PRS-300 vs. PRS-600

loker · 02-17-2010, 06:34 AM

Hi,

I'm thinking about getting myslef a good e-Book reader (crisp font, high contrast, preferably no glare)

I have a weak eyesight and those features i"ve mentioned are quite important for me. I understand that prs600 has got terrible display in terms of crispness. In that case would you recommend to me PRS-300 or should I wait for something that will appear in the future clone of prs-505 (6 inch display) ?

I mean is there such a big difference between 5 inch and 6 inch ?
Is reading on 5 inch display such a pain ??

- What about reading Magazines (pdf files), is it possible or do I have to convert it using calibre ?

- Also can I change batteru myself or I musrt send it to Sony ?

Bremen Cole · 02-17-2010, 07:05 AM

As someone who is visually impaired, I can tell you the 300 has a better screen. The difference between 5" and 6" is not that much, and the clarity of the text on the 300 makes it worth it for me. I have not tried magazines on mine, but I assume the format would be a bit off, put perhaps workable. For me there is still the issue of lighting. If I have good light, the eInk reader is fine. If the light is not so good.... then I have problems. That is one of the reasons I picked up a little netbook to use in lower light situations, and also my iPhone....

The best advice I can give you is to buy one at a brick and mortar store (Best Buy, Wal-mart, Targer...etc) where you can return it with ease. Try it out for a week or so, and see if it works for you. If you do not already have an eInk device you really need to try before you buy. A try out in the store is not good enough, you need "real world" time with it.....

hols57 · 02-17-2010, 07:14 AM

I find my 300 a great reader and the 5'' screen is no problem. I don't know about magazines though...

banjobama · 02-17-2010, 07:15 AM

I have not seen the PRS-300 in person, but since it doesn't have a touch screen it will have much less glare than the PRS-600 (which I own). The glare can get annoying but most of the time it doesn't bother me. I've also never owned a different reader so I can't really compare.

If you don't care about a touch screen or expandable memory then you probably don't need to spend the extra money on the 600.

Even on the 600 with the slightly larger screen, PDFs can be awkward. I've never tried reading any kind of periodical on it; I only use it for novels.

If you can see both devices in person that would be ideal.

m-reader · 02-17-2010, 07:24 AM

I agree with Bremen here. I used to read on Irex Iliad before (8.1" screen). Since I sold it I've been using my wife's PRS-300 from time to time. Although Iliad has a much larger screen, I don't feel any diminished quality of reading on a 5" screen.
Having said this, you will not be able to comfortable read PDF magazines on PRS-300 due to nature of PDF format itself. It is a fixed size format, meaning if the magazine is A4 size, you'll need an A4 size screen to read it comfortable (without using zoom feature of course).

Ben Thornton · 02-17-2010, 07:30 AM

The PRS-600 doesn't have a terrible display, in my view, but it is not as clear as the PRS-300 or PRS-505, so they may be a better choice for you.

Some places are still selling the PRS-505, so that remains an option. I'd recommend trying one out in a shop.

loker · 02-17-2010, 12:25 PM

Thanks everyone , good to know 5 inch will not be a problem. What about batteries, can I buy/replace them myself or do I have to send it back to Sony ??

m-reader · 02-17-2010, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loker

Thanks everyone , good to know 5 inch will not be a problem. What about batteries, can I buy/replace them myself or do I have to send it back to Sony ??

I think you'd need to get Sony to do that for you on a PRS-300. PRS-900 has a user replaceable battery.

Mike_73 · 02-17-2010, 12:40 PM

This might me a little late, but I wanted to comment anyways. I expect the 300 to be similar to the 505 in terms of display. So this one should be awesome for mostly text books. Contrast and crispness seem superior to the 600 in my opinion. The 600 looks darker and has the reflecting surface due to touch.
The reason I switched to the 600 and passed the 505 to my wife is, that the 600 can pan and zoom pdfs.
If a pdf is not too much mixed up with text and graphics, enlarging fonts works pretty well. But sometimes reflowing mixes up paragraphs and colums. This is where the pan and zoom comes in. I get the size I need, but therefore have to move around on the page. This works pretty good for the occasional complex pdf.
Having such pdfs on the 505 was a little slow (it still worked, though) and panning was only possible within a matrix of 3x3 squares. So if the pdf is not formatted for the readers display, it can happen that one half of a column is on let's say one of the left squares, the other on one of the middle squares.

