Sony Reader 300 - HANDS-ON REVIEW

[Madam Broshkina]

Originally Posted by horseyride

I didn't locate a "delete this book" option when playing in the store. Does it have on like the update firmware on the 505 added? Thanks

Yes it does have the delete feature.

[DrMoze]

Originally Posted by Madam Broshkina

Yes it does have the delete feature.

Same as the 505--Under "Utilities" (item 8 on the book-specific menu), press '3' and then the Bookmark button.

Also, for page turns, the "down" direction on the large circular button is Next Page, and the "up" direction is Previous Page. So, you can easily turn pages with either hand by just pressing the bottom center area of the Reader. (Page forward/back buttons located on the right edge under the plastic strip would have been cool!)

[TheralSadurns]

Hey there. First of thx for the review.
I got a question concerning the PRS 300 and Sony's eBook Library Software. I got loads of ebooks on my machine, most of which are .pdfs. I can easily add them to Sony's library and open them within this App. I can even use the different dont sizes (bottom of the page S/M/L...) and while I think it's well readable, I was wondering whether these sizes reflect what I'd get on the PRS 300. As the S setting seems pretty smallish to me, while M displays only like 8-10 words per line.
Is there a chance I could maybe send you this or a couple other files I have so you could test them and tell me whether they work as advertised or not?!

post scriptum: I just uploaded one .pdf for now to my iDisk. It'd be highly appreciated if any of you could test it.
http://idisk.mac.com/larsbeduhn//Pub... the Rings.pdf

[jetreader]

Great review! Thanks. Several questions:
- can you download books from Barns& Noble site via their ebook reader sw?
- why do you say that there's no mp3 players on other bookreaders? I have one on my jetrBook and use it often while reading.
But Sony design, it's unbeatable...

[DougT]

Interesting review.

I see most members are US based and the PRS-505 is old news. In Europe it is still being sold as the 'New Sony Reader'. The PRS-300 are coming soon and are available on pre-order.

I see the two devices as being very similar. PRS-505 about £25 more expensive and slightly larger, but with MP3 and card storage which is nice for audio books.

So for someone looking for a first reader what are the specific features of the PRS-300 that make it better than the PRS-505?

[DougT]

Another question: Regarding case colours - What are the best colours for these devices? Does a red or navy blue finish distract you from reading?

[Kostas]

Originally Posted by DougT

I see the two devices as being very similar. PRS-505 about £25 more expensive and slightly larger, but with MP3 and card storage which is nice for audio books.

Not very similar. Actually, their biggest difference is screen size: 5" for the 300, 6" for the 505.
This is a significant difference, with quite obvious pros and cons for each option.

[holden1]

I have been reading with interest the reviews of the 300. There has been a lot written on the devices capabilities (inlcuding the good contrast levels), but not on the readability of text on its 5 inch screen.

Can anyone tell me if there is a big enough difference between the word count per line between the 505 and the 300? Does it affect the flow of your reading? Is it easier to read in landscape mode because of this factor? Have you found that to make the text flow you have to read it in the smallest font size, thus allowing more words per line?

Finally, does the size of the device make it that much more portable. If you so, could you explain how.

Thanks in advance.

[GUIZMOW]

Is there anyone that could do a comparison between Opus and 300?

Guiz

[Dave Berk]

Originally Posted by GUIZMOW

Is there anyone that could do a comparison between Opus and 300?

Guiz

Have a look here.

[sayhello]

Originally Posted by holden1

I have been reading with interest the reviews of the 300. There has been a lot written on the devices capabilities (inlcuding the good contrast levels), but not on the readability of text on its 5 inch screen.

Can anyone tell me if there is a big enough difference between the word count per line between the 505 and the 300? Does it affect the flow of your reading? Is it easier to read in landscape mode because of this factor? Have you found that to make the text flow you have to read it in the smallest font size, thus allowing more words per line?

Finally, does the size of the device make it that much more portable. If you so, could you explain how.

Thanks in advance.

I can't give you a lot of detail, because I only looked at the 300 for a few minutes at the Sony Store. But I always read my books at the Large font on the 505, and the amount of text that showed on the 505 even in the Medium font was teensy. I'd be constantly turning pages. Way different words per line AND lines per page. I ended up buying a second 505 (they still had some at the Store) to keep in reserve for if (when) something happens to my 505.

The 300 *is* a nice size, would fit much more easily in my purse, but I'm spoiled by the 505, and just can't see giving up the screensize any more than I could see giving up the clarity for the 700 (or 600).

Sayhello

[DrMoze]

Originally Posted by holden1

I have been reading with interest the reviews of the 300. There has been a lot written on the devices capabilities (inlcuding the good contrast levels), but not on the readability of text on its 5 inch screen.

Can anyone tell me if there is a big enough difference between the word count per line between the 505 and the 300? Does it affect the flow of your reading? Is it easier to read in landscape mode because of this factor? Have you found that to make the text flow you have to read it in the smallest font size, thus allowing more words per line?

Finally, does the size of the device make it that much more portable. If you so, could you explain how.

Thanks in advance.

All this is covered in the first post of this thread. To reiterate a bit:

The characters or words per line on the 300 is right about 5/6 of that on the 505. The number of lines per screen on the 300 is about 5/6 that of the 505. The total amount of text per screen on the 300 is about 2/3 the amount on the 505's screen. The 300 displays text at the same physical size as on the 505 for a particular ebook file.

Text flow is not a problem with the lrf and pdf files I've been reading. Some pdfs show an image of each page with large margins at the smallest font size. Magnifying to medium reflows and eliminates the margins. I found no need to use landscape mode--regular mode has provided a comfortable reading experience for me. The ADE ebooks I borrow from NYPL (yes Harry, these pdf files ARE ADE format!!!) display fully justified text at a fairly large (easy-to-read, not tiny) font size at the smallest text setting. There are about 50 characters per line (portrait mode), corresponding to a text size that has about 60 characters per line on the 505 screen.

The 300 is much more portable than the 505. (I own both.) The 505 will mostly fit only in the thigh pocket of cargo pants. The 300 will fit easily into my front jeans pockets, a side jacket pocket, etc. I really like the 505. I bought the 300 because I'm a guy and I wanted to carry it with me even when I don't have a backpack or overcoat with large pockets available.

Again, this info is already in the first post of this thread.

[MTech8]

Originally Posted by DrMoze

• I want to read full-size pdf docs, like technical books

I'm willing to field any specific questions!

Hi! Thanks for the great review. I'm new to ebooks (never even used one before).

I read a lot of computer books. Would these be considered "technical books"?

Why would the 300 not be good for these types of books? What would be a good reader for these types of books?

Thanks.

[Scarpad]

My 300 shipped today and it's due for delievery tommorrow , Yay...

[GUIZMOW]

thanks a lot Dave



guiz