Hi,

I've just received my Sony 900 (aka "Daily Edition").
Sony 600 and 300 I've got 4 months ago, Sony 700 1 year ago and Sony 505 in summer 2008.
I've made a comparison without Sony 900 a few months ago: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=583450&postcount=1

Since then, some of my first impressions did change drastically.
And of course, Sony 900 is changing the picture as well.

I'll post more later on.

For the moment, 2 lines per unit.

Ranking #1: Sony 900:thumbsup::2thumbsup
Maybe it's because it's my newest addition. But first impression really is, this time Sony has done it right (edit: Not just right, simply perfect!). WOW!!!
So far, it seems to combine the strengths of Sony 600 (touchscreen) and Sony 505 (contrast, over all display quality) thus eliminating Sony 600's weaknesses (glare).

Ranking #2: Sony 505:D
Still one of my all-time-favorites (out of 12 readers I own for the moment).
Great design, phantastic display, perfect usability.

Ranking #3: Sony 600:)
I really have difficulties, deciding between Sony 505 and 600.
Sony 600 has been a positive surprise. But quite frankly, I don't use the touchscreen intensively enough, to benefit from it.
And I've loved my Sony 505 from the very first minute until now.

Ranking #4: Sony 700:chinscratch:
I didn't use it for almost one year (meaning: Never used it with the exception of the first day and a few experiments). But I've played around with it a bit when installing eBook library 3.x. And I had been surprised: A very well thought out unit, really did like the lights (prefer it over clip-ons).

EDIT: I totally forgot Sony 300. And that's for a good reason. I simply don't use it. Don't like turning pages with the 5-way-button, which is the only option. And I absolutely dislike (didn't want to say "hate") the plastic frame.

In a few hours I'll compare design, contrast, features, ... in more depths.
Questions and hints, as always, quite welcome of course...

Housings:

Sony 300:
The sides are plastic: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=580455&postcount=176
I don't like it at all. 2 different materials with slightly different colors. Simply looks cheap and I still haven't figured out what's its purpose. Protection against scratches? But why doesn't have it Sony 600 then? Cost savings? Hope not, wouldn't be "Sony style".

Sony 505:
Very elegant. One of the "coolest" readers out there.
Very ergonomic, too.

Sony 600 and Sony 700:
As elegant as Sony 505. Maybe even a bit more appealing, given its (for Sony 600) choice of colors.
Touchscreen very well thought out.

Sony 900:
New design, very efficient.
The cover (included) doesn't cover front and back, only the front. The back is plastic, "roughened up" for the same "touch and feel" as the front. The back is part of the frame and can be taken down to change the battery.
The front cover is attached to the back and has got the same magnets we already know from Sony 505 or 600.
The expansion cards (both, MS and SD) are inserted on the left side. Both slots are covered by a plastic frontshield.
Sony 900 is way smaller (that's a positive to me) than I'd expected. If you don't focus on it, you won't even recognize the difference to Sony 600.

Sony 300: None, no touchscreen.

Sony 505: None, no touchscreen.

Sony 600: My favorite, heaviest stylus of all Sony readers.

Sony 700: Weighs less than Sony 600's. Too light in my opinion.

Sony 900: Nearly identical to Sony 700 (slightly different colors). A bit too light as well.
Stylus is inserted on the left side. Not very ergonomic, but probably safer (it's "protected" by the cover, whereas on Sony 600 or 700 you accidentally may slip it from it's slot and loose it when transporting it.

Many thanks.

I wait you continue with the analisys.

Bye.

Great info, thanks a million. And you've successfully converted me. I've almost persuaded myself that I can't use the 3g anyway and I don't need a 7" inch screen or two column view. But is it true that the screen quality on 900 is so much better than 600? I am not asking much, as long as it's something close to the 500 that I am currently using...

Great info, thanks a million. And you've successfully converted me. I've almost persuaded myself that I can't use the 3g anyway and I don't need a 7" inch screen or two column view. But is it true that the screen quality on 900 is so much better than 600? I am not asking much, as long as it's something close to the 500 that I am currently using...

I'll compare in a few hours in more depth.
But Sony 900's contrast definitely is way better than Sony 600's.
Whether it can stick up to Sony 505 I have to check in direct comparison.
I'm very surprised, given the more or less identical release dates of Sony 600 and 900. But that's an extremely positive surprise of course.

2 column view: Seemed very interesting from the reviews. Didn't try with newspapers yet. But with the books I've tried, it simply didn't make any sense at all. Not enough information, but still hard to read (and I'm not short sighted).

3g: I'd love to use the shop directly, without juggling with USB. But I can't use it with my Kindles as well, so it's okay. But can't tell anything about the experience...

Stylus: It already deeply annoys me. In parallel, I've used my Samsung Q1 UMPC, which has a way heavier and more convenient stylus. Sony 900's stylus in my opinion simply is too light. Okay, I won't use it that much. I turn pages via the buttons, so I'll mainly use it for "point and click", selecting the books I'd like to read or marking the words I'd like to lookup in the dictionary. But it just doesn't feel "right". It almost feels like being entirely out of polycarbonat instead of metal.
Sony 600's stylus feels better. It can be inserted in the Sony 900, but it doesn't fit perfectly, so it's a risk of loosing it. Maybe I'll go with a 3rd party stylus...

Oh, if I only I could somehow justify buying a 900... if only my husband showed some sort of interest in my 505, I could pass that onto him and get myself a 900 (he's one of those "I like reading pbooks I don't see how you can read off of that" people)... I'll have to try harder to "convert" him!

Thanks for posting your thoughts and comparisons!

Oh, if I only I could somehow justify buying a 900... if only my husband showed some sort of interest in my 505, I could pass that onto him and get myself a 900 (he's one of those "I like reading pbooks I don't see how you can read off of that" people)... I'll have to try harder to "convert" him!

Thanks for posting your thoughts and comparisons!

I totally understand, going for the new gadget.
But with Sony 505 you certainly have one of the best units out there. Still absolutely up to date and still clearly in my top 3.

Your situation seems similar to me and my wife.
Quote: "Stupid inverting screen....annoying to wait an entire second for turning pages..."
I gave her a Sony 505 as a present in summer 2008. It took some months to convert her, but now she loves her toy.
The main argument: She'll never be into "experimenting" or hacking or comparing. BUT: I could convince her with the content.
When traveling, now she takes hundreds of books with her. And she even can read them in the bathtub. And it's still smaller than a single paperback.
So I was able to convince her from eBook readers.

That's really a close one:

Rank #1: Sony 505 + Sony 300
Rank #3: Sony 900
Rank #4: Sony 600
Rank #5: Sony 700

I absolutely can confirm the rumors: Sony 900 is ahead of Sony 600.
It's not a huge difference, Sony 600 was fine to me already.
In my opinion, it doesn't make too much sense to compare the readers. Main question should be, whether each reader is acceptable (or even great) on its own. From that perspective, even Sony 700 always was okay to me and Sony 600 is more than okay.

BTW: For glare (respectively "no or little glare") it's the same ranking as above.

Sony 900 to me is a mixed package.

2-page-view did seem interesting from the pictures I've seen. So far, it's a huge disappointment for me. Maybe it's usable for newspapers. But for the books I've tried, it was neither efficient (wasting too much space) nor convenient and hard to read (too little information vs. too tiny font).

The bigger display is way less obvious than I'd expected. To me, it's neither a milestone nor a problem. I very much like the new cover and different housing, though.

The UI to me is some improvement over Sony 600. For example, having a thumbnail of the last read book directly on the cover page (library view).

Momentary summary:
I can't use the mobile webshop here in Germany and the bigger display is of no real benefit to me.
In comparison to Sony 600, contrast slightly has improved. If you already own a Sony 600, replacement certainly isn't necessary.
If you own an older reader or think about a touchscreen unit, Sony 900 definitely is very appealing.

