V3 vs PRS505

Hellmark · 07-10-2009, 02:36 AM

Ok, I'm looking for a nice ebook reader that has an eink display. I've pretty much got it narrowed down to the PRS505 and one of the V3's. I don't need wireless and all that fancy stuff of the kindle, and 6 inch seems to be a good size. I really don't read any PDFs. Most of the stuff I have is either in text, HTML, or epub, so easily converted to other formats, or just plain supported by both. The reason I like the V3 is because of OpenInkpot, since I am a linux user and FLOSS supporter. The reason I like the 505 is due to the stable stock firmware, even though it is propietary (disliked, but I am not Stallman), while being pretty cheap, and still able to be used under Linux (due to Calibre).

Now, I'm undecided between the two, and basically wanting to find out about some of the quirks of the two. Like how is the whiteness compared between the two? I'm fine with the gray cast of the 505 (reminds me of a newspaper), but I've heard the V3 is whiter. Also, is it very difficult to crack open the 505 to get to the battery in the rare event you need to replace it (If you can't open it, you don't own it). What are the buttons on the right hand side of the V3? (I ask, because I prefer to hold my books, N800, etc with my right hand). Can OI, or any of the default firmwares, on the V3 also keep track of series (I really like how FBreader sorts by author, series, then title, because I do follow quite a few series).

Any other quirk you guys can think of, toss in.

(Edit: I just noticed I accidentally posted in the wrong category. Sorry, lost track of which tab was which category. Was meant for "Which One Should I Buy?")

Ea · 07-10-2009, 04:06 AM

I have both, but I only use the Sony. It does have something to do with aesthehics and design, and in my eyes the Sony wins. The HanLin has much the same look and feel as the IBM/Lenovo thinkpads, feels solid and nice - I just prefer the Sony look and feel. The buttons on the right on the HanLin is page turn buttons, so I think it'd work well for you.

There's no difference in the whiteness of the screens btw. I like how the screen colour blends with the silver sony casing, and the Sony was the first reading device htat truly felt like a book (in the beginning I instinctively kept trying to turn the page like a paper book - it never had taht 'device' feel.

The software on the Sony is also working out a little better for me, feels a little nicer to use, a bit more stable. I use it exclusively with Calibre btw., as I have a Mac, and with a variety of source material types. The books I buy are usually in .lit format from which I routinely strip the DRM before converting.

I like the collections sorting on the Sony. I prefer that over sorting in folder, as a book can then be displayed in several collections. I don't think the 'binary' sorting into folders is necessarily the best way to do it. I also don't have more than 100 books on the device, and I don't plan to carry around thousands. In that case real folders might work better.

The standard software on the HanLin had its quirks, and I couldn't get it to display rtf well and there were some other small but irritating things like that. Now that I just convert everything into lrf and has set the base font size to the 13 pt I prefer, I have no problems at all.

To me, it comes down to that the Sony looks and feels better (and that's important to me), and I am less bothered by software and file format issues for my use.

wallcraft · 07-10-2009, 07:42 AM

The screens are identical, although some people report that the color of the device effects how they perceive screen brightness.

FBReader on the Hanlin does not use FBReader's library view, so you can't do the sorting by series. FBReader is only used as a reading engine, you could use it this way under Desktop Linux by using a file manager to navigate to the ebook file and then open that file using FBReader. The Hanlin does have folders, so you can arrange your ebooks however you like (but only in one arrangement). This could be genre/author/series/title for example. The Sonys have "collections" which are a kind of non-hierarchical virtual folder.

The metallic buttons on the right side of the Hanlin (labeled + and -) are for volume control under the standard firmware. Under OpenInkPot they are for font size. If you have SSH access to the Hanlin (e.g. from a Linux Desktop via USB) it should be easy to change these keys to paging keys by changing a configuration file. Note that the 9 and 0 keys are also paging keys and under OpenInkPot the 4 and 5 keys are section navigation keys.

EDIT: These two have the longest battery lives of any reading devices (both last several weeks), so you made the right choice based on this criteria. I never turn my Hanlin (EZ Reader) off, and almost never explicitly charge it because connecting to a laptop to copy files over is enough to keep it charged.

Ea · 07-10-2009, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wallcraft

...
The metallic buttons on the right side of the Hanlin (labeled + and -) are for volume control under the standard firmware. Under OpenInkPot they are for font size. ...

