing portion of computer users? Why, when using an internet store, can't Sony make their reader sync off of a Mac? Can it really be that hard? Is there an agreement with Microsoft?

This new reader is a beautiful device. I just can't stand Sony's cavalier attitude. The web and the stores on the web need to be open platform.

Specs say "8 Level grey scale" : http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665562069

So it's not 16 we hoped for

There were dictionaries on Librie in the BBeB dictionary format (also supported by stand-alone Sony electronic dictionaries (http://www.sony.jp/products/Consumer/DD/)).That's good news. Perhaps the unit will have dictionary support when it is released. They are possibly just waiting for some dictionaries to be done in this format. I suspect there are a few such features that may end up in the product by the time it is delivered next month.

I woudn't be so quick to be happy :) If you check the dates on news posts on that site, the latest is from 2006. Looks like Sony left the electronic dictionary market and doesn't make them anymore. So I doubt they're going to use the BBeB dictionary format (which was tuned for Japanese anyway).
That said, I do hope they're at least thinking about some kind of dictionary support.

Doesn't a touchscreen overlay reduce (somewhat) the contrast and clarity for the e-ink? Every device I have with a touchscreen, the diffused matte surface reduces the clarity of the LCD. In low-light, this could be significant.

Obviously, the front-light will help in really low-light situations, but I wonder if the trade off the rest of the time is worth it.

Still, if I didn't already have a 505, I'd probably consider the 700. :)

Doesn't a touchscreen overlay reduce (somewhat) the contrast and clarity for the e-ink? Every device I have with a touchscreen, the diffused matte surface reduces the clarity of the LCD. In low-light, this could be significant. This is probably using PVI's Touch EPD (http://www.pvi.com.tw/en/news/news_view.php?lists=8):

PVI’s new Touch EPD uses the innovative “force sensing” touch technology. In this technology, several force sensors are placed under the e-paper display. When a user touches the display, proprietary software calculates the location and intensity of the touch with input from the sensors. There is no additional layer of materials on top of he display as there is in traditional touch technologies; as such, there is no impact to the reflective qualities of the display.

Having been in the market for a new ebook reader for the past several weeks, I've just now ordered the PRS700 from Sonystyle.ca. Price is the same as US, i.e. $399 and delivery date is Nov. 17, 2008 (just 3 days later than the delivery date shown on Sonystyle USA site).

I am really looking forward to it -- the touchscreen and search function really clinched the deal for me. I'm not so keen on the black colour but will live with it.

This is probably using PVI's Touch EPD (http://www.pvi.com.tw/en/news/news_view.php?lists=8):

I'd forgotten about that news item. I thought they were going with a capacitive screen, but perhaps not. I wouldn't be surprised if it's hard to get digital ink (for handwriting annotation) with this system, though. That could explain why there's no digital ink capability in the 700.

I'd forgotten about that news item. I thought they were going with a capacitive screen, but perhaps not. I wouldn't be surprised if it's hard to get digital ink (for handwriting annotation) with this system, though. That could explain why there's no digital ink capability in the 700.

I thought I read somewhere about wacom? Perhaps they were wrong... or it was about some other device.

BOb

I'm pretty sure this one isn't wacom ... they don't respond to touch do they? My TabletPC doesn't, at least. :headscratch:

I'm pretty sure this one isn't wacom ... they don't respond to touch do they? My TabletPC doesn't, at least. :headscratch:

That's right. It was the new HP tablet that I was reading about that has a wacom pad. Never mind.

BOb

Okay, folks, no shoving now. The line forms right here (yes, yes, that's right: right there behind me :nice:) -- so who's ready to queue up?

I can see a visit to the SonyStyle Store. across the road from the Moscone Center, at MacWorld in January... :)

Ian

I can see a visit to the SonyStyle Store. across the road from the Moscone Center, at MacWorld in January... :)

Ian
I can see it now... You go to the SonyStyle Store, you end up buying a 700, you bring it over to MacWorld and all of a sudden, the 700 becomes the hit of MacWorld, making it on the front cover of every computer based publication with a articles that stored off something like.... The Hit of MacWorld was not any product by Apple, but instead it was the Sony Reader PRS-700...

I must disagree.

1. Most people buy Kindles and Sony readers to read on E-ink
2. battery life


I think competition will lower the price to some degree. However, I think 300USD is not a bad price if one uses the produce for a long time.

