Well begrudgingly last night I bough the light wedge at the Sony Style store. I just felt paying $75 for a light was too much. Considering I could buy another eBook, for my children at $100).

Well my original book cover broke and after many failed attempts to repair I realized I must purchase a book cover. But the new ones are $40!! At this price making the jump to get the customized light was a better value.
So when I show my wife the new cover she says great, now I have to return your Christmas present!!! Doh!!

The 700 Review
Anyhow since I was at the SonyStyle store I decided to look at the 700 see it first hand.

The case
-The case is aluminum. But the chrome edges are made out of plastic.
Screen
- The screen seemed to be about the same size as the 505.
- The font and contrast seem equivalent to the 505.
- The screen is touch screen and works without the stylus.

Perfomance
- This is hard to gauge since it is so subjective. But the 700 seemed more responsive to the 505, though not by much. Books loaded faster and the page turned faster.

Zoom
The zoom feature allows the user to zoom in/out of a book page while keeping the format. For regular books this is not a big deal. But for books with pictures or just viewing pictures this feature woks nicely
- There are five font size settings. What is nice is that a user can go straight to their preferred font size and not have to toggle through each setting.


PDF Support
Well having my 505 on hand, I asked the clerk if he minded me popping out SD card and testing the PDF. He said "go for it". I had my card out before he finished his sentence.

The one area that I was disappointed is that SONY did not implement a margin remove feature as one of the font sizes. In my experience with PDFs this is the only change required to make most PDF readable on the SONY 505.
(Add this feature and I think the PDF with the ZOOM) are completely feasible on the SONY reader

- First thing I noticed is that my 2GB card takes about 1min to scan for new books. The 700 took about 20sec.
- The PDF support is identical to that of the 505. With the exception that there was 5 font sizes instead of 3.
- The ZOOM works great here. I was able to zoom into a picture and table in the PDF and the text was clearly visible.
- Unfortunately the ZOOM only works one page at a time and the ZOOM setting is lost when the page is turned.


Built in Light
The built in light was pretty neat it had two levels and mid and a bright. The light is proved by several LED. The result was an uneven light, but still better than no light
The mid light would be great to help reduce glare

One final word.
[Caution: I believe this was speculation so please don't get too excited]
When I asked for when the device went on sale and how much did it cost. He provided the info and mentioned a potential trade in program and cited how there was one for the 500 to 505. I guess the only reason why I mentioned this is if there is enough folks that would like to upgrade their 505 model for a 700. We might want to voice our opinion that we would like so see such an incentive.


Well that's all I have
=X=

Regarding the contrast, did you compare a 700 and a 505 side by side? (I'm not doubting you I just want to find out if it's a system wide problem or just a few pre-production faulty devices.)

Regarding the contrast, did you compare a 700 and a 505 side by side? (I'm not doubting you I just want to find out if it's a system wide problem or just a few pre-production faulty devices.)

Yes, not only did I compare their 505 sitting next to the 700. But I also had my 505 on hand.

It's the plastic layer covering the screen that gives the illusion of inferior screen quality in photographs.
It's like reading the 505 with the light wedge cover.

Speaking of which, it would be interesting if somebody with the 505, a light wedge and a digital camera posted some pictures of the 505 with and with out the light wedge. To see just how different the screen looks.

=X=

Screen
- The screen seemed to be about the same size as the 505.
- The font and contrast seem equivalent to the 700.
- The screen is touch screen and works without the stylus.



I'm assuming you meant to say "505"?

That wouldbe a yes

Thanks for the great review! (Now I'll definitely keep my order:-)

Did you notice if the "black flicker" between page changes has been reduced? I read somewhere, that when changing pages by screen gesture, the flicker is non-existent.

Thanks for the great review! (Now I'll definitely keep my order:-)

Did you notice if the "black flicker" between page changes has been reduced? I read somewhere, that when changing pages by screen gesture, the flicker is non-existent.

I agree -- I was disheartened by the other thread where somebody said the contrast was much worse than the 505, but I had kept my order in place. Now I'm happy I did.

Thanks indeed for posting this hands-on review! :thumbsup::iloveyou:

Thanks for the great review! (Now I'll definitely keep my order:-)

Did you notice if the "black flicker" between page changes has been reduced? I read somewhere, that when changing pages by screen gesture, the flicker is non-existent.

No there was no "black flicker". The screen goes all white* before the text is displayed. Still a flicker I suppose, but more pleasing to the eye.



=X=

Not true white but eInk white.

No there was no "black flicker". The screen goes all white* before the text is displayed. Still a flicker I suppose, but more pleasing to the eye.



=X=

Not true white but eInk white.

Thanks, =x=. Now I am really counting the days until my 700 gets here:-)

That sounds really great! Thanks for your response in my topic as well.

Did you get a chance to try out the highlighting, searching and on screen keyboard?

Thanks for posting this! I was starting to worry about contrast and I had pre-ordered the 700 already. I had the lighted cover for the 505 so I do know what you are saying .