You're right - I was wrong

Quote:

Originally Posted by wallcraft

EDIT: These two have the longest battery lives of any reading devices (both last several weeks), so you made the right choice based on this criteria. I never turn my Hanlin (EZ Reader) off, and almost never explicitly charge it because connecting to a laptop to copy files over is enough to keep it charged.

I would say that the HanLin is noticeably better than the Sony (which is not bad either) - but the HanLin has very impressive battery life.

Hellmark · 07-10-2009, 08:50 AM

I read about 300 pages a day, sometimes as much as 500, which is another reason why I am looking at both of these. The battery life on some of the others, just isn't nearly as good, and I'd end up recharging way more often.

Do you guys have a problem with having too many books on the reader? On my N800, and my tabletpc, I just keep adding books, and so after a while the list in FBreader gets fairly big (part of the reason why I was asking about the sorting of series, since it keeps it fairly managable). I know some readers start bogging down if you have too many, and I figure just get a decent sized SD card and fill it up.

griffonwing · 07-10-2009, 10:06 AM

The new 5" Hanlin will be released by Astak the middle of next month. (It might be sooner, the Robertb is talking). The colour choices for the case are earthtones. Deep purple, offwhite, slate blue, etc. Also, the processor is 400MHz (compared to the 6" 200), 8 gray scale (compared to 4), plus it has the new Epson controller, so the page-turning is must faster. All this for about 200 bucks.

The screen is 1 inch smaller, diagonally, but it has the same resoluton (800x600), so you don't see less text per page, and any images will actually be crisper, esp with the double grayscale.

wallcraft · 07-10-2009, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by griffonwing

The new 5" Hanlin will be released by Astak the middle of next month.

In addition, the Hanlin V5 has a scroll wheel on the right side which acts as a third page navigation option - see Two samples of Pocket PRO arrived. It isn't yet clear if OpenInkPot will work on the V5, because it has the new Epson Broadsheet display controller. This is a good thing (faster partial screen updates and 8 grey scales), but it means that at a minimum OpenInkPot will need to be updated for the V5. The standard firmware will have mobile Adobe Digital Editions for ePub/PDF.

wallcraft · 07-10-2009, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellmark

Do you guys have a problem with having too many books on the reader?

The big advantage of folders is that they scale to thousands of files (ebooks). I think the largest SD card supported on the V3 is only 4 GB though, i.e. not SDHC. The Hanlin V5 reportedly supports SDHC.

griffonwing · 07-10-2009, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wallcraft

The big advantage of folders is that they scale to thousands of files (ebooks). I think the largest SD card supported on the V3 is only 4 GB though, i.e. not SDHC. The Hanlin V5 reportedly supports SDHC.

I htink I remember reading that someone put in an 8GB in a V3 and it worked fine. Just not officially supported.

The V5 (Astak's Pocket Pro) officially supports up to 16GB cards.

emellaich · 07-10-2009, 11:10 AM

I am facing the same dilemna, and I am currently leaning towards the pocket pro for many of the reasons stated by griffonwing and wallcraft. However, there are a couple of thoughts that are keeping the Sony firmly in my thoughts.

1) I am buying this for my son, and I hear good comments on the build quality, the sturdiness of the Sony and its metal case. I'm not convinced I am really concerned, but a few folks on these forums have commented about the plastic and cheap feel of the earlier generation Hanlins.

2) I have purchased brand new products quite often, and then had to live with growing pains. My most relevant example was my purchase of a Cybook Gen 3. Truthfully I did get value for my purchase, given it was about the only choice in e-ink readers at the time. However, it also had many problems. The Sony has been performing reliably for a while and seems to be standing the test of time. The brand new Hanlin???

3) The Sony seems to be on sale at several places. Most recently I saw a report of $215 at ecost. There are also reports that you can get $150 off or more if you apply for a Sony credit card and buy from the Sony store.

The reasons I am leaning towards the pocket pro, however are:
1) pocketable: for a guy with large front pockets, I believe you will be able to slip it into your pockets when your hands are full.

2) Faster: faster controller and processor. However, I'm not sure how long it takes to start reading a book. My Cybook took 45 seconds or more, but my Kindle takes five seconds.

3) Nice colors.

4) Inexpensive.

Ea · 07-10-2009, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emellaich

...

1) I am buying this for my son, and I hear good comments on the build quality, the sturdiness of the Sony and its metal case. I'm not convinced I am really concerned, but a few folks on these forums have commented about the plastic and cheap feel of the earlier generation Hanlins.
....

