Sony Reader Owners: What Are Your Initial Impressions Of The PRS-T1?

[sun surfer]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Actually The sony Readers have all had landscape mode as for back as at least the x00 series. I had a 505 but can't remember if it had landscape mode, but I think it did. However, you are correct that the 900 and 950 seven inch models are the only ones with landscape 2-page mode. I doubt this mode would work on a six inch screen as it barely works on the seven inch models.

I know that advantage is sort of specific to me. I read on the smallest font size of the 950 to have less page turns, so in that size the two page mode is great and feels much more "book-like". Not really a necessity for when I upgrade, but I would definitely miss it so my upgrade will need to be worth it in other ways.

Interesting that most polsters are fairly ho-hum about the T1.

The 950 was my first Sony e-reader, but I've liked it so much and enjoyed the quality of it so much that I thought I'd probably become a loyal Sony reader upgrader. But now I think I was naive. I still may eventually get the new one, but I think Sony hit a sweet spot with the last generation as far as quality.

I should have known every gen of Sony wouldn't be fantastic as the x00 series sounded terrible (that was the gen I got my very first e-reader and I opted NOT to get a Sony then) but with such a good x50 gen, I just thought they'd learned and would have good gens from now on.

I think the reason many Sony users are seeming ho-hum about the newest one is that, before, they really went for the high-end quality, they were a niche market, sort of. If they seemed to still be going with that mentality I bet a lot of Sony users would still be excited.

But what they seem to be doing is going for much more mass-market appeal with their new reader and lower price - they're still angling to be the "quality" reader, but just barely now whereas it used to be a big difference hardware-wise. Can't exactly blame them I guess, but they're now targeting a different demo than their older gens were targeting. So with a different demo target, many of the demo that owns the older gens will probably be less enthused.

[Pinecone]

Originally Posted by vishcompany

I quite like it.

Everybody was asking for wifi (me too) and now - as it is finally there - people keep saying "It's not a big deal". I don't get this. To me it is important. I like being able to surf casually, but I don't want (yet) to get a tablet. I like eink and I don't surf heavy pages with an eink device. So to me this is the one feature I was waiting for. (And yes, I do own a PB302, which can do this, but the display is so utterly bad, I just can't be bothered with it).

Because it wasn't Sony owners who were crying for wifi.

The faster processor will be nice, but everything else is neutral or a negative.

[anjirlly]

My 950 is fine for pleasure reading. For serious annotation and for color magazines (especially Interweave Knits), I'm reluctantly concluding that a larger tablet is the only route. So unless the new stylus and touch screen are way less laggy than the x50 series, the new model doesn't address any of the needs that I'm concerned about.

[Asawi]

If I had a (red) 650 I would not consider getting the new T1.
I have been sort of wanting a 650, but I think they have been a bit to expensive for me, but with the much lower price of the T1, who knows... I doubt the red T1 is anywhere near as good-looking as the 650, but I wouldn't mind to be wrong!

[charleski]

I'm glad to see that Sony has found a way to get the price down. The ereader market is expanding fast and Sony was obliged to produce a product in the same ballpark as the Kindle, Nook and Kobo readers if it wanted to have any relevance at all.

They're chasing new customers, and that's what makes sense right now. Unfortunately it means that this release offers little or nothing to those who already own an x50 reader.
Dual-touch zoom - meh.
Lower weight - nice, but my 650 is already light enough, and its weight is doubled by the case I use (and the clip-on light when I read in bed) so I doubt I'd notice any difference.
Wifi - personally, a double-meh. I want to be able to organise my books (and strip the DRM, fix the css, correct the typos) on my PC. I always have at least 3-4 books waiting in my 'to be read next' list, as well as many others hanging around on my reader that I might want to read when I get around to it. I have no need to buy books straight from my reader, but I know plenty of people for whom this would definitely be an advantage simply because of their lack of technical sophistication. The last thing I want on my reader is the ability to distract myself with Wikipedia, but again I can see how some might like this.
Glossy, plastic case - yuck.

So I can see this as a very nice model for those new to ereaders, with a more polished interface than the Kobo and Nook for around the same pirce. But if you've already got a x50 (and especially a 950) I can't see any reason to change.

[Quexos]

As I've already mentioned elsewhere the lack of a color screen is a disappointment. On top of that it seems there is no pen to use on the screen suggesting that one must use fingers on it, which I will not do.

Sony was already behind competitors last year with the 650 by not including Wi-Fi and again they are now by not including a color screen.
I'll pass.

[Tony1988]

Originally Posted by Quexos

As I've already mentioned elsewhere the lack of a color screen is a disappointment. On top of that it seems there is no pen to use on the screen suggesting that one must use fingers on it, which I will not do.

Sony was already behind competitors last year with the 650 by not including Wi-Fi and again they are now by not including a color screen.
I'll pass.

No one has an eik color screen out yet. So how are they behind???

[Quexos]

I believe you must not have seen this piece of news then
(note that it's not even news, it's dated January 2011)

http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/09/h...der-to-ces-we/

Originally Posted by Tony1988

No one has an eik color screen out yet. So how are they behind???

