Sony PRS-505 vs. Amazon Kindle for Technical documents

Staz · 02-09-2009, 07:09 PM

Hi there.

I have been intrigued by mobile ebook readers ever since I heard about the Amazon Kindle (the first one). I have finally saved some money together and am very eager to purchase one! After a lot of research I have narrowed my choice down to the Sony PRS-505 and the Amazon Kindle.

I am a university student studying for a degree in computer science. I often need to read technical books/manuals (usually in pdf or chm format) such as the O'reilly series or Cisco routing books. I understand that the iRex solutions (such as the Iliad) are best suited for this, but to be honest they are far too expensive for me.

I am happy to convert my books and I know there is an abundance of software out there to do so. Unfortunately there is a lack of photos showing the end results of converting technical documents for the various ebook reading devices. I would love to see some! Perhaps they could be added to the wiki?

So which of the two devices do you think would be better for me? Which have you had the most success converting pdf/chm for? I do of course intend to read novels on my ebook reader too, but I'm sure that none of them will have any trouble with this

Thanks very much.
Ben

desertgrandma · 02-09-2009, 07:11 PM

Hello, Staz, and welcome to MobileRead.

I can't advise you, but I can say you'll get great suggestions.

We have lots of books here for you to download if you feel the need to read something 'novel-ish'

Enjoy!

Ervserver · 02-09-2009, 07:15 PM

We have used Amazon's converting service for about a dozen pdf files, 10 of them turned out quite good, 2 came back as unable to convert. At first I didn't mind converting books but now I hate it, rather just buy and read

lilac_jive · 02-09-2009, 07:27 PM

If the Iliad is too high for you...maybe take a look at the 700? I hear they are better with PDFs than the 505. Or if you know of some specific books check and see if they are available at Sony's ebookstore.

I know people who read PDFs prefer the Sony series over the Kindle. I'm not sure if the Kindle supports PDF or not.

DesiLinguist · 02-09-2009, 07:28 PM

Staz, I am also a CS student and had the same requirements as you, as indicated in this thread and I decided to go with the iRex iLiad Book Edition which is the cheapest of the iRex devices. Honestly, in terms of screen size, it's pretty much a toss-up between the Sony Reader and the Kindle. However, I believe the Sony Reader has better PDF support and if you can get your PDF properly formatted for its screen, it would certainly look better than what Amazon could probably do.

See the thread above for screenshots of PDFs on the Kindle, kindly provided by Gideon.

Staz · 02-10-2009, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ervserver

We have used Amazon's converting service for about a dozen pdf files, 10 of them turned out quite good, 2 came back as unable to convert. At first I didn't mind converting books but now I hate it, rather just buy and read

I'm living in New Zealand so I have no idea whether that service would be available to me. I would prefer to make the conversions myself. That way I can tweak the conversion settings to my liking.

If I was to get a kindle I could use pdfread to make the conversions.
If I was to get the Sony Reader I could choose between pdfread, soPDF and pdflrf.

Staz · 02-10-2009, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

If the Iliad is too high for you...maybe take a look at the 700? I hear they are better with PDFs than the 505. Or if you know of some specific books check and see if they are available at Sony's ebookstore.

I know people who read PDFs prefer the Sony series over the Kindle. I'm not sure if the Kindle supports PDF or not.

I seriously considered the PRS-700 but heard that the screen has noticeably less contrast and clarity. From what I can tell, the PRS-505 with the latest firmware update has pretty good pdf support. Can anybody tell me how it compares with that of the PRS-700?

Staz · 02-10-2009, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DesiLinguist

Staz, I am also a CS student and had the same requirements as you, as indicated in this thread and I decided to go with the iRex iLiad Book Edition which is the cheapest of the iRex devices. Honestly, in terms of screen size, it's pretty much a toss-up between the Sony Reader and the Kindle. However, I believe the Sony Reader has better PDF support and if you can get your PDF properly formatted for its screen, it would certainly look better than what Amazon could probably do.

See the thread above for screenshots of PDFs on the Kindle, kindly provided by Gideon.

