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RWood · 08-10-2008, 09:02 AM

My choice is the original Sony PRS-500. I like the feel of the unit, the styling, and the key placement. While the 505 does have a better screen, it was not "better enough" to motivate me to upgrade, even with the recent trade-in offer. Nor did I feel like selling the 500 and buying the 505 (as several MR members did when it first came out.) It has enough space on the internal memory for a good selection of books and it is expandable through add-in flash memory. In short, the readers are very close to each other, the price for books is very close, and all will give you a great reading experience. For me it comes down to the way it feels in your hands. Like a camera, it may be superior technically; but, if it is awkward in your hands it will not perform well. Some of the threads in the Lounge talk of Meet-ups around the world, if you can go to one. There are other threads that talk about demonstrations of the devices, if possible go to one of these. Touch, feel, turn a page or two. This is the best way to tell which device is right for you.

I looked at the selection of materials available at Fictionwise, sampled a few, and paid the club fee. It was a great decision. I have saved more than the price of membership over the past year. One of the items not available anywhere else is a magazine subscription to Analog. Plus Fictionwise uses calibre to format their LRF books for the Sony.

Additionally, I use BookDesigner and calibre to format my own books. Many of these have been posted to the MobileRead download section for use by others. (Harry started the ball rolling with a beautiful Sherlock Holmes Omnibus that is now available in both Sony LRF and Mobipocket PRC formats. Patricia, Dr Dribb, the Madam, and a host of other people that I should mention have also contributed great books that are available for free.) None of the books currently on my reader are DRM.

08-10-2008, 09:02 AM	#37
RWood Technogeezer Posts: 7,233 Karma: 1601464 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Virginia, USA Device: Sony PRS-500	My choice is the original Sony PRS-500. I like the feel of the unit, the styling, and the key placement. While the 505 does have a better screen, it was not "better enough" to motivate me to upgrade, even with the recent trade-in offer. Nor did I feel like selling the 500 and buying the 505 (as several MR members did when it first came out.) It has enough space on the internal memory for a good selection of books and it is expandable through add-in flash memory. In short, the readers are very close to each other, the price for books is very close, and all will give you a great reading experience. For me it comes down to the way it feels in your hands. Like a camera, it may be superior technically; but, if it is awkward in your hands it will not perform well. Some of the threads in the Lounge talk of Meet-ups around the world, if you can go to one. There are other threads that talk about demonstrations of the devices, if possible go to one of these. Touch, feel, turn a page or two. This is the best way to tell which device is right for you. I looked at the selection of materials available at Fictionwise, sampled a few, and paid the club fee. It was a great decision. I have saved more than the price of membership over the past year. One of the items not available anywhere else is a magazine subscription to Analog. Plus Fictionwise uses calibre to format their LRF books for the Sony. Additionally, I use BookDesigner and calibre to format my own books. Many of these have been posted to the MobileRead download section for use by others. (Harry started the ball rolling with a beautiful Sherlock Holmes Omnibus that is now available in both Sony LRF and Mobipocket PRC formats. Patricia, Dr Dribb, the Madam, and a host of other people that I should mention have also contributed great books that are available for free.) None of the books currently on my reader are DRM.