Sony 900, in my opinion, is perfect proof of the "japanese concept":
Not aiming for the quantum leap, but permanent slight improvement.
Sony perfectly demonstrates this with every single reader.

Thanks mgmueller. I love touchscreen (ts). I find the convenience of it to be awesome. I've been wanting a ts reader for a long time. I 1st considered the PRS-700 and the bad reviews were a complete turn off. I thought about the PRS-600 but really wanted a bigger screen reader since I already have two 6 inch readers (7.1 to 8.1 is ideal for me, only do pleasure reading). The only 2 that were in consideration that met my criteria were the PRS-900 and IREX DR800SG. I gave up waiting for the DR800SG and ordered the PRS-900 from Best Buy this past Saturday. It's not set to arrive before January 15th since they are on back-order. Every time I learn a little bit more about the PRS-900, I feel more confident I made the right choice not waiting on the DR800SG before deciding.

Hi mgmueller
i tried this question on a different thread but it wasn't picked up.
I would assume the 900 also comes to europe soon,
from the pictures in the manual it seems the simcard is replaceable, can you confirm this?

Hi mgmueller
i tried this question on a different thread but it wasn't picked up.
I would assume the 900 also comes to europe soon,
from the pictures in the manual it seems the simcard is replaceable, can you confirm this?

YES, the SIM card can be replaced. Or at least I can take the existing one out of the socket. Haven't tried yet another card, will be an interesting experiment for this afternoon. I'll post the results in about 5 hours. Personally, I don't expect another card to work, but we'll see.

YES, the SIM card can be replaced. Or at least I can take the existing one out of the socket. Haven't tried yet another card, will be an interesting experiment for this afternoon. I'll post the results in about 5 hours. Personally, I don't expect another card to work, but we'll see.

Another person has tried to put the Sim card in another device and it's blocked; I believe they got an error message about inserting correct card.

Another person has tried to put the Sim card in another device and it's blocked; I believe they got an error message about inserting correct card.

I wonder if it can be unlocked, like a cell phone.

... ordered the PRS-900 from Best Buy this past Saturday. It's not set to arrive before January 15th since they are on back-order. Every time I learn a little bit more about the PRS-900, I feel more confident I made the right choice ...

I'm in the same position as you, I ordered mine on the 30th from Best Buy and now have to wait 2 weeks :(

I did a lot of research prior to ordering and was pretty close to getting a nook at one point until I heard about the 900. I made myself wait until there were some actual hands on reviews before ordering, and the only upsetting thing is that I made myself wait - all the reviews have been good so now I can't wait to get it!!

I'm in the same position as you, I ordered mine on the 30th from Best Buy and now have to wait 2 weeks :(

I did a lot of research prior to ordering and was pretty close to getting a nook at one point until I heard about the 900. I made myself wait until there were some actual hands on reviews before ordering, and the only upsetting thing is that I made myself wait - all the reviews have been good so now I can't wait to get it!!

Don't hold your breath!

My ladyfriend ordered one from Sony for me for Christmas during the first week of December. It's not here yet.

Oh well.

Hi mgmueller
i tried this question on a different thread but it wasn't picked up.
I would assume the 900 also comes to europe soon,
from the pictures in the manual it seems the simcard is replaceable, can you confirm this?

As far as I'm aware the PRS 900 uses bands 850 and 1900 MHz for wireless, whilst most of Europe uses 900 and 1800 MHz, so even you manage to unlock it, it wont work in Europe.

I'm in the same position as you, I ordered mine on the 30th from Best Buy and now have to wait 2 weeks :(

I did a lot of research prior to ordering and was pretty close to getting a nook at one point until I heard about the 900. I made myself wait until there were some actual hands on reviews before ordering, and the only upsetting thing is that I made myself wait - all the reviews have been good so now I can't wait to get it!!

I'll get my nook beginning of February. If you can wait that long, I'll compare Sony 900 against it.

Another person has tried to put the Sim card in another device and it's blocked; I believe they got an error message about inserting correct card.

I don't get that error message. I just can't get any connection. Briefly (1 to 2 seconds) it shows the "3G" sign, so it obviously tries to connect...

I'll get my nook beginning of February. If you can wait that long, I'll compare Sony 900 against it.

Maybe B&N will have had time to fix some of the glaring design issues with the nook by then (in the software... the hardware design is fine) and make it a fair fight. Right now, I'd wager the 900 beats the nook hands down.

I almost bought a nook, my friend has a nook, and while there are things to like about it, it is definitely a rev A product and lacks the polish that Sony has in their software UI.

Maybe B&N will have had time to fix some of the glaring design issues with the nook by then (in the software... the hardware design is fine) and make it a fair fight. Right now, I'd wager the 900 beats the nook hands down.

I almost bought a nook, my friend has a nook, and while there are things to like about it, it is definitely a rev A product and lacks the polish that Sony has in their software UI.

I'm back to work today and a co-worker came over with their Nook to show me (I introduced everyone of them to ebook readers in Dec 2007 when I purchased the Sony PRS-505). It's funny she always seems interested in learning about my readers, in fact she use to ask a lot of questions about my Kindle 2 (which is now ugly according to her:( ). She had a few problems with her Nook, which she called glitches but sound like problems to me. Then got defensive when I told her I would never hold the line for more then 15 minutes to talk to customer service (she waited 55 minutes to speak to someone:eek:); sorry that Nook would have been returned with a quickness. She was telling me about the problems, sorry uh I mean glitches she encountered with her Nook and asking me if my K2 and Sony PRS-505 were the same; I was like NO, in fact my K2 & 505 has worked perfectly from the start. I told her I can't think of any software issue with Amazon but there's a screen fade problem in the sun that was widely reported and those afflicted with that problem can get exchanges immediately (B&N told her to wait for next update when she ask for exchange). I told her my PRS-505 has had no problems but the Sony Library software can be a nightmare for some. I hope B&N gets it right soon because the Nook is really pretty, even more so in person (even though with the 'glitches' I would never buy it because of B&N customer service).

i'm wondering whether it's worth upgrading from a PRS-505 to the 900.

Is the 900 noticeably larger than the 505 when used to read (technical) PDF in the landscape mode? Especially with the crop margin enabled.

i'm wondering whether it's worth upgrading from a PRS-505 to the 900.

Is the 900 noticeably larger than the 505 when used to read (technical) PDF in the landscape mode? Especially with the crop margin enabled.

To me, Sony 505 still is one of the most advanced readers in the market. It's far from being obsolete or outdated. So I don't see any need for a replacement.
If you think about a touchscreen unit and consider this an upgrade, Sony 900 is a great choice, highly recommendable. But Sony 600 more or less is equal, Sony 900 to me only is a minor improvement, not a quantum leap.

Sony 900 isn't noticeably larger. I didn't compare measurements before ordering, but I've expected it being bigger (but on the downside have been worried about being more bulky). That's not an issue for me, but if it's a criteria for example iRex may be worth considering (my absolute favorite for PDFs).

Sony 900 is a great unit. So far, there's only a single minor disappointment: I've expected a bit more of landscape mode. 2-page-view did seem very promising, but I couldn't make any use of it yet. For the books I've tried, it's not too helpful (not enough information vs. readability).
Nearly forgot the 2nd issue (refuse to call it "negative", love my Sony units too much for that): Zoom still only is valid for a single page in PDFs, whereas iRex does remember it for the entire document.

