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Old 05-15-2011, 05:39 PM   #1
mklynds
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Out of the loop and need help!

Hello,
It has been quite some time since I last visited the boards here. I was around a lot when I was researching the purchase of my first eReader and decided on a Sony PRS-600. It has been a great reader. I haven't had any complaints and I have been using it constantly for a couple of years now.

This last Christmas my sister and I decided to get our mother an eReader and decided on the kindle as being able to buy books from the reader was a big desire of hers.

Only recently when my mother came to visit did I get a chance to compare them side by side and WOW what a difference. The Kindle is much brighter and sharper looking than my trusty old Sony. I couldn't believe it. We have been discussing getting a second reader for a while now and this was the last straw.

So after all of that, my question is, what reader has the hands down best screen. That is what I want in my next reader. I am not worried about formats as I can convert my epub library if I need to. I would love something with a very handy button layout. But it's the screen I want.

Who has the best screen?
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Old 05-15-2011, 06:36 PM   #2
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You'll be happy to hear that the Sony 350/650/950 use exactly the same screen as the Kindle 3. The touchscreens on these new Sonys use infrared beams to detect your touch, so there is no layer on top of the E ink display to blur the screen. If you like everything about your 600 except for the screen quality, you would probably be very happy with the 650.
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Old 05-15-2011, 06:40 PM   #3
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Get the 650 and you won't look back and you might even want to then get your mom one too. Getting a 650 means all the eBooks you have now do not have to be converted and can be used as is. Also, the interface on the 650 is very nice. The touch is well done. No touch layer and it uses a Pearl screen.

IMHO, Sony has the best screen given that it is Pearl with IR touch. You don't even have to calibrate it.
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Old 05-15-2011, 06:58 PM   #4
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You'll be happy to hear that the Sony 350/650/950 use exactly the same screen as the Kindle 3. ...
... with the exception of size. Like your 600, the 650 has the same 6" screen size as a Kindle 3. The 350 has a slightly smaller 5" screen and the 950 a slightly larger 7" screen. All four, the 3 new Sonys and the K3, use the same generation "Pearl" display technology, the best e-ink displays to date and a distinct advance over the generation of the display in the older 600.

You should find the Sonys yield very similar display quality, though I've read comments here that some don't feel that Sony's fonts render as well as the Kindle's. YMMV.
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Old 05-15-2011, 07:22 PM   #5
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Doesn't the touch screen get dirty from the natural hand oils produced by pretty much every single human on the planet to varying degrees? I would think that would get annoying after a while.
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Old 05-15-2011, 07:42 PM   #6
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Doesn't the touch screen get dirty from the natural hand oils produced by pretty much every single human on the planet to varying degrees? I would think that would get annoying after a while.
If it does, I've yet to notice it. I routinely use a finger swipe to turn the page. It's been a few months since I've cleaned the screen, but I don't see fingerprints even when I hold it up to a bright light and look closely. I would not recommend eating Cheetos and touching the screen, but reasonably clean fingers don't leave a noticeable mark.
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Old 05-15-2011, 07:44 PM   #7
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Thanks for the quick answers. What about the Nook? Does it also use the pearl screen? Is it a contender?
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Old 05-15-2011, 07:46 PM   #8
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I can answer about the screen. I haven't noticed any fingerprints. BUT I do clean the screen periodically. I also clean my Kindle3 screen & it is not touch. Now on my Nook touch screen part I do notice fingerprints but that is a LCD screen & is shiny.

Comparing the Kindle3 & Sony is once again a preference thing. Like others have said the screens are all pearl. I prefer my Sony prs 350 because I prefer a touch screen. I also like the smaller reader & don't have any problem reading on a 1" smaller screen.

Last edited by Pomtroll; 05-15-2011 at 07:49 PM.
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Old 05-15-2011, 07:55 PM   #9
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The Nook does not use the Pearl screen, but rather the older version of the Visiplex epaper screens. My opinion of it when it first came out was that it was heavier than the other readers I'd seen, had a much shorter battery life (that LCD screen at the bottom sucks power), and a slow and buggy interface that was not intuitively obvious. In addition, Barnes & Noble designed it so that the niftier features, like cover flow on the LCD screen only worked if the content was purchased from Barnes & Noble. I freely admit that I like touchscreens, but I found it somewhat disconcerting to be touching a screen at the bottom of the reader to get a result higher up.

In fairness to the Nook, Barnes & Noble has released upgraded firmware since it first came out, so some of my software objections may be fixed by now. The weight and the battery life kept me from ever looking at it again.
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Old 05-15-2011, 08:54 PM   #10
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So let me see if I got the info right.

1. Pearl E-Ink screens are the best
and
2. Sony and Kindle are the only ones with them.

Are there any upcoming releases planned that will have other companies utilizing the pearl screens? I am not in a hurry if there is something in the near future that looks good.

As I have said I do like my Sony and I might buy another but I do like the way the kindle runs as well. I think if the kindle would run my epubs it would be a no brainer but as it is I am open to options. The touch screen is okay but not a big deal to me so I don't mind getting a unit without this feature.

Thanks everyone for all your input thus far.
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Old 05-15-2011, 09:05 PM   #11
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So after all of that, my question is, what reader has the hands down best screen.
mklynds, those of us with the Ectaco jetBook, jetBook Lite, jetBook Mini or the Aluratek Libre Pro believe that they have the best screen.

It's a reflective TFT screen with text as black as the numbers on your wristwatch.

Tellingly, we are content with what we have. Unlike the owners of eInk screens, those of us with jetBooks don't feel the need to upgrade when something new comes out.
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Old 05-16-2011, 12:00 AM   #12
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Thanks for the alternative GA Russell!

I think I am pretty happy with the eink and am looking to stick with it though.

One more question. I have just been reading about the SiPix screens. How do they compare to the pearl screens?
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Old 05-16-2011, 12:19 AM   #13
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So let me see if I got the info right.

1. Pearl E-Ink screens are the best
and
2. Sony and Kindle are the only ones with them.

Are there any upcoming releases planned that will have other companies utilizing the pearl screens? I am not in a hurry if there is something in the near future that looks good.
B&N is said to be announcing "something" on/around the 24th, but it's unsure what exactly it will be (new eInk reader, another tablet of some sort)...
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=132067
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Old 05-16-2011, 12:47 AM   #14
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Originally Posted by AnemicOak View Post
B&N is said to be announcing "something" on/around the 24th, but it's unsure what exactly it will be (new eInk reader, another tablet of some sort)...
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=132067
Just want to say thanks! This is exactly what I was hoping to hear when I logged into the forums for the first time in a long time. A piece of new hardware coming out! I love new tech. It's a terrible addiction that follows me through all my hobbies. All I can do now is start hoping it is a pearl screen eink reader that reads epubs and costs the same or less than a kindle. If so, Bingo!

Thanks AnemicOak +Karma
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Old 05-16-2011, 06:02 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mklynds View Post
Just want to say thanks! This is exactly what I was hoping to hear when I logged into the forums for the first time in a long time. A piece of new hardware coming out! I love new tech. It's a terrible addiction that follows me through all my hobbies. All I can do now is start hoping it is a pearl screen eink reader that reads epubs and costs the same or less than a kindle. If so, Bingo!

Do tell us when you return to the Sony ................

Or end up with a 650..........................
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