And YES I think apple products are good; however, the brain-washed macheads that think there is only one solution to technology (apple) I tend to disagree with....

hidari

I agree that most people who buy Kindles and Sony readers now buy them to read on E-Ink. However, that doesn't mean that everyone who reads, or more importantly will read ebooks is necessarily going to care about the screen. Yep, E-Ink is cool technology, but I suspect that many prospective e-book readers are going to be willing to take the jump at $300 when they can use a device they already own. I suspect that they will use iPods, iPhones, Android and Windows Mobile Phones to test the waters... and more than a few of them will find that the smaller screen, while perhaps not optimal for reading, makes it easier to have their books with them everywhere... and will never make the jump.

Basic problem is, that for books, $300 is not an impulse purchase.

As for battery life, not really an issue for most people. I grant if you are planning a 3 week trip out of the United States, that an iPod might not be the best solution, but for everyday reading? Lets face it, many of us are already to the point where we plug our phone in when we go to bed at night. An iPod is not any different (and in fact might be the same device these days).

Essentially I am thinking Apple, mainly because they are the market leader with the iPod Touch of a converged device, but I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest to see other small devices start competing as well.

--
Bill

If Sony doesn't keep the 505 AND lower the price to around $199, I think Sony blinked. There I said it.

When I was choosing eReaders last year it was Kindle vs. Sony Reader. I chose the Reader even though I liked the Kindle's WiFi because I thought the Reader felt better and wasn't goofy looking. Basically I thought the Sony Reader was a better product considering the features of both machines, even if just marginally.

The Kindle 2.0 will be announced in the next month or so. Alleged pics of it are already on rumor sites. If thats really it its much more "normal" looking, even if it still too plasticly. If it keeps the same price point as the current Kindle ($359) then I think it will win out...if any digital reader wins.

$400 is way too much for a reader, especially with no WiFi. Heck, $250 is really too much for the 505 for it to be a mass market item. The backlight was needed. The touch screen (highlighting, etc) is also nice, but probably better for academic purposes than casual reading. I don't see too many $400 Sony Readers selling, especially in this economy and with this stock market.

eink cannot have a back light. So what Sony has done is put in a front light using LED.

eink cannot have a back light. So what Sony has done is put in a front light using LCD.

Actually it's LEDs no LCD there .

I know that I have been pretty vocal about the lack of Mac or Linux support lately as have others here at MR. I was really looking forward to this announcement thinking that they would add some form of wireless or update the software to support Macs. So on Sony's big day, after 2 years of enjoyable reading on a PRS-500 but jumping through hoops to load books from the Sony ebook store I have ordered a Kindle.

I know that for many of you the Sony reader line is perfect and I respect that. I have enjoyed mine immensely. But with this announcement they have missed the boat, or at least my boat.

I'll check out what they have to offer in the future but for now I am going to the other camp. See ya Sony!

The fact that they release PRS 700 after a month they did with PRS 505 freaks me out. I bought 505 2 weeks ago and just ordered the 65$ light from the Sonystyle store. Today I have to rush back with my reader and receipts to have it refunded. Thank god I just have to pay the different for the 700 and 505 and wait til Nov to get it. If they release the news in Dec I will be very angry.

I've posted here many times about my need for a backlight and why I would never use e-ink because I didn't want to lug around a light to read in bed at night. I've got one too many LCD devices (my wife doesn't understand my infatuation with e-reading devices), and I've been very disappointed that no new LCD devices were being released here in the US.

I never knew they had covers for the 505 that had built-in lights. That was a revelation to me, but at the same swipe I find out they have a front-lit e-ink device coming out. I would like to find out how effective it is for reading in the dark from someone who has actually used it. The touchscreen is also a nice feature, but not a buying point for me. Still, even if the light isn't the greatest in complete darkness, maybe this is the time for me to jump into the e-ink market. Someone has obviously been listening to those of us who wanted this feature and if that someone reads these boards I profoundly thank you.

My birthday is coming up, and now I know what I want. :bookworm:

The fact that they release PRS 700 after a month they did with PRS 505 freaks me out.

What are you talking about? The PRS-505 has been out for about a year.

What are you talking about? The PRS-505 has been out for about a year.

I think he mean a month after it was available in the UK.

But, if that is not what he means than yes... This is the third year in a row that Sony has release a new model in October. I'm not sure why anyone was surprised that they came out with a new device.

BOb

I think he mean a month after it was available in the UK.