I look forward to hearing your review of it! soPDF reformats pdfs for the Sony Reader. I will need to get a virtual windows machine running and give it a go. I am definitely tending towards the PRS-505. It's now a question of how on earth to get one to me here in New Zealand!

lilac_jive · 02-10-2009, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Staz

I seriously considered the PRS-700 but heard that the screen has noticeably less contrast and clarity. From what I can tell, the PRS-505 with the latest firmware update has pretty good pdf support. Can anybody tell me how it compares with that of the PRS-700?

General consensus is that if you've had an eink device before, you'll have a problem with the clarity, but if you haven't, then it doesn't bother you. That isn't always the case, but it seems to be the usual. I'd say if you could check one out in person, but it might be tough in New Zealand.

Staz · 02-10-2009, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

General consensus is that if you've had an eink device before, you'll have a problem with the clarity, but if you haven't, then it doesn't bother you. That isn't always the case, but it seems to be the usual. I'd say if you could check one out in person, but it might be tough in New Zealand.

I know of at least one New Zealander on this forum who has a Sony PRS-505. Unfortunately they live very far away from me.

In a conference I attended recently, the person sitting next to me had a kindle and let me have a little play. I was very impressed with the E-ink screen!

lilac_jive · 02-11-2009, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Staz

I know of at least one New Zealander on this forum who has a Sony PRS-505. Unfortunately they live very far away from me.

In a conference I attended recently, the person sitting next to me had a kindle and let me have a little play. I was very impressed with the E-ink screen!

It is awesome

eyp · 02-11-2009, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DesiLinguist

Staz, I am also a CS student and had the same requirements as you, as indicated in this thread and I decided to go with the iRex iLiad Book Edition which is the cheapest of the iRex devices.

Hello DesiLinguist, I've been reading a lot of post even that thread you point out. How is your experience with Iliad?, By its size and PDF support I like it very much, but I'm worried about all the bad things I've read about it. Poor support by the manufacturer, it seems very fragile, battery life not good, and so on.

I want to buy an eReader, but I don't know if it's better to wait several months until new versions be launched. Now the choices are Cybook, Sony or iRex products, but it seems iRex is not a good company although its products could be the best.

DesiLinguist · 02-11-2009, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyp

Hello DesiLinguist, I've been reading a lot of post even that thread you point out. How is your experience with Iliad?, By its size and PDF support I like it very much, but I'm worried about all the bad things I've read about it. Poor support by the manufacturer, it seems very fragile, battery life not good, and so on.

I want to buy an eReader, but I don't know if it's better to wait several months until new versions be launched. Now the choices are Cybook, Sony or iRex products, but it seems iRex is not a good company although its products could be the best.

Eyp, I was reluctant to buy an iLiad for the same reasons as you: hearing pretty bad things about iRex in this forum. However, one must keep in mind that, in a forum, what we see is somewhat skewed. It is usual to read only things that go wrong with a product. Anyway, the more important thing is that the iLiad is the only device that does what I want an eReader to do: reads PDFs natively without any pre-processing, has a very active developer community and has a decent sized screen. I thought, given all these qualities, it was worth taking a chance on the iLiad.

I will be receiving the iLiad in a few hours today. I will post my impressions on the forum. I am sincerely hoping that I won't run into any problems with the new device and that my choice will be vindicated.

eyp · 02-11-2009, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DesiLinguist

I will be receiving the iLiad in a few hours today. I will post my impressions on the forum. I am sincerely hoping that I won't run into any problems with the new device and that my choice will be vindicated.

Thanks for the reply. Yes I know people who is happy with a purchase are not used to write about how good it is, simply enjoy it and live happy forever

Anyway I'd like you write your impressions within two weeks having used it or feel free to send me a private message if you can.

daffy4u · 02-11-2009, 12:24 PM

I believe only the Kindle and iLiad have screen grab capabilities. Anything else would have to be a digital photo subject to skill and lighting. If you have a sample maybe some folks with 505's would be willing to give it a shot (no pun intended).

I think the Sony would be your best choice if you can't get the iLiad because pdf conversion of charts and graphs on the Kindle (Kindle 1) is not so good.