Attached: Sony 300, 600 and 900 comparing sizes.
Sorry, couldn't get a better picture.

http://www.sonyinsider.com/2009/12/29/sony-reader-daily-edition-prs-900-review-roundup/
http://www.mobiletechreview.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Number=35512

thanks mgmueller,
with regards to the landscape mode,
i saw also pictures where there was only one page/collumn in this mode,
isn't possible in landscape mode to turn off the two page view?
it is not very clear in the documentation.
rene

thanks mgmueller,
with regards to the landscape mode,
i saw also pictures where there was only one page/collumn in this mode,
isn't possible in landscape mode to turn off the two page view?
it is not very clear in the documentation.
rene

Yes you can.

wow

from all i read seems sony did a great job,
i'am now eagerly waiting for the international release :))

wow

from all i read seems sony did a great job,
i'am now eagerly waiting for the international release :))

I'm eagerly awaiting my preorder!

thanks mgmueller,
with regards to the landscape mode,
i saw also pictures where there was only one page/collumn in this mode,
isn't possible in landscape mode to turn off the two page view?
it is not very clear in the documentation.
rene

Single column view is the standard one. You can switch to 2 columns and back manually.
If you go to landscape and single column, the column width in my opinion is too wide. It's not convenient in that width. Can be done for some text passages, but I wouldn't read an entire book that way. But of course it depends on your source material. If you're into the casual read, your Stephen King or James Patterson in my opinion is absolutely fine on Cybook Opus for example, I don't see the need for a bigger unit. If you need technical documents, the bigger the better. But than iRex with its smart zoom feature has tons of advantages in my opinion.

Aftering watching these videoes, I was quite impressed, IMHO, it's one of the most mature ebook readers regrading both hardware and firmware part. As for irex reader, there is some power issue, and it's not finger-touchable.

Aftering watching these videoes, I was quite impressed, IMHO, it's one of the most mature ebook readers regrading both hardware and firmware part. As for irex reader, there is some power issue, and it's not finger-touchable.

Sony 900 seems to generate lots of enthusiasm. I'm glad about that, it should further push interest and market value of eBook readers in general.
But (although being fan of all Sony readers myself) I wouldn't compare Sony 900 (or Sony 600) to iRex (neither 1000S nor iLiad).
iRex' units certainly are less "polished", but their UI and quality in my opinion still is superior. Especially concerning PDF capabilities.
For example, I prefer zoom over reflow for PDFs. Simple to explain: The original idea behind PDF always was, "conserving" the layout. Reflow may be fine for casual reads - I don't care about layout when reading James Patterson. But for "professional documents", remaining the original layout untouched is preferable to me. Sony 900 (and 600 or 700) can zoom and reflow. But zoom only remains for a single page. iRex on the other hand is able to use that zoom for an entire document.
There are lots of details like that on iRex: Renaming book title or author directly on the unit itself (iLiad), absolutely no glare (Sony 900 is a vast improvement, but still both iRex' are way superior = identical in quality to Sony 505).
But Sony clearly has the "cool" factor, plus their own bookstore. Plus marketing, plus market share, plus reputation, ...

Attached: Sony 300, 600 and 900 comparing sizes.
Sorry, couldn't get a better picture.

Thanks for the great comparison photo ! :) I have decided to go for the 900, eagerly awaiting for my preorder now.

There are lots of details like that on iRex: Renaming book title or author directly on the unit itself (iLiad), absolutely no glare (Sony 900 is a vast improvement, but still both iRex' are way superior = identical in quality to Sony 505).
But Sony clearly has the "cool" factor, plus their own bookstore. Plus marketing, plus market share, plus reputation, ...

I've yet to find a brand of eReader with the level of thought put into the experience for the book reader as Sony has, and that is pretty important to some people (myself included). Enough that we are willing to compromise in other areas to get that.

As for touch, that's a tricky problem. There are really only 3 forms of touch technology out there right now, and they all have drawbacks:

- Resistive. Upside is that this lets you use both fingers and a stylus to interact with the screen. Downside is that to get it to work, the materials are not always ideal for anything that isn't backlit.
- EM Resonance (Wacom). Upside is that it allows for a stylus, and the use of thin glass reduces reflections. Downside is that you can't use fingers at all with the panel, and the cost is a bit higher due to complexities in the stylus design.
- Capacitive. Upside is that again, you can use thin glass (or even plastic), and it lets you use fingers. Downside is that you can't use a stylus without a specific design, which makes it bulky, and the tech is less precise than the other two for now.

Sony went with resistive to get the ability to use both fingers and stylus (not to mention capacitive touch tech is still relatively new compared to the two others). Hopefully, advances in capacitive tech will remove its main drawback and make small styluses an option, which Sony could be encouraged to adopt.

You can, of course, use combinations of the different technologies. Eg, the iRex DR1000S has a Wacom touch screen, but capacitive sensors for its "buttons".

You can, of course, use combinations of the different technologies. Eg, the iRex DR1000S has a Wacom touch screen, but capacitive sensors for its "buttons".

It isn't really a combination when the capacitive buttons are not even part of the display layers. It doesn't suddenly let me touch the screen with my finger and expect it to work.

The advantage of being able to use both a stylus and your finger on the touch screen is simply so that you don't have to whip out the stylus every time you just want to open a book, and you aren't expected to do accurate things like sketch a note with your finger.

- EM Resonance (Wacom). Upside is that it allows for a stylus, and the use of thin glass reduces reflections. Downside is that you can't use fingers at all with the panel, and the cost is a bit higher due to complexities in the stylus design.


I heard of that the wacom screen is lying BEHIND of the eink screen, so it wouldnot affect the eink screen, but the stylus must be magnetic to get going.

Is that true?

I heard of that the wacom screen is lying BEHIND of the eink screen, so it wouldnot affect the eink screen, but the stylus must be magnetic to get going.

Is that true?

The technology is "electromagnetic resonance".
So it's not touch sensitive. You can't use your finger or a standard stylus from you PDA. But there are tons of alternative styli out there.
Screen clarity is way better than of touchscreen units, but it's significantly more expensive.

It isn't really a combination when the capacitive buttons are not even part of the display layers. It doesn't suddenly let me touch the screen with my finger and expect it to work.


True, but the iRex allows you to do pretty much everything using the buttons rather than the touch screen, if you prefer, so you do have the choice of either.

Although this thread has become a PRS-900 love-in (which I have no problem with - it seems like a great device!), I must throw in my 2c and say that for pure reading, I'd put the 300 above the 600 for the screen clarity alone. I just exchanged my 600 for a 300 , and after 20 minutes with it at home, I've yet to find an situation where I cannot read from it comfortably. This wasn't the case with the 600. The 600 was my first reader and I had never actually used a reader before (I received it as a gift), and upon using it for the first time I was actually surprised at how difficult it was to read from.

Also, after using the 600 for over a week, I would say the build quality of the 300 and 600 is pretty darn close. The back of the devices are made of the same exact material (ie, not metal). I'm also pretty sure that the chrome strip on the edge of the 600 is just chrome-painted plastic, as opposed to the non-painted plastic on the 300.

But I'm happy to hear that the 900 has improved over the 600. It's probably a good thing it's not yet available at my local sony store here in Montreal, cause my gf would be short an extra $250!

Although this thread has become a PRS-900 love-in (which I have no problem with - it seems like a great device!), I must throw in my 2c and say that for pure reading, I'd put the 300 above the 600 for the screen clarity alone. I just exchanged my 600 for a 300 , and after 20 minutes with it at home, I've yet to find an situation where I cannot read from it comfortably. This wasn't the case with the 600. The 600 was my first reader and I had never actually used a reader before (I received it as a gift), and upon using it for the first time I was actually surprised at how difficult it was to read from.

