Sony PRS-505 Still the best?

wn0x · 03-20-2010, 09:18 PM

After reviewing all of the new e-reader offerings, I am leaning towards purchasing a used Sony PRS-505 as my first reader instead of buying a newer model.

The contrast on the Touch and Daily Reader editions pales in comparision to the Pocket Edition. I am under the impression the PRS-505 screen is the 6" version of the same screen on the PRS-300 (Pocket Edition), which is 5".

Is the contrast on the PRS-505 as good as the PRS-300 (Pocket Edition)?
If so, I would gladly purchase the older product. As I near 50, readability is becoming more important than any other feature.

Thanks,

Rich

happy_terd · 03-20-2010, 09:20 PM

Hello and welcome to MR!!!

I had a PRS600 for a few months and loved it. I plan on buying another one.

Madam Broshkina · 03-20-2010, 09:22 PM

The 300 and the 505 have the same resolution. If you can get a 505 I say go for it.

wn0x · 03-20-2010, 09:24 PM

I tried the PRS-600 (Touch Edition) in several stores. I had trouble with the glare and contrast, although the interface was very nicely done. Very intuitive and the PDF rendering was amazing compared to the Kindle.

When I compared the PRS-300 and PRS-600 side by side, the PRS-300 was hands-down easier to read, even with the smaller screen.

Thanks - Rich

MickeyC · 03-20-2010, 11:59 PM

Hi Rich and welcome to MobileRead. I've had a 505 for over two years and really like it. In fact, were (God forbid) I to lose it, I'd want another 505 rather than a 300 or 600

neilmarr · 03-21-2010, 04:38 AM

Good to have your company, Rich. I got a 505 as my first reader early last year. My wife offered me 'something posher' as a Christmas gift, but I had to say, thanks but no thanks. I can't imagine anything that could beat this wee gozmo. Many here at MR agree that it's probably the best reader around. And even those who opted for something else don't seem to have a bad word to say for it. They're out of production now, of course, but you can find some good deals in the MR Fleamarket, eBay, etc. The very fact that they hold their price so well says a lot for their quality. Good luck. Neil

DoctorOhh · 03-21-2010, 04:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wn0x

As I near 50, readability is becoming more important than any other feature.

I'm 51 and have had my 505 for over a year. I love not needing reading glasses to read books. I convert all of my books using Calibre and make sure the default font size is suitable for me to read on the 505.

An excellent choice.

HarryT · 03-21-2010, 05:34 AM

Is there any reason you're only considering Sony devices? There are other makes which are, in my experience, considerably better.

DoctorOhh · 03-21-2010, 05:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wn0x

After reviewing all of the new e-reader offerings, I am leaning towards purchasing a used Sony PRS-505 as my first reader instead of buying a newer model.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Is there any reason you're only considering Sony devices?

How was the Original Poster unclear?

HarryT · 03-21-2010, 06:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dwanthny

How was the Original Poster unclear?

Because it strikes me as a little odd that anyone who really has looked at all the current offerings would consider the PRS-505 to be the best. And I do speak from considerable personal experience, as you can see from the list of devices under my profile on the left. The 505 was a very nice machine in its day, but it's since been superseded by many other devices.

Among its shortcomings are:

Rather poor ePub support, with no support for full justification and a 300k "flow" limit.
No folder support.
No search facility.
No dictionary lookup.
No annotation of any kind.

Personally, I'd suggest looking at the Pocketbook 360 for a 5" device, the BeBook Neo / Onyx Book 60 for a 6" device, or the iRex DR800SG as an 8" device. All are, IMHO considerably better than the Sony.

gwynevans · 03-21-2010, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Among its shortcomings are:

Rather poor ePub support, with no support for full justification and a 300k "flow" limit.
No folder support.
No search facility.
No dictionary lookup.
No annotation of any kind.

They're certainly issues that the OP should consider, but their importance is extremely subjective, in that while for one person, they're show-stoppers, for another, they're not influential as they're not issues for them in practice.

If the OP's just after a reader, without need for search/annotations/dictionary, then the 505 remains a viable choice and could well still end up the best for their particular need/pocket.

HarryT · 03-21-2010, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gwynevans

If the OP's just after a reader, without need for search/annotations/dictionary, then the 505 remains a viable choice and could well still end up the best for their particular need/pocket.

True. It's the lack of full justification that's the "show stopper" for me. I just can't bear to read all my books left-justified.

kennyc · 03-21-2010, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Because it strikes me as a little odd that anyone who really has looked at all the current offerings would consider the PRS-505 to be the best. And I do speak from considerable personal experience, as you can see from the list of devices under my profile on the left. The 505 was a very nice machine in its day, but it's since been superseded by many other devices.

Among its shortcomings are:

Rather poor ePub support, with no support for full justification and a 300k "flow" limit.
No folder support.
No search facility.
No dictionary lookup.
No annotation of any kind.

