The Sony PRS700: the Newest Member of the Sony Reader Family - Page 4

phoenixfire1965 · 10-03-2008, 11:06 AM

Wow, could this be more underwhelming? I am sorely disappointed with Sony and this is a pathetic effort in my opinion. I recently purchased a Kindle recently after being told by a Sony rep with customer relations that maybe I should "spend my money somewhere else". No problem. Will do. So far I love the Kindle.

I was hoping that this would be huge but not so. Very disappointing effort, and overpriced.

Lord KiRon · 10-02-2008, 07:20 PM

OK two things that makes "No Way" for me - I actually wanted BIGGER screen , not smaller and the page turning buttons, yes they have the buttons but they are totally unusable for reading , the menu buttons good for menu but not to turn pages.
Page turning buttons should be under the fingers !

Patricia · 10-02-2008, 07:20 PM

The same size, I think.

I'm not entirely sure whether I want one or not...
I thought that I would really want it. But it would cost a lot to get it shipped to the UK, then to pay VAT. And the US warranty wouldn't be worth much here.
I may yet just update to the 505, which is now on sale here.

TadW · 10-02-2008, 07:21 PM

One thing for sure. Sony *does* know how to produce sleek hardware that distinguishes itself from the rest.

David Munch · 10-02-2008, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TadW

One thing for sure. Sony *does* know how to produce sleek hardware that distinguishes itself from the rest.

Meh.. :S

Two questions (Sorry if i missed anything, loads of pages in this thread):
• Better PDF support? I noticed several zoom levels..
• Mac support?

Ralph Sir Edward · 10-02-2008, 09:23 PM

I'll be interested in see the system software spec's (not available yet). Can it handle 2000 books on the navigation system without problems...

bbusybookworm · 10-02-2008, 07:21 PM

Hmm, looks interesting.

Now why do I think that the 505 is going to go down further in price to justify the premium pricing of the 700

Still the touch screen features look nice, and it looks like they'll finally be able to add dictionary support to the range, the only feature that all its competitors already support.

Do we know yet if the software on it is similar to the 505 or did they switch to Win CE? Cos the screen in the promo pic does look very CE like.

NatCh · 10-02-2008, 07:23 PM

I think it's the same OS, but the software has been updated, obviously.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Ok... so are we saying the eInk screen is smaller than the 505 screen? Or is it the same size?

It is the same size, I misunderstood what you were getting at.

TadW · 10-02-2008, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbusybookworm

Do we know yet if the software on it is similar to the 505 or did they switch to Win CE? Cos the screen in the promo pic does look very CE like.

Please don't... for a second I was so shocked, my heard stopped.

igorsk · 10-02-2008, 07:21 PM

Image gallery.

tsgreer · 10-02-2008, 07:22 PM

I'll hold off upgrading, but glad they finally got the light in there. That's what everyone I know seems to complain about. Also, touchscreen doesn't impress me, but I love that they are still thinking about and acting on the future of ebooks. YAY!

And I really, really would love the store to be web-based (just like the amazon kindle store) for us mac-heads without windows...

JSWolf · 10-02-2008, 07:25 PM

The 505 is also a 6" screen. Whoever came up with 6.5" is clearly incorrect.

PsyDocJoanne · 10-02-2008, 07:25 PM

I hope my original post didn't come off as insinuating it wasn't worth the extra $100 to a new buyer. It is. But it's not worth the upgrade for me.

As for the Plastic Logic demo, I think it makes the touchscreen look a little flaky (again, I'm hopeful that Sony has improved upon it, and that maybe what we were seeing was a beta product from Plastic Logic).

But honestly, I don't see the value in adding a touchscreen. Knowing me, my touchscreen would be constantly dirty, full of fingerprints, and well-scratched up in short order. And where's the advantage, really? I mean, is pressing a button really that difficult, and is swiping a finger really that much easier?

bbusybookworm · 10-02-2008, 07:32 PM

Well, the touch screen does offer one major advantage.

It allows them to add annotation, notes, dictionary, search, etc without having to bolt on a hardware keyboard.

And while I agree that a hardware keyboard is king for longer data entry's, for the purposes of the reader it should be enough.

What I'm curious about is whether it supports handwritten notes or markup? If it does, Irex is going to have a major competitor on its hands. While it may not be as accuret, it may be enough for many peoples needs

NatCh · 10-02-2008, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbusybookworm

What I'm curious about is whether it supports handwritten notes or markup?

'fraid not

Quote:

Originally Posted by NatCh

... there's no true digital ink capability, it's all handled through virtual keyboard/menu interaction.

