Being a 505 reader for the past 6 months and interested in buying the new 700 next month, I took a trip to my local Sony store to compare them side by side.

I have been reading with interest the comments regarding poor screen contrast on the 700 - and wanted to see for myself if this was true or not. I was surprised not only by the screen contrast, but also by the clarity of the text. To my eyes the 700 screen is darker than the 505, and the text lacks clarity and appeared 'out of focus'. As such I have changed my mind, and will be holding off buying the 700 - with hope that the 700 demo is just that - a demo.

Whilst at the store I asked the sales assistant I could take a picture of the two units side by side. I think they show the differences between them:

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=91&pictureid=843

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=91&pictureid=844

Other than the the above issues, I thought the 700 was a great improvement on the 505.

thank you very much for these photos, i've also been following the reports of poorer contrast and resolution and been hoping someone would manage to do a comparison like this.

it occurs to me that perhaps the loss of quality in the display is a result of the front-lighting solution ; does anyone know whether this requires a supplemental layer of glass or plastic above the screen ? if i've understood correctly, the touchscreen used has sensors behind the screen, so this would normally not interfere with the display...

any other theories ?

i too really hope this problem can be resolved in the 700, until seeing these photos i thought i would get one, now i'm not so sure...

I took a close look at the screen structure whilst I was there. It does appear that the touch screen is above the e-ink screen, with the LED lights between. This does appear to be the cause of the poor contrast and lack of clarity in the text. I am hoping these things have been - or will be - ironed out before they come on the market.

i knew it ! those stupid lights... :rolleyes: i wish those were optional. i don't want them. i'd rather have a good screen for text display. thanks for the reply.

That sounds like a rather bad piece of design.

Zelda - get the 505 then :)

heh, don't tempt me. :rolleyes: i think i'll wait a little while and see whether they manage to improve the design though because there are other features on the 700 which i find compelling (touch screen, search function...). in any case, i still have my trusty eb1150 in the meantime. *sigh*

(hey, shouldn't you be in bed ? i'm going right now.)

Wow, thanks for these photos. If these photos are true to reality, which they seem to be by your comments, then the difference is quite obvious. I'm glad I saw these. I had been thinking of maybe getting a 700 in the future.

One other thing I noticed was the very noticebale screen glare on the 700. It was not good. I wish i had taken a photo of that too - but I thought I was pushing my luck getting these.

I took these photos without flash using both 'automatic' (top photo) and 'best-shot' (below) settings. I was with a friend who knew very little about ebook readers - and they were surprised that the 700 is the latest version.

Anyway, glad you have found them usefull.

Wow!

I definitely have to make a pilgrimage to a store soon. I have a PRS-700 on order, since appears to have the most important (for me) features available.

But these photos make a pretty compelling argument against the PRS-700. The screen kind of looks like an early monochrome LCD (I am sure it's not that bad:-)

What puzzles me, though, is that NONE of the reviewers I've read, mention this issue. See, for instance, this: http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/10/04/sony-reader-prs-700-part-two/

Is it possible, that what the reviewers saw, are better, "fixed" units? After all, the darker background and the fuzzier text on the PRS-700 are clearly noticeable in holden1's pictures.

One other question: Is the screen on the PRS-700 slightly larger? It looks that way, yet the specs I see say 6", just like the 505.

One other question: Is the screen on the PRS-700 slightly larger? It looks that way, yet the specs I see say 6", just like the 505.

It's kind of an optical illusion. If you look at the top of both readers, you'll notice the top of the screen for the 700 starts lower than the 505. The silver band around the 700 makes it look like the top of the screen starts in the same place as the 505.

Now look at the bottom, the 700 screen ends lower than the 505 because it doesn't have the round navigation buttons. If you were able to line up the tops and bottoms of the screens of both readers while side-by-side, the screens would be the same but the physical top of the 700 would be higher and the physical bottom of the 505 would be lower.

I hope that makes a little bit of sense.

(hey, shouldn't you be in bed ? i'm going right now.)

(I went not long after posting that :) )

the 700 defintely looks darker in the pictures... id be going for a 505 based on those shots.. hopefully when the 700 comes available in the next week or so we'll see some more comparisions.. id still like a 700 but only if the screen is as good as the 505s

My wife had ordered me a 700 just the other day for my BDay. After seeing this post, I cancelled my order. There were a few deciding factors I had, so it wasn't just the contrast I see in the pictures. I was actually thinking of cancelling the order before I read this post, based on other things I've researched. Instead, I have ordered the 505, the lightwedge light for it and the extra AC adapter, as well as the 2 year warranty - with the special bundle pricing I saved $40 and the price of all this was about the same as just ordering the 700 alone. It made more sense for me.

My reasons for choosing the 505 instead:

1. Contrast of screen - not just from the pictures in this post, but verified by others who have posted elsewhere. I really want the best screen I can get. Since I've never owned an e-ink reader before, I might not have noticed this much, but this leads to my other reasons...
2. Touchscreen - I don't really want this feature, and I know its popular with some of the folks here. I'm one of those that are kind of anal about my screen being clean. :)
3. 505 Design vs 700 Design - I kind of like the page turning buttons and all the buttons on the 505.
4. The Red 505 - I think the red ebook reader is so cool looking.
5. More accessories due to price - I was able to get the AC adapter, the lightwedge w/cover and a 2 year with accidental damage support plan for pretty much the same price as the 700 all on its own.

There are a few things I'm sad about losing on the 700. Number one would be the page-turn performance they say is so fast in the 700 compared to the 550. The extra built-in memory is also sad to lose. Last but not least, the built-in light. I do alot of reading in bed. I'm hoping the lightwedge with cover is almost as good.

So I've got a few questions about the 505. Will I have to get the latest firmware for it or will it come with the new device? I see some cool hacks to add features to the 505 on the site here, are they safe to use? Will they void warranty or anything? I'm so excited about my first e-ink reader. :)

I visited the SonyStyle store in Phoenix, AZ on Saturday so I could get some hands-on time with the PRS-700. I've owned a PRS-500 since the first few weeks they were available from Sony, and it has traveled everywhere with me for the past two years.

The Reader Revolution guy was there, and we got to chat for about 30 minutes. Unfortunately, he didn't have much nice to say about the PRS-700, which surprised me.

On first look/touch, I remember thinking, "Ooh, pretty". It seemed responsive to initial touch, albeit, pretty fingerprinted up. Then I pulled out my PRS-500 and he brought over his PRS-505 and we compared screens. That's where the big difference came in from what I could see.

The screen on the 700 is nowhere near as sharp as the one on the 505, I'm guessing that's due to the lights and the touchscreen. The 505 had MUCH better contrast than both my 500 and the 700 that was on display.

Then he started playing with the 700 by flexing it slightly on diagonal corners. This triggered the screen to start flipping pages randomly, changing font size, highlighting certain regions -- he wasn't flexing it too hard from what I could tell, either. He tried to highlight a passage with the stylus and the response time was sluggish and several times ended up turning the page instead of highlighting the text. He said the battery time was nowhere near what the 505 gets, he said five hours, but that *has* to be with full lights on all the time...that seems awfully short.

The front-light LED's in typical store lighting were uneven in lighting the screen. You could see where the eight or so front lights illuminated the page, and the gaps in illumination. Who knows though, that could look great with all the lights off.

