700 or 505 with Light Wedge ?

MacDude · 11-22-2008, 12:57 PM

Like a lot of others I have been following the 505 vs 700 debate for a while now. I do most of my reading at night with no lights on, I currently use a Palm device.

So my question is simple, for reading in a dark room which would be better a PRS-700 or a 505 with Light Wedge ?

Thanks in advance
Mark

Ler0y Jenkins · 11-22-2008, 06:07 PM

I was forced with this same decision and, after a trip to the Sony Store, decided on a 505 with a lightwedge. I like the idea of being able to remove the light if needed. Plus the price was a factor.

Mitchll · 11-22-2008, 06:51 PM

I had a 500, got the 505 because of the screen improvement and have enjoyed both immensely. I use the light wedge cover and that works great but it adds so much heft to the reader. I went to the Sony store today to checkout the 700 with the built in lights to see if the change would be worth it. I found the 700 lighting distracting in the store light...it made it very difficult to read. With the book lights turned off, the reading wasn't bad, equivalent to the 500 at least--I used the 500 for a year with joy. I was unable to test the 700 in a low light situation (it was chained to the display) but I decided the wedge worked at least as well, if not better and I could live with the heft. If I didn't have the wedge already, and the 505, I would probably buy the 700 before the 505 at this time. The new features are impressive.

astra · 11-23-2008, 07:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacDude

Like a lot of others I have been following the 505 vs 700 debate for a while now. I do most of my reading at night with no lights on, I currently use a Palm device.

So my question is simple, for reading in a dark room which would be better a PRS-700 or a 505 with Light Wedge ?

Thanks in advance
Mark

Accordingly to your needs and taking into account that you are moving from Palm device, 700 would be the best choice for you, imho.
Just don't put 700 and 505 side by side

otherwise, you are going to end up like gamegirl

Ler0y Jenkins · 11-23-2008, 02:53 PM

One of the reasons I prefer the 505-Lightwedge Combo is because the light is removable - you can simply flip it out of the way. I mean, you wouldn't read a p-book through a lightwedge when a light is not need. So why by an e-book that has a non-removable lightwwedge?

ColdSun · 11-23-2008, 11:38 PM

I had the same decision and I went with the 505. This is my first e-ink reader and I wanted the best reading experience e-ink had to offer me. I saw all the reviews on here, saw many different sources of screenshots and made my decision. I got the lightwedge and a 2yr warranty. The price with both of those added was still only about $10 more than buying a 700 and I got a 2 year warranty that covers EVERYTHING. Anyhow, even if you don't want the warranty, you will save money with the 550 and lightwedge.

Another reason I chose the 550 was I don't want touchscreen. Some folks will think I'm crazy, but I prefer not to wipe my fingers all over my screen.

Last but not least, the glare on the 700 is a real problem from all the screenshots and reviews that don't favor the 700 point out. Many positive reviews tell you to leave the light on to correct this issues, somewhat.

The best thing you could do, is ignore all of our advice, or in the case of the guy above who said not to do this, and go see them both for yourself, side by side and make a decision.

dhbailey · 11-24-2008, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ler0y Jenkins

One of the reasons I prefer the 505-Lightwedge Combo is because the light is removable - you can simply flip it out of the way. I mean, you wouldn't read a p-book through a lightwedge when a light is not need. So why by an e-book that has a non-removable lightwwedge?

As a happy owner of the 700 (moving up from the 500) I can answer that: weight! Why carry around a cover with the extra weight of a light wedge even when you're not using it? And why bother with putting different covers on the 505 just to avoid having the extra weight of the light wedge when you don't need the light wedge?

It's a matter of personal taste, and I'm not trying to argue that anybody is wrong to carry around the weight of the light wedge and simply flip it out of the way when not needed. But after a week of using the 700, I can read it in all the situations where I could read my 500, and with the light built in, I can also read it where I needed to clip on a booklight, which added to the weight and balance issues of the 500.

With the 700, it weighs the same but having the lights built in makes it a better machine for my uses. And the interface and increased speed definitely make it a better machine for my reading purposes.

Ler0y Jenkins · 11-24-2008, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhbailey

As a happy owner of the 700 (moving up from the 500) I can answer that: weight! Why carry around a cover with the extra weight of a light wedge even when you're not using it? And why bother with putting different covers on the 505 just to avoid having the extra weight of the light wedge when you don't need the light wedge?

It's a matter of personal taste, and I'm not trying to argue that anybody is wrong to carry around the weight of the light wedge and simply flip it out of the way when not needed. But after a week of using the 700, I can read it in all the situations where I could read my 500, and with the light built in, I can also read it where I needed to clip on a booklight, which added to the weight and balance issues of the 500.

With the 700, it weighs the same but having the lights built in makes it a better machine for my uses. And the interface and increased speed definitely make it a better machine for my reading purposes.