Also, after using the 600 for over a week, I would say the build quality of the 300 and 600 is pretty darn close. The back of the devices are made of the same exact material (ie, not metal). I'm also pretty sure that the chrome strip on the edge of the 600 is just chrome-painted plastic, as opposed to the non-painted plastic on the 300.

But I'm happy to hear that the 900 has improved over the 600. It's probably a good thing it's not yet available at my local sony store here in Montreal, cause my gf would be short an extra $250!

I totally agree: Readability on Sony 300 is great.
What I absolutely don't like about it: On Sony 505 you have various choices for turning pages. On Sony 300, you've got a single option: The 5-way-controller in the bottom middle of the reader.
I very much prefer the side buttons on Cybook Opus.
Or even more, having these buttons on both sides of the unit, as with Kindles or Nook.

Thanks for the reviews I have the 505 and am thinking of getting the 300 as a spare for when my daughter wants to read one of my books and I end up bookless till she finishes if I have 2 ereaders can I have the same books on both
lizz

Thanks for the reviews I have the 505 and am thinking of getting the 300 as a spare for when my daughter wants to read one of my books and I end up bookless till she finishes if I have 2 ereaders can I have the same books on both
lizz

You can have the same book on quite a few readers. Depending on the format, it's usually 4 to 6 accounts (PC usually already counting for 1).
It can be readers/units from different manufacturers.

As an alternative to Sony 300 I'd suggest Cybook Opus. Although being a Sony fan, I like the Sony 300 less than Cybook Opus.
Opus mainly has 2 advantages:
- Auto-rotation (similar to iPhone).
- Buttons for turning pages on the right side instead of the bottom, which I find way more ergonomic.

Both (like Sony 505) can read ePUB.

I totally agree: Readability on Sony 300 is great.
What I absolutely don't like about it: On Sony 505 you have various choices for turning pages. On Sony 300, you've got a single option: The 5-way-controller in the bottom middle of the reader.
I very much prefer the side buttons on Cybook Opus.
Or even more, having these buttons on both sides of the unit, as with Kindles or Nook.There is a way to get a side button to change pages, but it involves flashing the firmware with an unofficial firmware. I did it on mine without issue, but it is definitely not for the faint of heart :D

With that said, I still find myself using the bottom button more often than the "8" button on the side. I agree that it would have been MUCH nicer to have a dedicated side page turner (even both sides) The Cybook Opus looks like a very nice unit and one I would have looked at closely as it handles a good set of formats like the Sony's. It was just too tough to pass up on the $169 that I paid for the 300 new :p

I have a voucher for waterstones and they dont sell that make and as I dont know enough about the other makes elonex 5inch iriver story do any of you know about which one is the best
lizz

does anybody know how to get the 900 outside us?
bestbuy doesn't ship internationally :(
sonyshop doesn't ship internationally :(

The technology is "electromagnetic resonance".
So it's not touch sensitive. You can't use your finger or a standard stylus from you PDA. But there are tons of alternative styli out there.
Screen clarity is way better than of touchscreen units, but it's significantly more expensive.

Thanks, now I know what EM stands for :)

There are some other EM tech based eink readers available now, such as hanvon( 5 inch screen), onyx boox. But I myself prefer the finger-touch way, it seems Sony is the only one who focus on finger-touch eink reader.:chinscratch:

does anybody know how to get the 900 outside us?
bestbuy doesn't ship internationally :(
sonyshop doesn't ship internationally :(

use http://www.usunlocked.com

I've ordered via usunlocked mine.

greatings

gheim

does anybody know how to get the 900 outside us?
bestbuy doesn't ship internationally :(
sonyshop doesn't ship internationally :(

There are workarounds, to order directly from Sony.
Or you can buy through specialized sellers, for example usunlocked.com (the one I've used). BH Photo&Video has them for pre-order as well, these are the ones I've used for various other gadgets.
usunlocked.com simply buys for you, whereas B&H Photo is a "classic" shop.

For some important to know: Although you purchase legally, you won't have any kind of warranty on your reader in Europe or anywhere else outside of the US. You'll have to send it back to the US, if something goes wrong.

Rumor has it, Sony will launch the "Daily Edition" very quickly in Europe, to compete with the international versions of Kindle 2 and now even Kindle DX. Might be worth waiting.
You can exchange the SIM card. But obviously Europe and the US are using different networks/frequencies. So my guess would be, you can't just exchange SIM cards, as soon as they go international. As with both Kindles, there probably will be a replacement by an international version.
Personally, I don't care that much about 3G. But WiFi would be nice, that's one of the reasons why I'm curious about the nook.

Why do you consider Sony 900?
If it's because of ordering books via 3G: Kindle(s) may be a better choice.
If it's because of the improved screen quality: It has improved, but Sony 600 in my opinion already was more than acceptable and you can order Sony 600 easily directly in most of the countries.
If it's because of the newspapers: It looks nice, but for the moment it's just 4 of them. On iRex 1000S, you can access hundreds of newspapers in the same quality (no RSS feeds, regular newspapers).

does anybody know how to get the 900 outside us?
bestbuy doesn't ship internationally :(
sonyshop doesn't ship internationally :(

thanks all, :thumbsup:
i just bought the 900 through sony us shop and myus service
they will receive and ship.

i waited long time for the new irex, for the txtr and the plastic logic
3g isn't most important, i manage my books on my pc anyway, i would have preferred wifi.
as for content, i would have preferred kindle, however i don't want to be locked in by their drm implementation, the other one's i can liberate for personal use.

the touch screen, the abilty to play with the margins and the additional inch in landscape mode convinced me.

last but not least, the investment in books counts more then the reader.

so all in all, in a couple of weeks i will own a sony again :bookworm:

Just to briefly add: Sony 900 has the option to sort by "last read".
You manually (as opposed to Kindle) can enter your actual time and date, so the sorting function works flawlessly.
(Whereas on Kindle, without Whispernet, your internal clock shows 1970 and all books are sorted in the opposite order).
There's a single downside to the Sony 900 (please Sony, fix it in a firmware update): For now, you only can enter the US timezones. I've chosen "Pacific time", which is 5 hours different from my German timezone. When syncing via PC, Sony 900 changes the internal clock: PC time minus 5 hours.
Should be easy to solve in a firmware update: Just add all the timezones, please.

Just ordered iRex 800. I'm looking forward to compare touchscreens.

I own prs 505 and recently got prs 600. What can I say, PRS 600 is a HUGE dissapointment for me. Screen is terrible, compared to 505. I don't get what's the point of the touchscreen if the screen becomes so ugly, low contrast, reflects a lot. :(

I own prs 505 and recently got prs 600. What can I say, PRS 600 is a HUGE dissapointment for me. Screen is terrible, compared to 505. I don't get what's the point of the touchscreen if the screen becomes so ugly, low contrast, reflects a lot. :(

I've been hearing a lot about how good the 505 is. The 600 is my first e-reader, and I am quite impressed with it. I think it's most probably because I have nothing to compare it to. I find the screen really easy on the eyes and I have not noticed a glare that people have been complaining about. And the touch screen is a plus for me because I make so much use of it.

I had bought the 600 before I came to these forums and read about what people were complaining about in regards to the 600. I still hadn't received my 600 and was getting worried about the screen quality and the glare. But I am totally happy with my purchase. It's an awesome reader and one thing that I have learnt through reading these forums is that there is no such thing as a perfect reader! It's all personal choice and what you want and what you are used to in a reader.

The 600 is my first e-reader, and I am quite impressed with it. I think it's most probably because I have nothing to compare it to. I find the screen really easy on the eyes and I have not noticed a glare that people have been complaining about. And the touch screen is a plus for me because I make so much use of it.

...~~~...

But I am totally happy with my purchase. It's an awesome reader and one thing that I have learnt through reading these forums is that there is no such thing as a perfect reader! It's all personal choice and what you want and what you are used to in a reader.