In the end, after getting to play with the 505 and the 700, I left my well-loved, trusty old PRS-500 Reader in their care and traded up to the PRS-505 with the Sony trade-in plan. I have tons of booklights from the past two years of using my Sony Reader in the dark, I don't really need a front-light. The touchscreen response was a bit disappointing. Really, I couldn't justify paying $400 for that particular model.

I really wanted to like it too... had it met expectations, I'd have immediately pre-ordered from Sony and waited with anticipation. Oh well, I'm now the proud owner of a gorgeous silver PRS-505 :)

Hi Holden1,

I cannot thank you enough for your photos and for tekchic's confirmation what can be seen in your photos. I had a 500 and now I use the 505 and that meant display improvement. I was really looking for to the 700, but now I certainly will not buy the thing with such a miserable display.

I do not know if this coming device is discussed somewhere in the forum. But I think I will wait for that. What do you think?

http://www.plasticlogic.com/news.html

Friedhelm

I do not know if this coming device is discussed somewhere in the forum. But I think I will wait for that. What do you think?

http://www.plasticlogic.com/news.html There are forum threads on Plastic Logic, but everything we think we know about the device is in the wiki (http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Plastic_Logic). This industry has often been late delivering products, but waiting until the middle of next year to upgrade from a PRS-505 is a reasonable strategy. The Plastic Logic might not be available by then, but there will be plenty of other "next generation" devices to choose from.

I was looking at getting a 700 as my first ebook reader, but I'm holding out until some production models get out there. I'm still hoping that the strange contrast is caused by pre-production models. I've seen a 505 at the local Target and love its screen. It'll be a shame if it turns out the screen is worse, in my opinion the 700 is the best looking reader right now.

I was looking at getting a 700 as my first ebook reader, but I'm holding out until some production models get out there. I'm still hoping that the strange contrast is caused by pre-production models. I've seen a 505 at the local Target and love its screen. It'll be a shame if it turns out the screen is worse, in my opinion the 700 is the best looking reader right now.

Kosmicki,

I echo your sentiments.

Let's hope that the production units get into the reviewers' hands any day now and we get more input on this one.

One thing that I don't fully understand re e-ink screens is whether or not it is possible to have some form of contrast control feature similar to lcd screens where you can adjust the contrast on a sliding scale (eg 0 to 100). I'm guessing you can't.....

Other than the the above issues, I thought the 700 was a great improvement on the 505.

Eeep!! Well since the only reason I purchased an e-reader was to read books, the contrast and clarity are both major issues for me.

Judging from those photos, there is no way in hell I would purchase a 700, nor would I recommend it to my friends who have asked. It looks plain awful.

Being a 505 reader for the past 6 months and interested in buying the new 700 next month, I took a trip to my local Sony store to compare them side by side.

I have been reading with interest the comments regarding poor screen contrast on the 700 - and wanted to see for myself if this was true or not. I was surprised not only by the screen contrast, but also by the clarity of the text. To my eyes the 700 screen is darker than the 505, and the text lacks clarity and appeared 'out of focus'. As such I have changed my mind, and will be holding off buying the 700 - with hope that the 700 demo is just that - a demo.

Whilst at the store I asked the sales assistant I could take a picture of the two units side by side. I think they show the differences between them:

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=91&pictureid=843

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=91&pictureid=844

Other than the the above issues, I thought the 700 was a great improvement on the 505.

hey! where are the photos:chinscratch:
I need to see them....:help:

p.s.
incredible...when I post this reply....BINGO the pixs Appeared!! my browser is drunk...

I really wanted to like it too... had it met expectations, I'd have immediately pre-ordered from Sony and waited with anticipation. Oh well, I'm now the proud owner of a gorgeous silver PRS-505 :)

Thanks much for your review. The unit's reaction to minor flexing is a bit scary to me. I realize that one wouldn't INTENTIONALLY flex their screens, but it could happen easily in baggage or whatnot.

Interestingly, I had seen the uneven glow of the lights in the original photos and wondered how that would play out, as well. I'll reserve my final personal judgment until I see the unit myself, but my enthusiasm for the 700 is waning.

I was really excited about the 700 but this makes me want to get a 505 with lightwedge cover instead. The only thing keeping me from getting a 505 was the lack of a built-in light. I can't believe Sony would release this with such crappy contrast???

I realize these are pre-production models and the final product might be different, but I'm thinking something as major as the screen will probably be final by now.

Other than the the above issues, I thought the 700 was a great improvement on the 505.

This is a bit like the old saw, "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?" :o

If I were to buy 700 or 505 I would wait until they actually start selling 700 and compare a real model of 700 to 505. For some reason I really doubt that Sony, whose leading pro was always the hardware bit, would make such a blander.

On the other hand, people who want touch screen with fingerprints' smudges all over ebook reader screen most likely would not care/notice contrast issue. Anyone who would notice the issue would be reluctant to buy touch screen for book reading in the first place :shrug:

If I were to buy 700 or 505 I would wait until they actually start selling 700 and compare a real model of 700 to 505. For some reason I really doubt that Sony, whose leading pro was always the hardware bit, would make such a blander.

On the other hand, people who want touch screen with fingerprints' smudges all over ebook reader screen most likely would not care/notice contrast issue. Anyone who would notice the issue would be reluctant to buy touch screen for book reading in the first place :shrug:

I don't know, with the release date less than two weeks away, I can't imagine the production models being much different. I hope they are because I was planning on a 700, but I'm starting to lose hope.

I think from those photos that I don't even need to see one in person. That is the deal killer for me. I will stick with my 505. On the 505 you don't ever get the impression that the text is "under" anything, but in the photos you can tell some sort of distance or space.
Definitely not as clear a screen in my opinion.
Wheezie

The biggest problem with eInk on all devices so far is the contrast -- the background is always grey, not white (like a piece of paper). As far as eInk goes, the Sony 505 is state of the art (as are the Kindle, etc.) -- they all use the same screen. Personally, I'm not going to upgrade my 505 until the contrast issue is solved. Think about it -- you're going to spend many hours reading your eInk device, struggling unconsciously with the lousy contrast, and Sony releases a model with even poorer contrast. This is a much more important issue than all the other bells and whistles they added (faster page turning, more font sizes, lighting, etc.) It would appear that the technical people took over from the designers and produced an unusable machine.

Hi all,

I'm new to the forums, but have been following discussions since I decided to invest in an ebook reader. My plan was to buy the PRS 700 but am having second thoughts about this due to the contrast issue. I really like the design of the 505 and the touch screen is not important to me at all (but I love the idea of a built in light for those late nights with sleepless, crying baby). I will check out my local Sony Style store (in Toronto) when the 700 is released to weigh the benefit of the faster refreshes and built-in light against what may be better contrast in the 505. I am posting this not to publicize the small decisions in my life, but just in case Sony reps visit these sites to test public opinion (and to say hi to all you fine folks). While I'm here I should also say that there is no way I would buy the Sony if it were not for Calibre and its generous creator (I plan to chip in to the fund even if I don't get a 700).

Anyway, thanks everyone for the insight and experience freely given.

Frankly speaking contrast and getting rid off ghosting were the main reasons why I upgraded from 500 to 505.

