PRS-505 alternative

demiurg · 12-31-2009, 12:40 PM

I'm looking for a reader which is more or less identical to PRS-505 - 6", not tied to any particular service and supports as many formats as possible.

Would buy PRS-505 but they are very hard to find these days. Any suggestions ?

wallcraft · 12-31-2009, 01:28 PM

The two devices most likely to meet your needs are the EZ Reader Basic (Hanlin V3, Bebook) and the PocketBook 301+. They both support many formats and both have Adobe PDF/ePub DRM support.

I like my EZ Reader Basic, and I use it every day (but with the OpenInkPot firmware). It is well made, with good firmware and support.

The PocketBook is using the proven EB600 hardware with their own firmware which puts them ahead of all other EB600 vendors, particularly if you want multiple format support.

demiurg · 12-31-2009, 01:31 PM

Thanks.

What about screen quality ? I was told that Astak, for instance, is not very good.

Recommendations where to buy one (online or B&M store in NY) are welcome as well.

Again - thanks a lot

wallcraft · 12-31-2009, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by demiurg

What about screen quality ? I was told that Astak, for instance, is not very good.

The posts about the 5" Astak Pocket Pro's "screen" are really about fonts. The problem is that the default anti-aliasing of some fonts does not work well on E-Ink screens with 8-16 greyscales. Fortunately, the 6" EZ Reader Basic (Hanlin V3) only has 4 grey scales and the font issue seems to be much reduced. I think the same is the case with the PocketBook 301+, although language barriers make this difficult to pin down. Certainly, a standard EB600 only has 4 grey scales in hardware (but now there are updated versions with the Epson controller and 8 grey scales).

I have seen claims that the PRS-505 has the best 6" EInk screen, but so far as I can tell the actual screens of all the major brands are identical (and all show variation from unit to unit). What is different is the fonts and display software. Sony does seem to have worked out how to use 8 hardware grey scales to their best advantage, so the PRS-505 might be a step above the 4 grey scale devices.

LDBoblo · 12-31-2009, 01:58 PM

I say just make a brief list and roll some dice, or choose the one you think looks the most comfortable. There's not a lot in it.

richman · 12-31-2009, 02:19 PM

I would look around for a 505 because it can be hacked and some of the others can't. The screen is considered one the best and tons of people on this site own one. You can put fonts on it that you like and make folders for it with hacks. I have my SD card full of 1,000's of ebooks on them and in under 5 seconds transfer any ebook i'm interested in to internal memory. (without hack it would take very, very long time to SCAN SD card , and was a pain, and folders didn't exist, so the NEW hacks , make it so it can skip SD SCAN, but you see folders and ebooks in folders, and transfer them in one step into internal memory, saving battery life and scan time)
This ability is NEW and comes from hacks, the newer sony models can't be hacked yet, and even people put games on it NOW.
I'm sure others will come up with other ereaders for you to look into, and maybe one of them will work for you.

demiurg · 12-31-2009, 02:41 PM

I'd happily buy PRS-505, but they are really hard to find. eBay has some, but as I'm not in US, but rather will be there for a short period of time, so buying on eBay is not a easy option.

12-31-2009, 12:40 PM	#1
demiurg Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: PRS-505	PRS-505 alternative I'm looking for a reader which is more or less identical to PRS-505 - 6", not tied to any particular service and supports as many formats as possible. Would buy PRS-505 but they are very hard to find these days. Any suggestions ?

12-31-2009, 02:19 PM	#6
richman Addict Posts: 269 Karma: 58 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: sony prs-505 BLUE,itouch,netbook	I would look around for a 505 because it can be hacked and some of the others can't. The screen is considered one the best and tons of people on this site own one. You can put fonts on it that you like and make folders for it with hacks. I have my SD card full of 1,000's of ebooks on them and in under 5 seconds transfer any ebook i'm interested in to internal memory. (without hack it would take very, very long time to SCAN SD card , and was a pain, and folders didn't exist, so the NEW hacks , make it so it can skip SD SCAN, but you see folders and ebooks in folders, and transfer them in one step into internal memory, saving battery life and scan time) This ability is NEW and comes from hacks, the newer sony models can't be hacked yet, and even people put games on it NOW. I'm sure others will come up with other ereaders for you to look into, and maybe one of them will work for you. Last edited by richman; 12-31-2009 at 02:24 PM.

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12-31-2009, 01:28 PM	#2
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,975 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	The two devices most likely to meet your needs are the EZ Reader Basic (Hanlin V3, Bebook) and the PocketBook 301+. They both support many formats and both have Adobe PDF/ePub DRM support. I like my EZ Reader Basic, and I use it every day (but with the OpenInkPot firmware). It is well made, with good firmware and support. The PocketBook is using the proven EB600 hardware with their own firmware which puts them ahead of all other EB600 vendors, particularly if you want multiple format support.

12-31-2009, 01:31 PM	#3
demiurg Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: PRS-505	Thanks. What about screen quality ? I was told that Astak, for instance, is not very good. Recommendations where to buy one (online or B&M store in NY) are welcome as well. Again - thanks a lot

12-31-2009, 01:58 PM	#5
LDBoblo Wizard Posts: 1,385 Karma: 16056 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Asia Device: Kindle 3 WiFi, Sony PRS-505	I say just make a brief list and roll some dice, or choose the one you think looks the most comfortable. There's not a lot in it.

12-31-2009, 02:41 PM	#7
demiurg Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: PRS-505	I'd happily buy PRS-505, but they are really hard to find. eBay has some, but as I'm not in US, but rather will be there for a short period of time, so buying on eBay is not a easy option.

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