A friend got the 600 for Christmas and is very happy with it. When she and her husband were over I compared the 505 and the 600 side by side (without her watching) and there was a big difference in contrast, the 505 being much brighter. But having nothing to compare it to she was absolutely thrilled by the device. In adequate lighting it is as easy to read as any other reader. :)

I love my 600, I was taken aback by the greyness of the screen/contrast at the start, but got used to it. The comments about lighting conditions are well worth taking on board. I bought a mighty bright light for bedtime reading and all's good. The glare I don't find a big deal, just tilt the reader slightly and problem solved.

I do think that if I'd had a 505 before and 'upgraded' for want of a better word, to the 600 I might have had a problem. But I too had nothing to compare it with and so.... ignorance being bliss.... I'm loving it.

Also, I'm a bit foolish about how things look and buttons do my head in. I don't like stuff to be too 'busy'. The 600 in red looks so sleek and I'm prepared to compromise on other things.

Still can't get ADE to work on MAC or PC (everything authorised, all details the same), so no library books for me, which is really disappointing. I think the ADE issues mean Sony shouldn't claim full compatibility for MAC since ADE is - as far as I can see - fundamental for library borrowing. There should be a caveat on that one.

Still can't get ADE to work on MAC or PC (everything authorised, all details the same), so no library books for me, which is really disappointing. I think the ADE issues mean Sony shouldn't claim full compatibility for MAC since ADE is - as far as I can see - fundamental for library borrowing. There should be a caveat on that one.

Use Sony's software instead to authorize the reader for ADE content, and can even use it to download the actual library books as far as I can tell. ADE on the Mac has never supported the Sony Reader, but you don't /need/ ADE here.

Well, I left my PRS-700 on the plane this week and it doesn't look like I'll be getting it back. So, given that I have quite a few Sony formatted books already I'm looking at replacing it with another Sony.

Based on everything that I've read here it looks like I should be ok no matter what model I go with when considering contrast. I liked the light and the touch screen and the contrast was absolutely acceptable over the year that I had it. I even took it into the Sony Store near me and compared it to the 505. I don't see what the big deal is.

Anyway, it looks like there's no longer a model available with a built in light but everything else points me towards the 600 and the 900. I'm in Canada so the wireless is basically out. That means that the difference is down to a larger screen and a marginally more contrasty screen. The larger screen is really tempting but I think that benefit will actually turn into a negative when I travel.

So the 600 it is. Is there anything I missed here that might sway me to a different model?

A friend got the 600 for Christmas and is very happy with it. When she and her husband were over I compared the 505 and the 600 side by side (without her watching) and there was a big difference in contrast, the 505 being much brighter. But having nothing to compare it to she was absolutely thrilled by the device. In adequate lighting it is as easy to read as any other reader. :)

That's exactly what I permanently try to explain to the critics about Sony 600 or 900:
A friend of mine bought Sony 700 18 months ago. He did love it and now replaced it by Sony 600. Every time he sees one of my non-touchscreen readers, he's briefly disappointed about glare and contrast of his Sony (first 700, now 600).
But when he uses his Sony 600 again, standalone without permanently doing abstract comparisons, he's absolutely happy.
That's why Sony 900 still is my #1 unit. Yes, iRex 800 or BeBook Neo (both WACOM screens) have less glare. But Sony 900 is more than acceptable and simply a beauty.
Don't listen to those critics, be happy about your great Sony gadgets.

Canada is the next to get the wireless with Sony. They are working the issue now.. I have the 900 and it is very nice. My 300 has a better screen as far as glare, but the touch screens have a layer that causes some glare. It is what it is.. I don't know which is best, but if on a budget the 300 nice for what you get. The 900 is the Porsche for sure.

Buy what you love... Love what you buy.

What I don't like about Sony's new line of models is, there is no direct substitute to 505. (hence in some countries it costs more than PRS-600 which should be more expensive to manufacture I guess). The only non touch screen version in the new line is 300, which not only has smaller screen (one could argue, that it's even better for some purposes) but also has no expansion slots/ less number of keys.

And to the "you can see the difference between 505 vs 600 only when comparing them" that's not true in my case. I used to comfortably (!) read from my 505 in a rainy weather using no artificial light. I can't do the same with 600. :(

One has to not though, that contrast even of the same models differs. It could be that I've got worse than usual 600 and better than usual 505...

PS
Regarding PRS 900, according to:
http://www.the-ebook.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=367154#367154

3G module in the reader supports all GSM versions as well as EDGE and not only those (US), claimed to be supported by Sony.

What I don't like about Sony's new line of models is, there is no direct substitute to 505. (hence in some countries it costs more than PRS-600 which should be more expensive to manufacture I guess). The only non touch screen version in the new line is 300, which not only has smaller screen (one could argue, that it's even better for some purposes) but also has no expansion slots/ less number of keys.

And to the "you can see the difference between 505 vs 600 only when comparing them" that's not true in my case. I used to comfortably (!) read from my 505 in a rainy weather using no artificial light. I can't do the same with 600. :(

One has to not though, that contrast even of the same models differs. It could be that I've got worse than usual 600 and better than usual 505...

PS
Regarding PRS 900, according to:
http://www.the-ebook.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=367154#367154

3G module in the reader supports all GSM versions as well as EDGE and not only those (US), claimed to be supported by Sony.

Concerning the GSM modul:
On nook I've been able to exchange the US AT&T SIM card and replace it by my German on. Of course, given the active "hacker scene" on Android, this was relatively easy.
Would be great to do the same for Sony 900. I'd love to shop from Sony, directly on the reader. I don't want to trick them and surf "for free" on Sony 900. I'd just like to use my German SIM with my existing flatrate.
Just exchanging the card doesn't work. On nook, we had to "hack" the OS, to dial my provider instead of AT&T. Something similar obviously would be necessary for Sony 900.
Of course easiest would be, Sony themselves finds an agreement with local providers and provides the local SIMs.

Hi.
I have a question about PRS-900.
Has it got a dictionary? Can i consult it while i'm reading a book?
Thanks a lot.
:)

The PRS-900 does have a built-in dictionary. While reading a book, just double tap the word and the definition will show at the bottom of the screen. Only 2 or 3 lines will show but you can zoom into full dictionary mode if there is more information on that one word. Tapping a particular part of the screen will take you back to the book to continue reading. Selection words can be done either via stylus or fingernail.

The PRS-900 does have a built-in dictionary. While reading a book, just double tap the word and the definition will show at the bottom of the screen. Only 2 or 3 lines will show but you can zoom into full dictionary mode if there is more information on that one word. Tapping a particular part of the screen will take you back to the book to continue reading. Selection words can be done either via stylus or fingernail.

Thanks a lot.
I'm very impatient to receive my prs-900. This is a good notice for me.
:)

I heard from others the Sony 900 and 600 have one of the best implementations of a dictionary for in-book use.

I heard from others the Sony 900 and 600 have one of the best implementations of a dictionary for in-book use.

Perfect.
I understand is an English dictionary, and i'll can use it with English books to improve my English. With Spanish books i don't need it ;)
Thanks a lot.

Have you guys noticed that the PRS-900, in single page landscape mode (default zoom) wastes precious screen area with grey margins? And that in annotation mode, the annoying grey margins get even bigger?? WHY did you do this to me, SONY??

Is this utterly annoying, or is it just me??

I bought the PRS-900 exclusively for reading/annotating technical PDFs, mainly because of the larger screen. However with all that wastage the landscape mode may become comparable with the PRS-600..

You can still use the new option to eliminate white margins, and the 'zoom in' feature to eliminate the grey margins. However.. you cannot annotate in the zoomed state, and the zoom level itself is lost at every page turn.. sigh..

