Got the 505.

Kaitou Ace · 10-02-2007, 10:23 PM

Well as I said in the other thread, gave in and got the 505. I already have the 500 (or had, as I believe members of my family are discussing who has dibs to it now). I got the original within days of it coming out, and, well it's hard to break some habits

So far, I am liking it.

Here, as requested is a photo of the old and new, side by side. New screen is a bit better, more contrasty. Sadly the metal looks black in the photos, but they are both dark blue, new one a bit darker.

Things respond better, and I like the fact that the screen is much more the main part of the device, no more curves that drop down around it or anything, much more direct of a device, or so it feels.

Collections are easy to make (on the cards! yay!), and plugging it into USB gives you drives for the reader, and for each card you have in it.

Haven't played with the software much so far, but just popped the SD card from the old reader into the new, and everything is as it should be, it even kept all the places I was in for all the books.

Past collections, going into a section like "Books" gives you a choice of letters like so:

Which is really a welcome change from the PRS500 way of doing things.

My concern mainly is with the memory cards, as both slots are of the push-in-pop-out type, and there is no cover, so dropping the reader may result in both cards becoming projectiles.

Also the cover seems more likely to press the number buttons now, but all that it does is bring up the go to page dialog which you can cancel by hitting "menu".

There are animations in this thing now. The little forbidden icon, fades into view, then flashes to go away, instead of just appearing and disappearing, and when the icon does disappear, the outline is no longer quite as visible of where it used to be.

It also does look like it's coming out in Canada, as on the back of the reader is a statement in English and French that it complies with the Canadian version of the FCC.

All in all, I like the hardware, and plan on having some quality reading time with this toy in the near future.

zaneK · 10-02-2007, 10:34 PM

wow great work, this will be a big help to people who are thinking of upgrading or buying.

from the side to side shot it does look like the screen is noticably brighter on the new model, is this something that is evident when using it? does it represent a massive difference?

Kaitou Ace · 10-02-2007, 10:40 PM

Well I'm happy to answer any questions people have on it. I've barely had it for half a day so far, so I'm still messing around with it.

Another thing I just noticed, is the cradle connector is completely gone, it's just the USB mini plug for data now.

And it's pretty evident to me, as I'm used to the old one, and you can clearly see it when you put them side-by-side, new screen is whiter, and contrast is better. Can't say it's massive, but it's visibly there.

megacoupe · 10-02-2007, 10:43 PM

Thanks for the side-by-side pic; although the darkness of the text looks the same to me, the empty space on the 505 looks lighter, so the overall contrast on the 505 seems to be better.

However, I think it's difficult to make a comparison of the screens because you've obviously had your 500 unit for a while now, and reports on this forum have confirmed that the 500 screen loses contrast after several months of use. The 505 screen might only seem nicer because the 500 you compared it to has a few miles on it.

A definitive comparison would have to place a new 505 unit next to a new 500 unit. I happen to have 2 brand new 500 units sitting on my desk right now, but I don't plan on buying any other ebook readers until I've worn these out...

Kaitou Ace · 10-02-2007, 10:56 PM

Well if someone is willing to send me a new 500, I'll be glad to do the side-by-side then =p

Cogito · 10-02-2007, 10:57 PM

Just went to the Sony store and took my prs-500 to compare. The new screen is a little bit better , but as you can tell by Kaitou Ace’s photos, it’s not a huge difference. If I felt I wouldn’t have to always have a booklight with me I would have bought the new one on the spot. I like the new style and the cover looks a lot nicer, but I may wait until one comes out with a markedly better screen, a smaller form factor with the same size screen, a search function, or mac compatibility. For me it's at least worth waiting to see what the Amazon Kindle looks like first.
It is nice to see Sony continue to develop the Reader, though.

vvaann · 10-02-2007, 11:41 PM

I wish to know if new model support real Unicode. Is it possible to read Chinese and Cyrillic on PRS-505?

JSWolf · 10-02-2007, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vvaann

I wish to know if new model support real Unicode. Is it possible to read Chinese and Cyrillic on PRS-505?

It is if you use Book Designer or libprs500 and embed the appropriate font.

Azayzel · 10-03-2007, 01:14 AM

Looks nice in the comparison pics, also looks like $ony listened to people's suggestions on ascetics and ergo-design. I still like the look of the 500 better, call me a sucker for silver accents, and I don't really care for the blatant advertisement on the front of the 505; i.e., bright white block font saying what it is, that should be on the back of the device. On the other hand, I do like the way that indicate what each button is with a little picture on it, hope it doesn't rub off over time.

