Sony PRS600, Kindle, or BeBook Neo?

eMadman · 01-27-2010, 05:04 PM

I've been toying around with the idea of buying a reader for a few weeks now and was waiting for apple's tablet announcement to see if the device would present material in a method that doesn't strain the eyes.

Today's announcement has me set - I'm definitely getting a purpose-built reader.

I'm considering between the Sony PRS300 or 600 as well as the Amazon Kindle (base, not dx). I have also taken a look at the upcoming BeBook One reader and that's also looking pretty darn nice for the price.

The question is, which to get? I like the PRS600 for the touch screen, though I'm not sure I actually need that functionality. I like the Kindle for the fact that it packs a 6 inch screen into a $250US price tag, making it $50 cheaper than the 600 and the BeBook Neo.

The Kindle and Sony seem to be the best options for battery, but the BeBook has the Wacom panel which is pretty darn cool.

Considering that I live in Canada and that Amazon charges additional fees to order books up here, do you have any thoughts on the pros/cons between the three options? The Sony seems to be my best bet only because I can go to my local best buy and take one home right now... whereas the BeBook and Kindle would have to be shipped.

How about stores? Can the Kindle support other MobiPocket stores or just the Amazon store? I'm liking Amazon's upcoming price strategy, though I'm not sure if it'll hit the books I want.

lustyd · 01-27-2010, 05:21 PM

I would advise you to go into a shop and use a couple of them. I compared the PRS300 with the PRS600 in a shop and then went and bought the PRS505! The reason I did this was the lack of touch screen, when looking at them side by side you can clearly see a bit of a blur with the touchscreen wires over the eInk.
I avoided the Kindle because of the various issues with proprietary nonsense, and because I live in Europe which Amazon don't seem to care about.
I've no experience of other devices as yet but would highly recommend the PRS505 which is (despite rumours) still available, and (despite rumours) supports pretty much all of the formats available including nicely scaling PDF, or where there are images etc landscape mode can show 1/2 an A4 page at a time.
The Apple screen probably will be nice to read from (the iPhone is fantastic) but the battery life will make it pointless if reading is your priority.
Hope this has been of some help to you.
Dave

eMadman · 01-27-2010, 07:03 PM

The 505 is definitely not available in my area. I've checked the only stores that would have them. The worst thing for me is that the 300 and 600 are the only ones I can even sample. No store in this city seems to carry e-ink based readers from other brands.

lustyd · 01-28-2010, 06:37 PM

to be honest it was the same here, Sony were the only ones in shops and then I found a 505 at Argos (catalogue shop) in the sale and snapped it up.
We do have good returns policy on remote shopping here though, if you have the same maybe try buying one and return if it's no good. I assume you've looked at the Sony ones in the shop and like the eInk - pretty much all the screens are the same apart from where touchscreen interferes so you won't go far wrong. Just get one with the right format support (epub a must) and nice controls (one of the kindles I've seen has page turn buttons up the sides - imagine a book where touching the edge of a page turns it!).
good luck
Dave

Kolenka · 01-28-2010, 07:05 PM

Between the 3, I'd go for the Neo, myself.

A 505 is a nice alternative if you can find one cheap.

Rhoda Dendron · 01-29-2010, 05:28 AM

I found these forums AFTER deciding on the Sony 600. I ordered it a few days ago and hopefully it'll arrive soon.
It better be good!

pboss · 01-31-2010, 06:28 AM

Don't worry, it's a very solid device if you're into touchscreen.

kennyc · 01-31-2010, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rhoda Dendron

I found these forums AFTER deciding on the Sony 600. I ordered it a few days ago and hopefully it'll arrive soon.
It better be good!

Welcome to MR, yes. It will be great. The 505 has a slightly better/higher-contrast screen, but nothing wrong with the 600 and the touch-screen and dictionary and etc. are very nice.

Miss Unleaded · 01-31-2010, 10:57 AM

I have the 600. I was very worried that I would hate it due to the well publicised issues with glare from the screen.

However, perhaps because this is the only ereader I have ever used, I love it. I don't find the glare particularly bad. It is quite easy to angle the screen to minimise it. I have greater difficulty with the contrast to be honest but this is fairly easily solved by increasing the text size when needed.

I love the touch screen. I find it very useful to be able to tap a word and get a definition for it. I've also used the drawing feature for fun and anticipate that it will be quite handy on those occassions when I don't have a pen on me (I'm not one of those women who carries a whole office in her handbag!). The note taking feature with the on-screen keyboard is less helpful than I anticipated though, due to the slowness of typing with a stylus, and also because (as far as I know) it only comes with a standard English alphabet and a few extra symbols and numbers. I wish it had some kind of handwriting recognition software so I could write and have it translated into typed text. I also love that the pages refresh quite quickly; much faster than physically turning a page in a book.

