So Sony jumped the gun and unveiled a new e-book reader... the Sony PRS-700. It looks fancier than its predecessors, has a touch screen, and a built-in LED frontlight (!).

If you were to buy a new e-book device today, would you buy the new Sony?

Add dictionary support and I'm in.

I love my Cybook, but I'm going to buy one of the PRS-700 when they hit the stores. If Sony has done a good implementation of the touchscreen, I think this will improve the mechanics of the reading experience.

-Jeff

I'd snap it up in a second if that revamped bookstore is Mac friendly/web-based!

My thumb is developing a page-turn callous, so I love the idea of a touchscreen.

Just bought a 505, and there's nothing here that would make me regret that

I'm a maybe.

I only say maybe because there is nothing here to make me want to upgrade (especially as I live in New Zealand) but if my 505 broke then I would replace it with a 700.......

I'm a no, mostly because I don't have a use for most of the upgraded features. If something catastrophic happened to my 505, then probably.

I'm an "almost certainly," but I'm still using my venerable 500, so the gadget lust is strong in this one. :drool:

I still can't believe my 500 still works like a champ, with 2400+ "books" on board from short stories to photos to HUUUGE (a la H. P. Lovecraft's Complete Works in one volume.

So, for improved contrast and all-around latest and greatest-ness, yeah I'm going for it this time.

The one feature I really would like is solar rechargability, so far I've struck out via USB port.

If they give me $100 for my 500 I will get one. I see no reason to trade in my 505 though.

Just bought a 505, and there's nothing here that would make me regret that

Ditto...

As I have no reader for now... I think I'll wait christmas and get this one ^_^

I wanted the touch screen ability and in addition Sony is releasing the 505 in France so I can have also French books with this baby ;)

If I can get it via BHPhoto, yes despite the Aussie dollar being a dog right now :)

No, I still like my iLiad for the relatively open development environment (which Sony is never likely to allow). Also, I need annotation. But I think it will sell well, and I'd recommend it if someone asked me about readers on the market presently.

Love my 505 and nothing in the 700 I've heard of so far would lead me to but one right away. When my 505 fails I will certainly get another unit - either the Sony 700 (or a future model) or the next version of the Kindle. Then again, if I see it at Borders this holiday season and my credit card hasn't suffered adversely from holiday shopping for others <G>, ya never know.

If the Sony 700 had dictionary support and WiFi I would probably buy it in a minute - and have two eReaders for the household. I can't believe they put in highlighting, keyboard, annotation/notes and searching text, but not dictionary capability. However, I definitely prefer the on-screen keyboard approach of the 700 over the bulky physical keyboard on the current Kindle - great touch.

And once they add WiFi to have instant access to the Internet for buying books (which I don't tend to do anyway as I read mostly public domain novels) and looking things up in Wikopaedia, I am in.

Bob

The 700 is not good enough to upgrade from the 505, but if I was in the market today I would certainly buy one even considering the higher price.
When I shopped a while ago it was a close choice between the Cybook & the 505 but with the 700 it seems now that Sony offers by far the best reader in the 6" category.

I feel kinda disappointed though, I feel the best move for Sony and the Ebook market in general would rather have been a cheaper (smaller, like 5"?) device than a new high end one.

Wired thinks (http://blog.wired.com/business/2008/10/sonys-new-e-boo.html) they're aiming for textbook market.
Several major textbook publishers were in attendance at the release, further emphasizing the fact that Sony envisions college students as their target market.

But the PRS-700 is $100 more expensive that the previous reader at $399, which is likely to turn many students away. Perhaps if Sony worked out a cheaper package deal with textbook publishers, the cost would be more manageable.

My nearly year-old 505 got broken 6 weeks ago. I will be replacing it. I voted "No". I was that happy with my 505, and the 700 doesn't seem to offer features I deem important. I will wait for a hands-on review (and maybe test-drive one at a retail store.)

The newly added features are not that useful. With the touch screen, a dictionary should be implemented easily, why not add it?

Sounds like another nice hardware device from Sony. I really like the idea of the soft keyboard, searching, and the light. But if Sony gave me a $100 for my 505 (which I already like a lot), I would.......go buy a Kindle for which I could buy a lot more books that I want to read. You're just not helping me out here, Sony.

