Just picked up the PRS-600

cjs703 · 08-26-2009, 03:03 PM

Just bought a PRS-600 from the Sony Style store here in the DC area. The PRS-300 was on display, but the PRS-600 was still in the back. After inquiring about the PRS-600 they immediately opened one for me.

Before this the only reader that I have used is the Cybook 3, which was a nice device for reading anything but PDFs. The main issue I had with it was that it was so flimsy that I ended up breaking it twice.

For the first 10 minutes I played around with the PRS-300, and overall I liked the size of it, and the screen seemed very clear and sharp. It did seem to waste too much space on all the buttons though. I'm not sure if the side 1-9 buttons are necessary, along with the large navigation buttons at the bottom.

When they opened the PRS-600, I noticed immediately how much better it looked without the side buttons, and overall seemed less distracting. The downside with this model is the screen glare because of the touch screen.
I did a side-by-side comparison of the PRS-300, and PRS-600 and I didn't really notice much of a difference with the sharpness and visibility of the words. Yesterday I saw an online review that compared the 505 and 600 and the 600 looked really bad in comparison, but now that I have the 600 in front of me it doesn't seem nearly as bad as it had looked.

Fingerprints are a non-issue because it comes with a stylus. You never have to put your fingers on the screen if you don't want to!

I tested PDF support by loading a technical computer programming book onto the internal memory. It showed up immediately under the books list, and I couldn't find any flaws when viewing it with the font size as small. It looks just like you were viewing it on a computer. If you grow the font size, some of the words end up where they shouldn't be. Although overall it wasn't very bad, and I did test this with a programming book which had pages of code laid out. Even though I don't have the greatest eyesight I would say that the PDF was very readable in the small font.

Dictionary lookups are easy just by double tapping a word!

The device is very solid and sturdy.

The case that it comes with isn't going to help protect the screen from an impact. I wish Sony would have included one that was more protective.

I haven't had a chance to do much reading on it, but overall I'm happy with it. I think the only issue people may find with it is the added screen glare.

gravescp · 08-26-2009, 06:24 PM

Not sure if you have used/seen a PRC-700, if so is the glare similar to that model?

cjs703 · 08-26-2009, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gravescp

Not sure if you have used/seen a PRC-700, if so is the glare similar to that model?

I looked at the 700 when it was first released, but I can't remember the glare on it. I do know for a fact that the display/text looks a lot clearer on this model. The guys at the Sony store agreed as well.

kampang · 08-27-2009, 05:32 AM

Let us know how long is the battery life

Floeee · 08-29-2009, 12:28 PM

so how bad is this glare? is it possible to read outside in the sun?

can you also compare it to the 505? because im deciding right now between the 505 and the 600
did you also test the zoom function at pdfs? is this feature necessary?

lisreed · 08-29-2009, 01:28 PM

Look around the forum. There are alot of comparisons of it compared to the 505 and also the zoom is shown in videos.

wachuko · 08-29-2009, 02:02 PM

I went to the local SonyStyle store... just a brief background... I am a newbie to eReaders and got a 505 a few weeks back after comparing the 505 with the 700...

In short, I am buying a 600 (they only had black and the covers are not in yet so I am waiting until next week when the silver 600 comes in, and hopefully the covers as well).

The text clarity and contrast is good. Glare is not an issue (there is always a good reading angle). Is the 505 better as far as text clarity, YES, but (for those waiting to decide) the 600 is good enough that I would not hold back on buying one.

Floeee · 08-29-2009, 02:11 PM

aehm yeah, but what exactly is better on the 600??
and the glare is really strong in all this vids

reader22 · 08-29-2009, 07:39 PM

There's a ten minute video review here: http://www.mobiletechreview.com/gadg...on-PRS-600.htm

Kostas · 08-29-2009, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wachuko

Glare is not an issue

It seems that there begins to be a consensus on that.

akira28 · 08-29-2009, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Floeee

aehm yeah, but what exactly is better on the 600??
and the glare is really strong in all this vids

I had a look at the 600 today, along with the 300. The amount of glare was not noticeable to me. I don't think this should be of concern to anyone. Although I did not run the 600 through all its paces, I did notice that the contrast reduction on the 600 compared to the 300 was enough to turn me off. Keep in mind that I don't consider e-Ink display contrast at all adequate to start with as I am used to the Jetbook. I would estimate that in this respect it is on par with the 700. It is also less sharp than the 300/505 but a little sharper than the 700 was. Of the two specifications I consider contrast to be much more important.

Unfortunately for me the 300 is severely lacking, software-wise, and, in its current state, poorly executed. It's margins are huge and non adjustable, a absolute crime given the screen size. And again we have a Sony digital device without a search function? Inexcusable. Sony should look at the Jetbook to see how execute it. With all their resources behind them they can't do what a small company, Ectaco, can. Embarrassing.

RWJ · 08-29-2009, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reader22

There's a ten minute video review here: http://www.mobiletechreview.com/gadg...on-PRS-600.htm

It's distressing that the glare is such that you can see the reviewer's face in that video. The glare of the 505, when she holds it up, is almost undetectable. I really wish there were a better way to gauge how much less readable it is, due to differences in contrast and glare.

akira28 · 08-29-2009, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RWJ

It's distressing that the glare is such that you can see the reviewer's face in that video. The glare of the 505, when she holds it up, is almost undetectable. I really wish there were a better way to gauge how much less readable it is, due to differences in contrast and glare.

