[Tanzaku]

Now that I've had my Sony Reader PRS-600 for a few weeks, I've learned some things about this that are very pleasant surprises. Maybe these have been mentioned elsewhere and I missed them, but just in case, here goes . . .

1. When I want to flip forward through a book an indeterminate number of pages, I can swipe like I'm turning a page but then hold the stylus down at the end of the swipe. The pages flip through at a very quick clip, fast enough to be speedy but slow enough that I can see what's on the page and stop when I get to the page I'm looking for. Then just lift the stylus and I'm there! Sure beats the "jump ahead 10 pages" that was on my older Sony 505.
2. Speaking of page turning, the Sony 600 has a noticeably faster page turn than the 505. I used to have to anticipate my arrival at the end of the last sentence on the page and start the turn early so as to not break the rhythm of my reading pace. Not with the 600. Page turns are almost instantaneous. Almost.
3. I started using Calibre to organize my 800+ books with tags and consistent author naming conventions. After uploading the files to the 600 using Calibre, I was pleasantly surprised to see the Sony had automatically created "collections" based on the tags. Unexpected and very neat! I never used collections on my 505 because they were a bit cumbersome to create. Not now!
4. I had stopped using a SDHC card in my 505 because it drained the battery so much faster than without it. They must have done something different in the 600 because the addition of the SDHC card doesn't seem to have the same effect on battery life. Some, but not nearly as drastic as it was on the 505.
5. Audio books are now a bit more practical because you can navigate more easily to the audio screen while reading along with the book. The 505 was a very cumbersome navigation from book to audio and back. With the 600, you are three steps away from the pause button. Better, but not perfect. (I wish there was a book mark feature in the audio files, a practical necessity to make this my primary audiobook device. What really hurts is that the audio loses its place if you connect to the computer and upload new books. Reindexing the library wipes out the current playback position. But, I digress.)
6. Although the physical size of the 600 is the same as the 505 and I was able to use the leather cover from the 505, I was disappointed that the lighted cover from Sony (model PRSA-CL1) does not fit the 600. The light wedge does not line up with the page window, so it's useless. That led me to try reading without any cover at all, just hand-holding the bare Reader. I love it! The back of the 600 is not the polished metal that it was on the 505. It's not sticky, but the rubberish back provides a bit of friction so the Reader is very comfortable to hold without worrying about it slipping out of my hand — and much lighter — without the cover. I scoffed at first at the neoprene slip case that came with the 600, but now I prefer it to the leather cover I had been using with my 505. Who knew?
7. Swiping to turn pages. I was skeptical. I thought I'd miss the two buttons from the 505 that allowed me to turn pages with either hand — a fatigue-relief factor. To the contrary, I love the light weight of the stylus and the ease of page turning with that natural swipe anywhere on the page. Now I prefer it and find the buttons on the 505 a restriction.
8. Somehow I missed that I could upload my notes as RTF using the Sony software. I knew I wanted the ability to make notes, but assumed I'd use them to find passages I wanted to remember but would eventually have to type them into my computer. Well, I still have do to some typing because the entire text of highlighted notes is not uploaded, just the first 100 characters. Too bad. At least it uploads the entire content of text notes.
9. Touch menus. So much faster! I was not expecting that! Way more convenient than the en buttons, arrows, and enter button on the 505.

There has been so much written about the difference in contrast and glare between the 505 and the 600 that I was hesitant to make the upgrade. I procrastinated. A steal of a deal from the Sony store convinced me to gamble. Now that I have the 600, I am so glad I made the leap. Sure, the contrast and glare are different and, like everyone else, I wish the 600 had the display of the 505. However, the improvements in the 600 are so dramatic, so useful, so user-friendly that if I'd known I was going to be this happy with it, I would not have hesitated for a micro-second.

Brooks