5-minute impression of the 505

mdhuang · 10-06-2007, 03:03 AM

I stopped by a SonyStyle store on my way home and played with the 505 for a few minutes. Here is my impression:

1. The screen:
It has whiter background and no ghosting. Refreshing a little bit faster but not much. The refreshing routine is different, and seems to have one more step which displays fuzzified reversed contents of current page which I found quite distracting.

2. The cover:
The cover is looser and has more margin on the right side. I think I like the 500 one more which has better fit and feels compact in your hand. There is no point to see the back of the unit which is quite unsightly. They should just relocate the reset hole.

3. The form factors:
The 500 has curve edges and memory card cover and a slicker look. The 505 has all staight edges and no memory card covers, and looks quite rigid and cold. The 505 is a bit thinner but not by much.

4. The buttons:
The 505 has moved page buttons on the right and I found it not easy to control because of the shape of the edge. The joy stick is replaced by the dial pad which can be controlled more accurately.

My impression may be biased because I am still in love with the 500

Overall I like the 500 form factors better and the screen alone is not compelling enough for an upgrade. And I can't live without the clock since I tend to forget time while reading a novel

hello · 10-06-2007, 03:29 AM

for those not aware, the page flipping shown here http://youtube.com/watch?v=e04Lbm4y2ZU. very annoying to see a page 'load' with such a good quality component mix. distracting, it seems to 'pour in'. i cant believe anyone could like this, but maybe they get used to it...

in comparison the much smoother snappy transition of the cybook is a clear winner.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=dJzR5AXkR28

JSWolf · 10-06-2007, 12:21 PM

hello, what are you on about? The cybook gen3 has the same flashing as the 505 when page turning. The Gen3 is not smoother. It's identical due to the fact that both are using the same Vizplex 6" screen. So please stop trying to stir up trouble where none exists.

The 500 which uses the older screen does not pour in either. It flashes black and then the text appears. With the Vizplex screen, the text appears and then it does an inverse of the screen looking like the black flash surrounding whiteish text. It's actually quite neat to watch.

WayneD · 10-06-2007, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The cybook gen3 has the same flashing as the 505 when page turning.

From what I've seen of the YouTube videos, the gen3's page update does appear different than the 505 (and slightly faster). I'd imagine that the difference is that the gen3 is going with a 4-shade grayscale for text, while the 505 has changed to use a 8-shade grayscale (which, as I understand it, is a little slower to refresh). It would be nice to see a side-by-side video at some point for a more accurate comparison.

jeffgrado · 10-06-2007, 03:30 PM

After using the 505 for a few hours already, the whiter screen is much nicer, and to me, worth the upgrade! It's much more eye friendly in lower light conditions.

DrMoze · 10-06-2007, 06:06 PM

Both flip rates seem pretty similar to me. And they're just as fast , if not faster than, the total disruption that occurs when I have to turn the fiber-based page unit on my non-electronic readers.

Seriously, the e-ink 'flips' are no worse than turning pages in a book. And the differences between models is miniscule. WHat is the fuss here? When I'm *reading* something on the Reader, the page changes are almost unnoticeable. I happen to pay attention to the words on the display instead.

I also suspect that 'hello' either owns or is planning to buy a cybook, and is looking for justification.

JSWolf · 10-06-2007, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrMoze

I also suspect that 'hello' either owns or is planning to buy a cybook, and is looking for justification.

That sounds like a perfectly good reason for why he's posting what he is.

But I don't see any reason to try to take down the other readers out there to justify the Gen3. The other readers can be perfectly good at what they do, it may turn out that you want the Gen3 instead which is perfectly OK.

delphidb96 · 10-06-2007, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrMoze

Both flip rates seem pretty similar to me. And they're just as fast , if not faster than, the total disruption that occurs when I have to turn the fiber-based page unit on my non-electronic readers.

Seriously, the e-ink 'flips' are no worse than turning pages in a book. And the differences between models is miniscule. WHat is the fuss here? When I'm *reading* something on the Reader, the page changes are almost unnoticeable. I happen to pay attention to the words on the display instead.

I also suspect that 'hello' either owns or is planning to buy a cybook, and is looking for justification.

I've currently got the PRS-500 (my mom *LOVES* it) and the engineering sample of the Cybook Gen3. The only way HELLO can have the Cybook is if he's got an engineering sample. And he's been just as irritating with his criticisms of it.

Me, I'll buy a PRS-505 when I can as well as an Amazon Kindle. I *may* eventually be able to afford an iLiad V2, or one of the rumored dual-screen Hanlins or color screen Hanlins. I just *like* eInk devices. Go figure.

