Quote:
Originally Posted by luvshihtzu
They are the same ereader. The reader is not very intuitive to use. I bought the Pocket Pro, returned it and purchased a used Sony 505. NOW, I am happy.
|
The Hanlin V5 is not very intuitive to use and a Sony
is?!?! Well, let's just say that's a matter of personal preference, shall we?
My mom actually finds both my BeBook (the original, not the Mini, though the controls are pretty darn similar) and the Sony 505 about equal in terms of ease of use. The Cybook Gen3 was the one that she found difficult to use - the so-called "D-pad" isn't exactly the most user-friendly control button layout; she hates the one on her cellphone too. She also found the Cybook's menus more difficult to navigate than those on either the 505 or the BeBook. The Mentor is more or less the same hardware as the Cybook Gen3; I don't know if the buttons on it are just as stiff and tough to handle for arthritic fingers or not.
I was never entirely happy with the Cybook's controls (osteoarthritis and stiff buttons with narrow pressure areas, like the outside ring on the Gen3, do not a good combination make) or menus but liked the Gen3's menus considerably more than the 505's menus (though the 505's controls beat the Gen3's, no contest). The controls and menus of the BeBook (and, later, the Astak Pocket Pro), however, were love at first use for me. I especially love the folders for organizing my books (something that's notably missing from the Sony readers - and, no, collections are not an adequate substitute).
The Sony 505 (and 300)'s main saving grace is the number keys, similar to those used by the BeBook & Pocket Pro. They make menu navigation much more convenient. I don't particularly like the Sony menus but could probably learn to live with them if everything else was up to par. However, I never found the 505 very comfortable to hold - I'm not sure why; it just didn't feel right in my hands despite the fact that its page turn buttons are reasonably well-placed; its weight and balance were just a bit off for me - but the 300 is actually a pretty slick little reader.
The 300's main downfall for me is the fact that it just has one set of page turning controls, dead center at the bottom. I like to hold my reader one-handed, especially when using a 5", and that simply isn't very comfortable with a central set of page turning controls. Reaching the right page turn with my left thumb when holding the 300 with my left hand just doesn't work. Reaching with my right thumb when holding it with my right hand is doable but a bit awkward. It just can't match the usability of the multiple page-turning options on the Pocket Pro (BeBook Mini) in particular.
I also find that the metal case of the Sony readers feels chill enough that it makes my osteoarthritic fingers ache; the plastic case of the BeBook and Pocket Pro doesn't.