In summary, reading/annotating technical PDFs with small fonts, math symbols etc. turns out to be impractical on the PRS-900, IMHO.

Really hoping that a miracle firmware update would at least introduce a preserved zoom - not to mention my ultimate dream which is to be able to annotate in the zoomed state..

SONY I PROMISE I WILL BUY A DOZEN PRS-900s, DEPLOY THEM IN MY RESEARCH TEAM, AND ENCOURAGE ITS USE ACROSS THE WHOLE UNIVERSITY IF YOU FIX THESE ISSUES!!!

;)

You can still use the new option to eliminate white margins

SONY I PROMISE I WILL BUY A DOZEN PRS-900s TO DEPLOY WITHIN MY RESEARCH TEAM, AND ENCOURAGE ITS USE ACROSS THE WHOLE UNIVERSITY IF YOU FIX ANY OF THESE ISSUES!!!

;)

Is eliminate white margins feature being lost at every page change like the zoom feature?

If you are serious about your deployment proposition you have to contact Sony directly, prove to them you are capable of keeping your promise, e.i., you are a member of staff and and have fiscal means to implement it, then Sony might actually think about it. Otherwise, any school kid might type here that he/she will deploy hundreds of the reader all over the country if Sony solves one problem that bothers the kid ;)

Hi.
I received my prs-900 this morning. I'm very happy, it's really amazing. Dictionary, font size... a lot of things to enjoy.
:)
The delivery time from USA is very good: 7 days to Spain.
Now, i have to use it. ;)
Thanks for all.

I heard from others the Sony 900 and 600 have one of the best implementations of a dictionary for in-book use.

In general, Sony has one of the most "polished" reader platforms in the market. Dictionary, zoom, design, battery duration, startup time, ...

I would assume the 900 also comes to europe soon...

I would doubt that Sony plans to sell the 900 in Europe (or at least in Germany). It took Amazon years to get contracts with local carriers and therefore making one of the Kindles main features work here. I cannot see that Sony would have an easier job getting this done.

I think the 3G-connection is one of the 900s main features over the 600. I don't think that Sony will jump through loops just to get 3G working here. And how would they advertise the 900 if it doesn't bring 3G to the table? Something like "you pay additional features you cannot use", or "its main advantage is a slightly larger display so you don't have to do as many page turns as on the 600"?

Sorry, I'm being sarcastic here. No offense to anyone. I just wonder why companies don't sell stuff here with maybe less functionality and let people decide what to buy. I would probably have bought the 900, but I cannot get it in store. Same for the pricing of Irex. The 3G version in the US is cheaper than the non 3G in Europe. How obvious. :blink:

Is eliminate white margins feature being lost at every page change like the zoom feature?


The 'eliminate white margins' option is preserved at page turns, but is lost once you add an annotation.

I still cannot believe that Sony produced a $400 dedicated e-book reader which does not keep the zoom level after you turn a page!? :blink:

I must say the hardware is great, I like the design, screen quality and battery life.

But in my opinion the firmware is a little annoying and prevents a true paper-like experience. Why not preserve basic layout options such as zoom & margin? Why flash the whole screen when the toolbar pops up (instead of flashing only the area under the toolbar)? Why do I have to tap 3 buttons (and go through FOUR screen refreshes) to go 'back' a hyperlink jump??

I am pretty sure most people will only read e-book formatted documents and periodicals and will not be affected by the issues I am highlighting here. But I find it very frustrating that only TINY changes in the firmware would have made this a great PDF reading/annotating device.

drk, I absolutely agree with you. The 600 shows the same behaviour and I'm using it mostly for pdfs. And I also think that this would be something a FW-update would solve. But I doubt that we'll ever get one :(

I would not hold my breath for F/W update if I were you.
They implemented zoom feature in 700, one year later 600, half year later 900....the same feature. If they wanted to implement the improvement you are talking about, they had plenty of time and opportunity.
I am sorry guys. I am with you. I could not believe my eyes when I read about this shortcoming of zoom in 700. Why have the feature in the first place then, if the whole point of zoom in PDF is to zoom in and then read page after page after page...?

Yes, I know. Just wishful thinking. Actually, I'm more waiting for additional hacks than for a FW update. I allready have the russian hack for the clock. But unfortunately that's about all there is so far.

The advantage of being able to use both a stylus and your finger on the touch screen is that you can make your screen nice and greasy.

Fingerprints and Reader screens do not mix well.

that you can make your screen nice and greasy.

Fingerprints and Reader screens do not mix well.

:rofl:

Fingerprints and Reader screens do not mix well.

Actually, I think the 600 does really mix it well.

I can see my prints only if I angle the reader to the light in a certain way. But this way I would also have a lot of glare. So if I angle the reader to have minimum glare, then I also don't see my prints.
Another reason it doesn't bother me is, that I do my page swipes at the very bottom of the display and the bookmarks are in the right upper corner. So it's not the space on the screen that really is used that much. But ok, that's me.
I still prefer the finger over the stylus, but, everyone to his own likes.

But I liked the comment anyways. It was just too tempting, heh? :thumbsup:

If one uses more of their fingernail versus their finger, smudges are greatly reduced.

I've bought a 505. :D
Can't wait to get it!

Forget cat lady, I can see myself being an old e-book reader hoarder! Hahaha!

I've bought a 505. :D
Can't wait to get it!

Forget cat lady, I can see myself being an old e-book reader hoarder! Hahaha!

Congratulations :)

Thanks TGS! I'm rather excited about it!

I've bought a 505. :D
Can't wait to get it!

Forget cat lady, I can see myself being an old e-book reader hoarder! Hahaha!

Patient, friend. I received mine three days ago, and now i'm...in the sky!
:)
Enjoy it!

You'll love the reader. I love both I own and I can completely understand your excitement.

Thanks TGS! I'm rather excited about it!

And one's just come up for sale here - see, you would have dropped on!

I've bought a 505. :D
Can't wait to get it!

Forget cat lady, I can see myself being an old e-book reader hoarder! Hahaha!

Old but the best of the best.

I am dreading the day when my breaks down and I will have to get one of those...you know... with greasy fingerprints touchy screens...

Enjoy it :thumbsup:

Thanks folks. I should have it by Tuesday at the latest. :D

astra, the greasy fingerprints are really not that bad. And there are still the readers sans touch or with wacom. :)

astra, the greasy fingerprints are really not that bad. And there are still the readers sans touch or with wacom. :)

I exaggerated the greasy fingers of course :rolleyes:
Although, there are other problems. Glare. Even 505 irritates me sometimes. Everyone, including people who don't mind the glare, agree that 600 is a lot worse than 505 in this regard. The problem is that the glare is caused by this very sing that is a subject to greasy fingers treatment :)

Other types of touch screens involve extremely bad battery life, at least wacom. I don't know anything about sans touch.

The 505 is sans (without) touch. Sorry, I didn't want to be confusing :)

I don't have any greasy fingerprints on my 900 screen. I do seem to get them on the matt black surround though. :)

I wash my hands before using it, and I agree the old fingernail use minimises any marks. Although I use my fingernail because I am too lazy to extract the stylus.

Are the people out there who have to eat fried chicken whilst reading? I would not recommend a touch screen for you!

My 505 arrived today and is currently charging. I love love love the look and feel of it. Lets hope I like reading from it. :D

Have fun reading on it. It's a great device :)

I'm sure you love it.
It's really a great device :thumbsup:
The look and feel is awesome compared to other plastic devices.

My 505 arrived today and is currently charging. I love love love the look and feel of it. Lets hope I like reading from it. :D

I'm sure you will. Do I remember right that you already had a reader before getting the 505? I will be interesting to see which one gets most use in a couple of months.