I don't see the relevance of that, since the PRS-700 hasn't been launched in the UK. The fact that the PRS-700 now exists doesn't change what the 505 can do. If it was a device which met one's requirements last month, it will still do so today.

Well, after reading what's been said here and what you can learn about the 700 at Sonystyle, I think this is an altogether new concept (for Sony). This is in no way a better 505. IMHO it is actually a worse one with some extras that depending on how useful they are to you, might tilt the balance.

There is nothing about the 700 that can improve the reading experience, except for the light. This you'll end up paying by shorter battery life (battery seems to be the same as in the 505, so just no way you can read the same in both). In any case, I solved that problem with an external light long ago and I consider that difference non-exixtent for my daily use of the reader. The 700 is a little heavier but the weight difference is negligible.

When reading fiction, I can find no need for the touchscreen having the hardware buttons of the 505, but I could use the hardware buttons of the 505 on the 700 even if I had the touchscreen. To me, this is the main difference between both interfaces and it is capital. Worse than that, the existing buttons of the 700 are inline with others exactly the same as them and in a not too good position for one (left) handed reading. Right handed reading can't be done unless you release your thumb and slide it along the screen. Many 700 are going to get dropped this way.

The possible dictionary application is the best novelty of the 700. Certainly not enough, in my case, to pay even the same as for the 505 and exchange it for the hardware buttons.

Page turn seems to be faster, but that is no real advantage, being the turn speed of the 505 already pretty good.

So, for whoever needs highlighting text, uses dictionaries all the time or has a whim for a built in light system, this could be a great gadget. For me, it is another product, far from an upgrade, that offers no advantages to me in actual reading (same screen tech and size, with the same 8 shades of gray), and seems actually less comfortable when turning pages in all positions.

Conclusion: I would only buy it if it was far cheaper than the 505. And that only if I was short of money.

As far as I can see, this could have two effects on the 505.

1.- Lower it's price. That is a sensible thing to expect in the medium term and is perfect for me as I have no intention of replacing a 505 with a 700 whatsoever.

2.- Depending on how different their software modules are, Sony might forget about upgrading 505 firmware any more. This I find no mayor issue, since, the way it performs now, the 505 is just perfect for me.

Who knows, maybe this is a test from Sony to check how a touchscreen would be received on their way to competing with Illiad.

It would surprise me none if they release a 510 next year.

I don't see the relevance of that, since the PRS-700 hasn't been launched in the UK.

I agree with you. I am just positing why he is saying "700 was released a month after the 505" how he came up with 1 month.

BOb

I just read Paul Biba's (of Teleread) great summary of the Sony event and I noticed something that I haven't read in any other summary, mainly:
Also, there is no flicker or “blink” when you change pages. This is a major ergonomic improvement over earlier versions. A representative of E-ink, who makes the screen, was at the event and I cornered him and asked him how Sony accomplished this. He said it was a combination of Sony proprietary technology and some small improvements in the E-ink screen. Primarily, he said, this is a result of Sony’s expertise in writing an optimized driver and in designing the display chip and optimizing timing issues. This, I would guess, is going to be extremely difficult for competitors to do for themselves.


Many people, here on the forums and elsewhere, have expressed opinions on the new reader. Opinions which ranged between simple disappointment to calling the PRS-700 an inferior device to the PRS-505. I understand how people can feel cheated, especially if they just bought a PRS-505 (as many in the UK did) but I think that they are giving up on the PRS-700 too soon.

Let me summarize why I think the PRS-700 is gonna be great:
1. Touch-screen.
Yes, Touch screen. Not for nothing Apple had started using touch screen with the iPod line - once you get used to it it's a better way to interface with the hardware (IMHO). Many people here wrote how they miss the button placement of the old PRS-505. With a touch screen anywhere can be a button. Since Sony said the whole thing is configurable - make your own buttons, wherever you like them.
2. Faster page turns.
Every reviewer who reviewed the units agreed that the PRS-700 has faster page turns than the 505. It's still not instantaneous, but it's gotten to the point where it doesn't matter anymore, especially paired with point 3.
3. No "blink".
See Paul Biba's quote.
4. Great hardware and ergonomics.
True, the PRS-505 has this as well, but no other reader on the market, INHO, comes close to sony when it comes to designing hardware that just works. Coupled with good ergonomics - you get the best device on the 6' market.
Many here seems sure they don't like the new design but opinions can change. When the PRS-505 came out many had said the same thing about the PRS-505. Said that it looked worse than the PRS-500. Some probably still think so today, most though has grown to like the design.
5. Integrated side light.
I remember how many people wanted this when the PRS-505 came out, yet now you don't read a much about it. Yes, I know there are light wedges available, but it's not the same as when you get it as part of the package.
What about battery life you say? well, is it any easier when you have to take care of two batteries? You don't need it - don't use it.
6. (future, hopefully) Dictionary support.
It's been talked about here already. The hardware is available. You can mark a word with the touch of a finger (or a stylus). I do believe we will see it, if not right now, then with a later firmware release. How much later? that will depend how much pressure people will put up, I suppose.