[CommonReader]

Originally Posted by Analogus

I voted in the middle. For my type of using an ereader, following points are important:

• Possibility to charge the reader without using the USB connector.
  The T1 doesn't allow this. No advantage
  
  

I do not understand this point. The micro-USB port is the new standard for mobile phones. Therefore you will most likely be able to use your phone charger for the Sony as well. Otherwise you can buy a charger for a couple of € instead of having to pay a premium for a dedicated charger. The reader is fully usable while getting charged.

While I am not happy about the plastics and about the lack of storage for the pen I am otherwise happy enough. Yes, of course, a higher display resolution would have been nice, but you can't have major innovation every few months. I am not going to exchange my 650 for it but it is going to be the reader of choice if my wife wants to upgrade from her prs-300 or if my daughter wants to have a reader. I just hope that companies like proporta and Noreve are going to produce covers for the T1 as well.
Given that recently we were reading all sorts of doom and gloom predictions that Sony was about to abandon the reader market we should be happy that they are rather intensifying their activities in the market. Instead we are hearing all sorts of complaints just because the new model doesn't meet all gadget dreams. People seem to have short memories.

[Tony1988]

Originally Posted by Quexos

I believe you must not have seen this piece of news then
(note that it's not even news, it's dated January 2011)

http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/09/h...der-to-ces-we/

I did see that actually. I knew you would bring it up.

First the colors are washed, second it still isnt ready for mass market or for all of the major ereader companies to use it yet. Plus its a $500 device.

Seriously, except for that article there has really been no big news of anyone else coming out with a color e-ink reader. I cant see how anyone would be disappointed that Sony didnt bring color to the table yet. Because no one else has yet either.

[Quexos]

Whether the specs are not the best is irrelevant, the point remains that there is a reader out there that perfectible as it may be, is nonetheless with a color screen and Sony is behind with a brand new model almost a full year after that other model and still without a color screen. For a high-tech Japanese company (which is supposed to be technologically ahead of its competitors or at least on par which it is NOT, it's behind) it's not a good thing, especially since last year they were already behind by not including Wi-fi when A LOT of other readers back then did have Wi-fi ...

Originally Posted by Tony1988

I did see that actually. I knew you would bring it up.

First the colors are washed, second it still isnt ready for mass market or for all of the major ereader companies to use it yet. Plus its a $500 device.

Seriously, except for that article there has really been no big news of anyone else coming out with a color e-ink reader. I cant see how anyone would be disappointed that Sony didnt bring color to the table yet. Because no one else has yet either.

[Nanopr]

The wifi and competitive pricing were a must for Sony to survive in the US market.

I really like the access to google and wikipedia. This is a very nice feature when you read non-fiction with references to historical facts or technical terms.

I got a Kobo Touch as a Father's day gift so, as much as I like the sony readers, I have no need at all to get the T1.

[Elfwreck]

I switched from my PRS-505 to the PEZ as my main reader a few months ago; I much prefer the 5" screen, but my main reason was that the navigation was slow enough to be annoying. A faster processor would fix that.

Wi-fi, although unimportant to me, could be nice. I live in an area crowded with unsecure hotspots; I wouldn't have to worry about access.

Library books without a computer intermediary... huh. That might actually be compelling enough to reconsider the no-DRM-ever-of-any-sort stance. It kinda depends on what kind of registration is necessary, and what libraries are available.

I don't like touchscreens. I see a page-turning set of buttons, in an annoying location. Point against Sony for removing good ergonomics.

Stylus spot not included... shrug. I'd make a pocket to attach to the case, or something like that. Can see it as a downside to people who don't carry a swarm of accessories around with them. (Since I carry a phone, mp3 player, transit card, keychain with bottle-opener, pens, and flash drives around with me already, what's one more little stick?)

Plastic instead of metal: bleh. That means I'm not buying one early, because I want to find out if the plastic is durable or if it's got a common break-point that they have to fix.

More fonts: Um, good? Not something I care about.

I mostly just want a 505 with a faster processor and a Pearl screen. Ideally, a 5" screen, but that would involve hardware redesign.

[CommonReader]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

I don't like touchscreens. I see a page-turning set of buttons, in an annoying location. Point against Sony for removing good ergonomics.

Depending on how you hold the reader the ergonomics are perfect.

[CommonReader]

Originally Posted by Quexos

Whether the specs are not the best is irrelevant, the point remains that there is a reader out there that perfectible as it may be, is nonetheless with a color screen and Sony is behind with a brand new model almost a full year after that other model and still without a color screen. For a high-tech Japanese company (which is supposed to be technologically ahead of its competitors or at least on par which it is NOT, it's behind) it's not a good thing, especially since last year they were already behind by not including Wi-fi when A LOT of other readers back then did have Wi-fi ...

And no reader had a non-glare touch screen. You can always find some pet gimmick to ask for. Is that color-reader really "out there" or is it just vaporware? Anyway, it would have been quite unrealistic to expect both a color display and a price in Kindle territory, as the price seems to have been one of the main gripes around here.