The other reasons I chose it over the Kindle 2, which is also now available here in Europe, are as follows:

I have problems with the proprietary nature of Amazon's ebooks. I want to be able to read books on different devices. Amazon also doesn't seem to have many books in languages other than English, and especially not in Swedish which is my second language.

Free web browsing is not available here yet, so the Kindle has no advantage there.

The touch screen is an intuitive way to navigate and I think I would miss it if I didn't have it.

I very much recommend trying them out before you buy, if you can.

kennyc · 01-31-2010, 11:11 AM

oops sorry.......operator error....

bruceOz · 01-31-2010, 06:16 PM

Like the sony's but for me the screen quality is most important have pre-ordered the Neo and expect a lot of this! will keep you updated on how it compares.. but having used the BeBook one for the last few months.. I think it should be OK.

eMadman · 01-31-2010, 06:57 PM

I went to the Sony Store again and played around with the 300 and 600. I must say, I absolutely love the navigation and touch interface on the 600, but the glare was not to my liking. I read a lot on the train, and I would find it difficult to focus on the shiny screen.

The 300 is also amazing, but the 5 inch screen is holding me back. Does anyone have other ideas?

rmm200 · 01-31-2010, 07:18 PM

I have to say, with the normal reading conditions I have, there is no glare or shine from my 600 screen.

Now if you are in a store with store lighting, and hold it just right - there is both shine and glare. Every computer display in that store will have shine and glare too.

Robert

kennyc · 01-31-2010, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eMadman

I went to the Sony Store again and played around with the 300 and 600. I must say, I absolutely love the navigation and touch interface on the 600, but the glare was not to my liking. I read a lot on the train, and I would find it difficult to focus on the shiny screen.

The 300 is also amazing, but the 5 inch screen is holding me back. Does anyone have other ideas?

A used 505 it still has the best screen.

eMadman · 02-02-2010, 02:25 PM

I finally went with the PRS600. I found one on craigslist for an excellent price. rmm200 was correct - the spot-lights in-store were a pretty terrible representation of what the screen would look like in a more natural environment (ie, a coffee shop). I'm still playing around with it, and it seems to be a fantastic little gadget so far.

01-27-2010, 05:04 PM	#1
eMadman Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: none	Sony PRS600, Kindle, or BeBook Neo? I've been toying around with the idea of buying a reader for a few weeks now and was waiting for apple's tablet announcement to see if the device would present material in a method that doesn't strain the eyes. Today's announcement has me set - I'm definitely getting a purpose-built reader. I'm considering between the Sony PRS300 or 600 as well as the Amazon Kindle (base, not dx). I have also taken a look at the upcoming BeBook One reader and that's also looking pretty darn nice for the price. The question is, which to get? I like the PRS600 for the touch screen, though I'm not sure I actually need that functionality. I like the Kindle for the fact that it packs a 6 inch screen into a $250US price tag, making it $50 cheaper than the 600 and the BeBook Neo. The Kindle and Sony seem to be the best options for battery, but the BeBook has the Wacom panel which is pretty darn cool. Considering that I live in Canada and that Amazon charges additional fees to order books up here, do you have any thoughts on the pros/cons between the three options? The Sony seems to be my best bet only because I can go to my local best buy and take one home right now... whereas the BeBook and Kindle would have to be shipped. How about stores? Can the Kindle support other MobiPocket stores or just the Amazon store? I'm liking Amazon's upcoming price strategy, though I'm not sure if it'll hit the books I want.

01-31-2010, 10:57 AM	#9
Miss Unleaded Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Sony Ereader 600	I have the 600. I was very worried that I would hate it due to the well publicised issues with glare from the screen. However, perhaps because this is the only ereader I have ever used, I love it. I don't find the glare particularly bad. It is quite easy to angle the screen to minimise it. I have greater difficulty with the contrast to be honest but this is fairly easily solved by increasing the text size when needed. I love the touch screen. I find it very useful to be able to tap a word and get a definition for it. I've also used the drawing feature for fun and anticipate that it will be quite handy on those occassions when I don't have a pen on me (I'm not one of those women who carries a whole office in her handbag!). The note taking feature with the on-screen keyboard is less helpful than I anticipated though, due to the slowness of typing with a stylus, and also because (as far as I know) it only comes with a standard English alphabet and a few extra symbols and numbers. I wish it had some kind of handwriting recognition software so I could write and have it translated into typed text. I also love that the pages refresh quite quickly; much faster than physically turning a page in a book. The other reasons I chose it over the Kindle 2, which is also now available here in Europe, are as follows: I have problems with the proprietary nature of Amazon's ebooks. I want to be able to read books on different devices. Amazon also doesn't seem to have many books in languages other than English, and especially not in Swedish which is my second language. Free web browsing is not available here yet, so the Kindle has no advantage there. The touch screen is an intuitive way to navigate and I think I would miss it if I didn't have it. I very much recommend trying them out before you buy, if you can. Last edited by Miss Unleaded; 01-31-2010 at 11:00 AM.