No there was no "black flicker". The screen goes all white* before the text is displayed. Still a flicker I suppose, but more pleasing to the eye.



=X=

Not true white but eInk white.

Hmmm...Thats odd, since in all the videos of the 700 there is still the "black" flicker.

on the cybook, you can choose to turn off the black flash ; maybe on the sony as well, and it was turned off.

on the cybook, you can choose to turn off the black flash ; maybe on the sony as well, and it was turned off.

Who would ever "want" it?

Who would ever "want" it?

who would ever want it on, do you mean ? well, it doesn't personally bother me, and i believe i heard that if it's *not* on you can have trouble with ghosting after a few page refreshes. i admit that the time i tried it, i turned quite a few pages and didn't see any traces, so i'm not sure how big a problem it is, but as i said it doesn't bother me. i stopped noticing it really quickly.

That sounds really great! Thanks for your response in my topic as well.

Did you get a chance to try out the highlighting, searching and on screen keyboard?
I did not test the highlighting, but I did try the searching. There are two ways to search. You can highlight a word, by double clicking on it and hit the search button. The search window will pop up with the word already entered and you just hit the search.
Or you can just hit the search button and do a manual search.

Hmmm...Thats odd, since in all the videos of the 700 there is still the "black" flicker.
I did not mention not seeing a "black flicker" because that was something I was not conscientiously testing for, as a result I was not actively paying attention to the flicker or lack of.

However shortly after evaluating the 700, I started to read with my 505. On the first page turn, I instantly recalled not seeing a page flicker when turning pages.

Maybe I subconsciously filtered out the page flickers on the 700 like I do on the 505 after I start reading.

At any rate folks please disregard my no "black flicker" until I can re-confirm it.

=X=

I did not test the highlighting, but I did try the searching. There are two ways to search. You can highlight a word, by double clicking on it and hit the search button. The search window will pop up with the word already entered and you just hit the search.
Or you can just hit the search button and do a manual search.


I did not mention not seeing a "black flicker" because that was something I was not conscientiously testing for, as a result I was not actively paying attention to the flicker or lack of.

However shortly after evaluating the 700, I started to read with my 505. On the first page turn, I instantly recalled not seeing a page flicker when turning pages.

Maybe I subconsciously filtered out the page flickers on the 700 like I do on the 505 after I start reading.

At any rate folks please disregard my no "black flicker" until I can re-confirm it.

=X=

Thanks for following up. In case it came off that way, I wasn't accusing you of "lying", but was just curious about that. I don't own a reader yet, and I'm trying to decide between the PRS-505 and 700. I thought I had decided on the 505 because of the contrast issues people were reporting, but with your comments, I'm just not sure anymore.

So, thanks for the impressions!

On the "flicker" issue, I found where I had read it:

http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/10/04/sony-reader-prs-700-part-two/

Quote:

"...
3) A new swipe and hold gesture that allows incredibly rapid page flips.

This is where I must stop to comment about eInk. Anyone who has ever tried a Sony Reader (or any eInk eBook reader) is familiar with the “black flash” that accompanies turning a page. That’s still here on the new Sony Reader PRS-700, but it’s greatly reduced.

But get a load of this: When using that new gesture I described above to rapidly page through a book, there is no flashing whatsoever! ..."

"...
3) A new swipe and hold gesture that allows incredibly rapid page flips.

This is where I must stop to comment about eInk. Anyone who has ever tried a Sony Reader (or any eInk eBook reader) is familiar with the “black flash” that accompanies turning a page. That’s still here on the new Sony Reader PRS-700, but it’s greatly reduced.

But get a load of this: When using that new gesture I described above to rapidly page through a book, there is no flashing whatsoever! ..."

Thank you Sonist, for a minute I thought I was losing it.
I'll still double check for safe measures :)

=X=

I went to the SonyStyle store yesterday to re-eval the "black flash".

The 700 still has a "black flash". However there are some operations that do not use a "black flash" such as zooming and fast pagination.



=X=

Thanks for the additional info, =X=.

So, it sounds like in normal page changes, there is a black flash.

But in rapid paging through, using hand-gestures, there is no black flash.

If this is so, then it's not as useful in normal use. But at least it shows, that the black flash may be banished as some point in the future (maybe even with a firmware update.)

Playing with the 505 for a few minutes, the pronounced flashing did bug me, but perhaps it's a matter of getting used to it.

Yes, not only did I compare their 505 sitting next to the 700. But I also had my 505 on hand.

It's the plastic layer covering the screen that gives the illusion of inferior screen quality in photographs.
It's like reading the 505 with the light wedge cover.

Speaking of which, it would be interesting if somebody with the 505, a light wedge and a digital camera posted some pictures of the 505 with and with out the light wedge. To see just how different the screen looks.