Personally, I'd suggest looking at the Pocketbook 360 for a 5" device, the BeBook Neo / Onyx Book 60 for a 6" device, or the iRex DR800SG as an 8" device. All are, IMHO considerably better than the Sony.

Uh....those are very specific software features that may or may not be needed for any given individual. For me those things don't matter much at all.

Now what I was really going to say. I too have some amount of experience with different readers and with examining them in the stores (Sony).

I currently own a Kindle2, a 505 and a Sony 900. Of those my most pleasurable reading is on the 505 because it has the best display. The 900 is fine in bright light but in slightly less bright light is when the 505 shines. The Kindle2 is similar, but does not have quite as much contrast as the 505 and I prefer the epub format(with page numbers) to the mobi format (I know that is a subjective issue.

)

There are some very interesting devices in the wings about to be released. You might consider waiting, but it depends on your budget as well -- the new devices (color, new types of display) are likely to be expensive compared to a used 505.

I'm actually considering selling my 900....

kennyc · 03-21-2010, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

True. It's the lack of full justification that's the "show stopper" for me. I just can't bear to read all my books left-justified.

I hate full justification, particularly for science reading where there tend to be large words, you end up with vast whitespaces between words and it makes reading a pita! If the software could handle it in the same say as print then I'd more approve of it, but as it stands any full justification on ereader devices sucks.

Teddman · 03-21-2010, 09:16 AM

I do think the 505 is "still the best" in that it's a very solid 6" reader that you can get for around $200 used online. ePub support, while a flaw that Sony ought to correct with firmware updates, is not a dealbreaker for me because I just convert to lrf with Calibre.

And when it comes to screen contrast, it's not debatable--the 505 is still the best or equal to anything else.

03-20-2010, 09:18 PM	#1
wn0x Member Posts: 13 Karma: 378 Join Date: Mar 2010 Device: Sony PRS-505	Sony PRS-505 Still the best? After reviewing all of the new e-reader offerings, I am leaning towards purchasing a used Sony PRS-505 as my first reader instead of buying a newer model. The contrast on the Touch and Daily Reader editions pales in comparision to the Pocket Edition. I am under the impression the PRS-505 screen is the 6" version of the same screen on the PRS-300 (Pocket Edition), which is 5". Is the contrast on the PRS-505 as good as the PRS-300 (Pocket Edition)? If so, I would gladly purchase the older product. As I near 50, readability is becoming more important than any other feature. Thanks, Rich

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03-20-2010, 09:20 PM	#2
happy_terd Banned Posts: 13,045 Karma: 10105011 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Finally made it to Walmart. Device: PRS 420	Hello and welcome to MR!!! I had a PRS600 for a few months and loved it. I plan on buying another one.

03-20-2010, 09:22 PM	#3
Madam Broshkina Manic Do Fuse Posts: 2,312 Karma: 3325462 Join Date: Oct 2006 Device: Sony 500, 505, 350, Kindle 3, DXG, nook, Irex DR800SG, iPad	The 300 and the 505 have the same resolution. If you can get a 505 I say go for it.

03-20-2010, 09:24 PM	#4
wn0x Member Posts: 13 Karma: 378 Join Date: Mar 2010 Device: Sony PRS-505	I tried the PRS-600 (Touch Edition) in several stores. I had trouble with the glare and contrast, although the interface was very nicely done. Very intuitive and the PDF rendering was amazing compared to the Kindle. When I compared the PRS-300 and PRS-600 side by side, the PRS-300 was hands-down easier to read, even with the smaller screen. Thanks - Rich

03-20-2010, 11:59 PM	#5
MickeyC Grand Sorcerer Posts: 16,731 Karma: 12185114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Florida Device: iPhone 6 plus, Sony T1, iPad 3	Hi Rich and welcome to MobileRead. I've had a 505 for over two years and really like it. In fact, were (God forbid) I to lose it, I'd want another 505 rather than a 300 or 600

03-21-2010, 04:38 AM	#6
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,215 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	Good to have your company, Rich. I got a 505 as my first reader early last year. My wife offered me 'something posher' as a Christmas gift, but I had to say, thanks but no thanks. I can't imagine anything that could beat this wee gozmo. Many here at MR agree that it's probably the best reader around. And even those who opted for something else don't seem to have a bad word to say for it. They're out of production now, of course, but you can find some good deals in the MR Fleamarket, eBay, etc. The very fact that they hold their price so well says a lot for their quality. Good luck. Neil

03-21-2010, 05:34 AM	#8
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Is there any reason you're only considering Sony devices? There are other makes which are, in my experience, considerably better.

03-21-2010, 09:16 AM	#15
Teddman Addict Posts: 242 Karma: 695 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: Sony PRS-505	I do think the 505 is "still the best" in that it's a very solid 6" reader that you can get for around $200 used online. ePub support, while a flaw that Sony ought to correct with firmware updates, is not a dealbreaker for me because I just convert to lrf with Calibre. And when it comes to screen contrast, it's not debatable--the 505 is still the best or equal to anything else.

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