Also, Sony has made it clear they intend to improve on their ebooks store offering, increasing the available content to a 100,000 titles by Christmas. That's still half of what Amazon has made available, but there is no reason to assume they will stop there. Much of Amazon large difference is made by works which, without being insulting, is not what you'd call quality content. I'm not sure that Sony is going to do any better, but here's to hoping.

All in all, when you look at the changes from the PRS-500 to the 505 and now 700 you can see a long line of small improvement. Which, when summed up amount to a great device. So maybe it's not a revolutionary device, but it's certaintly an evolutionary one.

I have been using a PRS-505 for over ten months now - have read over 80 public domain books with another 600 plus stored on my laptop - and love it - a fantastic device. I'm not about to buy the 700 model at this point in time, unless Sony offered me about a $100-$150 credit for the 505. The 505 meets all my reading needs at the moment. When my 505 experiences problems, the 700 would be a great choice to replace it.

However, to weigh in on the discussion/controversy over the new 700 model - here are my comments.

Despite what others have said, the PRS-700 is a major advance for Sony IMHO. It shows that they are committed to the eReader community and intend to continue coming out with new and improved devices. That is important for me.

The progression to a touch-screen eInk device is significant. That is what people want these days in their MP3 players, cell phones and even computers. This is their first attempt at a touch screen device - be patient, more features will be forthcoming in new units from them. Touch screen is the future of all screen-based electronic devices.

The concept of having the keyboard appear when you require it via the touch screen is, in my opinion, far superior to the Kindle's somewhat klutzy physical keyboard which put me off from buying it - not to offend any Kindle users. I don't particulalry need to use a keyboard with my eReader, but it would be a nice touch to have.

With the note taking, highlighting and text search features, it would appear that some form of dictionary support is around the corner - quite possibily in the 700 model before it actually hits the market or soon thereafter with an update. That I would like, although I rarely have to look words up in the dictionary. And since the reader dictionaries are fairly basic due to size, I suspect that many words I might need to look up would not be found.

And I have never made a note in any book I have ever read in my life and see no reason to now - and that includes college textbooks. However, I would like to have the text search capability so that I could refer back to a section of a long novel - for instance to see when a character was first introduced in the novel to refresh my memory of them - or in backtracking clues in a mystery novel. Now highlighting is something I probably would do. And I suppose I would find a form of notes useful, but in something like little notepads rather than, or in addition to, within a given book. How about having a notepad associated with a book but separate from it easily called up via the Utility botton?

The front light is a real nice idea as well. I have a clip on light but it is clumsy to use.

When I read a physical book, I turn the pages from the top right corner of the right page. With the 505 I have to use buttons on the lower left or on the right side. I adjusted to that and I am sure that even at the advanced age of 62, I could adapt to the new buttons at the lower left and use the touch screen to flip pages - which is actually so close to what we do with a physcial book that for the life of me I cannot understand the complaints I have read here. Just don't read while eating greasy potato chips or popcorn, and wash your hands.

From the photos I have seen the 700 appears to have a "ribbed" left edge which would probably make it more comfortable to hold. Plus according to the news so far, page turns are quite a bit faster on the 700 over the 500 and 505 - again a good improvement.

I suspect that Sony is working very hard to get more ebooks in their on-line store. That will come. I believe one of the people who attended the intro show said the Sony people commented that their goal was 100,000 books fairly soon.

It will be interesting to see the changes they are going to be making to their store with version 2.5 of the computer software. So far everything I read is free via public domain sites anyway - I borrow new releases from my public library rather than buying them - but I can understand those who want to have more books available to download from Sony. And if there was some new book I really wanted to read and was willing to pay for, I too would be upset if it wasn't available for my device from Sony.