=X=

I hope this looks okay. The first is without the light wedge, the second is with it, the third is on full bright and the last is on low. The book I used was from the sony store and set on medium. I tried to keep the camera at the same position while working the wedge with my free hand. The pics were taken with a Canon S2IS with macros turned on.

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll284/MarkAhriman/Picture001.jpg
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll284/MarkAhriman/Picture002.jpg
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll284/MarkAhriman/Picture003.jpg
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll284/MarkAhriman/Picture004.jpg

I have to disagree with =X=.

I just went to the Sony store (again) and had the sales guy show me a 505 with the light wedge, and compare it to the 700. The 700 was still signifigantly worse then the 505. I dont understand how anyone, after seeing the 700 and 505 side by side, could think the 700 is anywhere near as clear or crisp as the 505, even with the lightwedge on.

Just my two cents. BTW, all the pictures on here of the 700 are EXACTLY what it looks like in real life.

I have to disagree with =X=.

I just went to the Sony store (again) and had the sales guy show me a 505 with the light wedge, and compare it to the 700. The 700 was still signifigantly worse then the 505. I dont understand how anyone, after seeing the 700 and 505 side by side, could think the 700 is anywhere near as clear or crisp as the 505, even with the lightwedge on.

Just my two cents. BTW, all the pictures on here of the 700 are EXACTLY what it looks like in real life.

Maybe it's a pre-production issue ? Anyway, i consider really unlikely that
after seeing twice the PRS-505 and 700 side by side (and having in
mind to check this screen contrast problem), =x= couldn't see such a blatant
difference between them as the one you described, don't you think so?

I guess the best thing to settle this question would be to have =x= going
one more time to his local sonystyle store and take a side by side picture
of both the PRS-505 and this strange 700, what do you think about it =x= ? :)

Maybe it's a pre-production issue ? Anyway, i consider really unlikely that
after seeing twice the PRS-505 and 700 side by side (and having in
mind to check this screen contrast problem), =x= couldn't see such a blatant
difference between them as the one you described, don't you think so?

I guess the best thing to settle this question would be to have =x= going
one more time to his local sonystyle store and take a side by side picture
of both the PRS-505 and this strange 700, what do you think about it =x= ? :)

Thats what i was hoping, but a forum member has already recieved his 700, and posted side-by-side pics. The difference is obvious.

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31623&page=2

post #22

...I guess the best thing to settle this question would be to....

... or, to just wait for the already shipped units to arrive early next week, and then see what the lucky/unlucky recipients have to say:chinscratch:

I would take a picture in a heart beat. The problem is I don't have have a camera with a macro lens, so the images would be blurred just like those that have been posted here.


Okay lets get a little background here. The question that was posted here was how good was the screen quality based on some of the comments and concerns some posters made.

The comments I have seen is folk make was on how the 700 had an "inferior resolution", "inferior contrast" and "smaller screen".

Now I have a technical back ground and those terms mean something to me. Resolution means: What is the smallest level of detail you can see with your eye before something gets lost in obscurity.

Contrast means how many different shades of gray are seen and how far apart the shade are.

In my test, not scientific, remember I loaded my books and started to read them there. I maintain that the contrast and resolution of the 505 and 700 are the same. (The PDF books I read have very tiny fonts and where just as readable on the 700)

What johnnyr is pointing out is the loss in image quality caused by the plastic screen layer that is shipped with the 700.

For johnnyr this is a huge problem. For me the loss was negligible. (You would think that a person who has read with his 505 for over a year would have a bigger problem with this than a person who doesn't have either :shrug:)


The fact that there is such a polar view on the effects of the plastic layer I think it will be prudent for the person purchasing the product to check for themselves. I would however suggest that people not rely on the photographs posted here. Here I hold a firm position that those photos are not representative to how the 700 looks. At least wait until professional quality photographs are taken.)
=X=

I think that it is misleading a bit to argue that the 505 is NOT crisper than the 700. There is a clear difference in crispness - whatever technical terms you want to use for that.

But the 700 is so much faster and with so much better ergonomics and you still get a pretty good e-ink screen btw, that it's a big step forward.

The integrated lightning - which has 2 levels btw, not sure if it was mentioned- is decent to good and I read quite a lot last night in pitch black on my 700, though it helps to memorize the 7 buttons since you definitely cannot see them in darkness.

Regarding the black flash, it's there but since the page turning is so much faster, it's almost negligible. If you go in a store try and turn pages on the 505 and on the 700 and you will see the difference immediately. And search/go to page is so fast you have to try it to believe - I did and do lots of searches on my Nokia 770, or on my former Ebookwise and the one on the 700 is the fastest noticeably so.

So again it comes down to what you want. The perfect e-ink screen, yes 505 is better. The much better machine, the 700 wins hands down

I wonder how quick integrated light drains battery.

I think that it is misleading a bit to argue that the 505 is NOT crisper than the 700. There is a clear difference in crispness - whatever technical terms you want to use for that.

