MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Recently purchased a PRS-505? What are your thoughts on the new PRS-700?

Beth loves books · 02-13-2009, 12:46 PM

Reply to PsyDocJoanne

The front light doesn't affect battery life too much. I read for a 6 hour stretch in a completely dark room (young twin had a high fever and would only sleep in my arms in a particular position). The light was on the whole time and the battery still showed 2 bars (it wasn't fully charged to begin with). The light does take some getting used to though, it doesn't evenly illuminate the page and it is extremely white/bright (oddly, the page it illuminates still looks grey even in that light).

The touch screen is neet-o, but doesn't add a lot of functionality, as you said. I tend to read in bed and find that I use the buttons with my left hand mostly. They're positioned well for holding the "spine" open, supporting the book and turning pages. I tend to use the screen when I'm sitting and the book is supported by something like a table.

The price is hefty. It may not be worth the extra cost if you're not sold on the features. I got a chance to see a 505 a few weeks ago and it actually made me a little envious. The screen seemed brighter and had better contrast and the page turning speed seemed comparable. And for more than $100 off! At that price I could have afforded some good reading material in addition to the device. If only the demo readers had been working when I purchased my reader I may have made a wiser choice.

The contrast on sony formatted content is horrible. The default fonts are weak and delicate and do not offer enough boldness to be pleasantly readable. I will not purchase anymore content from sony's ebookstore because of font issues and the fact that their formatting is inefficient. I feel like I spend more time turning pages/waiting for them to load than reading. Why? Because of their one inch margins. Completely unnecessary and inefficient. I purchase content from other sites and change the fonts to something really bold like Arial Black. Then it looks nice on the screen and I'm not frustrated.

Am I eyeing the K2? Of course! Although I'm opposed to such strictly DRM'd content, the device and system has a lot of appeal. Do I wish I had my $400 back? Yes. Do I wish ALL ebook readers were less primitive? Yes. Am I trying to make the best of my reader and embrace its shortcomings? Yes. Would I recommend the PRS-700 to others....I'm not sure. I'm still trying to find a system that makes it truly workable for me. Check back in a month or two.

02-13-2009, 12:46 PM	#46
Beth loves books Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: prs-700	Reply to PsyDocJoanne The front light doesn't affect battery life too much. I read for a 6 hour stretch in a completely dark room (young twin had a high fever and would only sleep in my arms in a particular position). The light was on the whole time and the battery still showed 2 bars (it wasn't fully charged to begin with). The light does take some getting used to though, it doesn't evenly illuminate the page and it is extremely white/bright (oddly, the page it illuminates still looks grey even in that light). The touch screen is neet-o, but doesn't add a lot of functionality, as you said. I tend to read in bed and find that I use the buttons with my left hand mostly. They're positioned well for holding the "spine" open, supporting the book and turning pages. I tend to use the screen when I'm sitting and the book is supported by something like a table. The price is hefty. It may not be worth the extra cost if you're not sold on the features. I got a chance to see a 505 a few weeks ago and it actually made me a little envious. The screen seemed brighter and had better contrast and the page turning speed seemed comparable. And for more than $100 off! At that price I could have afforded some good reading material in addition to the device. If only the demo readers had been working when I purchased my reader I may have made a wiser choice. The contrast on sony formatted content is horrible. The default fonts are weak and delicate and do not offer enough boldness to be pleasantly readable. I will not purchase anymore content from sony's ebookstore because of font issues and the fact that their formatting is inefficient. I feel like I spend more time turning pages/waiting for them to load than reading. Why? Because of their one inch margins. Completely unnecessary and inefficient. I purchase content from other sites and change the fonts to something really bold like Arial Black. Then it looks nice on the screen and I'm not frustrated. Am I eyeing the K2? Of course! Although I'm opposed to such strictly DRM'd content, the device and system has a lot of appeal. Do I wish I had my $400 back? Yes. Do I wish ALL ebook readers were less primitive? Yes. Am I trying to make the best of my reader and embrace its shortcomings? Yes. Would I recommend the PRS-700 to others....I'm not sure. I'm still trying to find a system that makes it truly workable for me. Check back in a month or two.