So this is my conclusion:
If you primarily read pdfs with images and graphics and multicolumned text, go with the 600 and get good lighting. I can see this everyday. At home in the evening with artificial lighting, reading is not as good as with natural light during my breaks at work.
If you read more text only books, go with the 505 or 300. As far as I know, the displays should only differ in size. With natural light the display is simply awesome and even with artificial lighting it's so much better than the 600.

loker · 02-17-2010, 01:34 PM

@ Mike_73
It's not late at all ! Any suggestion is much appreciated. Thanks man for informative post, it's only PDF files I use and most of the time it's text only plus few tables or 2 pics. What if I'll use Calibre , will that help ??

@ m-reader
I see and what if my battery finally dies, can I use my charger to make my reader alive again so I could use it at home ?

Mike_73 · 02-17-2010, 02:53 PM

Hey Loker, calibre may help in reformatting, but I just took a short look at the program. I prefer drag and drop for my files. Once I took a novel, exported all text to a wordprocessing program, changed font type and size and printed that as a pdf file. Worked pretty well. In terms of viewing the pdf files directly on the reader I don't bother with reformatting as I can pan around the page as needed.

For the battery, I've read about people exchanging them on prs-505. As I know, batteries for the 505 are as low as $10 if you can replace it yourself. I would think this should be possible too with the 600. Well, I usually open my gadgets only once the warranty has run out. So I didn't tinker with that yet. My wife is using my 1 year old 505, but as soon as the battery dies I'll give it a go.
And yes, the reader should also work with a power supply, even if the battery died. Any charger for a PSP should work here. I'm using my PSP's charger since I have the readers as it seems to be faster than USB. Be carefull though, some others mentioned that third party charges (even if stated it would be for PSP) could probably harm the reader.

Take care and enjoy your reader

MAT160 · 02-17-2010, 03:21 PM

I have a PRS-600 and I'm also visually impaired .
I have no problem with my reader (I love it!), I've used it almost everywhere (even while on the beach in full sunlight).
Also the fact that I can change the page orientation was a real selling factor for me.
Hope this helps!

Shopaholic · 02-17-2010, 08:46 PM

I don't think you'd have to worry about the battery needing to be changed by Sony for many, many years. You can charge your reader on the USB on your computer (not while it's in sleep mode) or buy a PSP charger with the barrel plug to charge it in the wall. You'll be good to go for a long time. Heck, you might even buy a new reader before you have to worry about getting a new battery from Sony.

I have a 300 but since we're comparing the 300 to the 600, one of the things I want to know about is pictures in books. If I buy a book that has pictures in it, will I get to see those in my reader? Does it depend on the device I'm using or does it depend on the publisher including them in the ebook version or both? Just curious to know.

m-reader · 02-17-2010, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loker

@ m-reader
I see and what if my battery finally dies, can I use my charger to make my reader alive again so I could use it at home ?

I honestly don't know. Although I don't think this should be on your top of the list to worry about. The battery should last you a fair few years easy.

shattler · 02-18-2010, 12:07 AM

Yes, if the publisher has included pictures in the ebook, you'll be able to see them in the PRS 300. Some ebooks have lovely front covers, some include sketches or maps or photos throughout the book, and some have little drawings at the beginning of each chapter.

02-17-2010, 06:34 AM	#1
loker Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: Currently looking 4 one	PRS-300 vs. PRS-600 Hi, I'm thinking about getting myslef a good e-Book reader (crisp font, high contrast, preferably no glare) I have a weak eyesight and those features i"ve mentioned are quite important for me. I understand that prs600 has got terrible display in terms of crispness. In that case would you recommend to me PRS-300 or should I wait for something that will appear in the future clone of prs-505 (6 inch display) ? I mean is there such a big difference between 5 inch and 6 inch ? Is reading on 5 inch display such a pain ?? - What about reading Magazines (pdf files), is it possible or do I have to convert it using calibre ? - Also can I change batteru myself or I musrt send it to Sony ?

