PRS-300 Any reason not to get a PRS-300

Crusader · 10-17-2009, 03:52 AM

I really had my heart set on an Opus, but with the FW it doesn't seem viable at the moment. The Pocketbook 360 also looks nice but not readily available. Since I'm in SA no readers except the eSlick is available here.

It looks like the only reader I can get easily is the PRS 300 shipping via Amazon at $320 incl taxes, shipping etc.

Is there any reason not to get the 300? Since I can't return it I'll have to live with any problems.

HarryT · 10-17-2009, 04:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crusader

I really had my heart set on an Opus, but with the FW it doesn't seem viable at the moment. The Pocketbook 360 also looks nice but not readily available. Since I'm in SA no readers except the eSlick is available here.

It looks like the only reader I can get easily is the PRS 300 shipping via Amazon at $320 incl taxes, shipping etc.

Is there any reason not to get the 300? Since I can't return it I'll have to live with any problems.

In what way does the firmware of the Opus "not seem to be viable", may I ask? The Opus unquestionably has the best ePub implementation of any device currently available, a library with full folder support, etc. I personally consider it to be far more capable than the Sony PRS-300. The Sony PRS-600 is a "better" machine, yes, if you want such things as dictionary lookup and note-taking capabilities, but if it were a choice between the PRS-300 and the Opus, for me the Opus is a clear winner due to its folder support and excellent ePub implementation.

300com · 10-17-2009, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crusader

I really had my heart set on an Opus, but with the FW it doesn't seem viable at the moment. The Pocketbook 360 also looks nice but not readily available. Since I'm in SA no readers except the eSlick is available here.

It looks like the only reader I can get easily is the PRS 300 shipping via Amazon at $320 incl taxes, shipping etc.

Is there any reason not to get the 300? Since I can't return it I'll have to live with any problems.

Everyone I know who recieved / purchased the 300 has been very impressed,
even weeks later after they still feel the same way.
Not the same story for the 600, nor for the Opus.
HarryT is always promoting his Opus and loves the great epub format, sure enough, but i don't see that much high praise around.

I'll have my 300 on Monday and if you can wait, i'll let you know how much it rocks.

Krystian Galaj :
"I would wait until they release a firmware version with bugfixes. As Opus is now, it often crashes, at least a few times a day, according to some users, and Bookeen isn't known for speedy delivery of firmware updates. Don't count on promises of future features. "

Crusader · 10-17-2009, 05:54 AM

The crashes of the Opus is the major thing that holds me back. I don't want something that causes me endless frustration while waiting for a FW update.

The 300 is also cheaper at $320 vs the $470 for the Opus (curse our inflated prices!).

300com · 10-17-2009, 06:18 AM

i was in the same boat. Opus or 300.
For me the opus is also around $470 retail, so i just orderd the 300 w/cover for $227 + $57 dollars shipping. Total $284.
The price is good. The device is strong and is just a 5" screen 505. Everyone loves the 505 and great screen !
Did you order the 300 yet ? I didn't order from Amazon.

Crusader · 10-17-2009, 06:31 AM

Haven't ordered yet. Amazon and most places won't ship here, but we've got an online store that buys from Amazon and ships in bulk to here. They handle all the import tax and paperwork and you can get stuff you wouldn't normally have been able to.

HarryT · 10-17-2009, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crusader

The crashes of the Opus is the major thing that holds me back. I don't want something that causes me endless frustration while waiting for a FW update.

The 300 is also cheaper at $320 vs the $470 for the Opus (curse our inflated prices!).

You don't have to wait for a firmware update; the problems which caused the crashes in the early Opus shipments have now been fixed; you will get a "fixed" Opus if you buy one, even though the new firmware is not yet available as an update.

Loose_Appeal · 10-17-2009, 07:21 AM

epub text isn't fully justified, which is a bummer if you like custom fonts. LRF is the only format that has fully justified text for the small screen.

HarryT · 10-17-2009, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loose_Appeal

epub text isn't fully justified, which is a bummer if you like custom fonts. LRF is the only format that has fully justified text for the small screen.

Yes, that's the problem. The Sony devices are using a version of the "Adobe Digital Editions" software (used for ePub and PDF files) which is a "generation behind" that being used by the other devices. Consequently, it has a number of significant limitations, such as not supporting full justification, and having a limit of about 300k to the size of a "flow" (a portion of the book) within the file.