My nearly year old 505 (well... my wifes, but she's got mine now) has a damaged screen. And so I'm going to be looking for a replacement at some stage soon (I can still make use of the damaged one for now). But as I'm in the UK and don't want to be ordering from the US. I voted no.

I prefer the looks of the 505, and the new features of the 700 don't do anything for me. So I think a new 505 around christmas, or whenever I see a good offer (I can hope!) will be my next purchase.

In a lot of ways I'm relieved. As I've only just bought a 505 (just released in the UK) I was worried it would get an upgrade that made me regret not waiting. But it hasn't. The touch screen does nothing for me... the light, I guess that's nice, but I can live without.

If both where available when I was buying I probably would have got the 505 still. I kind of like the idea of minimal features in a reader. To me it's a book with a couple of buttons.

Just bought a 505, and there's nothing here that would make me regret that


Likewise - there's certainly not enough difference to make me replace my 505 while it's still working. In a few years when the 505 is wearing out, I would certainly consider the 700. If the 505 doesn't last at least two or three years, I would have to question the value of the product.

Martin

Maybe, but probably not.

My reader will hit it's first anniversary in the next week or two. And it still matches most of my needs. The 700 is nice, but I don't see that it's features justify an upgrade at this point.

If I manage to kill the 505 in the next year then I might change my mind, otherwise I will look at whats on offer then.

No.
The touch screen is interesting, and it opens the device to some other uses.
BUT for the page turning a couple of buttons located on left, right and bottom edge of the device would work much much better (IMHO) than a swipe.

Come on.
I hold the reader by one hand while reading. How am I supposed to make the swipe with the same hand I use for holding the device? Do not tell me I need to turn pages with two hands like when reading a hardback.
Perhaps if it could be configured to turn the page when you lightly touch the screen near the border ...

For now, my trusty PRS500 does everything I need from a book reader.
I might update my PRS500 to a PRS505 if the price of second-hand 505s falls down when early adopters rush to update to PRS700.

No. I hate greasy fingerprints on any screen.

If and I mean IF I was in the market for a Reader and had no experience with the 505 then I would probably buy it. But knowing what I know about the 505 and having owned one for just over a month. Then i would say No I will wait for a couple more versions with features I want. Like WI-FI or Bluetooth, Mac support etc.

JJ

I think that even if Sony put out a reader with something akin to Amazon's whispernet, it still would not outshine the Kindle. I love the way the 500/505 look, they're sexy, slim and much more portable due to the size. The Kindle is somewhat awkward, bulky and yes, not very pretty.
However, the number of books one can get from Amazon, and most importantly the price of those books makes my Kindle much more valuable to me. If only they could make the Kindle more attractive!

meh..

edit: if it was bigger or had higher resolution maybe. im just not so infatuated with touching things that ill pay an extra $150 to do it

This is a large step in the right direction with touch and integrated lighting. Too expensive for now, but if I decided to go for an eink - for now I still find the advantages of an eink screen not compensating fro the many disadvantages so the 770 is still my main device with the Touch as a backup - I would take this over Kindle by far.

If Sony makes a smaller screen eink with touch and lighting and half price and they may finally get a serious mass market device.

No. Only if my 500 broke which I've been keeping good care of. Its not worth just replacing my current working reader.

Like other posters have mentioned if it had wifi then I would think about, I'm very happy with my Cybook :)

I got my 505 this Summer and am very happy wiht it - not feeling any *must have* urge to upgrade to the 700. The built in sidelight is nice, but I don't care for the look of it from the few pictures I've seen. The buttons don't look as nice either. Also I don't need the touchscreeen - I use my reader for reading books cover-to-cover, no need for notetaking or searching text.

If it has a dictionary support and old fashioned buttons work well for turning page then I am in.

Count me in the "new model, time to upgrade" crowd. I'm lucky in that I can usually sell last year's model for about $100 discount off list (I keep them in pristine shape) and this year I'm adding on $50 for the lightwedge cover, which I bought last weekend. So for $150 more, yeah, I'll upgrade.

The touchscreen doesn't bother me - I've had a rocket ebook, REB 1100, REB 1200, GEB 1150, GEB 2150, eBookwise 1150 and they've all been touchscreen. As a matter of fact, had it not been for run-time and storage capacity issues, I'd probably still be using my GEB 1150 - I loved that touch-screen user interface, and the unit itself had a great hand-fit!