02-17-2010, 01:34 PM	#10
loker Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: Currently looking 4 one	@ Mike_73 It's not late at all ! Any suggestion is much appreciated. Thanks man for informative post, it's only PDF files I use and most of the time it's text only plus few tables or 2 pics. What if I'll use Calibre , will that help ?? @ m-reader I see and what if my battery finally dies, can I use my charger to make my reader alive again so I could use it at home ? Last edited by loker; 02-17-2010 at 01:40 PM.

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02-17-2010, 07:05 AM	#2
Bremen Cole Wizard Posts: 1,115 Karma: 2718 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Texas Device: iPad	As someone who is visually impaired, I can tell you the 300 has a better screen. The difference between 5" and 6" is not that much, and the clarity of the text on the 300 makes it worth it for me. I have not tried magazines on mine, but I assume the format would be a bit off, put perhaps workable. For me there is still the issue of lighting. If I have good light, the eInk reader is fine. If the light is not so good.... then I have problems. That is one of the reasons I picked up a little netbook to use in lower light situations, and also my iPhone.... The best advice I can give you is to buy one at a brick and mortar store (Best Buy, Wal-mart, Targer...etc) where you can return it with ease. Try it out for a week or so, and see if it works for you. If you do not already have an eInk device you really need to try before you buy. A try out in the store is not good enough, you need "real world" time with it.....

02-17-2010, 07:14 AM	#3
hols57 hols57 Posts: 74 Karma: 42 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Wales, UK Device: sony 300packed up -thanks,Sony!) Kindle	I find my 300 a great reader and the 5'' screen is no problem. I don't know about magazines though...

02-17-2010, 07:15 AM	#4
banjobama Busy Read'n Posts: 980 Karma: 5039283 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Auburn, WA Device: Pocketbook Touch Lux 5	I have not seen the PRS-300 in person, but since it doesn't have a touch screen it will have much less glare than the PRS-600 (which I own). The glare can get annoying but most of the time it doesn't bother me. I've also never owned a different reader so I can't really compare. If you don't care about a touch screen or expandable memory then you probably don't need to spend the extra money on the 600. Even on the 600 with the slightly larger screen, PDFs can be awkward. I've never tried reading any kind of periodical on it; I only use it for novels. If you can see both devices in person that would be ideal.

02-17-2010, 07:24 AM	#5
m-reader Guru Posts: 785 Karma: 100000 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Sony PRS-300. PRS-650, PRS-900, iPad2, Iconia A500, Irex Iliad (sold)	I agree with Bremen here. I used to read on Irex Iliad before (8.1" screen). Since I sold it I've been using my wife's PRS-300 from time to time. Although Iliad has a much larger screen, I don't feel any diminished quality of reading on a 5" screen. Having said this, you will not be able to comfortable read PDF magazines on PRS-300 due to nature of PDF format itself. It is a fixed size format, meaning if the magazine is A4 size, you'll need an A4 size screen to read it comfortable (without using zoom feature of course).

02-17-2010, 07:30 AM	#6
Ben Thornton Guru Posts: 900 Karma: 779635 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: UK Device: Kindle 3, iPad 2 (but not for e-books)	The PRS-600 doesn't have a terrible display, in my view, but it is not as clear as the PRS-300 or PRS-505, so they may be a better choice for you. Some places are still selling the PRS-505, so that remains an option. I'd recommend trying one out in a shop.

02-17-2010, 12:25 PM	#7
loker Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: Currently looking 4 one	Thanks everyone , good to know 5 inch will not be a problem. What about batteries, can I buy/replace them myself or do I have to send it back to Sony ??