Doesn't the 700 weigh more than the 505 (w/o lightwedge cover)? I would imagine that the 700 with a cover weighs the same as a 505 with a lightwedge cover but without batteries installed (since the 700 uses the built-in battery). So the only difference in weight between the two is a couple AAA batteries - no big deal.

Personally, when I read from my 505 in good lighting situations, I flip the lightwedge out of the way so I can get the best screen quality possible. I tried reading through the glass but found that it was easier to just flip the lightwedge out of the way rather than reading through it. From what I've seen, the 505 with the lightwedge in place but not turned on looks better noticeably than the 700's screen without the lights on. That's how I know I wouldn't be happy with the 700. Personal preference though, I guess.

BuddyBoy · 11-24-2008, 02:44 PM

One of the things I hate about the light wedge is if the underside gets scratched or you end up getting a fair amount of dust (I live near a beach), you end up with glowing lines and specks all over the screen. And I find the underside very delicate - cleaning it of dust has given me several scratches and even gouges.

The lightwedge is also very reflective, even more so than the 700, and runs on batteries, not a rechargeable internal battery back.

The plus side is that you can remove it if you don't need it.

11-22-2008, 12:57 PM	#1
MacDude Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: PRS-700 or 505	700 or 505 with Light Wedge ? Like a lot of others I have been following the 505 vs 700 debate for a while now. I do most of my reading at night with no lights on, I currently use a Palm device. So my question is simple, for reading in a dark room which would be better a PRS-700 or a 505 with Light Wedge ? Thanks in advance Mark

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11-22-2008, 06:07 PM	#2
Ler0y Jenkins Connoisseur Posts: 61 Karma: 162 Join Date: Oct 2008 Device: Sony PRS-505	I was forced with this same decision and, after a trip to the Sony Store, decided on a 505 with a lightwedge. I like the idea of being able to remove the light if needed. Plus the price was a factor.

11-22-2008, 06:51 PM	#3
Mitchll Cave Dweller Posts: 220 Karma: 1986 Join Date: Oct 2006 Device: Ipad Sony reader prs-505 prs-900	I had a 500, got the 505 because of the screen improvement and have enjoyed both immensely. I use the light wedge cover and that works great but it adds so much heft to the reader. I went to the Sony store today to checkout the 700 with the built in lights to see if the change would be worth it. I found the 700 lighting distracting in the store light...it made it very difficult to read. With the book lights turned off, the reading wasn't bad, equivalent to the 500 at least--I used the 500 for a year with joy. I was unable to test the 700 in a low light situation (it was chained to the display) but I decided the wedge worked at least as well, if not better and I could live with the heft. If I didn't have the wedge already, and the 505, I would probably buy the 700 before the 505 at this time. The new features are impressive.

11-23-2008, 02:53 PM	#5
Ler0y Jenkins Connoisseur Posts: 61 Karma: 162 Join Date: Oct 2008 Device: Sony PRS-505	One of the reasons I prefer the 505-Lightwedge Combo is because the light is removable - you can simply flip it out of the way. I mean, you wouldn't read a p-book through a lightwedge when a light is not need. So why by an e-book that has a non-removable lightwwedge?

11-23-2008, 11:38 PM	#6
ColdSun Developer/Device Reviews Posts: 588 Karma: 22183 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Phoenix, AZ Device: Sony Xperia Tablet Z, Kindle Paperwhite 2, Lenovo Yoga 8, IPad 3	I had the same decision and I went with the 505. This is my first e-ink reader and I wanted the best reading experience e-ink had to offer me. I saw all the reviews on here, saw many different sources of screenshots and made my decision. I got the lightwedge and a 2yr warranty. The price with both of those added was still only about $10 more than buying a 700 and I got a 2 year warranty that covers EVERYTHING. Anyhow, even if you don't want the warranty, you will save money with the 550 and lightwedge. Another reason I chose the 550 was I don't want touchscreen. Some folks will think I'm crazy, but I prefer not to wipe my fingers all over my screen. Last but not least, the glare on the 700 is a real problem from all the screenshots and reviews that don't favor the 700 point out. Many positive reviews tell you to leave the light on to correct this issues, somewhat. The best thing you could do, is ignore all of our advice, or in the case of the guy above who said not to do this, and go see them both for yourself, side by side and make a decision.

11-24-2008, 02:44 PM	#9
BuddyBoy eBookin' Fool Posts: 310 Karma: 1008360 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Vancouver, BC Device: Kindle Paperwhite, KK, iPad (Ex Prs 505, 500, Reb1100-2150, Rocket)	One of the things I hate about the light wedge is if the underside gets scratched or you end up getting a fair amount of dust (I live near a beach), you end up with glowing lines and specks all over the screen. And I find the underside very delicate - cleaning it of dust has given me several scratches and even gouges. The lightwedge is also very reflective, even more so than the 700, and runs on batteries, not a rechargeable internal battery back. The plus side is that you can remove it if you don't need it.

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