10-02-2008, 07:20 PM	#3
Patricia Reader Posts: 9,569 Karma: 97499 Join Date: May 2007 Location: South Wales, UK Device: Sony PRS-500, PRS-505, Asus EEEpc 4G	The same size, I think. I'm not entirely sure whether I want one or not... I thought that I would really want it. But it would cost a lot to get it shipped to the UK, then to pay VAT. And the US warranty wouldn't be worth much here. I may yet just update to the 505, which is now on sale here. __________________ Of making many books there is no end [Ecclesiastes, 12.12]

10-02-2008, 07:21 PM	#4
TadW Uebermensch Posts: 2,467 Karma: 8144 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Italy Device: Kindle	One thing for sure. Sony does know how to produce sleek hardware that distinguishes itself from the rest. __________________ "It doesn't matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people don't read anymore." - Apple's Steve Jobs, Jan 15, 2008

10-02-2008, 09:23 PM	#6
Ralph Sir Edward Gentleman & Cynic Posts: 2,630 Karma: 34924 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: 5 generation native Texan Device: BeBook/Openinkpot, CYbook 3rd gen awaiting RTF software upgrade	I'll be interested in see the system software spec's (not available yet). Can it handle 2000 books on the navigation system without problems... __________________ Another proud Tarnover graduate! Remember, no matter what they say, people don't want the truth, just their prejudices reinforced. -RSE

10-02-2008, 07:21 PM	#10
igorsk Wizard Posts: 3,021 Karma: 16050 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Belgium Device: PRS-500/505/700, Kindle, Cybook Gen3, Words Gear	Image gallery. __________________ Yet another reverse engineering blog Like to chat? Join #mobileread

10-02-2008, 07:22 PM	#11
tsgreer Lovin' the e-book life... Posts: 611 Karma: 2499 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Colorado Device: Ebookwise 1150, Sony PRS-505, Amazon Kindle, BeBook (with OpenInkpot)	I'll hold off upgrading, but glad they finally got the light in there. That's what everyone I know seems to complain about. Also, touchscreen doesn't impress me, but I love that they are still thinking about and acting on the future of ebooks. YAY! And I really, really would love the store to be web-based (just like the amazon kindle store) for us mac-heads without windows... __________________ Industrious + Simple Living + Frugal = Rich

10-03-2008, 11:06 AM	#1
phoenixfire1965 Member Posts: 15 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2004	Wow, could this be more underwhelming? I am sorely disappointed with Sony and this is a pathetic effort in my opinion. I recently purchased a Kindle recently after being told by a Sony rep with customer relations that maybe I should "spend my money somewhere else". No problem. Will do. So far I love the Kindle. I was hoping that this would be huge but not so. Very disappointing effort, and overpriced.

10-02-2008, 07:20 PM	#2
Lord KiRon Connoisseur Posts: 81 Karma: 44 Join Date: Jul 2007 Device: Sony PRS-500, PRS-505	OK two things that makes "No Way" for me - I actually wanted BIGGER screen , not smaller and the page turning buttons, yes they have the buttons but they are totally unusable for reading , the menu buttons good for menu but not to turn pages. Page turning buttons should be under the fingers !

10-02-2008, 07:21 PM	#7
bbusybookworm Tech Junkie Posts: 943 Karma: 2554 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Notts, UK Device: PSR500,Gen3,N800, iPhone3G & Pocket Pro	Hmm, looks interesting. Now why do I think that the 505 is going to go down further in price to justify the premium pricing of the 700 Still the touch screen features look nice, and it looks like they'll finally be able to add dictionary support to the range, the only feature that all its competitors already support. Do we know yet if the software on it is similar to the 505 or did they switch to Win CE? Cos the screen in the promo pic does look very CE like.

10-02-2008, 07:25 PM	#12
JSWolf Mobile Reader Geek Posts: 16,138 Karma: 18503 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Sony Reader PRS-505	The 505 is also a 6" screen. Whoever came up with 6.5" is clearly incorrect. __________________ Jon If you want to listen to really good music while you surf Mobileread, here.

10-02-2008, 07:25 PM	#13
PsyDocJoanne Loves her 505 and her Z4! Posts: 157 Karma: 631 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Weston, FL Device: Sony PRS-505	I hope my original post didn't come off as insinuating it wasn't worth the extra $100 to a new buyer. It is. But it's not worth the upgrade for me. As for the Plastic Logic demo, I think it makes the touchscreen look a little flaky (again, I'm hopeful that Sony has improved upon it, and that maybe what we were seeing was a beta product from Plastic Logic). But honestly, I don't see the value in adding a touchscreen. Knowing me, my touchscreen would be constantly dirty, full of fingerprints, and well-scratched up in short order. And where's the advantage, really? I mean, is pressing a button really that difficult, and is swiping a finger really that much easier?

10-02-2008, 07:32 PM	#14
bbusybookworm Tech Junkie Posts: 943 Karma: 2554 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Notts, UK Device: PSR500,Gen3,N800, iPhone3G & Pocket Pro	Well, the touch screen does offer one major advantage. It allows them to add annotation, notes, dictionary, search, etc without having to bolt on a hardware keyboard. And while I agree that a hardware keyboard is king for longer data entry's, for the purposes of the reader it should be enough. What I'm curious about is whether it supports handwritten notes or markup? If it does, Irex is going to have a major competitor on its hands. While it may not be as accuret, it may be enough for many peoples needs

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