But I honestly don't find it at all awkward to connect the 505 to my laptop and manage my books that way. I usually only keep 10 to 15 books on my reader at a time so that it runs faster. And even in this regard Sony has increased the memory to 450 MB so we can store about 320 books rather than only 150 or so. Good grief, I couldn't possibly want that many to wade through on my eReader. I would still rather have them on my laptop and go get them when I want them. It only takes me about 5 minutes to hook up and get new books to read once or twice a month. But again it shows Sony is thinking when they designed this new unit.

As for WiFi, that would be nice - and I am sure it will be in their next eReader. Trust me, Sony knows they will eventually lose buyers to the Kindle if they don't add WiFi. In fact, if I am in the market for a new reader when the PRS-7## model comes out next year or the year thereafter and it does not include WiFi capability, Sony will lose me as a customer. I want Wikipadeia access.

Not to mention five print sizes rather than the three we now have - and zoom in/out.

As for price, cheaper would be nice, but it isn't - that's the way it goes. If I were a first time buyer for an eReader in November, it would be a no-brainer. The 700 would win out over the 505 in a heartbeat despite the $399 pricetag.

I only have one complaint with Sony - and I have it with my 505 as well as the 700. Make the AC adapter part of the package you sell, not a separate purchase. They go together and should be sold as a unit. Having to leave my laptop on and connected to power and wait for up to four hours to recharge the eReader is moronic. I have the adapter and can read while the unit recharges. This is a no-brainer Sony - get with the program.

Overall my vote is that Sony did a great job in putting together the PRS-700. Kudos. Now I await some of you lambasting me for my personal opinions.

Let me summarize why I think the PRS-700 is gonna be great:
1. Touch-screen.

To me the above also... but due to the virtual keyboard which adds the ability to search, annotate, take notes, etc. Stuff you can do on the Kindle v1 device.

BOb

So does this mean you could set a "button" in the lower right corner (or middle of the right side) to page forward? For me, that would compensate for the less than optimal placement of the page buttons on the 700.


1. Touch-screen.
Yes, Touch screen. Not for nothing Apple had started using touch screen with the iPod line - once you get used to it it's a better way to interface with the hardware (IMHO). Many people here wrote how they miss the button placement of the old PRS-505. With a touch screen anywhere can be a button. Since Sony said the whole thing is configurable - make your own buttons, wherever you like them.

So does this mean you could set a "button" in the lower right corner (or middle of the right side) to page forward? For me, that would compensate for the less than optimal placement of the page buttons on the 700.

I Don't know. The way I read it Sony said the swipe to change pages is configurable. But how configurable I don't know.

It looks cool, but am so glad after Sony released 505 software update.

The good think witht he 700 is that reading should take less power then any other eink device since it doesn't need to update the screen twice for each page turn. Well done Sony!

Sounds like the "swipe motion" is just a different take on page changing.

IE: instead of changing the page with a giant flash, it now just scrolls down the page line by line doing the change. Thus, to the naked eye, it looks as though the page changed faster and cleaner (when in fact it's the same speed, it's just not as noticeable as the entire screen changing color).

There were several articles about PRS-700 launch accompanies by pictures of a PRS-500 or PRS-505 but this one takes the cake...
http://www.itproportal.com/articles/2008/10/06/sony-launch-new-ebook-reader-enhanced-display/

There were several articles about PRS-700 launch accompanies by pictures of a PRS-500 or PRS-505 but this one takes the cake...
http://www.itproportal.com/articles/2008/10/06/sony-launch-new-ebook-reader-enhanced-display/
How did they manage to make such a big blunder?

Sounds like the "swipe motion" is just a different take on page changing.

IE: instead of changing the page with a giant flash, it now just scrolls down the page line by line doing the change. Thus, to the naked eye, it looks as though the page changed faster and cleaner (when in fact it's the same speed, it's just not as noticeable as the entire screen changing color).

No, I don't think that's what it means. The "swipe motion" refers to the motion of your finger on the screen to turn the page, not to the way that the screen is redrawn by the machine.

How did they manage to make such a big blunder?

I don't recognise that device at all. What is it?

I don't recognise that device at all. What is it?
It's the Sony Librie.

Ah! Thanks :).

Just came across this blog entry (http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/10/04/sony-reader-prs-700-part-two/) by Mike Cane about the new 700. Good reading. He has some points about the PRS-700 which I haven't read anywhere else. Also, some of his other entries on the reader are worth reading.