Derek

DrMoze · 10-07-2007, 12:56 AM

Me too. After the usual few weeks of reading up on my new toy (mostly here, and much of it before it arrived) and then trying the hacks, etc., I've basically been using it to READ BOOKS for the past few weeks. And it does a fine job at that. I do wish the contrast were a bit better, though. In some lower-light situations (e.g., some subway cars) I enlarge the font because it's a bit hard to read. Apart from that, it's great to have accessible reading material all the time, with many options depending on my mood.

Azayzel · 10-07-2007, 11:48 AM

I don't mind the page-flip effect of miniscule delay involved either, I know it's there so I send to chunk the last few words of the page while I change pages so account for the delay, much in the same way I did with reading traditional PB models.

10-06-2007, 03:03 AM	#1
mdhuang Bookworm Posts: 113 Karma: 154 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Sony CLIE NX80V, PRS-500	5-minute impression of the 505 I stopped by a SonyStyle store on my way home and played with the 505 for a few minutes. Here is my impression: 1. The screen: It has whiter background and no ghosting. Refreshing a little bit faster but not much. The refreshing routine is different, and seems to have one more step which displays fuzzified reversed contents of current page which I found quite distracting. 2. The cover: The cover is looser and has more margin on the right side. I think I like the 500 one more which has better fit and feels compact in your hand. There is no point to see the back of the unit which is quite unsightly. They should just relocate the reset hole. 3. The form factors: The 500 has curve edges and memory card cover and a slicker look. The 505 has all staight edges and no memory card covers, and looks quite rigid and cold. The 505 is a bit thinner but not by much. 4. The buttons: The 505 has moved page buttons on the right and I found it not easy to control because of the shape of the edge. The joy stick is replaced by the dial pad which can be controlled more accurately. My impression may be biased because I am still in love with the 500 Overall I like the 500 form factors better and the screen alone is not compelling enough for an upgrade. And I can't live without the clock since I tend to forget time while reading a novel

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10-06-2007, 03:29 AM	#2
hello Custom User Title Posts: 55 Karma: 26 Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Yes Device: Nokia 5130	for those not aware, the page flipping shown here http://youtube.com/watch?v=e04Lbm4y2ZU. very annoying to see a page 'load' with such a good quality component mix. distracting, it seems to 'pour in'. i cant believe anyone could like this, but maybe they get used to it... in comparison the much smoother snappy transition of the cybook is a clear winner. http://youtube.com/watch?v=dJzR5AXkR28

10-06-2007, 12:21 PM	#3
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,970 Karma: 128903378 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	hello, what are you on about? The cybook gen3 has the same flashing as the 505 when page turning. The Gen3 is not smoother. It's identical due to the fact that both are using the same Vizplex 6" screen. So please stop trying to stir up trouble where none exists. The 500 which uses the older screen does not pour in either. It flashes black and then the text appears. With the Vizplex screen, the text appears and then it does an inverse of the screen looking like the black flash surrounding whiteish text. It's actually quite neat to watch.

10-06-2007, 03:30 PM	#5
jeffgrado Member Posts: 13 Karma: 36 Join Date: Jul 2006 Device: Nokia 770	After using the 505 for a few hours already, the whiter screen is much nicer, and to me, worth the upgrade! It's much more eye friendly in lower light conditions.

10-06-2007, 06:06 PM	#6
DrMoze Booknut Posts: 858 Karma: 2852 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: West Palm Beach, Florida! Device: Sony Reader 500/505/300/350, Nook Glowlight Plus (6")	Both flip rates seem pretty similar to me. And they're just as fast , if not faster than, the total disruption that occurs when I have to turn the fiber-based page unit on my non-electronic readers. Seriously, the e-ink 'flips' are no worse than turning pages in a book. And the differences between models is miniscule. WHat is the fuss here? When I'm reading something on the Reader, the page changes are almost unnoticeable. I happen to pay attention to the words on the display instead. I also suspect that 'hello' either owns or is planning to buy a cybook, and is looking for justification.

10-07-2007, 12:56 AM	#9
DrMoze Booknut Posts: 858 Karma: 2852 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: West Palm Beach, Florida! Device: Sony Reader 500/505/300/350, Nook Glowlight Plus (6")	Me too. After the usual few weeks of reading up on my new toy (mostly here, and much of it before it arrived) and then trying the hacks, etc., I've basically been using it to READ BOOKS for the past few weeks. And it does a fine job at that. I do wish the contrast were a bit better, though. In some lower-light situations (e.g., some subway cars) I enlarge the font because it's a bit hard to read. Apart from that, it's great to have accessible reading material all the time, with many options depending on my mood.

10-07-2007, 11:48 AM	#10
Azayzel Cache Ninja! Posts: 643 Karma: 1002300 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tokyo, Japan Device: PRS-500, HTC Shift, iPod Touch, iPaq 4150, TC1100, Panasonic WordsGear	I don't mind the page-flip effect of miniscule delay involved either, I know it's there so I send to chunk the last few words of the page while I change pages so account for the delay, much in the same way I did with reading traditional PB models.

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