My Experience with the 600 (or "Why I sent it Back")

jupstin · 03-12-2010, 12:42 PM

I was really excited about getting my new PRS-600. I did quite a lot of research, and I ultimately decided that I would take the plunge. Of course, I read all the concerns about the screen, butI really thought I would be able to "look past" it. As you can probably tell, I was wrong. Interestingly, the glare was not the main problem. It was the general fuzziness of the screen that I just couldn't get used to. My previous reader was a Kindle 1, and the difference was very noticeable. I never had the chance to compare them side by side; the fuzziness was very obvious to me without the "benefit" of a direct comparison.

I am disappointed. If you're like me, and you are thinking of buying a 600 despite some reservations, than the only thing I would recommend is that you find a way to try before you buy. This may seem like "no-brainer" advice, but if you're like me then the excitement of getting a new gadget can blind you to the more practical concerns. I would especially suggest being wary if you're considering going to a 600 from a more "traditional" e-ink device. The Kindle 1 only has 4 shades of gray, so it's really the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to rendering ability (as far as I know,) but it was much sharper than the 600.

For those of you who love your 600's, please realize that this is in no way meant to offend you. I just wanted to let others in my situation know about one person's experience.

One final piece of advice - make sure to really know the return policy before you buy. I ended up paying a 15% restocking fee. A very sad end to a disappointing experience.

Mike_73 · 03-13-2010, 04:04 AM

No offense taken. I would have liked the screen to be like my 505 but I preferred having the extra pdf-functionality like pan and zoom of the 600. I can hear you in terms of "fuzziness" of the screen. I don't like that, but it doesn't bother me either.
And I completely agree to go and check out the reader before you buy. It's really a personal opinion whether you like (or at least can live with) the display or not.

Kevin2960 · 03-13-2010, 05:58 AM

I do think that just MAYBE your expectations were a little too HIGH !

kennyc · 03-13-2010, 06:10 AM

Wow! Nice Avatar Kevin!

ooh.... the 600.....I like my 900 but yeah I really dislike the fuzziness of the display, wish it was like my 505.

jupstin · 03-13-2010, 10:16 AM

Kevin - my expectations were TOTALLY too high. It's something that tends to happen to me, but I figured that might be a common experience for gadget lovers.

jupstin · 03-13-2010, 10:16 AM

Mike - yeah - that PDF functionality was pretty awesome. That is definitely a sacrifice

retro · 03-13-2010, 10:57 AM

**sigh**
Me, too. I have a 300 and bought a 600, it can't be that different, right? My eyesight isn't the greatest and I found I needed much more light to see the screen clearly than I did on my 300. It became annoying quickly. I found myself going back to the 300 for casual reading and decided I'd rather wait for something new. (The Boox is top of my list right now!)
Luckily, I bought it from Sonystyle and it only cost $8 to send it back.

doreenjoy · 03-14-2010, 01:15 AM

I crank the font up to a slightly larger size when I have to read in dim light. That's been working well for me.

When I use my 505 I love the screen, but I miss some of the features of my 600.

Mike_73 · 03-14-2010, 05:17 AM

I guesstimate that we all crank up the font (at least in dim light)

03-12-2010, 12:42 PM	#1
jupstin Groupie Posts: 159 Karma: 1005378 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Cambria, California Device: Kindle 2	My Experience with the 600 (or "Why I sent it Back") I was really excited about getting my new PRS-600. I did quite a lot of research, and I ultimately decided that I would take the plunge. Of course, I read all the concerns about the screen, butI really thought I would be able to "look past" it. As you can probably tell, I was wrong. Interestingly, the glare was not the main problem. It was the general fuzziness of the screen that I just couldn't get used to. My previous reader was a Kindle 1, and the difference was very noticeable. I never had the chance to compare them side by side; the fuzziness was very obvious to me without the "benefit" of a direct comparison. I am disappointed. If you're like me, and you are thinking of buying a 600 despite some reservations, than the only thing I would recommend is that you find a way to try before you buy. This may seem like "no-brainer" advice, but if you're like me then the excitement of getting a new gadget can blind you to the more practical concerns. I would especially suggest being wary if you're considering going to a 600 from a more "traditional" e-ink device. The Kindle 1 only has 4 shades of gray, so it's really the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to rendering ability (as far as I know,) but it was much sharper than the 600. For those of you who love your 600's, please realize that this is in no way meant to offend you. I just wanted to let others in my situation know about one person's experience. One final piece of advice - make sure to really know the return policy before you buy. I ended up paying a 15% restocking fee. A very sad end to a disappointing experience.

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03-13-2010, 04:04 AM	#2
Mike_73 Guru Posts: 750 Karma: 1323 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: PRS-505, PRS-600, iPad 16GB Wifi, Kindle Voyage, Nexus 6, Razr HD	No offense taken. I would have liked the screen to be like my 505 but I preferred having the extra pdf-functionality like pan and zoom of the 600. I can hear you in terms of "fuzziness" of the screen. I don't like that, but it doesn't bother me either. And I completely agree to go and check out the reader before you buy. It's really a personal opinion whether you like (or at least can live with) the display or not.

03-13-2010, 05:58 AM	#3
Kevin2960 YODA's Uglier Twin Posts: 974 Karma: 6295251 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Leicester, UK Device: PRS-600 and 2 Kindle 3's - and now a K4 + HTC Desire HD	I do think that just MAYBE your expectations were a little too HIGH !

03-13-2010, 06:10 AM	#4
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,872 Karma: 118716293 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	Wow! Nice Avatar Kevin! ooh.... the 600.....I like my 900 but yeah I really dislike the fuzziness of the display, wish it was like my 505.

03-13-2010, 10:16 AM	#5
jupstin Groupie Posts: 159 Karma: 1005378 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Cambria, California Device: Kindle 2	Kevin - my expectations were TOTALLY too high. It's something that tends to happen to me, but I figured that might be a common experience for gadget lovers.

03-13-2010, 10:57 AM	#7
retro Groupie Posts: 188 Karma: 245 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: USA Device: Kobo Clara Blue PRS 350	sigh Me, too. I have a 300 and bought a 600, it can't be that different, right? My eyesight isn't the greatest and I found I needed much more light to see the screen clearly than I did on my 300. It became annoying quickly. I found myself going back to the 300 for casual reading and decided I'd rather wait for something new. (The Boox is top of my list right now!) Luckily, I bought it from Sonystyle and it only cost $8 to send it back.

03-14-2010, 01:15 AM	#8
doreenjoy 01000100 01001010 Posts: 1,889 Karma: 2400000 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Polyamorous	I crank the font up to a slightly larger size when I have to read in dim light. That's been working well for me. When I use my 505 I love the screen, but I miss some of the features of my 600.

03-14-2010, 05:17 AM	#9
Mike_73 Guru Posts: 750 Karma: 1323 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: PRS-505, PRS-600, iPad 16GB Wifi, Kindle Voyage, Nexus 6, Razr HD	I guesstimate that we all crank up the font (at least in dim light)

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