Thanks for the super-fast review and pics. Awesome!

MacBeezle · 10-03-2007, 04:07 AM

Hi

can you please take some pictures of the soft-cover
How it is attached, how it looks when "open" and bend to the back of the new Reader?

Thanks!

Silvayn · 10-03-2007, 04:50 AM

Just saw the headlines, and I have a quick question...

Can it properly display a4 formated PDF files? I assume that the 505 reader has the same display, dimension and resolution-wise, as the 500, so the pdf's will be unreadable, but I won't be satisfied until I ask

HarryT · 10-03-2007, 05:30 AM

It's been said already that the PDF display capabilities are unchanged.

dhbailey · 10-03-2007, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azayzel

Looks nice in the comparison pics, also looks like $ony listened to people's suggestions on ascetics and ergo-design.

Personally, I don't like the movement of the page-turn buttons to the right edge. I hold my books in my left hand and the 500 places the page turn buttons directly under my left thumb, making it very easy to turn the page. With the 505 I'll have to either change my entire reading posture (something learned over 55 years of living and something I doubt I'll change just for a piece of technology) or have the inconvenience of having to move my right hand over to turn the page. Which isn't a big deal, since it's involved in turning pages in paper books now, but isn't technology supposed to make things easier? Why can't they simply put TWO sets of page turn buttons directly opposite each other (in the old left-edge position as well as the new right-edge position) and let the person reading have greater choice?

astra · 10-03-2007, 07:19 AM

I am curious about 2 things.

Ghosting and page turn speed?
Any improvement?

Azayzel · 10-03-2007, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhbailey

Personally, I don't like the movement of the page-turn buttons to the right edge. I hold my books in my left hand and the 500 places the page turn buttons directly under my left thumb, making it very easy to turn the page. With the 505 I'll have to either change my entire reading posture (something learned over 55 years of living and something I doubt I'll change just for a piece of technology) or have the inconvenience of having to move my right hand over to turn the page. Which isn't a big deal, since it's involved in turning pages in paper books now, but isn't technology supposed to make things easier? Why can't they simply put TWO sets of page turn buttons directly opposite each other (in the old left-edge position as well as the new right-edge position) and let the person reading have greater choice?

heheh, I was in the same boat with the 500; i.e., I hold the book with my right hand, yet there were no buttons on that side of the Reader at all for page manipulation. At least with the 505 there are buttons on both sides of the device; dimple buttons on the right and the circular wheel on the lower left side. It would make a little more sense to have a device setting where you can flip the screen 180 so you can use the buttons to your satisfaction (not too many buttons on it to mess up by being upside down). Guess it's too late for that idea, unless a firmware update can add the capability.

10-02-2007, 10:23 PM	#1
Kaitou Ace Zealot Posts: 126 Karma: 1352743 Join Date: Oct 2002	Got the 505. Well as I said in the other thread, gave in and got the 505. I already have the 500 (or had, as I believe members of my family are discussing who has dibs to it now). I got the original within days of it coming out, and, well it's hard to break some habits So far, I am liking it. Here, as requested is a photo of the old and new, side by side. New screen is a bit better, more contrasty. Sadly the metal looks black in the photos, but they are both dark blue, new one a bit darker. Things respond better, and I like the fact that the screen is much more the main part of the device, no more curves that drop down around it or anything, much more direct of a device, or so it feels. Collections are easy to make (on the cards! yay!), and plugging it into USB gives you drives for the reader, and for each card you have in it. Haven't played with the software much so far, but just popped the SD card from the old reader into the new, and everything is as it should be, it even kept all the places I was in for all the books. Past collections, going into a section like "Books" gives you a choice of letters like so: Which is really a welcome change from the PRS500 way of doing things. My concern mainly is with the memory cards, as both slots are of the push-in-pop-out type, and there is no cover, so dropping the reader may result in both cards becoming projectiles. Also the cover seems more likely to press the number buttons now, but all that it does is bring up the go to page dialog which you can cancel by hitting "menu". There are animations in this thing now. The little forbidden icon, fades into view, then flashes to go away, instead of just appearing and disappearing, and when the icon does disappear, the outline is no longer quite as visible of where it used to be. It also does look like it's coming out in Canada, as on the back of the reader is a statement in English and French that it complies with the Canadian version of the FCC. All in all, I like the hardware, and plan on having some quality reading time with this toy in the near future. Attached Thumbnails

10-02-2007, 10:34 PM	#2
zaneK Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2007 Device: prs 500	wow great work, this will be a big help to people who are thinking of upgrading or buying. from the side to side shot it does look like the screen is noticably brighter on the new model, is this something that is evident when using it? does it represent a massive difference? Last edited by zaneK; 10-02-2007 at 10:36 PM.

