sony stores have the 300 on sale for $170, but will price match frys $160 sale price. they also said they have fully functional 505 display units for $170. i wanted the 505, was going to get the 300 though for $160, as its my cheapest option. but then was informed of the near new condition 505s for $170. Help....i dont know what to do.

Some folks have been getting new 505's on clearance at Target for $170-$190.


Is the 505 a "demo" unit? If so take a peek at the threads here on MR on how to "fix" this so you know what's what.



Hard to say what to do. The big differences are the 505's 1" bigger screen and memory slots along with the additional page turn buttons along the side. Only you can decide if any of those things matter or not.

the display unit is a fully functional non stripped down unit. and do come with sonys warranty. i do love the sz more on the 505, but the new one i was going to buy yesterday at a retail chain store.....it was marked down in morning, so an employee took it out of hold for me and bought it for themselves. im just curious to know....is a used 505 worth $10 more than new 300? i cant find any other new 505s around here.

Remember--you also will get a "real" cover with the 505, not just the slip case that comes with the 300. So, for that $10, you get a cover that would cost you $30; media card slots, and a larger screen.

dordale :)

You have to ask yourselves a couples of questions to decide.
Is the extra size of the 505 an issue for you? (to enter in a woman's purse etc?)

Are you planning to read PDF books (in that case go for the 505) or just novels & fictions?

The type of cover you prefer is important too.
The PRS-300 come with a sleeve for transport, and the 505 come with a book-like
cover (a similar cover for the 300 would cost you an extra $30). But I have found the 300 to be more agreeable to hold without a cover, due to the buttons placement, rubber-like back,and extra thickness (super slim device like the 505 are not so easy to hold, I prefer to hold my 505 in its cover).

I suggest you to try to hold the two devices and read a few minutes with each of them to decide which one fall more comfortably in your hand (They both come with some free novels & excerpt).

The advice about pdfs is good. The advice about holding each for a while is very good.

I've messed around with the 300, the 505, the 700, the 600 & the Kindle 2. They all have their strengths & weaknesses (except the 700 - all weakness IMHO.)

But the 300 is just perfect for me. Fits my hand, & the screen ratio seems proper. I find myself using it much more than I ever did the 505 I wound up buying before. The size differential makes a big difference, somehow - I take the 300 with me where before, I would not have taken the 505.

I intend to use my 505 at home, when Instapaper upgrades so that I can move web articles to it: http://blog.instapaper.com/

Do not let a lousy ten bucks decide this for you. Paying less for a reader which you use less because you like it less is not the way to go.

5" is too small. I would not be able to enjoy reading on such small screen. I have seen it a few times in local Waterstones, no way.

5" is too small. I would not be able to enjoy reading on such small screen. I have seen it a few times in local Waterstones, no way.

Well, as we used to say in my misbegotten youth, different strokes for different folks.

For me, it's more a matter of getting a good font size with enough words in the screen that I'm not reading faster than the speed at which the words appear. The five inch screen at medium font works just right for me. I get to read at a nice, casual pace, without feeling like I'm clicking the change screen button too frequently. And I can do it with one hand, comfortably. Important when the other hand is using a sandwich or a cup of coffee. At the same time, the stuff I read on the 300 tends to be my easy stuff - mainly casual fiction. Things where I don't need to stop & reread something. So reading on the 300 just sort of flows comfortably along.

On my 505, I use the same sized font - the medium - as on the 300. But since the screen is larger, I get more words per page, and I find that I tend to read things which require more rereading as I go along. 19th century literature, for instance, where the sentences are longer!

My 300 is what I take with me to commute, or to read at lunch, or if I know I'm going to have more than a few minutes of wait time somewhere. Casual reading, fits in my pocket. My 505 stays at home by my chair.

Hmm. Makes me wonder if I might need to get the 900 to handle Proust...

Don't forget that the 505 also includes a very usable mp3 player. I plug earphones in with some new age music when I am flying. It is, to me, an important feature that is not mentioned enough.

5" is too small. I would not be able to enjoy reading on such small screen. I have seen it a few times in local Waterstones, no way.

Ir really depends on what font size you will be reading your ebooks. When you select the S font size, I would say the 5-inch screen is not too small. However, if you read books in M font size, the 5-inch screen really is too small.

It's all about the font size.

As a 40 year old person wearing glasses or even without, I have no problem with the S font size. It's quite similar in size as most printed paperbacks.