For one handed reading, I tend to hold my book in my left hand by the bottom corner and hit the page turn buttons there anyway, so that's not likely to be a big problem, though I'm not happy that on the PRS-700 the page forward and page back are so close together. What I'd really like to see them do someday is add a couple of slightly larger buttons on the left hand side of the screen, and, like the GEB 1150, support upside-down flipping so those buttons can be used on either the left or right hand side. Maybe even indent the side buttons a touch with an ergonomic thumb curve so that they aren't bumped accidentally too often.

For one handed reading, I tend to hold my book in my left hand by the bottom corner and hit the page turn buttons there anyway, so that's not likely to be a big problem, though I'm not happy that on the PRS-700 the page forward and page back are so close together.

Well, there is a hack for the 505 that lets you re-map buttons. I think it just edits an XML file. I bet Sony used the same methods on the 700. So, you could probably re-map the buttons so the extreme left and extreme right buttons are "next page".

BOb

YES (Maybe)

With my Iliad sitting broken in the back of a cupboard and the new Digital reader doing nothing for me (I'm not paying 900Euros for something that is unlikely to last a year)

This is probably my next reader, an easy to carry size, cheap (see above...), searchable (have to check that applies to PDF files for work), touch screen (I just like the whole touch screen interface idea although the idea is rarely thought out particularly well) and best of all an inbuilt lighting system, great for reading company manuals in a dark cockpit

Just going to have to go and read the comments about Sony's software for the Reader, if it's as bad as their old Connect software for MP3/ATRAC players I may run rapidly in the opposite direction...

I'm waiting to see if Astak can deliver a Mentor with eReader support.

On the other hand, should Sony release the 700 with support for eReader formatting, my wait would be over: I'd buy a 700 at once.

I'm going to stick with the Kindle family. I don't see Amazon opening up to sales on other devices and no ereader device is perfect, so the reading selection did it for it. The one thing I want to make it perfect is Adobe DE support.

I'll check the 700 out the day it hits the stores. But, unlikely I'll upgrade. Only had my 505 since January and am very pleased with it. Now, were Sony to offer a trade in deal.......

If Sony offers a trade-in deal I'll upgrade my 505 :D

To be honest, I think the 505 can probably be sold for more then you'd get if you traded it in providing there was a trade-in.

But if I was to get a 700, I'd sell my wife's 500 and buy a 700 giving her my 505.

I wish the Kindle hardware design was more like this. I'd really rather have the on screen keyboard and keep the device smaller. I love the front light, too. It seems they could add dictionary lookup easily. Hopefully they keep the momentum up with firmware development. Their last release seemed very pleasing and dictionary support is a much requested feature. It's pretty necessary if they want the textbook market as the rumor says. I'm still very happy with my Kindle and prefer the Amazon store experience, but hardware-wise, this is closer to my ideal reader. I won't be switching but I hope it raises the bar in the industry.

Don't own a reader yet. The 700 is desirable but I would have to order from America and forgoe any waranty as a result. Still there is a birthday, Christmas, New Year, Orthodox Christmas and Old New Year coming soon so plenty of excuses for me ;-)

Just too pricey... I'd buy it on-the-spot at $200, but at $500, no way.

Just too pricey... I'd buy it on-the-spot at $200, but at $500, no way.

I think it will sell for $400. your point still stand, though. It is expensive.

Just too pricey... I'd buy it on-the-spot at $200, but at $500, no way.

Suggested retail is $399, but I would expect to see it from $350 not to long from the various discounters. That is the same price as the CyBook/BeBook in the US at least.

BOb

I dont see a single feature that will entice me to get 700. I use my 505 to read books - thus i don't care about touch screen/dictionary/word lookup/keyboard (assuming 700 will have all of it).

Especially touch screen - i just don't see how it's better to turn pages using the screen instead of buttons - i mean, i usually hold my 505 in one hand :) And that LED frontlight looks UGLY on pictures :)

If it were available up North I would succumb to gadgetlust very fast. Non availability will bring me closer to my goal of colo(u)r eink reader or pocket computer... someday.

If this were my first e-book purchase, I might jump...waited for a lighted eInk reader for years (or for prices to drop)...but having used one for about a month, other features take priority.

