MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - PRS-700

sayhello · 11-13-2008, 09:35 PM

Unfortunately, the answer is really, REALLY bad. I really wanted to love the 700. I've been eagerly awaiting it's arrival for weeks now. I wanted to log in and tell people "don't listen to the others, it's wonderful". But I totally can't. The quality of the screen is just so sadly lacking that I totally CANNOT justify keeping it. My 505 is extremely crisp and clear, and readable in all but the lowest light situations. I thought the 700's light would be nice for dim restaurants, other really low-light situations, where you can't turn an external light on. But those situations are rare, and not how I usually use my eReader.

I find it hard to read the 700 in the dark using just the built-in light. The edges are nicely bright, but the middle of the page is hard to read, and it feels like a strain. With the built-in lights off, using my bedside lamp, I find I have to hold the 700 at an unnatural angle for the glare not to reflect myself back at me, which is very distracting, and makes the text harder to read. The 505 is crisp and clear in the light of my bedside lamp. No problems or strain.

The extra features of the 700 are extremely neat. I love the touch screen & the new menu navigation, and I was really looking forward to being able to search my books. If the screen resolution was the same, hands down the 700 would be infinitely superior. But the lack of screen clarity makes it, for me, a step below the 505, with a lot of wasted features. If you can't read it, all the bells and whistles don't mean much.

I suppose if I'd never seen the 505, I might think the 700 was the coolest thing ever. But having seen how amazing eInk can be, the 700 is just a big, disappointing misuse of the technology.

Sayhello

11-13-2008, 09:35 PM	#3
sayhello Addict Posts: 208 Karma: 373 Join Date: Aug 2008 Device: Sony PRS-505 (Blue!), PRS-650 (Black), iPad, iPod Touch	Unfortunately, the answer is really, REALLY bad. I really wanted to love the 700. I've been eagerly awaiting it's arrival for weeks now. I wanted to log in and tell people "don't listen to the others, it's wonderful". But I totally can't. The quality of the screen is just so sadly lacking that I totally CANNOT justify keeping it. My 505 is extremely crisp and clear, and readable in all but the lowest light situations. I thought the 700's light would be nice for dim restaurants, other really low-light situations, where you can't turn an external light on. But those situations are rare, and not how I usually use my eReader. I find it hard to read the 700 in the dark using just the built-in light. The edges are nicely bright, but the middle of the page is hard to read, and it feels like a strain. With the built-in lights off, using my bedside lamp, I find I have to hold the 700 at an unnatural angle for the glare not to reflect myself back at me, which is very distracting, and makes the text harder to read. The 505 is crisp and clear in the light of my bedside lamp. No problems or strain. The extra features of the 700 are extremely neat. I love the touch screen & the new menu navigation, and I was really looking forward to being able to search my books. If the screen resolution was the same, hands down the 700 would be infinitely superior. But the lack of screen clarity makes it, for me, a step below the 505, with a lot of wasted features. If you can't read it, all the bells and whistles don't mean much. I suppose if I'd never seen the 505, I might think the 700 was the coolest thing ever. But having seen how amazing eInk can be, the 700 is just a big, disappointing misuse of the technology. Sayhello