Poll: Sony Reader PRS-505 upgrade to Sony PRS-700

[sayhello]

Originally Posted by Andybaby

Can i Read it just fine? Yes i can.

Some of us just might have worse eyesight than you do. Those of us who have trouble reading in less than optimal conditions, maybe we can't read it just fine.

Just sayin'

Sayhello

[purl4peace]

I don't see why pushing buttons is so much more difficult than a touch screen. In fact -- I actually prefer buttons because they are more precise. I have a touchscreen cell phone and wind up using button shortcuts whenever possible.

I'm CERTAINLY not going to trade in the current screen for one that is not as good.

Last -- why have the ridges on the left side? I'm left handed and hold my reader in my left hand. Those ridges are just rude!

[Andybaby]

Originally Posted by sayhello

Some of us just might have worse eyesight than you do. Those of us who have trouble reading in less than optimal conditions, maybe we can't read it just fine.

Just sayin'

Sayhello

Thank you for making This Point, as this is basically what it boils down too. i have great eyesight though my girlfriend with a powerful pair of glasses can read it just fine too

if you pick up the 700 and its hard to read for you the Screen on the Kindle and the 505 is Sharper (though the kindle might be better for you cause of even more font sizes on the kindle) and Brighter, so they might help.

For me, the 700 is perfect. 5000 page turns and counting

anyone who is able to read a yellowing paper back i think should be able to read the 700 just fine, if you need a Large Print Edition, or have troble adjusting to low contrast ratios the other ones may be better for you.

I bought my first ebook reader because i liked to read on my Laptop, in fact that is why i bought my First gen Asus EEE pc w/ the 7" Screen. it was the same price as the kindle. (399 at the time) and the EEE was a full fledged laptop, but after about 20 minutes of reading, i would start loosing my far sighted vision. it was due to the backlight on the screen. the low contrast ratio to me actually helps because it doesnt hurt my eyes as much staring at a Bright White Background. and since getting my first ereader (500-kindle-now the 700) i have yet to experience these eye strain symptoms at all.

my main qualm about ereaders are the lack of page turnablity. the butons are just not placed right, the Kindle is great because you can turn the page almost whatever way you hold it. but the 500 (and the 505 has similar buttons just on the opposite sides i believe) i had issues about holding it. some ereaders i see have even worse placed buttons. the 700 i can turn the page nomatter where im holding it which i love, which the kindle kind of had, but too many acidental page turns (about 5 times every 100 pages i would guess)

Now as for Library. Kindle wins hands out i think. and hopefully they can work out the copyrights for sale in other countries. but i have a huge library alredy on my comptuer and plan to purchase few if any books from online (only if a new book comes out that i just have to read right away)

i can tell you right now. in 2 years (cause thats how long my warrenty is for and of course it always breaks the day after) the Ereader im probably gonna pick up will be amazons ereader, i hope they change the name, the Kindle is cool, but their new lines of readers should have different and equally cool names

[Kris777]

We have 44 Voters now and more than 70% don't want to upgrade their Sony 505 and pay money for it. It is interesting how many Sony 505 owners will agree to upgrade it for free. It looks like the quality of reading (perfect screen) is more important for 70% of Sony owners than touch screen and lighting features.

[astra]

Originally Posted by ShellShock

This is not the same as complaining about the poor implementation of the primary function of a reading device. All the things you mention are secondary to the reading experience, whereas the ability to read the screen is not.

I agree.

[astra]

Originally Posted by Kris777

It is interesting how many Sony 505 owners will agree to upgrade it for free. It looks like the quality of reading (perfect screen) is more important for 70% of Sony owners than touch screen and lighting features.

I would not.
The screen is the most important feature for me.
Second to it is battery life.

[Shunt1]

My first week with my PRS-700:

I now own both the Kindle and the PRS-700.

I would by lying if I did not admit that the PRS-700 display rather sucks in comparison, but in all honesty, I think that has more to do with the backlight than with the touch-screen.

The Kindle WisperNet is nice, but something I almost never use. Even when when I purchase a book from Amazon last night, I just sat and wait for the book to be downloaded. After waiting almost 30 minutes for a book I had purchased, I gave up and downloaded it to my computer and transfered the file using the USB interface.

The touch-screen interface of the PRS-700 is FANTASTIC!

Future software enhancements should be easy, since they will not require new buttons or other hardware alterations.

Most of my scientific papers that I read are published in PDF format, and the PRS-700 has allowed me to read them. That was almost impossible to do with my Kindle. That alone, has made the PRS-700 worth it's weight in gold.

The Kindle has a dictionary search capability, and you can even purchase new dictionaries for this purpose. Since I am studying the nautical history during the Napolianoc war, the ability to understand words and terms from 200 years ago is very important to me.

Sony PRS-700, without this basic dictionary lookup capability, is a MAJOR FLAW.

Am I happy with my new PRS-700?

Yes, and I made a wise choice because of it's PDF format capability and I love the touch screen.

Is it is a better eReader device than the Kindle for simply reading books? Nope.