That being said, I was fully prepared to return my Kindle (purchased within 30 days of the announcement) IF Sony truly announced a "must have" device.

Now that I own an eReader that I love, the 700 isn't it...not willing to give up Amazon's library, pricing or Whispernet for a light and no need for a touchscreen. And while the Kindle isn't sleek, I've learned its VERY functional in its design...so for now I am sticking with it.

If it were available up North I would succumb to gadgetlust very fast. Non availability will bring me closer to my goal of colo(u)r eink reader or pocket computer... someday.

It is available up north.
http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/servlet/ProductDetailDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&productId=1005736

The 700 needs only a dictionary to be my next device. Further, if it has spelling, I'm taken. I'll have to exorcise the new design and button placement first, of course, then it should be fine.

It is available up north.
http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/servlet/ProductDetailDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&productId=1005736
Well... not quite . Montreal is still a 'No 'zone. But it's great for you folks out of Quebec.

US$399 is roughly equal to GBP 229.
The UK retail price for the 505 is GBP 199.

If you live in the US, think yourself lucky how low your prices often are!

US$399 is roughly equal to GBP 229.
The UK retail price for the 505 is GBP 199.

If you live in the US, think yourself lucky how low your prices often are!

The US and UK prices for the Sony Reader are pretty much equal, to the nearest pound. Sony have set the UK price absolutely on a par with the US price.

ie US price = $299 = £168. Add VAT and that's £197. The actual UK price is £199.

Don't forget that even though the quoted US price excludes tax, if you buy the 505 in a store in the US, the buyer has to pay sales tax on top of the quoted price.

The US and UK prices for the Sony Reader are pretty much equal, to the nearest pound. Sony have set the UK price absolutely on a par with the US price.

ie US price = $299 = £168. Add VAT and that's £197. The actual UK price is £199.

Don't forget that even though the quoted US price excludes tax, if you buy the 505 in a store in the US, the buyer has to pay sales tax on top of the quoted price.

Do you mean that if I come in person to B&H in NY, and buy PRS-505 I will pay more than $300???

The VAT value changes from State to State, but with VAT yes.

I would like to have an answer like: Yes or No :)
If I fly tomorrow to NY and go to B&H and buy PRS-505 (which costs according to their website $274.95). How much will they charge me? $274.95?

I would like to have an answer like: Yes or No :)
If I fly tomorrow to NY and go to B&H and buy PRS-505 (which costs according to their website $274.95). How much will they charge me? $274.95?

Sales tax in NYC is 8.375%, so you'd pay:

$274.95 + 8.375% = $297.98

Sales tax in NYC is 8.375%, so you'd pay:

$274.95 + 8.375% = $297.98

Omg...
Thanks for clarification.

I'd have to say no at this point. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my PRS-500 but I can't see shelling out $275-300 for more of the same, especially since when all was said and done I got my first Reader for $150 and my wife's for $8 ($100 TD deal and used my Sony Card the first time for $100 refund). If they offered the new model for the same kind of deal I got the 500 for, I'd upgrade and sell my 500's, but other than that I'm content with what I have. Or maybe an upgrade option where I paid like $50 with my trade-in... now THAT would work! ;)

Omg...
Thanks for clarification.
On the other hand, if you drive three hours to New Hampshire, you can buy the same unit with no sales tax.

I absolutely love my PRS-500 but I can't see shelling out $275-300 for more of the same, especially since when all was

My favorite form factor reader so far is the Sony 500. If it had a Vixplex screen I (think I) would prefer it over the 505's button layouts. Anyone tried to put a Vixplex screen in a 500?

BOb

I'd have to say no at this point. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my PRS-500 but I can't see shelling out $275-300 for more of the same, especially since when all was said and done I got my first Reader for $150 and my wife's for $8 ($100 TD deal and used my Sony Card the first time for $100 refund). If they offered the new model for the same kind of deal I got the 500 for, I'd upgrade and sell my 500's, but other than that I'm content with what I have. Or maybe an upgrade option where I paid like $50 with my trade-in... now THAT would work! ;)

I don't see the need for trade-ins when you could get double that ebaying your PRS500's. You'd get enough for a 700 and maybe even an accessory. Or if you want an even quicker sell you can put it up for $150 and you already have an overseas buyer (me).

