MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Changing my PRS-505?

Ansileran · 06-14-2013, 10:55 AM

Hi everyone!

I have an old, perfectly working PRS-505 and I am wondering whether it is worth replacing it. The new readers all look shiny (great marketing ^^) but I would need a bit more than the thrill of a new toy to justify a new purchase...

Here is what I like about the PRS-505:

reads pdf, doc, rtf, txt and epub files
reflows pdf
very easy to transfer files from any computer (without internet)
has an extensible memory (sdhc)
can be used as storage / sd card reader
has a good battery life (even after over 5 years)
has a very nice design (metal + leather cover)
has a timer to turn it off after a while (if I might fall asleep while reading)
can be used with a small lamp to read in the dark
it's easy to back up my books

And what I don't like / miss:

it's slow, like a full second to turn the page on a reflowed pdf
it's heavy
format is not compatible with the biggest online English bookstores (Amazon, B&N)
no "book rental" possibilities
some new readers have lights at screen level, which is better in the dark
screen is too small, though it looks like most readers are 6"
no wifi, but that's not a deal breaker
no touchscreen but again, doesn't matter much

So far I've taken a look at a few readers.

Sony (newer models): looks familiar, few additionnal features and expensive. Unless they make one with a bigger screen, wouldn't change for one of those.
Kobo: absolutely dreadful. The touchscreen was imprecise, the reader was slow, it was hard to find books and wouldn't resize my pdfs. I returned it...
Kindle: no epub, pdf and doc need to be sent by e-mail (or has that changed?), you get stuck with Amazon for the rest of your life, no easy back-up, if Amazon goes bankrupt you lose all your books, history of violation of consumer rights (though they back-tracked)... but they have a 9" reader, a cloud system in case of hardware failure, some books can be rented and obviously it's compatible with it's own e-books ^^. Still, I feel a bit distrustful.
Archos: no, I'm not buying one of their products ever again and forget supporting local companies. They have a history of not providing customer support for longer than two years, their firmware is never upgraded... Never again.

What about B&N's Nook? Can it read "standard" epub (even if their own can't be read elswhere)? Can their files be read on computers and android devices? What about a back-up system?

I've seen some booken reader but they were out of stock before christmas so I couldn't try them... Anything else? Bigger than 6"? Or should I stick with the one I already have?

Thanks for your help!

06-14-2013, 10:55 AM	#1
Ansileran Zealot Posts: 136 Karma: 614774 Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: China, Yunnan, Kunming Device: Sony PRS-505, Kobo Aura HD, Cybook Odyssey HD	Changing my PRS-505? Hi everyone! I have an old, perfectly working PRS-505 and I am wondering whether it is worth replacing it. The new readers all look shiny (great marketing ^^) but I would need a bit more than the thrill of a new toy to justify a new purchase... Here is what I like about the PRS-505: reads pdf, doc, rtf, txt and epub files reflows pdf very easy to transfer files from any computer (without internet) has an extensible memory (sdhc) can be used as storage / sd card reader has a good battery life (even after over 5 years) has a very nice design (metal + leather cover) has a timer to turn it off after a while (if I might fall asleep while reading) can be used with a small lamp to read in the dark it's easy to back up my books And what I don't like / miss: it's slow, like a full second to turn the page on a reflowed pdf it's heavy format is not compatible with the biggest online English bookstores (Amazon, B&N) no "book rental" possibilities some new readers have lights at screen level, which is better in the dark screen is too small, though it looks like most readers are 6" no wifi, but that's not a deal breaker no touchscreen but again, doesn't matter much So far I've taken a look at a few readers. Sony (newer models): looks familiar, few additionnal features and expensive. Unless they make one with a bigger screen, wouldn't change for one of those. Kobo: absolutely dreadful. The touchscreen was imprecise, the reader was slow, it was hard to find books and wouldn't resize my pdfs. I returned it... Kindle: no epub, pdf and doc need to be sent by e-mail (or has that changed?), you get stuck with Amazon for the rest of your life, no easy back-up, if Amazon goes bankrupt you lose all your books, history of violation of consumer rights (though they back-tracked)... but they have a 9" reader, a cloud system in case of hardware failure, some books can be rented and obviously it's compatible with it's own e-books ^^. Still, I feel a bit distrustful. Archos: no, I'm not buying one of their products ever again and forget supporting local companies. They have a history of not providing customer support for longer than two years, their firmware is never upgraded... Never again. What about B&N's Nook? Can it read "standard" epub (even if their own can't be read elswhere)? Can their files be read on computers and android devices? What about a back-up system? I've seen some booken reader but they were out of stock before christmas so I couldn't try them... Anything else? Bigger than 6"? Or should I stick with the one I already have? Thanks for your help!