I have loved and become absolutly adicted to my Kindle. Since my wife and I spend an average of $30 each on books every week, the cost of the Kindle paid for itself in only a few months. Since we both love historical books, www.gutenberg.org will keep us busy with years to come with reading enjoyment. That alone, has convinced me that these new ebooks are well worth their initial costs.

MAJOR PROBLEM:

I was able to "hack" a 3000 page Kindle book and convert it to a Sony PRS-700 compatible format. Darn it, I paid for this book and demand that I be able to read it when I obtain new hardware!

Anyway, with the Kindle, when this book is selected, it is displayed almost immediatly.

With the Sony PRS-700, it can take up to 30 minutes before the book is actually displayed! I do not understand why it takes so long for initial display, but once displayed, bookmarks can return to the original page very rapidly.

I have tried the different compatible formats that the PRS-700 can use, and the fastest ended up being epub.

Do not get me wrong, I absoluty love my new PRS-700 and turned over my Kindle to my wife. If I did not like my new PRS-700, I would have kept my Kindle and she would have been stuck this new and flawed item from Sony.

She was given my Kindle, so that should tell you something about how much I love my new Sony PRS-700.

[Shunt1]

"I think that has more to do with the backlight than with the touch-screen."

The Sony PRS-700 does not have a backlight. Instead, it uses frosted plastic to diffuse the light from side mounded LED lights onto the eInk display.

That frosted plastic diffusion screen, while required to illuminate the eInk in a dark environment, has also destroyed the contrast.

For an honest evaluation, the PRS-700 must the compared with the PRS-505 with it's illumination option. You will find that they share the same problems, and for the same reasons.

Sony should have abandoned the side-lights and placed the touch-screen directly upon the eInk display.

Oh well, lessons learned.

[Palladin]

I had the 505 for a year and now the 700 since day 1. IMHO, the 700 is worth the extra $100. It is much faster accessing books, changing pages, accessing my 2 gig sandisk, etc. It will easily handles my PDF documents - with the 505 I quit trying to read PDFs.

While the light is really not acceptable, it is much better than using my clip on light. I even turn the light on in the daylight sometimes. I also like the buttons and the ease of getting back to the menu. The larger fonts have also come in handy especially with PDFs. Overall, IMHO, quite an improvement, although I look forward to buying the new model next fall.

[Shunt1]

My wife and I always read when at restaurants when we go out for dinner. Just something we do, and the staff has learned to recognize and respect us because of that. It makes us rather different, so they know and prepare our meals without us even looking at a menu.

Since I read any many books, I could not figure out why an illuminated eInk display would be usefull.

Wednesday, my wife and I were in a rather dark restaurant and the lights were behind her. She could read her paper book just fine, but my Sony PRS-700 was rather dark and difficult to read. No problem, I simply turned on it's lights!

[kacir]

Originally Posted by Shunt1

With the Sony PRS-700, it can take up to 30 minutes before the book is actually displayed! I do not understand why it takes so long for initial display, but once displayed, bookmarks can return to the original page very rapidly.

Have you tried to load this book using the original Sony Library software or you just copied it to the card?
The Sony Library software pre-paginates the books so they open much more quickly.

[Shunt1]

Originally Posted by kacir

Have you tried to load this book using the original Sony Library software or you just copied it to the card?
The Sony Library software pre-paginates the books so they open much more quickly.

I used Calibre to convert to formats that the Sony PRS-700 could understand.

I used Sony's eBook Library software for the actaul transfer between the computer and the PRS-700.

I have tested this with other large books, and get simular results. The PRS-700 can be very slow, when introduced to a new book.

[archaic]

Originally Posted by Seabound

Did I ask for an iPhone/iPod Touch type screen? I said they should have worked harder. Thought about it more, made a better design. How much would it have cost to remove or redesign those lights? I'd rather have a good screen than built-in lights if the lights will get in the way of a good screen design/interface.

So, someone is steerage expects to be consulted by the captain? You have a high opinion of yourself...

"How dare you design a reader with touch screen? I didn't ask for this!" Too funny...

[Seabound]

Originally Posted by archaic

So, someone is steerage expects to be consulted by the captain? You have a high opinion of yourself...

"How dare you design a reader with touch screen? I didn't ask for this!" Too funny...

Whoa!

Out of respect for this incredible MobileRead forum which has been a source of much eBook-related information and knowledge to me, and which has many equally incredible members, I will bite my tongue.

Carry on.

[sayhello]

Originally Posted by Kris777

We have 44 Voters now and more than 70% don't want to upgrade their Sony 505 and pay money for it. It is interesting how many Sony 505 owners will agree to upgrade it for free.

I don't see where you're getting the number of people who would upgrade for free. There was only one choice for $0 or I don't want to upgrade it. Maybe all 70% of the people who checked that option don't want to upgrade AT ALL, at any price. Or, like me, wouldn't upgrade to a 700 if Sony *paid* me to trade in my 505 for a 700. Your choices are a bit skewed. If you really were interested in how many people would make an even trade, you really should have had 4 options, including one for "I'd upgrade for free" and one for "I wouldn't upgrade at any price".

It looks like the quality of reading (perfect screen) is more important for 70% of Sony owners than touch screen and lighting features.

I'll agree with that statement!

Sayhello