Well, I'd been on the fence about replacing my PRS-500 with a Kindle or a 505. I think this decided it for me - I'll be getting a PRS-700 in a couple of months. Now, I just wish they would add the PRS-700 to their rebate offer. I know I can ebay my 500, and if need be I'd do that, but I'd just as soon walk into a Sony Style store, give them my 500, and walk out with a $300 700.

For me the biggest reason to get the 700 is the light - I read at night a lot, and that will be a godsend. I would have gotten the 505 with the light cover, but this just looks more elegant.

Now if only Sony would release Mac software....

No, I don´t think I´m going to buy one... The most important thing for me is the screen size, and in this sense, the PRS-700 is not an improvement. I know that the touch screen is a cool feature, but IMHO not that important.

Well, I'd been on the fence about replacing my PRS-500 with a Kindle or a 505. I think this decided it for me - I'll be getting a PRS-700 in a couple of months. Now, I just wish they would add the PRS-700 to their rebate offer. I know I can ebay my 500, and if need be I'd do that, but I'd just as soon walk into a Sony Style store, give them my 500, and walk out with a $300 700.

For me the biggest reason to get the 700 is the light - I read at night a lot, and that will be a godsend. I would have gotten the 505 with the light cover, but this just looks more elegant.

Now if only Sony would release Mac software....

I also suspect the built in light offers some mechanical stability to the device and helps protects the screen against point pressure that might otherwise crack the screen. This alone is a good feature even if you never turned the light on. Time will tell if there are less screen breaks on this device.

Dale

Add dictionary support and I'm in.

Ditto to that! I am looking to buy one for my husband for the holidays, but without dictionary support, I do not think he'll be happy with a Sony.

cjp

For that (dictionary), I advise the Cybook! It's the one to get.

cjp

For that (dictionary), I advise the Cybook! It's the one to get.

This Kindle has dictionary lookup that works very well.

BOb

I was talking about one that can be easily used all over the world - for the moment...

For the future, let’s hope Amazon will change their behaviour.

I'm no, Kindle is okay as a ebook reader for me.

So Sony jumped the gun and unveiled a new e-book reader... the Sony PRS-700. It looks fancier than its predecessors, has a touch screen, and a built-in LED frontlight (!).

If you were to buy a new e-book device today, would you buy the new Sony?

I pre-ordered mine on Thursday, and applied for a SonyCard credit card, which is currently offering a $150 credit on qualifying first-purchase of an item over $299 (they list the 700 at $399). So it should (if everything works out properly) cost me only $250 after the credit is applied.:2thumbsup

I'm moving up from the 500.

This Kindle has dictionary lookup that works very well.

BOb

How many dictionaries do Amazon now sell for the Kindle, Bob, should one wish to replace the default one? ISTR that it certainly used to be the case that there was rather a paucity of them, and that MobiPocket dictionaries couldn't, for whatever reason, be used on the Kindle.

How many dictionaries do Amazon now sell for the Kindle, Bob, should one wish to replace the default one? ISTR that it certainly used to be the case that there was rather a paucity of them, and that MobiPocket dictionaries couldn't, for whatever reason, be used on the Kindle.

I'm not clear on that. I looked up dictionary in Kindle store and there are quite a few books with that in the title. But, I don't think many of them were your basic "definition of words" dictionary. There were some translation dictionaries too. However, I don't know which ones can actually be installed and used for the dictionary lookup feature.

However, I don't know that above because I have found the included _The New Oxford American Dictionary_ to be fine for any use I have put it to... which is not really a lot, but more than I expected. ;)

Perhaps someone else can answer this better than I.

BOb

On the other hand, if you drive three hours to New Hampshire, you can buy the same unit with no sales tax.

If you can get to New Hampshire in 3 hours from NYC, then it's quite likely you'll have to pay a hefty speeding ticket (I live in southern New Hampshire and have family just outside NYC). And the cost of the gas to get here and back to NYC will cost more than the $25 dollars or so in sales tax. :)

If you can get to New Hampshire in 3 hours from NYC, then it's quite likely you'll have to pay a hefty speeding ticket (I live in southern New Hampshire and have family just outside NYC). And the cost of the gas to get here and back to NYC will cost more than the $25 dollars or so in sales tax. :)
I guess I should have assumed NYC. I was thinking upstate NY. :shrug:

My sister has wanted an E-book reader since I got mine last year but hasn't been willing to pay the full price for one. So when I get my 700 in, she's going to buy my 505 from me. Everyone wins.