But the 700 is so much faster and with so much better ergonomics and you still get a pretty good e-ink screen btw, that it's a big step forward.

The integrated lightning - which has 2 levels btw, not sure if it was mentioned- is decent to good and I read quite a lot last night in pitch black on my 700, though it helps to memorize the 7 buttons since you definitely cannot see them in darkness.

Regarding the black flash, it's there but since the page turning is so much faster, it's almost negligible. If you go in a store try and turn pages on the 505 and on the 700 and you will see the difference immediately. And search/go to page is so fast you have to try it to believe - I did and do lots of searches on my Nokia 770, or on my former Ebookwise and the one on the 700 is the fastest noticeably so.

So again it comes down to what you want. The perfect e-ink screen, yes 505 is better. The much better machine, the 700 wins hands down

I agree with this almost to the letter. The 700 is overall a much better unit, and I wouldn't be surprised if the 700 has the exact same screen (or een better) then the 505. The issue is just that dang touchscreen overlay, which makes it appear less crisp. Otherwise, the 700 is better in every other way. (except for battery life, which is much worse on the 700 then the 505)

My problem is, how enjoyable it is to read, is my biggest concern and I don't really care about the touch screen, highlighting, notes, etc. I just want something to read with. The light is great on the 700, but I will just have to settle for the Lightwedge with the 505, since to me, the 505 is so incredibly better looking. (screen wise)

John

My problem is, how enjoyable it is to read, is my biggest concern
John

The screen is just one component of the reading experience. Speed and ergonomics are imho even more important, once you have a decent screen.

I started with Ebk1150 which had amazing speed and very good ergonomics - outside of weight/look - and then used the 770 for several years because of the better screen/software and pocketability, while in ergonomics it had some better qualities using the buttons customization, some slightly worse.

Then I tried the 500 and while the screen was excellent, it was so slow and had so poor ergonomics compared to what I was using that I just could not use it that much.

505 was pretty much the same as 500 in those 2 categories, maybe slightly faster and slightly better ergonomics but still far from what I wanted there - I tested it several times in the past year - but for me 700 was such a surprise in speed after hearing proclamations that eink *will always* be slow and the touch adds so much to ergonomics that until you use it you do not know what you miss.

So again it depends a lot on whatever is important for you.

The screen is just one component of the reading experience. Speed and ergonomics are imho even more important, once you have a decent screen.

I started with Ebk1150 which had amazing speed and very good ergonomics - outside of weight/look - and then used the 770 for several years because of the better screen/software and pocketability, while in ergonomics it had some better qualities using the buttons customization, some slightly worse.

Then I tried the 500 and while the screen was excellent, it was so slow and had so poor ergonomics compared to what I was using that I just could not use it that much.

505 was pretty much the same as 500 in those 2 categories, maybe slightly faster and slightly better ergonomics but still far from what I wanted there - I tested it several times in the past year - but for me 700 was such a surprise in speed after hearing proclamations that eink *will always* be slow and the touch adds so much to ergonomics that until you use it you do not know what you miss.

So again it depends a lot on whatever is important for you.

The screen is the most important thing to me, you are right about that. I don't think that the 700's screen is even "decent" though, so it simply does not work as a reader for me.

When I was in the Sony store, I did a speed test. The 505 was roughly the same as the 700 as far as page turns. Was it faster? Maybe, not noticeably so. Yes, the ergonomics are nice, but the screen is just so dull, fuzzy, and....old looking, compared to the crisp clean, almost-white e-ink screen of the 505.

I just don't see how anyone can NOT see the huge difference in these screens. I know =X= said the difference for him was negligible, but I really don't understand how that is possible, since me, the 3 salesmen, and my fiance, who has never seen a reader in her life, all agreed the 700's screen looked terrible compared to the 505. The 700 has significantly shorter battery life as well.

Bottom line, all of this is just my opinion (and the opinion of others) but that doesn't mean I'm right or wrong. We are all entitled to our own opinions, and our opinions may differ.

My advice is to make sure you SEE the 700 before you buy it. If its acceptable to you then great, to each his own. But to blindly buy the 700, especially if you currently own a 505, just isn't smart.

It just boggles my mind how sony can release this knowing the screen does not look as good as thier previous model. It makes no sense to me.

I wrote it somewhere else: 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:It is all down to our personal preferences.

johnnyr
I am with you on this one. For me the huge difference in screens between 500 and 505 was the single motivation to upgrade, because screen's quality is the most important factor for me. To prove my point: I never read from phone, PDA and any other hand-held gadget. I do not even consider them as devices that provide means to read a book.

I wrote it somewhere else: It is all down to our personal preferences.

To this and the parent... well said! Maybe we could put this to bed now? :)

To this and the parent... well said! Maybe we could put this to bed now? :)
Sweet dreams :D

I think that it is misleading a bit to argue that the 505 is NOT crisper than the 700. There is a clear difference in crispness - whatever technical terms you want to use for that.