Crusader · 10-17-2009, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

You don't have to wait for a firmware update; the problems which caused the crashes in the early Opus shipments have now been fixed; you will get a "fixed" Opus if you buy one, even though the new firmware is not yet available as an update.

How sure are you about this? If that's true and Expansys will have the 'fixed' versions then the Opus is back in the running again.

polly · 10-17-2009, 07:38 AM

I'd look at the Astak PocketPro before making too many decisions. It's the same size and price ($199.00) as the Sony 300, but its processor is twice as fast and it has an SD card reader, eight levels of grey scale, a removable battery, text to speech for some formats, and an mp3 player. The PocketPro comes with a real case, the adapter necessary to charge from a wall plug, ear buds, and an SD card loaded with books. (The SD card is provided for orders through Halloween.) The rocker switch on the side looks like a handy way to turn pages. It works with Adobe Digital Editions and several open formats and supports folders.

According to Astak, they'll ship to international addresses for a $30 shipping fee. Even with Customs, that should less than the 300.

Mine should be here next week.

HarryT · 10-17-2009, 07:39 AM

99.9% sure. I suggest that you ask Bookeen, if you want to be absolutely certain.

I have an early Opus myself, and yes, it does sometimes crash. Probably about once every 4h hours reading for me. It's the most trivial of things. You try to turn the page, and it hangs. All you do is press the power switch and page down for 10s, the device reboots, and 20s later you're reading again. A triffling annoyance.

I have both a Sony and an Opus, so I am in a position to make a balanced comparison between their software implementations. The Sony is stable, but its ePub support (and ePub is THE ebook standard these days) is very lacking. The Opus is much more capable, but slightly unstable (with the firmware I have). As I say, given a choice between the PRS-300 and the Opus, I would buy the Opus every time.

The-eBook-Reader · 10-17-2009, 09:49 AM

You can actually get a Kindle in South Africa now, too. It'll cost a grand total of about $340 USD or about 2500 rands. Amazon currently has 210,000 books listed for South Africa, and it looks like you have free wireless there as well.

And Polly has made a good suggestion about the Pocket Pro; that seems to me to be a better deal than the other two 5-inchers.

JSWolf · 10-17-2009, 09:56 AM

One problem with the Astak PocketPRO and all the other clones is that they don't have history. This is sometimes an important feature.

As for the 300, it's the only 5" eink device that we know the root name for the internal file system. That means that you can put the fonts on the internal memory and have your ePub files access the fonts for the fonts of your choice. This is a very nice feature. I have a 505 and while it doesn't justify ePub, it works very well and I don't mind the left justification. I like the look with the fonts I have chosen more so then LRF.

I cannot speak about the current Opus. Ask if anyone recently purchased one and find out if it still locks up.

Crusader · 10-17-2009, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The-eBook-Reader

You can actually get a Kindle in South Africa now, too. It'll cost a grand total of about $340 USD or about 2500 rands. Amazon currently has 210,000 books listed for South Africa, and it looks like you have free wireless there as well.

I know about the Kindle, but I would prefer something with a more open format. The Kindle seems to be too restrictive. Also their selection is very limited in the sci-fi genre I normally like to read. None of my favorite authors seem to be listed.

This decision is becoming far too difficult

10-17-2009, 03:52 AM	#1
Crusader Space Cadet Posts: 1,180 Karma: 4030536 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: South Africa Device: Sony PRS-T1, Cybook Opus, Kobo Glo	Any reason not to get a PRS-300 I really had my heart set on an Opus, but with the FW it doesn't seem viable at the moment. The Pocketbook 360 also looks nice but not readily available. Since I'm in SA no readers except the eSlick is available here. It looks like the only reader I can get easily is the PRS 300 shipping via Amazon at $320 incl taxes, shipping etc. Is there any reason not to get the 300? Since I can't return it I'll have to live with any problems.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
prs 505 stops charging without reason	pgs	Sony Reader	6	06-10-2011 02:38 AM
My thoughts, PRS-300, PRS-600, PRS-505, PRS-700, Kindle 2	zacheryjensen	Sony Reader	78	12-05-2010 07:33 PM
One reason I love my 300 that I don't see mentioned often	maxbookworm	Sony Reader	5	05-11-2010 01:46 PM
Is there a reason Reader library wont sync to my 300 on my mac? It did before.	King Antonius	Sony Reader	3	01-13-2010 06:27 AM
Canadian perspective of the recent Sony ebook readers - PRS-300/PRS-600/PRS-2121	nrapallo	News	1	08-29-2009 10:38 AM

10-17-2009, 05:54 AM	#4
Crusader Space Cadet Posts: 1,180 Karma: 4030536 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: South Africa Device: Sony PRS-T1, Cybook Opus, Kobo Glo	The crashes of the Opus is the major thing that holds me back. I don't want something that causes me endless frustration while waiting for a FW update. The 300 is also cheaper at $320 vs the $470 for the Opus (curse our inflated prices!).

