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anamardoll · 04-25-2011, 11:50 AM

I just bought a PocketBook 360 after much deliberation and LOVE it. Funny enough, my mom wanted one herself even before she'd seen it because she'd heard me rave about it. I suggested we wait until she'd tried my PB, at which point she turned to me and said, "You know, I DO like it, but it's not quite what I want." I asked her what she liked about reading on her iPhone and two minutes later I said, "Let's go get you a Sony PRS-350." We did, and she LOVES it.

Ultimately, I don't even know that the two devices can be compared in a meaningful way. Mom loves touchscreens; I do not. I much much MUCH prefer the button interface of the PB, as well as the g-sensor that lets me rotate the buttons into whatever position I want. Mom likes the "sturdy" look and feel of the Sony chrome; I prefer the "lightweight" (even though the weights of the devices are comparable) plastic of the PB.

I like the complete control I have with my PB. I can use whatever firmware I want. I can reset the device to factory settings with the touch of the button. I can move things via the SD card and the device through the device interface. Heck, I can USE an SD card (a major deal breaker for me with the Sony). I can easily organize my books in folders on my device (Sony seemed to dump Mom's books into a single "books" category no matter what I did). I don't have to install the Sony Reader Library software just to get Adobe Digital Editions to recognize my device (why? WHY??). I LOVE being able to map my own commands to the buttons however I want. The PB device is, essentially, perfect for a control freak like me.

Mom doesn't care about any of that. She likes the sleek touchscreen and the tiny pictures on the buttons. She'll never use the stylus, but it's there if she wanted it. I'm thrilled that she's happy. I can hate Sony as a company for going after PS3 jailbreakers, while still happily buying their PRS-350 reader because it makes my mom happy. Anything for her.

Comparing PB 360 and PRS-350, to me, is like comparing apples and oranges. They meet an entirely different set of needs and almost the only thing they have in common is their size and weight. To me, personally, the PB is a Porsche and the PRS-350 is a kid's wagon because I care so dang much about SD card expansion and device customization. For someone like my mother (who ADORES touchscreens and finds them incredibly intuitive), the PB is a non-starter and the Sony PRS-350 is a dream come true. It's just different priorities.

Having said all that, anyone who says there are no fingerprints shown WHATSOEVER on the Sony screens has a different batch number than the one we bought for Mom this weekend. Both my PB and the Sony have been wiped down once already for "incidental" prints we left during the setup processes.

04-25-2011, 11:50 AM	#70
anamardoll Chasing Butterflies Posts: 3,132 Karma: 5074169 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: American Southwest Device: Uses batteries.	I just bought a PocketBook 360 after much deliberation and LOVE it. Funny enough, my mom wanted one herself even before she'd seen it because she'd heard me rave about it. I suggested we wait until she'd tried my PB, at which point she turned to me and said, "You know, I DO like it, but it's not quite what I want." I asked her what she liked about reading on her iPhone and two minutes later I said, "Let's go get you a Sony PRS-350." We did, and she LOVES it. Ultimately, I don't even know that the two devices can be compared in a meaningful way. Mom loves touchscreens; I do not. I much much MUCH prefer the button interface of the PB, as well as the g-sensor that lets me rotate the buttons into whatever position I want. Mom likes the "sturdy" look and feel of the Sony chrome; I prefer the "lightweight" (even though the weights of the devices are comparable) plastic of the PB. I like the complete control I have with my PB. I can use whatever firmware I want. I can reset the device to factory settings with the touch of the button. I can move things via the SD card and the device through the device interface. Heck, I can USE an SD card (a major deal breaker for me with the Sony). I can easily organize my books in folders on my device (Sony seemed to dump Mom's books into a single "books" category no matter what I did). I don't have to install the Sony Reader Library software just to get Adobe Digital Editions to recognize my device (why? WHY??). I LOVE being able to map my own commands to the buttons however I want. The PB device is, essentially, perfect for a control freak like me. Mom doesn't care about any of that. She likes the sleek touchscreen and the tiny pictures on the buttons. She'll never use the stylus, but it's there if she wanted it. I'm thrilled that she's happy. I can hate Sony as a company for going after PS3 jailbreakers, while still happily buying their PRS-350 reader because it makes my mom happy. Anything for her. Comparing PB 360 and PRS-350, to me, is like comparing apples and oranges. They meet an entirely different set of needs and almost the only thing they have in common is their size and weight. To me, personally, the PB is a Porsche and the PRS-350 is a kid's wagon because I care so dang much about SD card expansion and device customization. For someone like my mother (who ADORES touchscreens and finds them incredibly intuitive), the PB is a non-starter and the Sony PRS-350 is a dream come true. It's just different priorities. Having said all that, anyone who says there are no fingerprints shown WHATSOEVER on the Sony screens has a different batch number than the one we bought for Mom this weekend. Both my PB and the Sony have been wiped down once already for "incidental" prints we left during the setup processes.