Well I hope this comment was not targeted to me because I clearly stated the 505 looked better. See quote below



I would take a picture in a heart beat. The problem is I don't have have a camera with a macro lens, so the images would be blurred just like those that have been posted here.


Okay lets get a little background here. The question that was posted here was how good was the screen quality based on some of the comments and concerns some posters made.

The comments I have seen is folk make was on how the 700 had an "inferior resolution", "inferior contrast" and "smaller screen".

Now I have a technical back ground and those terms mean something to me. Resolution means: What is the smallest level of detail you can see with your eye before something gets lost in obscurity.

Contrast means how many different shades of gray are seen and how far apart the shade are.

In my test, not scientific, remember I loaded my books and started to read them there. I maintain that the contrast and resolution of the 505 and 700 are the same. (The PDF books I read have very tiny fonts and where just as readable on the 700)

What johnnyr is pointing out is the loss in image quality caused by the plastic screen layer that is shipped with the 700.

For johnnyr this is a huge problem. For me the loss was negligible. (You would think that a person who has read with his 505 for over a year would have a bigger problem with this than a person who doesn't have either )


The fact that there is such a polar view on the effects of the plastic layer I think it will be prudent for the person purchasing the product to check for themselves. I would however suggest that people not rely on the photographs posted here. Here I hold a firm position that those photos are not representative to how the 700 looks. At least wait until professional quality photographs are taken.)
=X=



I just don't see how anyone can NOT see the huge difference in these screens. I know =X= said the difference for him was negligible, but I really don't

Simple it's called personal preference. To answer your question I honestly believe you are grossly exaggerating the screen differences, but I recognize it comes down to preference and I respect your choice.

It's obvious you think little of the 700, and I think the screen is that that much worse than the 505.

However we do agree on one thing that the person buying it should look at the product before they purchase it. And we should leave it at that.

Well I hope this comment was not targeted to me because I clearly stated the 505 looked better. See quote below






Simple it's called personal preference. To answer your question I honestly believe you are grossly exaggerating the screen differences, but I recognize it comes down to preference and I respect your choice.

It's obvious you think little of the 700, and I think the screen is that that much worse than the 505.

However we do agree on one thing that the person buying it should look at the product before they purchase it. And we should leave it at that.

I totally agree with you. Once more, as already stated, since the PRS-700
has got twice as much ram as the 505 and a much faster cpu new features
added later to the 700 will probably not be available on the 505, just like the
500 hadn't enough RAM to support adobe de. So considering this fact and
all the new features already available on the PRS-700, even if the screen of the
505 is a bit better it is still a very good choice to buy a 700.

Well I hope this comment was not targeted to me because I clearly stated the 505 looked better. See quote below






Simple it's called personal preference. To answer your question I honestly believe you are grossly exaggerating the screen differences, but I recognize it comes down to preference and I respect your choice.

It's obvious you think little of the 700, and I think the screen is that that much worse than the 505.

However we do agree on one thing that the person buying it should look at the product before they purchase it. And we should leave it at that.

I want to like the 700, I really do, but yeah, the screen is a dealbreaker for me, along with the 5 hour battery life.

=X=, could you please post some pictures of your 700? I suppose there is still a chance that there is some variation in the sceens, and perhaps you got one of the good ones?

I don't believe any pictures will do the job. One has to go and have a look at it.

I don't believe any pictures will do the job. One has to go and have a look at it.

I would agree, except that I've already done that, and as I said, all three salesmen, my fiance, and one other on-looker all agreed the 700 was dull, fuzzy, and not as enjoyable to read.

I'm trying to understand how =X= could think differently =)

Here's a pic I took. 700 is on the left (as if you can't tell) The picture accurately represents what it looks like...and in fact may make it look a bit better then what it is.

I want to like the 700, I really do, but yeah, the screen is a dealbreaker for me, along with the 5 hour battery life.



Where did you see just 5 hours of battery life? I checked the sony us website and under specs. I see

"Battery Life (Approx.) : Up to 7,500 continuous page turns (or up to two weeks worth of reading)2"

Isn't that like the 500 and 505? A 5 hour battery life def. would be another bummer.

The 5 hours was accordiing to the sony rep. He said this was without the light. He may have been exaggerating, but by how much I don't know.

I totally agree with you. Once more, as already stated, since the PRS-700
has got twice as much ram as the 505 and a much faster cpu new features
added later to the 700 will probably not be available on the 505, just like the
500 hadn't enough RAM to support adobe de.
The "500 hadn't enough RAM to support adobe de" is like an urban myth. It is just a hypothesis proposed by some of the posters here and was not confirmed by Sony in any way. I'm quite sure the real reason was business logistics and not hardware limitations.

The 5 hours was accordiing to the sony rep. He said this was without the light. He may have been exaggerating, but by how much I don't know.