Hi all,

I'm new to the forums, but have been following discussions since I decided to invest in an ebook reader. My plan was to buy the PRS 700 but am having second thoughts about this due to the contrast issue. I really like the design of the 505 and the touch screen is not important to me at all (but I love the idea of a built in light for those late nights with sleepless, crying baby). I will check out my local Sony Style store (in Toronto) when the 700 is released to weigh the benefit of the faster refreshes and built-in light against what may be better contrast in the 505. I am posting this not to publicize the small decisions in my life, but just in case Sony reps visit these sites to test public opinion (and to say hi to all you fine folks). While I'm here I should also say that there is no way I would buy the Sony if it were not for Calibre and its generous creator (I plan to chip in to the fund even if I don't get a 700).

Anyway, thanks everyone for the insight and experience freely given.

Welcome to MobileRead, splanchnic, and thank you for your contributions and thoughts.

You'll find a lot here, and also thousands of free, public domain and creative commons titles.

Have fun!


Don

Interesting. My wife and I both looked at a 700 screen, and it looked plenty clear to us. But we did not compare it directly to a 505 screen. I'm not saying to discount this information, but I would encourage anyone to take a look for themselves, and see if the 700 screen is okay to them.

Having not held or seen personally a 700 I have a question. People are talking about the lights being the issue with perhaps the screen not looking as white as the 505. Is there an extra piece of plexi-glass above the lights sort of like a double pain window? Or, are the lights just above the screen... so, you could block a light with your finger if you wanted to?

BOb

Having not held or seen personally a 700 I have a question. People are talking about the lights being the issue with perhaps the screen not looking as white as the 505. Is there an extra piece of plexi-glass above the lights sort of like a double pain window? Or, are the lights just above the screen... so, you could block a light with your finger if you wanted to?

BOb

i had that same thought... it would appear there is an extra piece of plexiglass above the screen, thus no doubt the problems with screen clarity and contrast. (stupid lights !!!)

i had that same thought... it would appear there is an extra piece of plexiglass above the screen, thus no doubt the problems with screen clarity and contrast. (stupid lights !!!)

If so, why would they do that? I don't see any reason for an extra piece. Can it be cut off?

BOb

If so, why would they do that? I don't see any reason for an extra piece. Can it be cut off?

BOb

by the user ?? i wouldn't try it (you may be more intrepid (or insane) than i am). by sony ? i fervently hope so.

by the user ?? i wouldn't try it (you may be more intrepid (or insane) than i am). by sony ? i fervently hope so.

No, I mean by the user. Of course, better if sony dropped the extra layer.

I think a hot exacto knife might work here. You first.

BOb

The biggest problem with eInk on all devices so far is the contrast -- the background is always grey, not white (like a piece of paper).

Whilst a lot of my non-fiction books use white paper, most of my novels (which are mostly in paperback) are on off white, sort-of pale yellow-beige paper - and I far prefer the Sony's grey to that!

No, I mean by the user. Of course, better if sony dropped the extra layer.

I think a hot exacto knife might work here. You first.

BOb

pfff. yeah okay. :rolleyes:

Can we have step-by-step photos from whoever does do it please? :D :p

Can we have step-by-step photos from whoever does do it please? :D :p

If someone sends me one. I will be happy to preform the surgery and document the whole process.

BOb

Can we have step-by-step photos from whoever does do it please? :D :p

yes please.

(pilotbob ?? if you like, i'll be the nurse and hand you the tools.
"hot x-acto knife ?" "hot x-acto knife...")

I looked at the 700 last night along size with my 505. In person the screen resolution on both devices look the same and just as crisp.

The degradation in the photograph is caused by the plastic covering the 700. Since the human eye is far superior than most digital cameras the reduction in light absorbed by the plastic cover is captured in the digital camera but not to the naked eye.

=X=

Well that's encouraging. I was trying to figure out whether the contrast issue was only an optical illusion caused by the glass or the result of an inferior screen. I wish I could go and check it out for myself but the closest sony store to me is about 1.5 hours away.

If so, why would they do that? I don't see any reason for an extra piece. Can it be cut off?

BOb

It's probably used as a conduit for the light, similar to the lightwedge.

Where are the pictures?

I'm going to have to see it in person, since the extra glass between you and the e-ink will most certainly make the 700 LOOK less sharp when taking a picture.

I'll let everyone know what I think tomorrow.

yes please.

(pilotbob ?? if you like, i'll be the nurse and hand you the tools.
"hot x-acto knife ?" "hot x-acto knife...")

Oh I will be laughing at this one for days! :rofl::rofl:

JJ

Where are the pictures?

I'm going to have to see it in person, since the extra glass between you and the e-ink will most certainly make the 700 LOOK less sharp when taking a picture.

I'll let everyone know what I think tomorrow.
yes, please do ; i'll be interested to hear your opinion taking into consideration the previous accounts.
Oh I will be laughing at this one for days! :rofl::rofl:

JJ
i aim to please. ;)

(you aim too, please <--spéciale dédicace joke for natch / pshrynk)

yes, please do ; i'll be interested to hear your opinion taking into consideration the previous accounts.

i aim to please. ;)

(you aim too, please <--spéciale dédicace joke for natch / pshrynk)

Ok, I just got back from the Sony Store. Unfortunately, have bad news. Without any doubt, there is a huge difference between the PRS-505 and 700 screens.

The 505 is sharp, clear, and has nice contrast, while the 700 appears to be a more diffused, the text lighter, and not anywhere near as enjoyable to read. The only place the reader looked even close to as good as the 505, was in complete, direct sunlight (from one of the windows in the mall) and even then it still wasn't as sharp.

I stood in the store for 15 min., trying to understand how Sony could mess this up so badly. There is most certainly some piece of glass or plastic between you and the e-ink screen, which diffuses what you see, and makes the contrast appear terrible.

I have no doubt that the e-ink screen ont he 700, without the touchscreen covering (or whatever the piece of plastic or glass is that sits in front of the e-ink screen) would be just as sharp as the 505, but because of this covering, it makes is look woefully inferior to the 505.

The best way I can describe it is It looks like someone put a couple pieces of matte screen protectors over the e-ink screen, and makes the text harder to see, and less sharp.

I asked 2 of the sales people, and they both agreed there was a huge difference, and said they weren't aware of a way to adjust the contrast, and that since they has just gotten the unit in a few weeks ago, it was most likley the production model.

This really makes me mad, because I loved everything else about the 700. But if that is what the 700 is actually like, there is no WAY I would ever purchase it. Mind you I don't own a reader, and was trying to decide between the 505 and 700. Well, the choice was made for me.

Some part of me is still hoping that the actual units that are being shipped to people now will somehow be better, but I just don't see how. I will be anxiously awaiting some impressions from those who have a 505 to compare it to.

John

Hearing that really bums me out. I really wanted the 700 because of the features but if there is such a huge reduction in contrast between the 505 and 700 I'll probably keep waiting to see if they improve it.

I just got the 700. I compared it side by side in the light and dark with a 505 with ACL. 505 wins handsdown. In the daylight there is no glare on the 505. In the dark...the ACL1 cover has a consistent stream of light. The 700 has 4 light marks similiar............to a Lightwedge.

Interesting because I have seen reports on the forum in other threads that the screens are identical.

BOb

They are not identical. They are completely different. In the daylight there is a glare problem and a fuzziness problem.

In the dark the light is more consistent with an ACL1 cover. The 700 has shadows like a lightwedge.