I pre-ordered mine on Thursday, and applied for a SonyCard credit card, which is currently offering a $150 credit on qualifying first-purchase of an item over $299 (they list the 700 at $399). So it should (if everything works out properly) cost me only $250 after the credit is applied.:2thumbsup


Nice - we don't seem to have such nice benefits over here... If you go for a SonyCard in the UK, you get 4000 'points', which you can use to buy things from their catalogue, so no credit against the item being purchased & 4K points is only enough for 2 DVDs or 2 CDs or so!

Well, isn't the question a bit early?

I used to be an early buyer but found out, that I hate having products that don't work as advertised in real life, so I now belong to those who wait, until the first design kinks are known and dealt with. I wouldn't buy it knowing only the sellers arguments...

Bye
Sven

Well, isn't the question a bit early?

I used to be an early buyer but found out, that I hate having products that don't work as advertised in real life, so I now belong to those who wait, until the first design kinks are known and dealt with. I wouldn't buy it knowing only the sellers arguments...

That's cool -- Knowing what a great job they've done so far with the 500 and the 505, I'm willing to take a chance on the 700 to replace my 500. The huge increase in internal memory alone will be a very nice addition, as will the front-light, even with it's shortcomings that people have mentioned. I have never found a booklight I have liked, so it won't be any different, just more convenient. :)

And given Sony's history with the PRS series, I'm more than willing to be one of those early adopters who flush out the bugs and sort things out for the new flash updates so that the later adopters have a more secure device.:thumbsup:

Well I voted with my wallet and bought...



another 505.

Got to see both of them at a SonyStyle store. While the 700 was nice, the 505 was ½ off. (It was a "private" sale. Demo models were half off, new ones 25%.)

The sidelighting on the 700 wasn't even enough, I thought. Also, the 700 didn't seem that much faster as far a page turning was concerned.

There is two features that i absolutly need in the prs700: the possibility to take note and the light. Wifi would be great (real wifi not 3g Iliad or other devices) but they still are too expensive for me. I thought about the Kindle2 but as a foreign language users, i dont buy that much books from their store and you have to pay for newspaper subcription . With Caliber , i cant dowload my newspapers (Le Monde and Libération). Also and i got a lot of pdf documents and i dont want to take time to convert. The real next feature that would be great on a abook reader? I dream of a water resistant device that permit me to read in the bath tube!

I read in the tub all the time. best way to relax. just don't drop it! which I have never done. in or out of the tub.

Yes!!! I have one, but if I need to buy another...I'll buy PRS 700 again! :)

Max.

I read in the tub all the time. best way to relax. just don't drop it! which I have never done. in or out of the tub.
Me too!! And I like blowing my hair dry and fixing toast in the tub! Of course I always keep a butter knife handy in case the toast gets stuck, so I can fish it out with the knife.

:)

Me too!! And I like blowing my hair dry and fixing toast in the tub! Of course I always keep a butter knife handy in case the toast gets stuck, so I can fish it out with the knife.

:)

:thumbsup: :rofl:

I watch telly in the tub, much to my hubbies horror!

It's ok, except the time I knocked the remote in, that took a bit of careful drying to get it to work again. lol

Looking forward to using my just ordered Sony 700, carefully, in the tub.

How do you replace the battery in the 700? Do you have to send it in to Sony to have the battery replaced?

I thought the 700 was nicer. The page turning was I guess about the same speed with 505. But I also voted my wallet and go with 505 in the borders sale.

I have a few grips with the 700, tho. First of all, you need to press quite hard to use your thumb to go and turn the page. Second of all, the side light is practically useless and eat up loads of battery.

Well, that's it, really. Other than that, I thought it looks sleeker without the buttons on the body :-P

I'm in the market for a new eReader. My first choice would be the PRS-700 as it is the latest rendition of the original PRS-500 which is now held together by clear packing tape. It suffered one too many a fall and now the case plastic is cracked and one page forward button is toast. I'm still able to read books on it, while I hold out for the newest and best from Sony. At some point the adhesive will fail and I'll need to spend the money on the new Sony. If nothing newer than the 700 exists at that time, I'll willingly buy a 700.
Ralph

The PRS-700 is definitely on my short list. I am trying to decide between this and the Pocket Pro by astak. I really really want a touch screen reader as I feel that the illusion of turning pages would add to the experience of reading a book. I absolutely love pbooks but I think I would be able to read nearly twice as much and at least 1.5x faster with a ereader. Then again a smaller more pocketable unit would be good too. What to do, what to do?