What’s probably not immediately apparent is the continued genius of the hardware design. The three left-most buttons are where your left-hand thumb would go with a printed book. It’s also where your left-hand thumb would go with the two prior models, the PRS-500 and 505 (if you’re holding them properly!). So, that aspect of the design has been preserved, even though the buttons are different and now actually separate.

One more point about these views. Remember those ten buttons the 505 had on its right side, to select eBooks? Those are gone now. In their place is an alphabetical tab system at the right side of the touchscreen in List and Cover views, sort of like the alpha tabs found in the iPhone’s Contacts list. One of those tabs can be tapped on to, for example, select all eBook titles that begin with A or with T. This will be very handy for people who really put many eBooks on the Sony Reader. Being able to quickly jump to something has been much improved. No more page-page-page through Lists!

Once a book has been selected, there is an enhanced Table of Contents which now includes being able to jump to each chapter of an eBook.

Once in an eBook, the fifth button at the bottom, Magnify, will bring up a dialog box(!) with five type size choices: S, M, L, XL, and XXL. That’s two more choices than past models. In addition, changing type size is instant. No repagination delay! There’s a brief flash of the screen but, boom!, done.

Just came across this blog entry (http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/10/04/sony-reader-prs-700-part-two/) by Mike Cane about the new 700. Good reading. He has some points about the PRS-700 which I haven't read anywhere else. Also, some of his other entries on the reader are worth reading.

One other point he makes, which was queried about here... "Use a gesture to change the page — this can be a swipe to the left or right, a tap, or even a swipe up or down! This is totally user-selectable."

One other point he makes, which was queried about here... "Use a gesture to change the page — this can be a swipe to the left or right, a tap, or even a swipe up or down! This is totally user-selectable."

Totally right! Missed that one, thanks.

One other point he makes, which was queried about here... "Use a gesture to change the page — this can be a swipe to the left or right, a tap, or even a swipe up or down! This is totally user-selectable."

I think the tap selection would suite me best but I wonder what would be the touch command for page return. Double tap perhaps?

I think the tap selection would suite me best but I wonder what would be the touch command for page return. Double tap perhaps?

I think the tap is sensitive to the area of the screen tapped so you might tap near the bottom for forward and near the top for backward.

Dale

1 1/2 years with a 500. Yea, I'm ready for an upgrade. Just in time for Christmas too. Suffer the injustice 505 users, you know you want it, just bad timing. I'll miss my 500 though, black cover, dirty and travel worn. It's actually bent from storing in my butt pocket, didn't know a vizplex display could survivie that. I'll be first in line!

Elad

I have finally found a video of the thing:

http://vimeo.com/1890432

Also, as I would really like to see some more, I have started a thread for posting links to the PRS-700 videos:

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30201

If you find something, share. :)

Nice!
There was a dialog box in the video that looked familiar, then it hit me that it looked just like an old aPple dialog box. :p

With the frontlight, and the configurable page turning, the only thing missing is a dictionary lookup. This is definitely looking like the next device for my wife and I. We love our 500s, but the new features of the 700 will probably suck us in.

I have finally found a video of the thing:

http://vimeo.com/1890432

Also, as I would really like to see some more, I have started a thread for posting links to the PRS-700 videos:

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30201

If you find something, share. :)

The 700 moves fast. That's nice. It does blink when turning pages, though.

The buttons seem big enough for comfortable left handed reading.
Font size change is fast, but I would like to know if pdf reflow is as crappy as in the 505.

Seems there is no actual reason for the dictionary not to be there already. Double clicking a word brings the dictionary forward. I had that on my X50v and worked like a charm.

The 8 led lights don't show an evenly lighted surface (could be the video). I get a much better illumination with my Mighty Bright Doubleflex. That is something I expected to perform better.

As I said before, there is no actual reason why I should prefer the 700 to the 505, given the use I make of it. However, I understand many of you will love the new features.

Font size change is fast, but I would like to know if pdf reflow is as crappy as in the 505.

Given the fact that the PDF reflow is a feature of the Adobe PDF software for the reader, the answer is probably yes.

Seems there is no actual reason for the dictionary not to be there already. Double clicking a word brings the dictionary forward. I had that on my X50v and worked like a charm.

I believe it is not enough. You need an ebook dictionary configured to respond to this...

Of course. What I mean is that the 700 can take advantage of it straight away, which the 505 could not.