When performing heavy calculations the cpu of the PRS-700
(freescale i.MX31) consumes about as much at 533mhz than the one of the
PRS-500/505 (freescale i.MXL) at 200mhz, that's to say around 1W
(according to datasheets). And the i.MX31 includes much more efficient
power saving capabilities. The epson controller may need more juice but
definitely not enough to drain the battery life significantely faster.
So the only factor remaining is the screen, since it's the same one as on the 505
with a pressure-sensor touchscreen it means it consumes as much
as the one of the 505 when the touchscreen isn't used and you would really
have to use it intensely to drain the battery in five hours !

Conclusion : the guy who told you that is definitely smoking too much
weed.

The "500 hadn't enough RAM to support adobe de" is like an urban myth. It is just a hypothesis proposed by some of the posters here and was not confirmed by Sony in any way. I'm quite sure the real reason was business logistics and not hardware limitations.

Hadrien, who was still recently planning to launch a reader supporting epub files,
told me once that you need 128mb to read them properly so I don't even know
how they did to get adobe de working on the 505.

When performing heavy calculations the cpu of the PRS-700
(freescale i.MX31) consumes about as much at 533mhz than the one of the
PRS-500/505 (freescale i.MXL) at 200mhz, that's to say around 1W
(according to datasheets). And the i.MX31 includes much more efficient
power saving capabilities. The epson controller may need more juice but
definitely not enough to drain the battery life significantely faster.
So the only factor remaining is the screen, since it's the same one as on the 505
with a pressure-sensor touchscreen it means it consumes as much
as the one of the 505 when the touchscreen isn't used and you would really
have to use it intensely to drain the battery in five hours !

Conclusion : the guy who told you that is definitely smoking too much
weed.

Actually, the touchscreen is one of the main reasons for the battery drain. It is constantly powered, since it has to always be ready for your touch.

So while I do think 5 hours is a bit low, the battery is nowhere near as good as the 505.

Actually, the touchscreen is one of the main reasons for the battery drain. It is constantly powered, since it has to always be ready for your touch.

So while I do think 5 hours is a bit low, the battery is nowhere near as good as the 505.

I am not saying you are wrong, but on what basis do you make this statement?

The screen is not iPhone like, but needs a little pressure to be applied for it to work. I'd imagine it's easy to power-manage it, so it only draws power when pressed and activated.

I'll watch the power consumption, but would honestly be surprised if you are correct (plus, Sony would be opening itself to a class-action, because of its 7000+ page turns claim.)

I am not saying you are wrong, but on what basis do you make this statement?

The screen is not iPhone like, but needs a little pressure to be applied for it to work. I'd imagine it's easy to power-manage it, so it only draws power when pressed and activated.

I'll watch the power consumption, but would honestly be surprised if you are correct (plus, Sony would be opening itself to a class-action, because of its 7000+ page turns claim.)

I'm making it simply on my understanding of how touchscreens work, in addition to the Sony Rep (who could e lying out of his you know what)

Please let us know what the real battery life is, once you've used it a bit, so we can put this to bed :)

I think there is another thread on this forum about the type of touchscreens and battery drainage. I believe the kind of touch screen on the Illiad is a real battery drainer and the kind on the SONY 700 does not. I get mine tuesday but others who have had it and read for more than 5 hours will sure know soon and report.

Personally I find it odd behavior in an economic meltdown that a Sony sales person would be pushing a cheaper model over the new one. Unless for some reason he is getting commissions on just the 505!

I am not real happy about the screen issues but there are other things that I really wanted and pushing buttons to turn pages makes my tendinitis flare up so its literally a touch screen for me or reading paperbooks full time.

Conclusion : the guy who told you that is definitely smoking too much
weed.

:rofl: Best conclusion I've read in a long time

I would agree, except that I've already done that, and as I said, all three salesmen, my fiance, and one other on-looker all agreed the 700 was dull, fuzzy, and not as enjoyable to read.

I'm trying to understand how =X= could think differently =)

Here's a pic I took. 700 is on the left (as if you can't tell) The picture accurately represents what it looks like...and in fact may make it look a bit better then what it is.

Ah, now that's a telling picture! Thank you so much for posting that. The others were all at weird angles and such. This one's perfect!

And I'll say, that it's not that bad at all (even if it is a little worse, as you state). I think I'll be happy to get one when I can... it's not as good, for sure, but it's also not bad... just not as good. And when I used the 505 and found it sluggish beyond acceptability, and see that the 700 meets my needs for responsiveness, I'm happy to give a bit on the screen. Any unit as slow as the 505 (and they're pretty much all that slow) isn't worth more than $100 to me. So it's either the 700 or nothing at this point.

I understand all of these people going nuts over how "bad" the screen is. What I don't understand is how these same people find the slowness of the 505 remotely acceptable. I entered "45" in order to switch to page 45 in the store (I headed in ready to buy a 505) and waited 5 seconds for the page flip to finally occur.

