I also just purchased a 300. It also happens to be my first device in the ereader market. I have shelves filled with paper/hard books
I should have delved in earlier as I am loving the reading on this.
I was going to start a new thread when I noticed this one, so I figured i would just post here with my quickie review about it....
So I spent A LOT of time researching what I had hoped would be the perfect e-reader
for me. Over the holiday I had a chance to use a PRS-600 that a friend received for Christmas and that is what set me off to get one. I enjoyed using it for the time that I had it, but I also did notice and mention the glare problem with it and I was constantly adjusting it to get a good reading position. Now, I have to admit that the lighting conditions were poor when I was playing with it, and I know that it had something to do with my problems with the glare.
Now, as far as my reading habits - I get a book and read it, and throw it into the bookshelf to sit. I don't hilight, annotate, or use the dictionary, so they were not a big deal to me. I also wanted a reader that can handle a large number of formats. While I liked the screensize of the 600, the reader seemed like it needed both hands in order to feel comfortable for long reading times. I read about how great the screen was on the 505 (and how great that unit was as well) and also how the 300 screen was close to the 505. I had a chance to see the 300 and 600 side by side in a B&M and I could notice the difference, BUT as a first timer in this market, if I had the 600 and didn't know any better I would have probably been satisfied with the contrast on it. So with the open formats on the Sony's, and the crispness of the 300 screen, my choice was made. I knocked the Kindle off quickly as the keyboard is not something I would see myself using and it would constantly be there, and I also didn't like the limits on their formats. The Nook was in the runnning as I bought most of my books in my local B&N and have been very happy with the service I get from them. But the fact that I would have to wait ~1 month was a turnoff
So with a sale and a $10 coupon it was hard to turn down a $169 PRS-300 that I could pick up and use immediately from a local store with a decent return policy
I had Calibre installed and pre-loaded with books before I got the unit, and I also had Sony's Library up and running as well, with no issues (Win XP Pro 32bit). I still haven't used Library, but it did recognize the unit when hooked up via usb, and I still have yet to autorize it through them, so I am hoping things still run smoothly with it. Calibre is a blessing to use and loaded all of my books easily. I also tested some format changes to see which I liked better (epub I think) and they were all easy to do.
The only con that I could think of on this unit was the lack of a page turner on the side of the unit. That was quickly fixed by finding and installing the Russian firmware, and I think this is now almost as close to a perfect reader for me that I could find. I also like having the clock always visible and having the shutdown linked to the enter button.
I just wanted to thank all here for your posts, as I did a lot of reading on this forum and it helped with my decision. I am not one to post anything of this length, but I felt the need to possibly help someone else who is in the market for a reader.
Ron