RWJ, I must disagree with you about the glare. I judge it to be negligible and though the 600 may have more than the 300/505, in practice it should not be any problem for potential purchasers. The main concern should instead be whether the contrast is enough.

RWJ · 08-29-2009, 08:54 PM

Akira, have you seen it in person? It's very hard trying to make this decision going by YouTube clips and other people's opinions. So I appreciate being able to read what people think here, which is (for the moment) as close as I can get!

akira28 · 08-29-2009, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RWJ

Akira, have you seen it in person? It's very hard trying to make this decision going by YouTube clips and other people's opinions. So I appreciate being able to read what people think here, which is (for the moment) as close as I can get!

As I stated previously I did view both of them today, at the Sony store here in NYC. They were displaying the 3 color models of the 300 and 1 of the 600. Being in the display room there were plenty of bright lights, but I never at any time noticed my own reflection. BTW they were sold out of the 300's and the 600 had not yet arrived.

08-26-2009, 03:03 PM	#1
cjs703 Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 488 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Pocketbook 360	Just picked up the PRS-600 Just bought a PRS-600 from the Sony Style store here in the DC area. The PRS-300 was on display, but the PRS-600 was still in the back. After inquiring about the PRS-600 they immediately opened one for me. Before this the only reader that I have used is the Cybook 3, which was a nice device for reading anything but PDFs. The main issue I had with it was that it was so flimsy that I ended up breaking it twice. For the first 10 minutes I played around with the PRS-300, and overall I liked the size of it, and the screen seemed very clear and sharp. It did seem to waste too much space on all the buttons though. I'm not sure if the side 1-9 buttons are necessary, along with the large navigation buttons at the bottom. When they opened the PRS-600, I noticed immediately how much better it looked without the side buttons, and overall seemed less distracting. The downside with this model is the screen glare because of the touch screen. I did a side-by-side comparison of the PRS-300, and PRS-600 and I didn't really notice much of a difference with the sharpness and visibility of the words. Yesterday I saw an online review that compared the 505 and 600 and the 600 looked really bad in comparison, but now that I have the 600 in front of me it doesn't seem nearly as bad as it had looked. Fingerprints are a non-issue because it comes with a stylus. You never have to put your fingers on the screen if you don't want to! I tested PDF support by loading a technical computer programming book onto the internal memory. It showed up immediately under the books list, and I couldn't find any flaws when viewing it with the font size as small. It looks just like you were viewing it on a computer. If you grow the font size, some of the words end up where they shouldn't be. Although overall it wasn't very bad, and I did test this with a programming book which had pages of code laid out. Even though I don't have the greatest eyesight I would say that the PDF was very readable in the small font. Dictionary lookups are easy just by double tapping a word! The device is very solid and sturdy. The case that it comes with isn't going to help protect the screen from an impact. I wish Sony would have included one that was more protective. I haven't had a chance to do much reading on it, but overall I'm happy with it. I think the only issue people may find with it is the added screen glare.

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08-26-2009, 06:24 PM	#2
gravescp Member Posts: 23 Karma: 57 Join Date: May 2008 Device: iphone	Not sure if you have used/seen a PRC-700, if so is the glare similar to that model?

08-27-2009, 05:32 AM	#4
kampang Member Posts: 17 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: none	Let us know how long is the battery life

08-29-2009, 12:28 PM	#5
Floeee Groupie Posts: 179 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Vienna Device: iRex DR1000s returned / Sony PRS-505 returned / Asus eee PC t91	so how bad is this glare? is it possible to read outside in the sun? can you also compare it to the 505? because im deciding right now between the 505 and the 600 did you also test the zoom function at pdfs? is this feature necessary?

08-29-2009, 01:28 PM	#6
lisreed Addict Posts: 281 Karma: 1301 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Upstate NY Device: Nook GlowLight 3	Look around the forum. There are alot of comparisons of it compared to the 505 and also the zoom is shown in videos.

08-29-2009, 02:02 PM	#7
wachuko eBook Worm Posts: 205 Karma: 2745996 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Orlando, FL Device: Kindle Paperwhite/ Sony PRS-505/PRS-600 Silver/PRS-T1	I went to the local SonyStyle store... just a brief background... I am a newbie to eReaders and got a 505 a few weeks back after comparing the 505 with the 700... In short, I am buying a 600 (they only had black and the covers are not in yet so I am waiting until next week when the silver 600 comes in, and hopefully the covers as well). The text clarity and contrast is good. Glare is not an issue (there is always a good reading angle). Is the 505 better as far as text clarity, YES, but (for those waiting to decide) the 600 is good enough that I would not hold back on buying one.

08-29-2009, 02:11 PM	#8
Floeee Groupie Posts: 179 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Vienna Device: iRex DR1000s returned / Sony PRS-505 returned / Asus eee PC t91	aehm yeah, but what exactly is better on the 600?? and the glare is really strong in all this vids

08-29-2009, 07:39 PM	#9
reader22 Enthusiast Posts: 27 Karma: 145086 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: none	There's a ten minute video review here: http://www.mobiletechreview.com/gadg...on-PRS-600.htm

08-29-2009, 08:54 PM	#14
RWJ Zealot Posts: 120 Karma: 170 Join Date: Jul 2008 Device: PRS-505	Akira, have you seen it in person? It's very hard trying to make this decision going by YouTube clips and other people's opinions. So I appreciate being able to read what people think here, which is (for the moment) as close as I can get!

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