Great picture! Wow... finally :)

Ah, now that's a telling picture! Thank you so much for posting that. The others were all at weird angles and such. This one's perfect!

And I'll say, that it's not that bad at all (even if it is a little worse, as you state). I think I'll be happy to get one when I can... it's not as good, for sure, but it's also not bad... just not as good. And when I used the 505 and found it sluggish beyond acceptability, and see that the 700 meets my needs for responsiveness, I'm happy to give a bit on the screen. Any unit as slow as the 505 (and they're pretty much all that slow) isn't worth more than $100 to me. So it's either the 700 or nothing at this point.

I understand all of these people going nuts over how "bad" the screen is. What I don't understand is how these same people find the slowness of the 505 remotely acceptable. I entered "45" in order to switch to page 45 in the store (I headed in ready to buy a 505) and waited 5 seconds for the page flip to finally occur.

Great picture! Wow... finally :)

Lol, thanks...I took that with my G1 =)

Also, just to let you know, the 505 and 700 were about the same speed when I tested it in store. I'm sure with bigger files the 700 would perform better, but as far as regular old e-books, the difference in speed is negligible. (As far as page turning, I didn't try going to a specific page)

Ah, now that's a telling picture! Thank you so much for posting that. The others were all at weird angles and such. This one's perfect!

And I'll say, that it's not that bad at all (even if it is a little worse, as you state). I think I'll be happy to get one when I can...

The font on the 700 in this pic does look a little more muted than on the 505... but I certainly wouldn't call it fuzzy. Also, the font on the 700 looks like it is a size bigger that the 505 so hard to compare the "crispness" of it.

Either way I am sticking with my Kindle for now... waiting for a 8-10 inch device that cost less then my mortgage payment.

BOb

Lol, thanks...I took that with my G1 =)

Also, just to let you know, the 505 and 700 were about the same speed when I tested it in store. I'm sure with bigger files the 700 would perform better, but as far as regular old e-books, the difference in speed is negligible. (As far as page turning, I didn't try going to a specific page)

For now, I'm just going to pretend that you didn't say that :) If it is truly comparable in its slowness (and the videos I've seen tend to suggest otherwise, hence I'm stilling holding out hope) then the 700 will be a no-go for me as well. I don't just read fiction and such, but technical docs. There's a lot of page turning, back and forth, searching, bookmarking, flipping around, etc... The speed of the 505 that I saw would make me scream. The book I was checking out in the store was about 50 pages long and was a stock book that Sony put on there (i.e. you'd think they'd choose something optimal).

But I'll have to wait until I can get my hands on that thing to find out, unless someone is willing to post a side-by-side video like some of the things I've seen on youtube. You know... put the same book on both, and then do the same operations on both to see what the usability's like. That would be most cool.

Cheers!

For now, I'm just going to pretend that you didn't say that :) If it is truly comparable in its slowness (and the videos I've seen tend to suggest otherwise, hence I'm stilling holding out hope) then the 700 will be a no-go for me as well. I don't just read fiction and such, but technical docs. There's a lot of page turning, back and forth, searching, bookmarking, flipping around, etc... The speed of the 505 that I saw would make me scream. The book I was checking out in the store was about 50 pages long and was a stock book that Sony put on there (i.e. you'd think they'd choose something optimal).

But I'll have to wait until I can get my hands on that thing to find out, unless someone is willing to post a side-by-side video like some of the things I've seen on youtube. You know... put the same book on both, and then do the same operations on both to see what the usability's like. That would be most cool.

Cheers!

This was just my limited test I was able to do in the store. The 700 is most likely faster is every other operation, but as far as I could see simple page turning was about the same speed.

... Please let us know what the real battery life is, once you've used it a bit, so we can put this to bed :)

After about a 4-hour charge through USB, I read for just short of 5 hours, touch-flipping pages. At the end, the battery indicator remained at FULL:2thumbsup

However we do agree on one thing that the person buying it should look at the product before they purchase it. And we should leave it at that.

Isn't this a case were you need to use the product. That something looks worse is sometimes an unreliable indicator of how it works in real use.

This was just my limited test I was able to do in the store. The 700 is most likely faster is every other operation, but as far as I could see simple page turning was about the same speed.


I did a quick test on my 700 with a book that is about 670 pages mmpb/pdf e-arc, and 1520 pages as a lrf text extracted. The pdf is 1.8 MB and the lrf 560kb

I timed 30 s twice for both files and I got 60 pages shown at the end of the time for the lrf file and 33 for the pdf, pretty much consistently on the two tries.

@Sonist. Sounds like you've gotten your 700.

".. a short 5 hours.."
:eek: That's some serious reading.

How was the reading experience. Did you use the buttons or the touch screen to change pages?
Some folks here are concerned about the eye strain how did you feel after reading 5 hours?


@ ewiplayer
It's hard to gauge speed from the demo files since they are optimized for the devices. (same thing applies to buying audio/video devices always bring your own media)

That is partly why I loaded my SD card to the demoed PRS-700 and page turned books I was familiar with on my 505.

