Originally Posted by pixelbased
Hey everyone, just a short intro here. Been lurking the forums for some time now, but I decided to join amidst all the excitement of the Kindle 2 on it's way to us!
As the title says, I owned the Sony 505, but decided to return it. My problem was this: I couldn't look up a word I didn't know. The device, admittedly, was drop dead gorgeous. That screen was magnificent and the ergonomics perfect. I could hold the device with my right hand, but on the lower left hand buttons. Perfect for train rides!
So then I went to the Sony store, returned my device and took a look at their PRS-700. What a pile of garbage in my opinion. That screen - I mean, how could they have let that out of their factories thinking it was acceptable? The letters were hardly legible! Selling them side by side I can't think of a single person who'd pick the 700 over the 505. Even the salespeople were knocking it!
What I did discover was that reading on the 505 was a pleasure. The screen, the device, the (limited) convenience - it all opened up a world for me. I was reading much faster, reading more and enjoying the process of actively looking for things to read. I graduated with a degree in English lit, but once university was over, I couldn't find time to read, and when I did, I found it a hassle to shlep around a huge book on the train, and if I went out at night, I'd have to leave the book at the office and miss out on reading material, and well, you get the point. All in all, the 505 is a beautiful device, but it wasn't connected enough to the world of reading (ie: dictionaries, store, etc...)
Now my Kindle2 is on it's way. I am so excited. It's so rare for me to get excited about a gadget, but in all honesty, I do think that e-readers are life changing devices. Between emailing myself documents to save paper, carrying around a library of books, having an attractive device with good specs, being able to look things up on the fly - which a lot of people don't do, many people I've seen just skip things they don't know. I think I'm going to be really happy with the kindle2.
The specs seem great, the size seems perfect, the 16 levels of greyscale is awesome and the design on this one (personally) won me over. Sure it's nice to think that everything can be one giant touch screen, but in execution, it hasn't been "perfected." The purpose of a reading device is to read, and if it's a pain and a strain, then the device is purposeless. Not so with the Kindle. Purpose and effective!
I can't wait!!! The 25th doesn't come soon enough!!! Ahhhh!!!
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