I would say wait and see what people who own 505 are going to say about 700 when they receive it.

Interesting because I have seen reports on the forum in other threads that the screens are identical.

BOb

I just don't see how anyone could think that. The difference is so incredibly obvious. I'm still hoping that maybe the product that is shipping to people now is somehow better.....

Here are some shots I just took.

The third photo there on the side-by-side view shopintheusa posted is quite telling. On the other hand, I wonder what it'd look like with the angle the other way, favoring the 700?

*hugging my 505*

I saw the other thread where the guy said the 700 was just as good, and I originally saw this thread. I purchased a 505 on the advice of this thread and I'm happy I did. I love it! I like the buttons more than the 700, and the contrast is beautiful. The light works perfectly for me in the dark. After seeing these latest comparison pictures, I'm very happy with my decision.

The degradation in the photograph is caused by the plastic covering the 700. Since the human eye is far superior than most digital cameras the reduction in light absorbed by the plastic cover is captured in the digital camera but not to the naked eye.

=X=

That does not make much sense to me. The amount of light that reaches the human eye will be the same amount that reaches the camera sensors, although eye and camera will have different sensitivities and resolutions. The only way that the image of the PRS-700 would be artificially degraded relative to the PRS-505 in this case is if the light from the PRS-700 is at the sensitivity threshold of the camera, which does not appear to be the case in the photos.

I saw the other thread where the guy said the 700 was just as good, and I originally saw this thread. I purchased a 505 on the advice of this thread and I'm happy I did. I love it! I like the buttons more than the 700, and the contrast is beautiful. The light works perfectly for me in the dark. After seeing these latest comparison pictures, I'm very happy with my decision.

What light?

Here are some shots I just took.

Looking at the third picture, nothing on the 700 is in focus. Even the model name of the 700 is impossible to read. Are you really telling us that even the model name on the 700 is fuzzy? I doubt it.

The camera was focused on the 505, and at that range, of course everything beyond a very narrow depth of field will be out of focus, including the entire world. Are you saying that's Sony's fault? :rolleyes:

Perhaps you could simply turn off the camera's flash and take a picture of each one separately, completely in focus, the only thing in the picture and then post those two pictures so that we can see each reader clearly. Taking side-by-side pictures with a point-and-shoot camera isn't really a very good indicator of anything.

That does not make much sense to me. The amount of light that reaches the human eye will be the same amount that reaches the camera sensors, [...]

Heheheh. I guess we're just going to all go and see for ourselves considering now that we're debating visual acuity. Nevertheless, I think the quality of the photos (digital or otherwise), could make a difference...

... just not that much of one.

Looking at the third picture, nothing on the 700 is in focus. Even the model name of the 700 is impossible to read. Are you really telling us that even the model name on the 700 is fuzzy? I doubt it.

The camera was focused on the 505, and at that range, of course everything beyond a very narrow depth of field will be out of focus, including the entire world. Are you saying that's Sony's fault? :rolleyes:

Perhaps you could simply turn off the camera's flash and take a picture of each one separately, completely in focus, the only thing in the picture and then post those two pictures so that we can see each reader clearly. Taking side-by-side pictures with a point-and-shoot camera isn't really a very good indicator of anything.

Do you feel that's the case with the original pictures that started this thread? The images from both sets seems to agree and the photographers are seeing the same thing with their own eyes.

Do you feel that's the case with the original pictures that started this thread? The images from both sets seems to agree and the photographers are seeing the same thing with their own eyes.

I am sure from what I've heard and the pics that the 700 has some extra "schmootz" that you have to look through to see the text. It makes sense as it looks like there is a gap between the eInk display glass and the front glass so as to put the lights inside... Sort of like a double-pain window that has argon gas between the pains to raise the R factor.

This said, it also makes sense that side by side the 505 will look a bit brighter. However, for being "fuzzy" I have trouble accepting that. Since display parts are the same the text should be the same and crisp on both.

The question is whether for the features of the touch screen and integrated lights is this ok for the person getting it. I also wonder if you put the 700 next to the 500 which would look better.

BOb

I am sure from what I've heard and the pics that the 700 has some extra "schmootz" that you have to look through to see the text.

"schmootz" is the technical term, of course...

as for the rest of your comment, if the extra pane is used to diffuse the light more completely, it might have a texture which would diffuse the display as well, causing it to appear fuzzy and less distinct than an e-ink screen without this additional pane. this is the impression i have.

"schmootz" is the technical term, of course...

as for the rest of your comment, if the extra pane is used to diffuse the light more completely, it might have a texture which would diffuse the display as well, causing it to appear fuzzy and less distinct than an e-ink screen without this additional pane. this is the impression i have.
http://www.koshernosh.com/_borders/Sound.gif (http://www.koshernosh.com/sound/schmootz.wav) Schmootz -
Dirt: It's covered with schmootz.

holy cow, an audio smiley !! hehehe...

"schmootz" is the technical term, of course...


Of course. Look it up in Wikitechnica. :rolleyes:


as for the rest of your comment, if the extra pane is used to diffuse the light more completely, it might have a texture which would diffuse the display as well, causing it to appear fuzzy and less distinct than an e-ink screen without this additional pane. this is the impression i have.

Agreed that is possible. Next time I get to the Mall (not often) with the Sony Store in it I will check it out. I don't think a Target display will be open enough... probably be in a glass display case.

BOb

Of course. Look it up in Wikitechnica. :rolleyes:

":rolleyes:" yourself... :p

Agreed that is possible. Next time I get to the Mall (not often) with the Sony Store in it I will check it out. I don't think a Target display will be open enough... probably be in a glass display case.

BOb
oh great, i'll be interested to hear your opinion. bring your 500 to compare in person (do i even need to say that ?).

holy cow, an audio smiley !! hehehe...
Oh my!
I didn't know when I copy&paste :o

Oh my!
I didn't know when I copy&paste :o
nothing to apologise about, i think it's brilliant ! (and actually funnier now that i know it was inadvertent ;))

That does not make much sense to me. The amount of light that reaches the human eye will be the same amount that reaches the camera sensors, although eye and camera will have different sensitivities and resolutions.

That is exactly the point I make. The eye has the ability to capture all of that information and register it and compensate without any human awareness. Digital cameras (CCD) have very narrow resolution and low light depth, compared to the human eye.

For instance take a picture of a person standing in front of a window, (on a sunny a day). Prior to taking picture note the individual. Then take a picture. You will see the resulting image have the person look as if they are hidden in a shadow.

Again the same amount of light that enters the human eye enters the camera, but the final image of the camera is far worse than what was seen with the naked eye.
=X=

I find Ilike the design of the 700 better, however the screen issue is indeed a bummer.
Add this to the reduced battery life, and the page turn buttons not being large anymore, and I don't really know if I would want a device like this anymore...

One way, the slightly darker screen could actually be beneficial when reading in full sunlight.
I can imagine the pure white on the 505 to hurt your eyes after a while.
However, the fuzzyness so to speak...isn't really nice.

But about the touchscreen, if it really has a sensor above the screen you probably don't need to touch the screen (since it would register a touch a few millimeters above the screen). Can anyone verify this?

The screen issue leads me to believe, that it does use a soft plastic layer (soft touch) on top of the screen.. If it does, that could explain the darker and a slightly 'blurrier' screen; or uses a micro small rasterized glass front(hardtouch).That could explain the darker screen.