02-17-2010, 12:40 PM	#9
Mike_73 Guru Posts: 750 Karma: 1323 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: PRS-505, PRS-600, iPad 16GB Wifi, Kindle Voyage, Nexus 6, Razr HD	This might me a little late, but I wanted to comment anyways. I expect the 300 to be similar to the 505 in terms of display. So this one should be awesome for mostly text books. Contrast and crispness seem superior to the 600 in my opinion. The 600 looks darker and has the reflecting surface due to touch. The reason I switched to the 600 and passed the 505 to my wife is, that the 600 can pan and zoom pdfs. If a pdf is not too much mixed up with text and graphics, enlarging fonts works pretty well. But sometimes reflowing mixes up paragraphs and colums. This is where the pan and zoom comes in. I get the size I need, but therefore have to move around on the page. This works pretty good for the occasional complex pdf. Having such pdfs on the 505 was a little slow (it still worked, though) and panning was only possible within a matrix of 3x3 squares. So if the pdf is not formatted for the readers display, it can happen that one half of a column is on let's say one of the left squares, the other on one of the middle squares. So this is my conclusion: If you primarily read pdfs with images and graphics and multicolumned text, go with the 600 and get good lighting. I can see this everyday. At home in the evening with artificial lighting, reading is not as good as with natural light during my breaks at work. If you read more text only books, go with the 505 or 300. As far as I know, the displays should only differ in size. With natural light the display is simply awesome and even with artificial lighting it's so much better than the 600.

02-17-2010, 02:53 PM	#11
Mike_73 Guru Posts: 750 Karma: 1323 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: PRS-505, PRS-600, iPad 16GB Wifi, Kindle Voyage, Nexus 6, Razr HD	Hey Loker, calibre may help in reformatting, but I just took a short look at the program. I prefer drag and drop for my files. Once I took a novel, exported all text to a wordprocessing program, changed font type and size and printed that as a pdf file. Worked pretty well. In terms of viewing the pdf files directly on the reader I don't bother with reformatting as I can pan around the page as needed. For the battery, I've read about people exchanging them on prs-505. As I know, batteries for the 505 are as low as $10 if you can replace it yourself. I would think this should be possible too with the 600. Well, I usually open my gadgets only once the warranty has run out. So I didn't tinker with that yet. My wife is using my 1 year old 505, but as soon as the battery dies I'll give it a go. And yes, the reader should also work with a power supply, even if the battery died. Any charger for a PSP should work here. I'm using my PSP's charger since I have the readers as it seems to be faster than USB. Be carefull though, some others mentioned that third party charges (even if stated it would be for PSP) could probably harm the reader. Take care and enjoy your reader

02-17-2010, 03:21 PM	#12
MAT160 Enthusiast Posts: 30 Karma: 934 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: New Jersey Device: PRS-600	I have a PRS-600 and I'm also visually impaired . I have no problem with my reader (I love it!), I've used it almost everywhere (even while on the beach in full sunlight). Also the fact that I can change the page orientation was a real selling factor for me. Hope this helps!

02-17-2010, 08:46 PM	#13
Shopaholic Cockatoo Mom! Posts: 1,509 Karma: 1812695 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: PW4, Kobo: A1, Clara, Libra 2, iPad Pro 11, iPad Mini	I don't think you'd have to worry about the battery needing to be changed by Sony for many, many years. You can charge your reader on the USB on your computer (not while it's in sleep mode) or buy a PSP charger with the barrel plug to charge it in the wall. You'll be good to go for a long time. Heck, you might even buy a new reader before you have to worry about getting a new battery from Sony. I have a 300 but since we're comparing the 300 to the 600, one of the things I want to know about is pictures in books. If I buy a book that has pictures in it, will I get to see those in my reader? Does it depend on the device I'm using or does it depend on the publisher including them in the ebook version or both? Just curious to know.

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02-18-2010, 12:07 AM	#15
shattler Member Posts: 20 Karma: 80 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Toronto, Canada Device: Kobo Glo, Sony PRS-300	Yes, if the publisher has included pictures in the ebook, you'll be able to see them in the PRS 300. Some ebooks have lovely front covers, some include sketches or maps or photos throughout the book, and some have little drawings at the beginning of each chapter.