MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Looking to replace my PRS-505

Elfwreck · 03-23-2011, 07:05 PM

My beloved 505 is dying. The battery life is less than it used to be (I have to charge it every few days now), and there's a mark on the screen where I dinged it with something. And to be honest, I'd like something with a faster processor--the page turning speed is fine, but the time it takes to switch from inside the book to the nav menu, and the time to open books & change font sizes within them, are annoyingly slow. (Which means I'm not just looking for another 505, which is too bad, 'cos I love the ergonomics.)

I was planning on getting an Astak Pocket Pro to replace it, but those have gotten incredibly hard to find, and are more expensive than many newer devices. I'd like some advice about whether I should seek out a Pocket Pro from the few places that sell them, or if there's something else that'd have the traits I want.

What I want:

Long battery life. More than 24 hours reading time without recharge, which AFAIK means e-ink.
5" screen. Not 6". Not bigger. If there's a 4" e-ink screen out there, I want that instead. I miss reading on my Clie.
Memory card slot. Or maybe 2gb of internal memory would be enough; I keep a whole library on my reader.
Fast processor. Faster than I currently have, anyway.
File support for HTML and either DOC or RTF. Epub and PDF. (I know that PDF support on 5" screens ranges from "mediocre" to "sucks rocks." What level is unimportant to me; if it supports PDFs, I'll make mine work on it.)
Folder support. And "view most recently opened titles" would be nice.
U.S. Availability. I don't exactly mind ordering overseas, but would prefer to avoid it. Would very much prefer to avoid the higher prices on most European units I've seen.

What I don't care about:

DRM support. Of any kind. I won't be using it.
Wi-fi. I probably don't need to go out of my way to avoid it, but I have no interest, especially not if it's only tied to a bookstore, which, see above, I won't be using.
MP3 player. In 2.5 years with the Sony Reader, I haven't yet used this.
Dictionary. Haven't yet noticed the lack.
Attached booklight. I can sort out my own accessories.
Color. Aside from "battery life is more important to me," I don't care about color support.
Games. Haven't yet bothered to figure out how to play Sudoku on my Sony; not concerned with playing it on the next reader.

Do not want:

Touch screen. Not sure if I absolutely will not use a touch screen, but it's a strong negative. I definitely want at least a button or easy tap to turn pages; I don't want to use two hands to read.
Separate areas for purchased and sideloaded ebooks, or different filetypes. I've no idea if any of them do this. (Nook? Maybe?)

Price cap: $200 US. Yeah, that's probably asking a lot. But my 505's not dead, so I have no absolute need at the moment, and Pocket Pros sometimes show up on ebay for $150-175. Am willing to buy used; am not willing to pay an extra $50 for immediacy, especially considering how fast prices are dropping.

The list is almost custom-made for the Astak Pocket Pro; that's what I had in mind. With Astak not selling it directly anymore, and the swarm of new readers on the market, I'm wondering if something else would be as good or better.

03-23-2011, 07:05 PM	#1
Elfwreck Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,187 Karma: 25133758 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: SF Bay Area, California, USA Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3 (Past: Kobo Mini, PEZ, PRS-505, Clié)	Looking to replace my PRS-505 My beloved 505 is dying. The battery life is less than it used to be (I have to charge it every few days now), and there's a mark on the screen where I dinged it with something. And to be honest, I'd like something with a faster processor--the page turning speed is fine, but the time it takes to switch from inside the book to the nav menu, and the time to open books & change font sizes within them, are annoyingly slow. (Which means I'm not just looking for another 505, which is too bad, 'cos I love the ergonomics.) I was planning on getting an Astak Pocket Pro to replace it, but those have gotten incredibly hard to find, and are more expensive than many newer devices. I'd like some advice about whether I should seek out a Pocket Pro from the few places that sell them, or if there's something else that'd have the traits I want. What I want: Long battery life. More than 24 hours reading time without recharge, which AFAIK means e-ink. 5" screen. Not 6". Not bigger. If there's a 4" e-ink screen out there, I want that instead. I miss reading on my Clie. Memory card slot. Or maybe 2gb of internal memory would be enough; I keep a whole library on my reader. Fast processor. Faster than I currently have, anyway. File support for HTML and either DOC or RTF. Epub and PDF. (I know that PDF support on 5" screens ranges from "mediocre" to "sucks rocks." What level is unimportant to me; if it supports PDFs, I'll make mine work on it.) Folder support. And "view most recently opened titles" would be nice. U.S. Availability. I don't exactly mind ordering overseas, but would prefer to avoid it. Would very much prefer to avoid the higher prices on most European units I've seen. What I don't care about: DRM support. Of any kind. I won't be using it. Wi-fi. I probably don't need to go out of my way to avoid it, but I have no interest, especially not if it's only tied to a bookstore, which, see above, I won't be using. MP3 player. In 2.5 years with the Sony Reader, I haven't yet used this. Dictionary. Haven't yet noticed the lack. Attached booklight. I can sort out my own accessories. Color. Aside from "battery life is more important to me," I don't care about color support. Games. Haven't yet bothered to figure out how to play Sudoku on my Sony; not concerned with playing it on the next reader. Do not want: Touch screen. Not sure if I absolutely will not use a touch screen, but it's a strong negative. I definitely want at least a button or easy tap to turn pages; I don't want to use two hands to read. Separate areas for purchased and sideloaded ebooks, or different filetypes. I've no idea if any of them do this. (Nook? Maybe?) Price cap: $200 US. Yeah, that's probably asking a lot. But my 505's not dead, so I have no absolute need at the moment, and Pocket Pros sometimes show up on ebay for $150-175. Am willing to buy used; am not willing to pay an extra $50 for immediacy, especially considering how fast prices are dropping. The list is almost custom-made for the Astak Pocket Pro; that's what I had in mind. With Astak not selling it directly anymore, and the swarm of new readers on the market, I'm wondering if something else would be as good or better.