That'd be if they meant the extra layer to be used as touchscreen.

On the other hand, the plastic/glass layer could also be a screen protecter,to protect the screen from hard presses done when using the touchscreen.

Also in this case, removing it would not be wise.

whenever anyone gets a chance to play with it,please let us know!

Looking at the third picture, nothing on the 700 is in focus. Even the model name of the 700 is impossible to read. Are you really telling us that even the model name on the 700 is fuzzy? I doubt it.

The camera was focused on the 505, and at that range, of course everything beyond a very narrow depth of field will be out of focus, including the entire world. Are you saying that's Sony's fault? :rolleyes:

Perhaps you could simply turn off the camera's flash and take a picture of each one separately, completely in focus, the only thing in the picture and then post those two pictures so that we can see each reader clearly. Taking side-by-side pictures with a point-and-shoot camera isn't really a very good indicator of anything.

2 of the pictures were just to point out the glare problem.....not the fuzzy problem.

I can see my reflection on the screen of the 700 when I read. This is very annoying. You cannot see your reflection at all on the 505.

I was wondering if anyone could get a shot of the PRS 700, 505 and 500 side by side. I wonder how the PRS 700 fairs against the 500 in terms of contrast.

Looking at the third picture, nothing on the 700 is in focus. Even the model name of the 700 is impossible to read. Are you really telling us that even the model name on the 700 is fuzzy? I doubt it.

The camera was focused on the 505, and at that range, of course everything beyond a very narrow depth of field will be out of focus, including the entire world. Are you saying that's Sony's fault? :rolleyes:

Perhaps you could simply turn off the camera's flash and take a picture of each one separately, completely in focus, the only thing in the picture and then post those two pictures so that we can see each reader clearly. Taking side-by-side pictures with a point-and-shoot camera isn't really a very good indicator of anything.

I was skeptical as well, untilI went to a Sony store and saw it for myself. The difference was instantly noticeable. I would never buy a 700, given that I've seen what the 505 looks like, or even the kindle. The 700's screen is simply not nearly as enjoyable to read.

Also, I'd like to note that I don't own a reader yet, so I had no "bias" going in. They had the 505, and the 700 next to eachother. having only seen the kindle before, I thought the 700 screen was terrible compared to either the 505, or the kindle.

It was dull, fuzzy, and the text was muc harder to read. I could see myself getting eye strain very easily using the 700 screen. The lights and touchsceen are awesome, but the most important thing for me in a "reader" is how easy and enjoyable it is to "read".

For instance take a picture of a person standing in front of a window, (on a sunny a day). Prior to taking picture note the individual. Then take a picture. You will see the resulting image have the person look as if they are hidden in a shadow.


Not if you spot-meter for the subject instead of the background. Then you will have the correct exposure for the subject, with the background overexposed.


That is exactly the point I make. The eye has the ability to capture all of that information and register it and compensate without any human awareness. Digital cameras (CCD) have very narrow resolution and low light depth, compared to the human eye.
...

Again the same amount of light that enters the human eye enters the camera, but the final image of the camera is far worse than what was seen with the naked eye.
=X=

I can only repeat what I already said in my post which you do not include in your quote. Your reasoning only makes sense if the amount of light coming from the PRS-700 is at the sensitivity threshold of the camera, and if that coming from the PRS-505 is well above the threshold. Looking, at the posted pictures, this is not the case. There was ample and uniform ambient lighting for the shots. We are looking at face-on, side-by-side images taken with one shot, i.e. we are making a relative comparison using one photo, and all things were equal as far as the camera was concerned. I am not now comparing what the eye sees and what the camera sees, just what the camera sees.

In fact, since your post made me think about this more, I am now quite convinced that the difference in the 700 and 505 that the original photos show is real and not an artificial one.

Not if you spot-meter for the subject instead of the background. Then you will have the correct exposure for the subject, with the background overexposed.




I can only repeat what I already said in my post which you do not include in your quote. Your reasoning only makes sense if the amount of light coming from the PRS-700 is at the sensitivity threshold of the camera, and if that coming from the PRS-505 is well above the threshold. Looking, at the posted pictures, this is not the case. There was ample and uniform ambient lighting for the shots. We are looking at face-on, side-by-side images taken with one shot, i.e. we are making a relative comparison using one photo, and all things were equal as far as the camera was concerned. I am not now comparing what the eye sees and what the camera sees, just what the camera sees.

In fact, since your post made me think about this more, I am now quite convinced that the difference in the 700 and 505 that the original photos show is real and not an artificial one.

I've been to the Sony store 3 times now, and yes, it looks exactly like all of the pictures on here. I was so psyced for the 700, and it is a real dissapointment, since I can't see myself wanting to ever buy something that is so inferior to LAST gen's model.

Not if you spot-meter for the subject instead of the background. Then you will have the correct exposure for the subject, with the background overexposed.

You've definitely missed the point of my previous post as you are taking about how to compensate for the underexpose. I was merely trying to pointing out who inferior CCD vs the naked eye, (via a simple test)

Also you counter argument only further proves my point as you admit the problem is shifted to the background. Where again the naked eye sees the scene without any image loss.



I can only repeat what I already...

Well unfortunately I could not help you understand. My fault really, I just don't feel like getting into the science behind optics and CCDs. It's not an easy topic and unless you have a background in it, justice could not be done in a few posts.


Kind Regards,
=X=

I was skeptical as well, untilI went to a Sony store and saw it for myself. The difference was instantly noticeable.

Oy. And there are others who claim there is no difference. How can the views be so divergent? :smack:

You've definitely missed the point of my previous post as you are taking about how to compensate for the underexpose. I was merely trying to pointing out who inferior CCD vs the naked eye, (via a simple test)

Also you counter argument only further proves my point as you admit the problem is shifted to the background. Where again the naked eye sees the scene without any image loss.

=X=

Your example of the imaging problem which can arise with a subject indoors, beside a window on a sunny day cannot be applied to the case we are considering: two Sony readers which are both illuminated by the same ample and uniform ambient lighting. The range of lighting difference we are dealing with coming from the two readers is not as large as in the example of the window and subject that you put forward.

There is also a poster who has said that what he saw with his eyes regarding the differences looked exactly like what he sees in the photos that have been posted.

Oy. And there are others who claim there is no difference. How can the views be so divergent? :smack:

Who is wearing glasses or contacts and are they clean?!

Oy. And there are others who claim there is no difference. How can the views be so divergent? :smack:

There is a clear difference. The question is what is important for you.

The PRS 700 is comparable to the 500 in screen quality, maybe slightly better, but not as crisp as the 505, however it is so fast, has ergonomics that leave the 500/505 in the dust, and has decent to good integrated lighting that for me it was the first e-ink device I really liked and I bought it on the spot the moment I found it was available in my local Sony store.

There is a clear difference. The question is what is important for you.

The PRS 700 is comparable to the 500 in screen quality, maybe slightly better, but not as crisp as the 505, however it is so fast, has ergonomics that leave the 500/505 in the dust, and has decent to good integrated lighting that for me it was the first e-ink device I really liked and I bought it on the spot the moment I found it was available in my local Sony store.