I think the build quility of the Hanlin is fine. It feels solid and stable - I think it's quite as easy to break the screen of the Sony. Also the standard case it comes with is stiff and holds the Hanlin securely and offers better protection than the standard Sony case, which is quite flimsy and soft.

griffonwing · 07-10-2009, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emellaich

I am facing the same dilemna, and I am currently leaning towards the pocket pro for many of the reasons stated by griffonwing and wallcraft. However, there are a couple of thoughts that are keeping the Sony firmly in my thoughts.

1) I am buying this for my son, and I hear good comments on the build quality, the sturdiness of the Sony and its metal case. I'm not convinced I am really concerned, but a few folks on these forums have commented about the plastic and cheap feel of the earlier generation Hanlins.

2) I have purchased brand new products quite often, and then had to live with growing pains. My most relevant example was my purchase of a Cybook Gen 3. Truthfully I did get value for my purchase, given it was about the only choice in e-ink readers at the time. However, it also had many problems. The Sony has been performing reliably for a while and seems to be standing the test of time. The brand new Hanlin???

3) The Sony seems to be on sale at several places. Most recently I saw a report of $215 at ecost. There are also reports that you can get $150 off or more if you apply for a Sony credit card and buy from the Sony store.

The reasons I am leaning towards the pocket pro, however are:
1) pocketable: for a guy with large front pockets, I believe you will be able to slip it into your pockets when your hands are full.

2) Faster: faster controller and processor. However, I'm not sure how long it takes to start reading a book. My Cybook took 45 seconds or more, but my Kindle takes five seconds.

3) Nice colors.

4) Inexpensive.

I'd LOVE to know how fast it boots up as well. Also, if there's an option to automatically open to the last page you reading, that also would be excellent. Is there that option in OpenInkpot?

As for the build quality, you'd need to ask an owner. It's been said that Fry's has the lowest returns of the EZ Reader line, so there's evidence that people love it. It has to be well constructed.

And as for support, the Astak crew have some of the best customer support. The marketing directer himself 'trolls' these forums, and always has an ear, or will pass information to the right hands.

The main reasons for me to get the pocket pro are:

1) Slate Blue!! Wooooo!

2) Pocketablility! I go everywhere with blazers. Corduroy, tweed, wool, matters not what time of year. Blazers have good sized pockets, but not so large as to hold a 6" reader. The 5", on the other hand, will fit nicely, inside pocket, or outside.

3) Price! I am cheap and broke, and that makes for a horrible combination. (Much better than being Rich and Stingy though, or being Poor and Spendy. Those would suck more) The price of readers has kept me away from the Sony and others. $399 for a Sony 500 when they came out, egad!

4) Formats! I like the ability of having more options to read. With 15 formats, I'm not stuck to one store, or one or 2 formats, OR stuck with mandatory DRM and converting to read. It used to be Sony could read several formats, but only AFTER you converted them with their conversion tool into BeBook format. (I think that is right. Correct me if I am mistaken).

5) Capacity! The ability to use a 16GB card is going to be awesome. However, I don't know how quickly it will access a full 16GB card. It may creep along as it chugs through the massive folder/file sctructure, or it may have an intelligent indexing feature. Either way, I'd rather carry 1 SD card in the machine than 3 cards in my pockets.

6) There is Nooooooooooo, option 6.

7) Speed! The few units that I've see videos on, or that I've tested were slow in page-turning. Big turn-off to me. I'd rather have the latest and greatest technology (Epson controller). That's why I currently wear a cell phone watch. It's not perfect, but it's very handy, and it does most everything I need a cell phone to do, and nothing that I don't need a phone for.

8) Gray Levels! See what I did there? Number 8? 8 gray levels? (HA!) More gray levels, better image quality, better to see pictures, which includes pdf comics, holiday photos, etc..

Just to name a few.

I tend to ramble, and repeat myself very often. And make very bad puns. And basically make ppl say "Oh no, he posted again".

Oh No! I posted again!

richman · 07-10-2009, 12:41 PM

I don't know much about the v3, can't help you there, but if price is consideration, I did pick up one of the sony prs-505's for 150 when I applied for sony card deal. Not a bad price. With calibre software, it is pretty easy to batch convert lots of books in other formats to sony format or epub , and set the default font to your liking. I've set mine to 20. The build quality of sony is pretty good, and if you back out of forum rooms and check the amount of people in each of the rooms at the moment and sheer number of posts for different devices, the 505 is 1st in both categories most of the time. So support from users is there and advice and books. Kindle 2 has gotten more people lately because of price drop. But 505 for 150 is good. Forget the ecost scam, they are selling refurbs and hiding it, and posting on search engines in NEW category.

emellaich · 07-10-2009, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by griffonwing

Oh No! I posted again!