For you 700 owners there is a question I have about the unit. Does the touch screen shorten the life expectancy of the unit at all? I imagine that the touch screen would go before the ePaper would but I may be mistaken. Thanks for your help.

Mike

No, I would prefer a PRS 505. I was waiting for it to go below $200. Now there are rumors that will go out of the market :(

No, I would prefer a PRS 505. I was waiting for it to go below $200. Now there are rumors that will go out of the market :(

Really is the 700 going to be discontinued? I hadn't heard about that

I actually saw my first PRS 700 in person today at the local Borders. I have to say I like the way it looks much better than the PRS 505. They cleaned up the front and took away alot of the buttons, which I am assuming are now accessed through the touch screen interface.

Overall it did look much better than I expected.

I was bummed that I could not actually turn on the device, but it was nice to be able to see one in person. Though I don't plan on buying one currently.

Amy

I was wondering if I should upgrade my 505 to the 700 so I ventured into my nearest Sony Styles store. They had the 505 and 700 side by side on the display table so one could pick them up and compare them. After seeing them up close and personal, I have decided to stick with my beloved 505. The contrast is much better on the 505, and the screen does in fact seem to have more of a matte finish which reduced glare. The 700 was also COVERED in fingerprints from users playing with the touchscreen. I get antsy if an eyelash or dog hair floats onto my 505 screen, so fingerprints would drive me insane. Although I am not by any stretch of the means bashing the 700, I am more than satisfied with my 505, especially having compared the two up close and personal.

Over the weekend I was able to play around with one of my friend's 700. Pretty nifty device. The 700 is built like a solid piece of metal, feels very substantial in my hands (in a good sort of way). As to the screen, since I have not seen a 505 screen, I have no basis for comparison. Without comparing the 700 to the 505 screen, I would say reading on the 700 screen is very tolerable. I like it.

Interface, Interface, Interface.

The 700 is the most logical and easy to use - the Bride could use it out of the box, no questions asked (yay!).

My father is still trying to figure out his Kindle after 1.5 years.....

-bjc

I want one - because of the integrated light, and because it's the best looking device I've seen so far (except maybe the txtr - if it ever actually gets out there)...

I am more and more thinking that the 700 may be my first device. Mostly for the interface and touch features.

I pre-ordered the 700 when they were announced. Got one for myself and my daughter. I have to say, i tried very hard to like it. I did like the touch screen to turn pages. I liked it very well to read in complete darkness with the light on.

Then, my husband got a 505. Man ... what a difference. Clarity is better. The writing looks like it is on TOP of the page, not underneath. Clear, not thru smoky glass. I gave away my 700 to someone who couldnt afford to buy one, she loves it. I will not show her my 505 so she wont see that her screen is compromised.

I MUCH prefer my 505. I have since replaced my daughters 700 with a 505 and she is also much, much happier.

My two cents.

I'm in the same boat as Rjfarrell. I pre-ordered the 700 and did my best to like it. Unfortunately, it had to be sent in twice for horrid dust problems under the screen. It would actually get to looking like star constellations with all the dust that was getting in somehow. I bit the bullet and ordered a new red 505 unit. I miss the touch screen, but it's so much easier to read.

I want one - because of the integrated light, and because it's the best looking device I've seen so far (except maybe the txtr - if it ever actually gets out there)...

the txtr should be here this fall. But I agree that the form factor of the 700 is looking very good indead...

Look at both 505 and 700 at the store and decided to pick 505 instead. Issues I see in 700
1. Touch screen is a nice function on papaer but does not work on a ebook. Too easy to get fingerprint on it and affect the reading.
2. The screen has a glare on it and make it hard to read.

I would probably consider it, but not anytime sooner (since I've only had my 505 a few months). I really have no need for two readers, I mean come on...one person can only read on ONE ebook reader at a time, right? But by the time I'm ready they'll probably have newer models out, so I'd look for one of those. I would DEFINITELY consider it if they made one with Wireless.