Once more the 700 has a much better cpu and more ram than the 505
(according to mr ebook matrix) along with an hardware Java-acceleration
engine (Jazelle) so I wouldn't be surprised if sony realeased
new features for the 700 only.

Once more the 700 has a much better cpu and more ram than the 505
(according to mr ebook matrix) along with an hardware Java-acceleration
engine (Jazelle) so I wouldn't be surprised if sony realeased
new features for the 700 only.

On the flip side, the 700 has a greatly reduced battery life, and a fuzzy screen.

Whats more important to you in a reader?

On the flip side, the 700 has a greatly reduced battery life, and a fuzzy screen.


I assume the greatly reduced battery life is only when using the integrated light? Something's got to power it. If you need/want the light charging it every night doesn't seem to be a big deal. Everything in life is trade off. I charge my cell phone every night.

BOb

According to the sony rep, 5 hours without the light.

According to the sony rep, 5 hours without the light.

That's just wrong. The Sony battery life is listed in page turns. Now maybe 5 hours using the light. But without the light it should get close to the same amount of page turns as the 505.

BOb

This is what the rep told me. He could be exaggerating, but his point was clear, the 700 has signifigantly rwduced battery life because of the touchscreen and lights

According to the sony rep, 5 hours without the light.

Last night I read about 1 hr+ with the light at max and turned it off when I went to bed and this morning it still had 4 bars. After I recharged it today, I read 3 hours+ without charging it - without light by and large - and it still shows 5 bars.

I intend to test it tonight and read several hours with light at max and not charge it to see how it holds. The User Guide specifies 7500 continuous page turns without light and 4 hours with bright light, 8 hours with standard light

Today I spent about 2 hours at Borders and I mostly read from the 700 but I went to compare it once more with the 505 displayed and again I do not understand how anyone can claim the 505 is fast compared with the 700. Nicer, slimmer, maybe, but fast??- to me there is a huge, huge difference in speeds. Maybe the display unit was not in the best shape, but it took forever to turn pages, move around and so on. Comparing with the almost instantaneous response of the 700 is like night and day...

Last night I read about 1 hr+ with the light at max and turned it off when I went to bed and this morning it still had 4 bars. After I recharged it today, I read 3 hours+ without charging it - without light by and large - and it still shows 5 bars.

I intend to test it tonight and read several hours with light at max and not charge it to see how it holds. The User Guide specifies 7500 continuous page turns without light and 4 hours with bright light, 8 hours with standard light

Today I spent about 2 hours at Borders and I mostly read from the 700 but I went to compare it once more with the 505 displayed and again I do not understand how anyone can claim the 505 is fast compared with the 700. Nicer, slimmer, maybe, but fast??- to me there is a huge, huge difference in speeds. Maybe the display unit was not in the best shape, but it took forever to turn pages, move around and so on. Comparing with the almost instantaneous response of the 700 is like night and day...

Do you have the 505 as well? How do you feel about the 700's screen?
Do you like it so far?

Do you have the 505 as well? How do you feel about the 700's screen?
Do you like it so far?

I had the 500 and I liked the screen but it was too slow and cumbersome. 505 seemed similar to 500 - slightly better but not much so speed/ergonomics wise - so I passed on it, but I tested the 700 against 505 displays both at Sony store twice and at Borders once.

700 screen is comparable, maybe slightly better than 500 from my recollections and I liked that one. Again 505 is crisper, but I love my 770 LCD so I am not a eink at all cost person.

Right now the 700 displaced the trusty but getting old 770 as my main reader and I expect I will read a lot on it.

I spent some time fiddling with a 505 and 700 @ Tysons Corner VA today and you can immediately see the difference. The 700 is slightly yellow, dimmer and maybe a little fuzzy or matted. They don't have any good chairs there so you can't sit & read for an hour. I'm wondering if it'll matter for long reads though?
Its obvious side by side but the color & dimness are small differences like a textbook vs. a pulp newspaper. Any idea if the slight "fuzziness" matters after a long read?
The 700 does work very nice, good riddance to the 0-9 buttons.

still havent made up my mind about whether to go for a uk 505 or US 700... i would be importing the 700.. the screen quality seems to be the biggest talking poing with the 700 so it would be good to get some more feedback on this... probably still inclined to go for the 505 as its available locally and i wouldnt have to deal with any import issues

Anyone wants to 'accidentally' drop the PRS-700, to take a peek at what kind of battery it uses(compared to the PRS-505)?

A high velocity fall is recommended to open the case!
anyone?:chinscratch:

Anyone wants to 'accidentally' drop the PRS-700, to take a peek at what kind of battery it uses(compared to the PRS-505)?

A high velocity fall is recommended to open the case!
anyone?:chinscratch:
Pay for a 700 and I'll give it a go trying to open it up.

On the flip side, the 700 has a greatly reduced battery life, and a fuzzy screen.

Whats more important to you in a reader?

There is no data that says it has a greatly reduced battery life. You are seeding FUD.

Dale

There is no data that says it has a greatly reduced battery life. You are seeding FUD.

Dale

According to the Sony Reader Revolution Rep, yes, it does.

People have already reported here that after 5 hours they are still on a full battery! So that is really not true. It will only drain if you keep the lights on continually.

I spent some time fiddling with a 505 and 700 @ Tysons Corner VA today and you can immediately see the difference. The 700 is slightly yellow, dimmer and maybe a little fuzzy or matted. They don't have any good chairs there so you can't sit & read for an hour. I'm wondering if it'll matter for long reads though?
Its obvious side by side but the color & dimness are small differences like a textbook vs. a pulp newspaper. Any idea if the slight "fuzziness" matters after a long read?
The 700 does work very nice, good riddance to the 0-9 buttons.

I, too, got to play around with the 700 and 505 side by side while in Cincinnati this weekend. I have to agree about the difference in screen background color and contrast. But I still like the capabilities of the 700. After using the touchscreen it was hard to go back to using buttons to get around.

He did say that the display model is a "prototype" and that the ones in the boxes in their backroom ::locked:: that they can't sell until the 14th, may in fact be better in some ways, but that he really didn't seem to know any details to elaborate on.
(How is it that I find the one SonyStyle store that isn't already selling their 700's' as I'm now finding out after catching upon 4 days of missed email and more importantly MR forums/posts?)

Concerning the battery usage of the lighting feature, he commented that some people are buying the cover with light wedge to use with the 700 (presumably when they get it) because the light wedge is powered by its own 2 AAA batteries and will not drain the 700's battery life.:chinscratch:

I was very grateful to him for unboxing a cover with the light wedge, so that I could see how it works and compares to the 700 and its light source. The wedge lighting looked to be more evenly distributed, but I didn't care for the fact that the actual light wedge can't be folded back with the cover when you're not using it, if you want to hold it that way. Maybe thats not a big deal. But I wouldn't run out and buy the light wedge unless the drain on the battery was significant.

I got the 700 today, have 505 with light wedge and 18 months old 500. After reading these posts I was prepared to see a "worse" screen on 700 so I was not disappointed. It's closer to 500 screen, which was fine for my reading experience.

Next to 505 the new reader does not look good. But when I moved away from 505 and started reading, it felt to be a great device. Ergonomics are much better, at least for me. Touch screen is very responsive. Browsing my library (around 200 books on SD, many of them larger than 10Mb, lrf, epub, pdf) is very fast. I like the thumbnail view of books (it fits 9 books per page, showing cover pages). Search is fast, if you need it (I'd love to be able to search for a keyword within multiple technical pdf books, may be a hack later ;) ). As a plus, you can use the stylus for reset.