10-17-2009, 06:18 AM	#5
300com Zealot Posts: 130 Karma: 1041448 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: PRS-300	i was in the same boat. Opus or 300. For me the opus is also around $470 retail, so i just orderd the 300 w/cover for $227 + $57 dollars shipping. Total $284. The price is good. The device is strong and is just a 5" screen 505. Everyone loves the 505 and great screen ! Did you order the 300 yet ? I didn't order from Amazon.

10-17-2009, 06:31 AM	#6
Crusader Space Cadet Posts: 1,180 Karma: 4030536 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: South Africa Device: Sony PRS-T1, Cybook Opus, Kobo Glo	Haven't ordered yet. Amazon and most places won't ship here, but we've got an online store that buys from Amazon and ships in bulk to here. They handle all the import tax and paperwork and you can get stuff you wouldn't normally have been able to.

10-17-2009, 07:21 AM	#8
Loose_Appeal Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiish? Posts: 85 Karma: 162 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: Current: PRS-650, Previous: Books	epub text isn't fully justified, which is a bummer if you like custom fonts. LRF is the only format that has fully justified text for the small screen.

10-17-2009, 07:38 AM	#11
polly Evangelist Posts: 454 Karma: 270240 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Sony PRS 650, PocketBook 360, Astak PocketPro (RIP), Tungsten T3	I'd look at the Astak PocketPro before making too many decisions. It's the same size and price ($199.00) as the Sony 300, but its processor is twice as fast and it has an SD card reader, eight levels of grey scale, a removable battery, text to speech for some formats, and an mp3 player. The PocketPro comes with a real case, the adapter necessary to charge from a wall plug, ear buds, and an SD card loaded with books. (The SD card is provided for orders through Halloween.) The rocker switch on the side looks like a handy way to turn pages. It works with Adobe Digital Editions and several open formats and supports folders. According to Astak, they'll ship to international addresses for a $30 shipping fee. Even with Customs, that should less than the 300. Mine should be here next week.

10-17-2009, 07:39 AM	#12
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	99.9% sure. I suggest that you ask Bookeen, if you want to be absolutely certain. I have an early Opus myself, and yes, it does sometimes crash. Probably about once every 4h hours reading for me. It's the most trivial of things. You try to turn the page, and it hangs. All you do is press the power switch and page down for 10s, the device reboots, and 20s later you're reading again. A triffling annoyance. I have both a Sony and an Opus, so I am in a position to make a balanced comparison between their software implementations. The Sony is stable, but its ePub support (and ePub is THE ebook standard these days) is very lacking. The Opus is much more capable, but slightly unstable (with the firmware I have). As I say, given a choice between the PRS-300 and the Opus, I would buy the Opus every time.

10-17-2009, 09:49 AM	#13
The-eBook-Reader Groupie Posts: 194 Karma: 4637 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: United States Device: All	You can actually get a Kindle in South Africa now, too. It'll cost a grand total of about $340 USD or about 2500 rands. Amazon currently has 210,000 books listed for South Africa, and it looks like you have free wireless there as well. And Polly has made a good suggestion about the Pocket Pro; that seems to me to be a better deal than the other two 5-inchers.

10-17-2009, 09:56 AM	#14
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 78,986 Karma: 144284074 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	One problem with the Astak PocketPRO and all the other clones is that they don't have history. This is sometimes an important feature. As for the 300, it's the only 5" eink device that we know the root name for the internal file system. That means that you can put the fonts on the internal memory and have your ePub files access the fonts for the fonts of your choice. This is a very nice feature. I have a 505 and while it doesn't justify ePub, it works very well and I don't mind the left justification. I like the look with the fonts I have chosen more so then LRF. I cannot speak about the current Opus. Ask if anyone recently purchased one and find out if it still locks up.

Advert

Advert