01-31-2010, 11:11 AM	#10
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,872 Karma: 118716293 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	oops sorry.......operator error.... Last edited by kennyc; 01-31-2010 at 11:22 AM.

01-31-2010, 06:57 PM	#12
eMadman Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: none	I went to the Sony Store again and played around with the 300 and 600. I must say, I absolutely love the navigation and touch interface on the 600, but the glare was not to my liking. I read a lot on the train, and I would find it difficult to focus on the shiny screen. The 300 is also amazing, but the 5 inch screen is holding me back. Does anyone have other ideas? Last edited by eMadman; 01-31-2010 at 07:02 PM.

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01-27-2010, 05:21 PM	#2
lustyd Enthusiast Posts: 40 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Sony PRS-505, PRS-350, PRS-650	I would advise you to go into a shop and use a couple of them. I compared the PRS300 with the PRS600 in a shop and then went and bought the PRS505! The reason I did this was the lack of touch screen, when looking at them side by side you can clearly see a bit of a blur with the touchscreen wires over the eInk. I avoided the Kindle because of the various issues with proprietary nonsense, and because I live in Europe which Amazon don't seem to care about. I've no experience of other devices as yet but would highly recommend the PRS505 which is (despite rumours) still available, and (despite rumours) supports pretty much all of the formats available including nicely scaling PDF, or where there are images etc landscape mode can show 1/2 an A4 page at a time. The Apple screen probably will be nice to read from (the iPhone is fantastic) but the battery life will make it pointless if reading is your priority. Hope this has been of some help to you. Dave

01-27-2010, 07:03 PM	#3
eMadman Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: none	The 505 is definitely not available in my area. I've checked the only stores that would have them. The worst thing for me is that the 300 and 600 are the only ones I can even sample. No store in this city seems to carry e-ink based readers from other brands.

01-28-2010, 06:37 PM	#4
lustyd Enthusiast Posts: 40 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Sony PRS-505, PRS-350, PRS-650	to be honest it was the same here, Sony were the only ones in shops and then I found a 505 at Argos (catalogue shop) in the sale and snapped it up. We do have good returns policy on remote shopping here though, if you have the same maybe try buying one and return if it's no good. I assume you've looked at the Sony ones in the shop and like the eInk - pretty much all the screens are the same apart from where touchscreen interferes so you won't go far wrong. Just get one with the right format support (epub a must) and nice controls (one of the kindles I've seen has page turn buttons up the sides - imagine a book where touching the edge of a page turns it!). good luck Dave

01-28-2010, 07:05 PM	#5
Kolenka <Insert Wit Here> Posts: 1,017 Karma: 1275899 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Puget Sound Device: Kindle Oasis, Kobo Forma	Between the 3, I'd go for the Neo, myself. A 505 is a nice alternative if you can find one cheap.

01-29-2010, 05:28 AM	#6
Rhoda Dendron Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: none	I found these forums AFTER deciding on the Sony 600. I ordered it a few days ago and hopefully it'll arrive soon. It better be good!

01-31-2010, 06:28 AM	#7
pboss Evangelist Posts: 408 Karma: 646 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: none	Don't worry, it's a very solid device if you're into touchscreen.

01-31-2010, 06:16 PM	#11
bruceOz Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: bebook	Like the sony's but for me the screen quality is most important have pre-ordered the Neo and expect a lot of this! will keep you updated on how it compares.. but having used the BeBook one for the last few months.. I think it should be OK.

01-31-2010, 07:18 PM	#13
rmm200 Groupie Posts: 195 Karma: 414 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Bend, OR Device: Sony PRS-600	I have to say, with the normal reading conditions I have, there is no glare or shine from my 600 screen. Now if you are in a store with store lighting, and hold it just right - there is both shine and glare. Every computer display in that store will have shine and glare too. Robert

02-02-2010, 02:25 PM	#15
eMadman Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: none	I finally went with the PRS600. I found one on craigslist for an excellent price. rmm200 was correct - the spot-lights in-store were a pretty terrible representation of what the screen would look like in a more natural environment (ie, a coffee shop). I'm still playing around with it, and it seems to be a fantastic little gadget so far.

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