I created few feeds through Calibre in epub, moved them to 700 through Sony library (Calibre doesn't support it yet), all is good.


I only need to get the hack for Russian fonts and Calibre support.

I've always liked the idea of an ereader, but DRM and poor features have always kept me from committing. Testing the 505 demo units over the past year convinced me the e-ink quality was worth the expense & I started researching a bit. The features "leaked" on the 700 convinced me it would likely be my first reader.

I visited SonyStyle San Diego today fully prepared to buy a 700. I was able to compare the 505 and 700 side-by-side. I was immediately struck by the lack of clarity, sharpness and contrast on the 700. It reminded me of the first Palm Pilot I owned... muddy text on a slightly less muddy background. I looked for contrast settings and brightness settings, & I changed font sizes up and down. I asked a salesperson about how it appeared to be harder to read & he shrugged and suggested a Kindle (oh yes he did!).

So the e-ink layer that is so sharp on the 505 is recessed and covered with a second, top layer (of glass?) on the 700. It seems the additional layer requred for touch screen and for a space in which to add sidelighting required a significant compromise in screen clarity. It seems for some, the great new features justify the purchase. I agree that the navigation, touch screen, and somewhat swifter page turns are attractive. But for me, looking for my first device, the lower quality reading experience is a deal killer.

Now I must decide if I can tolerate the "old" features and sharp text of a 505, or wait and see what a Kindle 2 brings to the table. Gosh dang it, Sony, I always want to ask you to dance and you usually nod yes but then always seem to step on my toes! :smack:

I too was set on getting a 700 until I took a trip to the Sony Store in Tyson's Corner, VA. After seeing the two side-by-side, I couldn't believe how bad the contrast on the 700 was. I don't think the difference is caused solely by the glass covering the screen however. To me, it seems as though Sony used an different screen for the 700 than the 505. I might be wrong, but I would live to see the specs on the two.

it seems as though Sony used an different screen for the 700 than the 505
that might be a possibility, seeing that the 700 has a faster screen refresh rate than the 505.
Another possibility is that the darker screen is caused by the touchscreen.
A last thing that could be, is with the darker screen it is harder to see the ghosting, which could be a reason why the 700's screen is refreshing faster than the 505.
I guess when they will increase the DPI on the screen that the screen's refresh time will also lower,seeing that the pixels are smaller and need to be exposed to a shorter (time-wise) magnetic field or electric current (or however these screens work) to refresh.
But then again a higher DPI means also higher resolution, which will put more strain on the processor to display the page, and might shorten battery life a little.
Anyways,me just writing my thoughts here.

I asked a salesperson about how it appeared to be harder to read & he shrugged and suggested a Kindle (oh yes he did!).

Oh no he di'nt!

See... even Sony Style sales people know the Kindle is a superior device. The browser er HD DVD/Blu-Ray er reader wars are over.

See... even Sony Style sales people know the Kindle is a superior device.

Not sure how much I trust the judgment of those sales people after one said the device has 5 hours of battery life under normal reading conditions.

Not sure how much I trust the judgment of those sales people after one said the device has 5 hours of battery life under normal reading conditions.

If they are as knowledgeable as sales people in PC World shops in the UK, I would not waste my time even to ask a question...

As the saying goes pay peanuts, you get monkeys

The "5 hours battery life" rumor should be put to bed: I read for another 3 or so hours last night, for a total of about 8 hours, and the battery indicator is still at "FULL." This is without using the built-in light.

Response is overall very peppy. Controls are very intuitive and gestures rock.

The screen is totally fine under strong light (like the Magic Light clipped to it,) and even though the contrast is not great, it does not seem to tire my eyes after extended reading.

I do have a problem with the screen when there is no strong, direct light. It is basically unreadable in such conditions.

I am really starting to think I need a larger screen though....

The screen is totally fine under strong light (like the Magic Light clipped to it,) and even though the contrast is not great, it does not seem to tire my eyes after extended reading.


What is this "Magic Light" you speak of. Is it a party light (http://www.magiclight.net/)?

BOb

What is this "Magic Light" you speak of. Is it a party light (http://www.magiclight.net/)?

BOb

Eh, I thought this is what the clip-on reading light I have was called, but guess not:-)

http://www.amazon.com/Mighty-Bright-XtraFlex2-Kindle-Compatible/dp/B000TXZIDM/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1226427646&sr=8-4

The "5 hours battery life" rumor should be put to bed: I read for another 3 or so hours last night, for a total of about 8 hours, and the battery indicator is still at "FULL." This is without using the built-in light.

Response is overall very peppy. Controls are very intuitive and gestures rock.

The screen is totally fine under strong light (like the Magic Light clipped to it,) and even though the contrast is not great, it does not seem to tire my eyes after extended reading.

I do have a problem with the screen when there is no strong, direct light. It is basically unreadable in such conditions.

I am really starting to think I need a larger screen though....

thanks for the further review ! a couple of questions, if you don't mind.

1. just how "strong and direct" does the light have to be ? i generally read in bed with a small lamp. it's directly overhead, and i can read even a rather cheaply printed paper book by its light with no troubles (and a cybook e-ink screen also presents no problem), but it's not excessively bright, either. is ambient light from a lamp bright enough for you ?

2. when reading, is there a problem with glare on the screen ? enough to get in the way of reading ? enough to be noticeable ?

please do let us know when you eventually have to charge the battery, as well !

cheers.

I have a 70-watt table light on my side of the bed, and I don't find it enough for comfortable reading on the PRS-700. For my taste, it would have to be either direct sunlight, or a clip on shining directly on the screen.

I have about 8 hours of reading with the clip on light attached to the cover, and I find the combination pretty good. I did read for about 30 minutes in bed this morning, and needed to turn on the clip on light to be comfortable (my bedroom has floor to ceiling windows, but also a ton of vegetation outside and no direct sun - so never really bright.)

Regarding the reflection, I haven't really read during the day (work gets in the way,) but it hasn't really bothered me. With a clip on, I can control the position of the light source, so it's easy to avoid the reflection.

I do think I want a larger screen though, and I do need to be able to read in less than optimum light conditions, so I will not keep the Sony. On the other hand, I am fairly picky - I'd never read a book on any PDA or LCD screen, even on my iPhone, which has the best screen of any PDA or phone I've ever seen (and it's way, way too small for me - I want the size of a full page:-)

thanks for the reply. :)

I received my 700 today and have used it for a couple of hours. I have to say I really love it. The design is very nice. Looks even more bookish then the 505. Very clean design with little to detract from the written word. The case also is very nice. A bit nicer than the stock case for the 505. Textured style with Sony embossed on the front. Still very light and not bulky at all.

Page turning is fast. The page turning with the screen takes some getting used to but very nice . I prefer it to pushing buttons. The stylus works great as well. I like that I can choose covers of the books when selecting from my library. If you do want to use the page turning buttons, I found them to be remarkably softer to push than the buttons on the 505. The backflash is less notable as well.