Congrats again :)

Thanks folks! I just posted in another thread that I've had it for a couple of days. It only arrived yesterday and it seems longer because I haven't put it down. :D

TGS, you are correct! I have an iriver story. I MUCH prefer the 505 so far. I'm afraid my iriver hasn't had a look in. :o

I just ordered the 900. Being able to download books right from the E Reader is an important feature for me. Now that the price dropped to $349, it is even more appealing.

I really dont know what to do buy or not the prs 900

I read in some forums, and everybody talks about glare and contrast problems.

I read some books on a prs 600 touch, and the glare and bad contrast problems are there and sometimes difficult to read.

Is the 900 same as the 600 contrast and glare difficulties?

Any help?

Any pict to watch the prs 900 screen to help me?

And what about the nook? The screen seems like the kindle2, good contrast

Thx (sorry for my english)

Basically each person has other priorites when it comes to E-Readers.

I started with the PRS-505 and it was/is great. But i always wanted a bigger screen and the dictionary. PRS-900 also adds pan&zoom for PDFs which are important too for me.

Now that i own a PRS-900 i love it. Although i can't use 3G (non-US) i'm fine with that; not important for me. Due to Apple and others the PRS-900 is cheaper than ever.

Personally i recommend the PRS-900.
Go get one, and you'll love it. :2thumbsup

If you need games, internet, color....that's another story and device.

Basically each person has other priorites when it comes to E-Readers.

I started with the PRS-505 and it was/is great. But i always wanted a bigger screen and the dictionary. PRS-900 also adds pan&zoom for PDFs which are important too for me.

Now that i own a PRS-900 i love it. Although i can't use 3G (non-US) i'm fine with that; not important for me. Due to Apple and others the PRS-900 is cheaper than ever.

Personally i recommend the PRS-900.
Go get one, and you'll love it. :2thumbsup

If you need games, internet, color....that's another story and device.

the 7" is ok, but the glare and the bad contrast in the 900 is there. Well is what I read in many forums, users returning back their 900 cause that problem and they cant read well.
What can u say about it?

the 7" is ok, but the glare and the bad contrast in the 900 is there. Well is what I read in many forums, users returning back their 900 cause that problem and they cant read well.
What can u say about it?

Sony 900 definitely has less glare than Sony 600.
But it's no Sony 505 either.
For me, Sony 900 still is one of my best units. The features by far outweigh the glare. But if you compare Sony 900 to, let's say, nook or Sony 505, you can't overlook the glare. It's there - for some it's a showstopper, I'm perfectly fine with it though.
And it's still one of the most elegant/beautiful readers out there.

Thx. Glare and contrast are still there :( I like the 900 but not sure yet. Do you have any good high res pic of the 900 with a text? Just yonder the glare. Thx

Don't you have a store nearby where you can compare the 300 to the 600? This makes the difference most obvious. I have the 600 (used the 505 before), and yes, the 505 was much better. But like mgmueller states, the 600/900 has advantages neither the 505 nor the 300 has. So for me it was a no brainer, even though I would have preferred the display of a 300/505. I think a picture will only give a brief impression, but to really see the difference you need to see the real deal.

I can try to make a picture with the same text on my 505 and 600 tonight if this would help though (but this takes about 8 hrs as I'm at work right now).

the 7" is ok, but the glare and the bad contrast in the 900 is there. Well is what I read in many forums, users returning back their 900 cause that problem and they cant read well.
What can u say about it?

Right, the glare is still there :( ; don't have a 600 to compare with.
Still having the 505 i prefer the 900. The glare is sometimes annoying but the better features and the size of the 900 outweigh or me.

It would be best to compare them at a store near you.

the size of the 900 outweigh or me

The size of 900 frustrates me.
I want a bigger ebook reader and preferable from Sony herself, I love my 505 to bits.
Why do I want bigger?
With my current 6", when I go to Large fonts size, I don't like the layout. 2-3 words per line. If I had a bigger screen it would help. However, 900's 7" is absolutely useless for that :( It has exactly the same width as 6". No, I don't want to read in landscape mode :(

SONY, my dear :help: me please!
:thanks:

Can't compare nook vs 900 vs 600. I am in spain and here we don't have of those I have to import from USA.
I like the 7 screen prs 900 but afraid of the glare and bad contrast. I have now in my hand a prs 600 from a friend and the screen is annoying I can't read well because of light and bad contrast and have to move my hand trying to read comfortable. So if the prs 600 screen is poor sure the 900 is the same

http://www.drakonna.com/prs900/all2s.jpg
http://www.dgread.com/readers/4s.jpg
http://www.drakonna.com/prs900/alls.jpg

taken from here:
http://www.the-ebook.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=404848#404848

http://www.drakonna.com/prs900/all2s.jpg
http://www.dgread.com/readers/4s.jpg
http://www.drakonna.com/prs900/alls.jpg

taken from here:
http://www.the-ebook.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=404848#404848

Thx for the pics. Well it seems 900 have a bit more contrast than 600, but the screen issues still there. Big dilemma :smack:

How many of u using the 900 have to move their hands or wrist to read conffortable?

http://www.dgread.com/readers/33bb.jpg
http://www.dgread.com/readers/44bb.jpg

I had a 600, but was too annoyed by reflections and poor readability in low light. I upgraded to the 900 and find it significantly better, still some reflections but easier to read without direct lighting. The 300 and 505 still have the best readability. Although I have a 505, a rarely use it as the 900 has been quite satisfactory.

I had a 600, but was too annoyed by reflections and poor readability in low light. I upgraded to the 900 and find it significantly better, still some reflections but easier to read without direct lighting. The 300 and 505 still have the best readability. Although I have a 505, a rarely use it as the 900 has been quite satisfactory.


thx.
Well seems the glare and contrast in 900 better that 600.
Well maybe I should buy it.
Anyone knows where to buy it online?
I am in Spain
I found this website in NY..http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=NavBar&A=getItemDetail&Q=&sku=662947&is=REG&si=rev#anchorToReadReviews

Anyone knows where to buy it online?
I am in Spain
I found this website in NY..http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=NavBar&A=getItemDetail&Q=&sku=662947&is=REG&si=rev#anchorToReadReviews

I would say it is probably the only proper way to buy it.

Both 500 and 505 that I have, I bought there, years before sony started to sell readers in the UK.

I would say it is probably the only proper way to buy it.

Both 500 and 505 that I have, I bought there, years before sony started to sell readers in the UK.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/662947-REG/Sony_PRS_900BCKIT.html
Did u buy there?
Did u pay Import Fees Deposit?
They have to send it to Spain

Thx

look this video. 900 glare..cant see anything
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ReGr_Nlqtk&feature=related

I can't speak to their international shipping abilities, but I have purchased a number of electronics from BH Photo and always very pleased with their service.

I watched the youtube video. The Nook is clearer and brighter, but it doesn't have the extra touch screen layer, so it is something like comparing the 300/505 to the 900. The 900 in the video is out of focus and not lit very well. I'm sure you could find better demonstrations of the 900 on youtube, including the excellent screen shots in this thread.

Seems to be a nook review.
Try this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9BdwwOGBGc&feature=channel

someoneone returned his prs 900 because of its Crappy screen

I am getting mad of what ereader choose :smack:

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?p=962172#post962172

Seems to be a nook review.
Try this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9BdwwOGBGc&feature=channel

Watching this video, there is a horrible light on the screen and the contrast seems too white to read :eek:

Put one or more lights directly above any ereader and you have fun; maybe except 505.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/662947-REG/Sony_PRS_900BCKIT.html
Did u pay Import Fees Deposit?
They have to send it to Spain

Thx

Ehm.
Did u buy there?
astra
Both 500 and 505 that I have, I bought there
;)

Yes. I paid import tax. It was 21.5% in the UK. 17.5% VAT + 4% some sort of other tax.