The speed was noticeable. The SD Card loaded faster twice the speed. Books paged turned faster. And the PDF experience was much better, esp. with text reflow.
=X=

Could one of you lucky/brave 700-owning folks please try loading a large LRF ebook using Calibre and then time opening it? And also time changing font sizes? It'd be particularly spiffy if you used something either from the Baen Free Library or that is available for download here at MobileRead.

I want to compare the load time and font-size-change time with the times I see on my PRS-500. That'd provide me with half the info I need to decide whether to upgrade. The second half of the info (screen quality and physical ergonomics) will require time with a 700 in person, so I'll be waiting until my local Borders has one on display.

Thanks in advance,

Xenophon

Could one of you lucky/brave 700-owning folks please try loading a large LRF ebook using Calibre and then time opening it? And also time changing font sizes? It'd be particularly spiffy if you used something either from the Baen Free Library or that is available for download here at MobileRead.

I want to compare the load time and font-size-change time with the times I see on my PRS-500. That'd provide me with half the info I need to decide whether to upgrade. The second half of the info (screen quality and physical ergonomics) will require time with a 700 in person, so I'll be waiting until my local Borders has one on display.

Thanks in advance,

Xenophon

Tell me whatever file you want - pick some lrf that is public domain/Baen - and I will load it and then do whatever tests. Time turn page 30 s, load, font change...

@Sonist. Sounds like you've gotten your 700.

".. a short 5 hours.."
:eek: That's some serious reading.

How was the reading experience. Did you use the buttons or the touch screen to change pages?
Some folks here are concerned about the eye strain how did you feel after reading 5 hours?


@ ewiplayer
It's hard to gauge speed from the demo files since they are optimized for the devices. (same thing applies to buying audio/video devices always bring your own media)

That is partly why I loaded my SD card to the demoed PRS-700 and page turned books I was familiar with on my 505.

The speed was noticeable. The SD Card loaded faster twice the speed. Books paged turned faster. And the PDF experience was much better, esp. with text reflow.
=X=

Wait a sec...aren't you the one that also thinks the screens are about the same? :rofl:

j/k :thumbsup:

Isn't this a case were you need to use the product. That something looks worse is sometimes an unreliable indicator of how it works in real use.

Absolutely. Ascetics makes first impression, but usability makes a lasting impression.
I think a good product needs to have both. It is just harder to qualify the latter.

=X=

Tell me whatever file you want - pick some lrf that is public domain/Baen - and I will load it and then do whatever tests. Time turn page 30 s, load, font change...
How about "Vorpal Blade" from the recently available "Claws that Catch" CD? I'd like to see load time, font-change time, paging forward for thirty seconds, and whatever else you think is interesting.

I'm also curious about time to index a large-ish book collection on an SD card. Would you be willing to time indexing a few hundred books? Quite a few hundred books? All lrf, all epub, or a mix would also be interesting. They don't actually have to be unique, as the number of books appears to matter far more than their size.

Thank you very much for your help.

Xenophon

How about "Vorpal Blade" from the recently available "Claws that Catch" CD? I'd like to see load time, font-change time, paging forward for thirty seconds, and whatever else you think is interesting.

I'm also curious about time to index a large-ish book collection on an SD card. Would you be willing to time indexing a few hundred books? Quite a few hundred books? All lrf, all epub, or a mix would also be interesting. They don't actually have to be unique, as the number of books appears to matter far more than their size.

Thank you very much for your help.

Xenophon

Sure I will do Vorpal Blade before 5 pm today.


Regarding indexing - what do you mean? Dump 500 books say on a 1GB SD - I have pdf's and lrf's, no epub - put the SD inside and see how much it takes for the 700 to see them so you can start reading? I never used a card for 500 and for 700 with 400+ MB internal I see no reason to either, but I have a 1GB sd around that's available so I can do it.

Done Vorpal Blade - put the result in a separate thread - Speed Tests on 700

Thanks. Comments there, along with a request for another test or two.

Xenophon

Sure I will do Vorpal Blade before 5 pm today.


Regarding indexing - what do you mean? Dump 500 books say on a 1GB SD - I have pdf's and lrf's, no epub - put the SD inside and see how much it takes for the 700 to see them so you can start reading? I never used a card for 500 and for 700 with 400+ MB internal I see no reason to either, but I have a 1GB sd around that's available so I can do it.
That's half of what I meant. The other half was using a card to make sure that the book itself isn't pre-indexed by the Sony Librarian software; thus ensuring that we're seeing how long it takes the 700 itself to index and format it.

Xenophon

also rotating (zoom)a comic book (anime) in pdf would be nice!
Probably the 700 will be much faster!

also rotating (zoom)a comic book (anime) in pdf would be nice!Um, the comic book version is called manga. :) Anime is the animated cartoon off TV.

Sayhello (amazed that she ever came to know such things!)