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10-02-2007, 10:40 PM	#3
Kaitou Ace Zealot Posts: 126 Karma: 1352743 Join Date: Oct 2002	Well I'm happy to answer any questions people have on it. I've barely had it for half a day so far, so I'm still messing around with it. Another thing I just noticed, is the cradle connector is completely gone, it's just the USB mini plug for data now. And it's pretty evident to me, as I'm used to the old one, and you can clearly see it when you put them side-by-side, new screen is whiter, and contrast is better. Can't say it's massive, but it's visibly there.

10-02-2007, 10:43 PM	#4
megacoupe Connoisseur Posts: 80 Karma: 8682 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Kindle Voyage	Thanks for the side-by-side pic; although the darkness of the text looks the same to me, the empty space on the 505 looks lighter, so the overall contrast on the 505 seems to be better. However, I think it's difficult to make a comparison of the screens because you've obviously had your 500 unit for a while now, and reports on this forum have confirmed that the 500 screen loses contrast after several months of use. The 505 screen might only seem nicer because the 500 you compared it to has a few miles on it. A definitive comparison would have to place a new 505 unit next to a new 500 unit. I happen to have 2 brand new 500 units sitting on my desk right now, but I don't plan on buying any other ebook readers until I've worn these out...

10-02-2007, 10:56 PM	#5
Kaitou Ace Zealot Posts: 126 Karma: 1352743 Join Date: Oct 2002	Well if someone is willing to send me a new 500, I'll be glad to do the side-by-side then =p

10-02-2007, 10:57 PM	#6
Cogito Reader Posts: 25 Karma: 34 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Device: Sony 505, 500	Just went to the Sony store and took my prs-500 to compare. The new screen is a little bit better , but as you can tell by Kaitou Ace’s photos, it’s not a huge difference. If I felt I wouldn’t have to always have a booklight with me I would have bought the new one on the spot. I like the new style and the cover looks a lot nicer, but I may wait until one comes out with a markedly better screen, a smaller form factor with the same size screen, a search function, or mac compatibility. For me it's at least worth waiting to see what the Amazon Kindle looks like first. It is nice to see Sony continue to develop the Reader, though.

10-02-2007, 11:41 PM	#7
vvaann Enthusiast Posts: 27 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2006	I wish to know if new model support real Unicode. Is it possible to read Chinese and Cyrillic on PRS-505?

10-03-2007, 01:14 AM	#9
Azayzel Cache Ninja! Posts: 643 Karma: 1002300 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tokyo, Japan Device: PRS-500, HTC Shift, iPod Touch, iPaq 4150, TC1100, Panasonic WordsGear	Looks nice in the comparison pics, also looks like $ony listened to people's suggestions on ascetics and ergo-design. I still like the look of the 500 better, call me a sucker for silver accents, and I don't really care for the blatant advertisement on the front of the 505; i.e., bright white block font saying what it is, that should be on the back of the device. On the other hand, I do like the way that indicate what each button is with a little picture on it, hope it doesn't rub off over time. Thanks for the super-fast review and pics. Awesome!

10-03-2007, 04:07 AM	#10
MacBeezle Zealot Posts: 119 Karma: 38 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Germany Device: Apple iPhone 4, Apple iPad, Sony Reader PRS-500U2. Soon: Kindle 4	Hi can you please take some pictures of the soft-cover How it is attached, how it looks when "open" and bend to the back of the new Reader? Thanks!

10-03-2007, 04:50 AM	#11
Silvayn Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Slovakia Device: HTC Touch Diamond, Sony Reader 505	Just saw the headlines, and I have a quick question... Can it properly display a4 formated PDF files? I assume that the 505 reader has the same display, dimension and resolution-wise, as the 500, so the pdf's will be unreadable, but I won't be satisfied until I ask

10-03-2007, 05:30 AM	#12
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	It's been said already that the PDF display capabilities are unchanged.

10-03-2007, 07:19 AM	#14
astra The Introvert Posts: 8,307 Karma: 1000077497 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: United Kingdom Device: Sony Reader PRS-650 & 505 & 500	I am curious about 2 things. Ghosting and page turn speed? Any improvement?

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