Oh No! He posted again!!!!

just kidding

(I know it'd be cool-er if I knew how to type jk, but I'm over 40.)

emellaich · 07-10-2009, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richman

Forget the ecost scam, they are selling refurbs and hiding it, and posting on search engines in NEW category.

Thanks for the update. I wasn't aware of that. I'm glad to hear that the credit card deal is real, though.

07-10-2009, 02:36 AM	#1
Hellmark Wizard Posts: 2,549 Karma: 3799999 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: O'Fallon, Missouri, USA Device: Nokia N800, PRS-505, Nook STR Glowlight, Kindle 3	V3 vs PRS505 Ok, I'm looking for a nice ebook reader that has an eink display. I've pretty much got it narrowed down to the PRS505 and one of the V3's. I don't need wireless and all that fancy stuff of the kindle, and 6 inch seems to be a good size. I really don't read any PDFs. Most of the stuff I have is either in text, HTML, or epub, so easily converted to other formats, or just plain supported by both. The reason I like the V3 is because of OpenInkpot, since I am a linux user and FLOSS supporter. The reason I like the 505 is due to the stable stock firmware, even though it is propietary (disliked, but I am not Stallman), while being pretty cheap, and still able to be used under Linux (due to Calibre). Now, I'm undecided between the two, and basically wanting to find out about some of the quirks of the two. Like how is the whiteness compared between the two? I'm fine with the gray cast of the 505 (reminds me of a newspaper), but I've heard the V3 is whiter. Also, is it very difficult to crack open the 505 to get to the battery in the rare event you need to replace it (If you can't open it, you don't own it). What are the buttons on the right hand side of the V3? (I ask, because I prefer to hold my books, N800, etc with my right hand). Can OI, or any of the default firmwares, on the V3 also keep track of series (I really like how FBreader sorts by author, series, then title, because I do follow quite a few series). Any other quirk you guys can think of, toss in. (Edit: I just noticed I accidentally posted in the wrong category. Sorry, lost track of which tab was which category. Was meant for "Which One Should I Buy?") Last edited by Hellmark; 07-10-2009 at 02:59 AM.

07-10-2009, 07:42 AM	#3
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,975 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	The screens are identical, although some people report that the color of the device effects how they perceive screen brightness. FBReader on the Hanlin does not use FBReader's library view, so you can't do the sorting by series. FBReader is only used as a reading engine, you could use it this way under Desktop Linux by using a file manager to navigate to the ebook file and then open that file using FBReader. The Hanlin does have folders, so you can arrange your ebooks however you like (but only in one arrangement). This could be genre/author/series/title for example. The Sonys have "collections" which are a kind of non-hierarchical virtual folder. The metallic buttons on the right side of the Hanlin (labeled + and -) are for volume control under the standard firmware. Under OpenInkPot they are for font size. If you have SSH access to the Hanlin (e.g. from a Linux Desktop via USB) it should be easy to change these keys to paging keys by changing a configuration file. Note that the 9 and 0 keys are also paging keys and under OpenInkPot the 4 and 5 keys are section navigation keys. EDIT: These two have the longest battery lives of any reading devices (both last several weeks), so you made the right choice based on this criteria. I never turn my Hanlin (EZ Reader) off, and almost never explicitly charge it because connecting to a laptop to copy files over is enough to keep it charged. Last edited by wallcraft; 07-10-2009 at 07:49 AM.

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07-10-2009, 04:06 AM	#2
Ea Wizard Posts: 3,490 Karma: 5239563 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Denmark Device: Kindle 3\|iPad air\|iPhone 4S	I have both, but I only use the Sony. It does have something to do with aesthehics and design, and in my eyes the Sony wins. The HanLin has much the same look and feel as the IBM/Lenovo thinkpads, feels solid and nice - I just prefer the Sony look and feel. The buttons on the right on the HanLin is page turn buttons, so I think it'd work well for you. There's no difference in the whiteness of the screens btw. I like how the screen colour blends with the silver sony casing, and the Sony was the first reading device htat truly felt like a book (in the beginning I instinctively kept trying to turn the page like a paper book - it never had taht 'device' feel. The software on the Sony is also working out a little better for me, feels a little nicer to use, a bit more stable. I use it exclusively with Calibre btw., as I have a Mac, and with a variety of source material types. The books I buy are usually in .lit format from which I routinely strip the DRM before converting. I like the collections sorting on the Sony. I prefer that over sorting in folder, as a book can then be displayed in several collections. I don't think the 'binary' sorting into folders is necessarily the best way to do it. I also don't have more than 100 books on the device, and I don't plan to carry around thousands. In that case real folders might work better. The standard software on the HanLin had its quirks, and I couldn't get it to display rtf well and there were some other small but irritating things like that. Now that I just convert everything into lrf and has set the base font size to the 13 pt I prefer, I have no problems at all. To me, it comes down to that the Sony looks and feels better (and that's important to me), and I am less bothered by software and file format issues for my use.