The screen--- well without any lights on it does reflect and unless you are in direct sunlight, I personally wouldn't want to use it without the light on. With the light on with the low setting it is as clear as the 505 was with a lighted case. I compared it to a paperback I was reading and its crisper and clearer with the light so no problem there. Also when the light is on most of the glare disappears. I should get 8 hours battery life if I use it with the light on low so thats what I plan to do. I will just charge it before I go to bed at nite. No big deal. For the extras I get with this reader, I am pleased. And the battery drainage when using the light isn't a concern for me. I had a lighted cover for the 505 and I think this is about the same in how the light works. Actually better because that had a frosted tint that annoyed me. Plus charging my reader daily is preferable to me than changing the batteries all the time. The lighted cover also added 5 ounces weight so than was a negative.

So I am pleased. I think they basically put the side lighting in to compensate for the loss of some screen clarity . Its not for everyone but I know I will like it.

Sonist

The Cybook has 3 options that maybe you will like:

1 - you can put on it several fonts, and change between them at will;
2 - you have 12 sizes in the fonts to choose;
3 - and, this is the one, you can bold the font you are reading activating an option on the reader!

This last one is the option I use at night for reading or in low light ambience.
For bed reading I use this option activated too, with a normal light it’s just perfect!

Good reading,

I received my 700 today and have used it for a couple of hours. I have to say I really love it. The design is very nice. Looks even more bookish then the 505. Very clean design with little to detract from the written word. The case also is very nice. A bit nicer than the stock case for the 505. Textured style with Sony embossed on the front. Still very light and not bulky at all.

Page turning is fast. The page turning with the screen takes some getting used to but very nice . I prefer it to pushing buttons. The stylus works great as well. I like that I can choose covers of the books when selecting from my library. If you do want to use the page turning buttons, I found them to be remarkably softer to push than the buttons on the 505. The backflash is less notable as well.

The screen--- well without any lights on it does reflect and unless you are in direct sunlight, I personally wouldn't want to use it without the light on. With the light on with the low setting it is as clear as the 505 was with a lighted case. I compared it to a paperback I was reading and its crisper and clearer with the light so no problem there. Also when the light is on most of the glare disappears. I should get 8 hours battery life if I use it with the light on low so thats what I plan to do. I will just charge it before I go to bed at nite. No big deal. For the extras I get with this reader, I am pleased. And the battery drainage when using the light isn't a concern for me. I had a lighted cover for the 505 and I think this is about the same in how the light works. Actually better because that had a frosted tint that annoyed me. Plus charging my reader daily is preferable to me than changing the batteries all the time. The lighted cover also added 5 ounces weight so than was a negative.

So I am pleased. I think they basically put the side lighting in to compensate for the loss of some screen clarity . Its not for everyone but I know I will like it.

Makes me wonder if Sony went with an inferior screen figuring that the light would make up for it??

well I don't think there is much choice. The touch screen I imagine had to be an extra layer. I assume anyway.

To me ergonomics are the most important thing so its good for me. I appreciate not having to push buttons to read and I like the side lights.

I want the size of a full page:-)

I dream about Sony making a reader similar to 505 but 8-9" screen size.
It is the perfect reader for me.

Makes me wonder if Sony went with an inferior screen figuring that the light would make up for it??

Impossible.
If you have light on all the time, then how long will the battery hold? 5h? 10h? 12hh? at most? Such a fall from 2 weeks of holding the charge, would be a disaster.

Regarding the battery life of the 700, this morning I had the battery indicator drop one bar.

So, based on my experience so far, my guesstimate would be that the battery life is close to 2 weeks with normal use. This is with virtually 100% touch page flipping and very rare usage of the internal light.

I just got my 700 this evening. I really wanted to believe the screen difference was just an over-reaction, but I have to admit, the screen on the 700 can't hold a candle to my 505.

The difference is night and day. I went & laid in bed, where I use my eReader a lot, with my bedside lamp, and I could barely read the 700. And I could see myself reflected in the screen clearly. It was really distracting. I never noticed such a thing with the 505.

I'm really disappointed. I *love* the features. The search function was something I *really* wanted (it was the one thing on the Kindle I coveted), but I don't think I'm willing to give up the clarity & readability for that. *Having* to use the built-in light all the time just isn't a good option.

I'm waiting for my 700 to finish charging right now, so that I can load some of my Word documents on it (that's what I read the most) so I can do an apples-to-apples compare. But I'm not holding out much hope.

I was *so* looking forward to the 700. I'm pretty sure it's getting returned, and I'll just wait for the 705... Hopefully, they'll figure out how to make the screen as sharp as the 505. I'm just not willing to give that up. I might if the 505 bites the dust, but at this point, with a functioning 505, the 700 is not enough of an upgrade to be worth it.

Anybody know what the return process is if you bought it direct from Sony?

Sayhello

Thanks sayhello.

You cleared up the doubt I had in my mind that the 700 might be alright at night-time. Now we know the reflective glare is equally as distracting by day and by night.

I'm one of those fussy people that doesn't buy glossy monitors because your eyes are precious and you should give them every chance not to get overly strained.

Well after much debate I have decided to return the 700. I love the idea of the ergonomics of a touch screen but I was kidding myself if I thought the solution was to use the lights all the time. I just wasn't enjoying it at all and mad that everything else about the device was so nice. Since I had sold my 505 , I went to Target tonite and bought another one. The difference in screens side by side is remarkable.

So Sony gets a call tomorrow for the return. I wonder at this point what the return rate is ? They sure screwed up on this device.

Another comparison.
http://www.the-ebook.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=191603#191603

Eh, I thought this is what the clip-on reading light I have was called, but guess not:-)

http://www.amazon.com/Mighty-Bright-XtraFlex2-Kindle-Compatible/dp/B000TXZIDM/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1226427646&sr=8-4
If I was going to get that light, I'd look at the dual neck version and get it. It can fill in any gaps in the light for an even light distribution without too much glare (if any).

If I was going to get that light, I'd look at the dual neck version and get it. It can fill in any gaps in the light for an even light distribution without too much glare (if any).

Yeah, I looked at the dual neck ones, but it seems like too many tentacles in my field of vision:-)

I have to say, the single neck one (which has two bulbs) illuminates the 700 perfectly, with not glare.

To my eyes, the 700 is certainly readable without eye-strain with one of these clipped on it. In fact, these lights make the screen of the 700 appear pretty close to the screen of the 505, in my tests. And the single-neck one I have, has been running for a week of nightly reading on a single charge of its 3 AAA batteries, and it's still going strong.

Another comparison.
http://www.the-ebook.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=191603#191603

Wow! Those pictures are really telling! Thanks much for the link. It answers a question I had posted on another thread!:thanks:

Another comparison.
http://www.the-ebook.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=191603#191603

Except the very last pic. I don't see any difference between the screens.

nice gadget for probably any 6" ebook reader!

I like the built-in light on the 700 and I find no problems with reading on it, night or day.

I like the built-in light on the 700 and I find no problems with reading on it, night or day.

you seem to be the only one.. but that's ok.

you seem to be the only one.. but that's ok.

nope. Liviu too. :)

nope. Liviu too. :)

Agreed - I have read already about 2000 pages on it, maybe more, of various kinds - lrf, pdf, half page, small font, medium font - and I love it.

I opened my trusty N770 tonight for the first time in a while since I had to make a quick trip somewhere and the N770 is perfect for the pocket while for the 700 I need something to carry it in, and I realized that the 700 is comparable in speed to the N770