Put one or more lights directly above any ereader and you have fun; maybe except 505.

More light? Now I have to buy the 900 and buy a light for the ereader? It have no sense buying a 39$ light for the ereader

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/662947-REG/Sony_PRS_900BCKIT.html
Did u buy there?
Did u pay Import Fees Deposit?
They have to send it to Spain

Thx

I've bought quite a few units from B&H.
I had to pay customs fees all the time.
Some less professional companies send the readers as gifts or via smaller carriers. With B&H, you most likely will have to pay all the taxes. For me (Germany), it's usually something in the range of:
$ 40 shipment, € 50 taxes/customs.
To Germany, shipment from B&H usually is about 5 working days.

I've bought quite a few units from B&H.
I had to pay customs fees all the time.
Some less professional companies send the readers as gifts or via smaller carriers. With B&H, you most likely will have to pay all the taxes. For me (Germany), it's usually something in the range of:
$ 40 shipment, € 50 taxes/customs.
To Germany, shipment from B&H usually is about 5 working days.

A bit expensive no?
the 900 + taxes + shipment = 400$:blink::blink:

A bit expensive no?
the 900 + taxes + shipment = 400$:blink::blink:

What can I say?

My first ebook reader, Sony PRS-500 cost me:
SOPRS500U2 1 PRS-500U2 PORTABLE READING SYS
Total:349.95
Shipping Charges:41.00
Tax:0.00
Sub Total:390.95

plus 21.5% tax.

Since then, I always say: It was the best money investment I have ever done.
1 year later, I bought PRS-505 in the same place. I am using it right now. Everyday. Love it.

If you are a voracious reader, then it is worth every cent.

What can I say?

My first ebook reader, Sony PRS-500 cost me:
SOPRS500U2 1 PRS-500U2 PORTABLE READING SYS
Total:349.95
Shipping Charges:41.00
Tax:0.00
Sub Total:390.95

plus 21.5% tax.

Since then, I always say: It was the best money investment I have ever done.
1 year later, I bought PRS-505 in the same place. I am using it right now. Everyday. Love it.

If you are a voracious reader, then it is worth every cent.


a bit expensive for a reader that I am not sure If I am going to love it reading about glare and contrast. I think I am going for the nook for the moment, cause all I want is to read book, that simple :thumbsup:

all I want is to read book, that simple

Do you mean PRS-900 does more than that? Generally, it is the biggest complaint by non Sony users, that all Sony ebook readers do is reading books only.

In fact, Nook does more. It has a second display. Very distracting from pure reading experience. Just like Kindle's hardware keyboard. Bells and whistles.
That's why I love Sony. All it does is - reading books.
Good luck!

Do you mean PRS-900 does more than that? Generally, it is the biggest complaint by non Sony users, that all Sony ebook readers do is reading books only.

In fact, Nook does more. It has a second display. Very distracting from pure reading experience. Just like Kindle's hardware keyboard. Bells and whistles.
That's why I love Sony. All it does is - reading books.
Good luck!

Well some love prs 900 other hate it cuas that glare and band contrst. I dont want to pay 400$ for a reader that maybe is not for a good reading expereincie

Well some love prs 900 other hate it cuas that glare and band contrst. I dont want to pay 400$ for a reader that maybe is not for a good reading expereincie

Fair enough.
Good luck anyway, with whatever you decide to purchase :)

Fair enough.
Good luck anyway, with whatever you decide to purchase :)

Thx. and nook have a better contrast and its more clear to read and u can always turn off the LCD color screen for not distracting :D
:thanks:

nook have a better contrast and its more clear to read
Quite probably b/c of Sony's touch screen.
Have you compared them side by side, or have seen pics?

Quite probably b/c of Sony's touch screen.
Have you compared them side by side, or have seen pics?

sure, reading in forums, watching videos and pics. 4 days reading and watching videos :D.
Even at sony web page, some users talks about glare and band contrast problems. If I were in USA I could compare them personally, but I am not.

A friend of mine have a prs 600 touch, and the contrast is horrible. I am sure prs 900 is a bit better, but not a problem solved. I used to have a prs 700 and it was horrible reading there.

Sony 900 have a glare over the screen and Sony havent solved the problem yet.

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666064650#reviews

Pros: larger screen, touch screen
Cons: NO LIGHT, DISPLAY GLARE

Pros: Size
Cons: GLARE AGAIN!! Aaaaaggghhh!

Quite probably b/c of Sony's touch screen.
Have you compared them side by side, or have seen pics?

Do you have it? the 900? Can u tell me ur experiencie? :thanks:

Do you have it? the 900? Can u tell me ur experiencie? :thanks:

No. I don't have it.
I have an aversion to touch screens in ebook readers. I only hope that my 505 lives long enough for Sony to improve screen technology. i.e., glare and contrast issues.
700 was an abomination, 600 was an improvement. People say 900 is slightly better than 600...we will see.
Although, I don't think it is possible to implement dictionary without either hardware keyboard or touch screen, or having an additional display like in Nook. Between many evils, the touch screen is the lesser one for me. Then again, to each its own. I know for a fact, that some people enjoy 700 and have chosen it over 505 :eek:

virplay
Do you really care about the touchscreen?
Nooks have "behind the screen" touchscreen, which doesn't "corrupt" eink, but on the other hand, consumes more power and is not very durable, as I've heard.

Well i think i am going to buy the prs 900

If you buy the PRS-900 could you please share what you think of it? Do you like the screen, is the glare annoying, is the contrast good enough, is it comfortable to read?

I don't have an eReader yet, but I'd like to buy the 900 as well. But I'm still not sure whether to buy this one now or wait till next year when the new generation eInk displays will be available and there will be a much wider choice of devices.

I have had the PRS900 for over 3 months now. Regarding the screen, I have compared it to the Kindle, the Nook, and a whole bunch of other ebook screens without the touchscreen layer. The glare is there. There is no getting around it. But under most lighting conditions, you can tilt the reader, and the glare is gone. With regard to contrast, obviously ebook screens without the touchscreen layer have better contrast. But no biggie, you get used to the Sony screen after a while.

I plan to keep my PRS900 for some years to come. In fact I just purchased a spare battery and the Sony cover with the reading light for my 900.

I have a I phone that I am using to type this response. If I focus on the background I can see glare big time. Tilt one way and you see the ceiling, another way and I see my face. If you focus in the glare on the 900 it can be difficult in some situations to read. However 90 percent of the time I have no problem reading from it. I dont focus in the glare but focus on the book. Yes the screen is a little grey compared to the Kindke bit it is also easier on my eyes. I love my 900!

I purchased the PRS-900 in March and have not really been using it that much lately, mostly due to the glare. I have even tried applying an anti-glare screen protector (http://www.amazon.com/Lexerd-PRS-900-TrueVue-Anti-Glare-Protector/dp/B0034UT0H2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1279257146&sr=8-1) but it doesn't seem to help much in reducing the glare. Coming from PRS-505 which has excellent contrast, I found the 900's glare to be pretty distracting, and at times, headache-inducing. This is despite having bright indoor lighting around the room or under outdoor sunlight. Yes, you can tilt the device and the glare is gone, but this means you have to hold your device at a specific angle. A very particular angle. To me, this greatly reduce the comfort factor of having a dedicated ebook reading device. Nowadays I end up doing most of my ebook readings in my phone. At least that way, I get to be in whichever position I'd like to be.

If I had the choice of which ebook device to buy now, I would go for the new Kindle DX .. Touchscreen means nothing compared to readability. In fact, I might even sell my 900 soon and get myself the Kindle.