07-10-2009, 08:50 AM	#5
Hellmark Wizard Posts: 2,549 Karma: 3799999 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: O'Fallon, Missouri, USA Device: Nokia N800, PRS-505, Nook STR Glowlight, Kindle 3	I read about 300 pages a day, sometimes as much as 500, which is another reason why I am looking at both of these. The battery life on some of the others, just isn't nearly as good, and I'd end up recharging way more often. Do you guys have a problem with having too many books on the reader? On my N800, and my tabletpc, I just keep adding books, and so after a while the list in FBreader gets fairly big (part of the reason why I was asking about the sorting of series, since it keeps it fairly managable). I know some readers start bogging down if you have too many, and I figure just get a decent sized SD card and fill it up.

07-10-2009, 10:06 AM	#6
griffonwing Suave Swabby, Savvy? Posts: 1,602 Karma: 520350 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Harrison, ARrrr, USA - southern Ozark mountains Device: Slate Blue PEZ (Astak Pocket Pro), CVSCX-9300 Quad-band watch phone	The new 5" Hanlin will be released by Astak the middle of next month. (It might be sooner, the Robertb is talking). The colour choices for the case are earthtones. Deep purple, offwhite, slate blue, etc. Also, the processor is 400MHz (compared to the 6" 200), 8 gray scale (compared to 4), plus it has the new Epson controller, so the page-turning is must faster. All this for about 200 bucks. The screen is 1 inch smaller, diagonally, but it has the same resoluton (800x600), so you don't see less text per page, and any images will actually be crisper, esp with the double grayscale.

07-10-2009, 11:10 AM	#10
emellaich Wizard Posts: 1,101 Karma: 4388403 Join Date: Oct 2007 Device: Palm>Ebookman>IPaq>Axim>Cybook>Kndl2>IPAD>Kndl3SO>Voyager>Oasis	I am facing the same dilemna, and I am currently leaning towards the pocket pro for many of the reasons stated by griffonwing and wallcraft. However, there are a couple of thoughts that are keeping the Sony firmly in my thoughts. 1) I am buying this for my son, and I hear good comments on the build quality, the sturdiness of the Sony and its metal case. I'm not convinced I am really concerned, but a few folks on these forums have commented about the plastic and cheap feel of the earlier generation Hanlins. 2) I have purchased brand new products quite often, and then had to live with growing pains. My most relevant example was my purchase of a Cybook Gen 3. Truthfully I did get value for my purchase, given it was about the only choice in e-ink readers at the time. However, it also had many problems. The Sony has been performing reliably for a while and seems to be standing the test of time. The brand new Hanlin??? 3) The Sony seems to be on sale at several places. Most recently I saw a report of $215 at ecost. There are also reports that you can get $150 off or more if you apply for a Sony credit card and buy from the Sony store. The reasons I am leaning towards the pocket pro, however are: 1) pocketable: for a guy with large front pockets, I believe you will be able to slip it into your pockets when your hands are full. 2) Faster: faster controller and processor. However, I'm not sure how long it takes to start reading a book. My Cybook took 45 seconds or more, but my Kindle takes five seconds. 3) Nice colors. 4) Inexpensive.

07-10-2009, 12:41 PM	#13
richman Addict Posts: 269 Karma: 58 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: sony prs-505 BLUE,itouch,netbook	I don't know much about the v3, can't help you there, but if price is consideration, I did pick up one of the sony prs-505's for 150 when I applied for sony card deal. Not a bad price. With calibre software, it is pretty easy to batch convert lots of books in other formats to sony format or epub , and set the default font to your liking. I've set mine to 20. The build quality of sony is pretty good, and if you back out of forum rooms and check the amount of people in each of the rooms at the moment and sheer number of posts for different devices, the 505 is 1st in both categories most of the time. So support from users is there and advice and books. Kindle 2 has gotten more people lately because of price drop. But 505 for 150 is good. Forget the ecost scam, they are selling refurbs and hiding it, and posting on search engines in NEW category.