02-09-2009, 07:09 PM	#1
Staz Member Posts: 16 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: New Zealand Device: none	Sony PRS-505 vs. Amazon Kindle for Technical documents Hi there. I have been intrigued by mobile ebook readers ever since I heard about the Amazon Kindle (the first one). I have finally saved some money together and am very eager to purchase one! After a lot of research I have narrowed my choice down to the Sony PRS-505 and the Amazon Kindle. I am a university student studying for a degree in computer science. I often need to read technical books/manuals (usually in pdf or chm format) such as the O'reilly series or Cisco routing books. I understand that the iRex solutions (such as the Iliad) are best suited for this, but to be honest they are far too expensive for me. I am happy to convert my books and I know there is an abundance of software out there to do so. Unfortunately there is a lack of photos showing the end results of converting technical documents for the various ebook reading devices. I would love to see some! Perhaps they could be added to the wiki? So which of the two devices do you think would be better for me? Which have you had the most success converting pdf/chm for? I do of course intend to read novels on my ebook reader too, but I'm sure that none of them will have any trouble with this Thanks very much. Ben

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Best Reader for Technical Documents (PDF)	Dave Berk	Which one should I buy?	10	05-26-2010 10:57 AM
Dittobook D9 for technical documents?	zetareticuli	Which one should I buy?	45	05-14-2010 03:15 AM
Buuying books on the amazon store to read on Sony prs-505	Mayr	Sony Reader	3	10-08-2009 03:10 AM
My Decision: Sony PRS-505 vs. Sony PRS-700 vs. Kindle 2	enarchay	Which one should I buy?	7	05-30-2009 10:21 PM
Amazon Kindle/Sony PRS-700/Sony PRS-505 Comparison Photos	chrissy	Which one should I buy?	18	05-06-2009 12:25 PM

02-09-2009, 07:11 PM	#2
desertgrandma Enjoying the show.... Posts: 14,270 Karma: 10462843 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Arizona Device: A K1, Kindle Paperwhite, an Ipod, IPad2, Iphone, an Ipad Mini & macAir	Hello, Staz, and welcome to MobileRead. I can't advise you, but I can say you'll get great suggestions. We have lots of books here for you to download if you feel the need to read something 'novel-ish' Enjoy!

02-09-2009, 07:15 PM	#3
Ervserver Wizard Posts: 2,624 Karma: 1008294 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa, USA Device: Nook Simple Touch	We have used Amazon's converting service for about a dozen pdf files, 10 of them turned out quite good, 2 came back as unable to convert. At first I didn't mind converting books but now I hate it, rather just buy and read

02-09-2009, 07:27 PM	#4
lilac_jive Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,870 Karma: 27376 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Device: PRS-505	If the Iliad is too high for you...maybe take a look at the 700? I hear they are better with PDFs than the 505. Or if you know of some specific books check and see if they are available at Sony's ebookstore. I know people who read PDFs prefer the Sony series over the Kindle. I'm not sure if the Kindle supports PDF or not.

02-09-2009, 07:28 PM	#5
DesiLinguist Computational Linguist Posts: 110 Karma: 100 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: iLiad BE, iPhone, Kindle DX	Staz, I am also a CS student and had the same requirements as you, as indicated in this thread and I decided to go with the iRex iLiad Book Edition which is the cheapest of the iRex devices. Honestly, in terms of screen size, it's pretty much a toss-up between the Sony Reader and the Kindle. However, I believe the Sony Reader has better PDF support and if you can get your PDF properly formatted for its screen, it would certainly look better than what Amazon could probably do. See the thread above for screenshots of PDFs on the Kindle, kindly provided by Gideon.

02-11-2009, 12:24 PM	#15
daffy4u I'm Super Kindle-icious Posts: 6,734 Karma: 2434103 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Long Drive, Calinadia Candafornia Device: KDXG, KT, Oasis	I believe only the Kindle and iLiad have screen grab capabilities. Anything else would have to be a digital photo subject to skill and lighting. If you have a sample maybe some folks with 505's would be willing to give it a shot (no pun intended). I think the Sony would be your best choice if you can't get the iLiad because pdf conversion of charts and graphs on the Kindle (Kindle 1) is not so good.

Advert

Advert