a bit of advice please

[del2608]

Hello all

I am a newbie to the ereader world so I would be grateful if you could give me your opinions. The question is essentially which Sony reader (600,300 or 505) would you choose given the following parameters:

1 I am on a tight budget - I'm a student. All 3 readers are within my budget but not much else is.
2 I read alot of articles in pdf format, but not many have graphics / images. I also read lots of fiction.
3 the ability to annotate as I read would be nice but is by no means essential
4 I can get a new 600 for £140sterling ($220-225USD), a new 300 for £100sterling ($155 - 160USD) or a used 505 for the same as a new 600.
5 I do all my reading indoors so would glare be an issue? Also, I have no vision problems and from what I've seen from instore displays the 600 screen is very readable. (Is the 505 that much better? I've never seen one in action).
6 Which is a good quality cover as the reader will spend alot of time in my bag / satchel / rucksack /pocket.

All comments and opinions would be appreciated.

del

[Ken401]

First, welcome to MobileRead! You will find lots of helpful people here.

For PDF's, you might also consider the 900. As you'll see oft repeated, the 505 screen is indeed superior by quite a bit; however, the processor inside is slow compared to the 600 and 900. This can be very very agonizing with PDF's from my experience. The reflectivity was annoying for me on the 600, but not quite as noticeable on the 900. Neither come close to the 505 for sharpness and contrast though. The 505 is great for epub fiction.

The 900 is down to about $250 here in the States. If you can fit it into the budget, I think it is the best current Sony choice for PDF's without overly compromising readability.

We are all wondering what the next, if any, Sony Reader devices will be like though...

[del2608]

Thanks for the reply but the 900 is not available here in the UK as far as I can tell. It's not on the Sony UK website. We can only get the 600 or 300 new or used 505s. Probably because the ebook market is still very much in its infancy here...Amazons cheap new Kindles might change that

[rudyt]

Originally Posted by del2608

The question is essentially which Sony reader (600,300 or 505) would you choose

The first question you really need to ask yourself is "Do I want (or need) a 6" reader, or is a 5" good enough?"

The 300 is just as good as the highly praised 505 (I have both); it's just, well . . . smaller. It has two advantages over the 505, (1) portability, and (2) you can read one-handed forever. The 505 is also easy to read one-handed, but the 300 is better.

If you need the larger 6" screen, then the 505 is the only choice IMHO. While the 600 beats it on paper, it's got a touch screen, which makes it a no-go for me. Glare, loss of contrast, and it collects slimey finger oil.

On the PDF issue, I don't like reading them on any Sony. I immediately convert any mostly-text PFFs to epub and read them that way. Many people love reading PDFs on their Sonys, so it may just be me, but I avoid them.

Duck Season!
Wabbit Season!

[Linda S. Prather]

Just wanted to say hi, and I really can't help you make your decision, but if I had a choice between a new and used model for the same price I'm pretty sure I would buy the new. If something happens to the used model you don't have a warranty to fall back on.

[del2608]

That is what I'm thinking as well Linda. It's just that I keep reading posts on how great the 505 is.

[Bilbo1967]

I have both a 505 and a 600. I've had the 505 for almost 2 years and the 600 is a recent purchase.

Personally, I think that the display contrast for the 505 is far better than the 600. I seem to have to spend a lot more time orienting the 600's screen to avoid glare as well. Having said that, the 600 does seem to be faster at changing pages and it does give the option of annotating and using a built in dictionary quickly and easily so it's swings and roundabouts I guess. Neither handle PDF's very well IMHO.

As an aside, the 505 is still available new I think. I saw them for sale at a shop in Dusseldorf Airport last week for example (can't recall the price I'm afraid).

[redhead231]

I researched before buying my reader & opted for the 505 second hand. I bought from ebay in the UK. I am abroad several months of the year & I can honestly say it performs brilliantly in the full sunshine. I don't find the page turns slow either, but not got anything to compare against.
I don't read pdf files so cannot comment, I use Calibre & use that to convert to epub. No issues there.
I love my 505 & god forbid anything happened to it, I would be sourcing another.

[bitemeok]

I'm very happy with the 300--I know CNET gave it a better review than the 600 (due to greater glare on the latter). 300 prices, at least in the US, have also been dropping.

[del2608]

Thanks to all for your answers. I still can't make up my mind...

[jashsu]

PC Richard's $100 deal on the PRS-300 is still good. If you have a pal or family in the colonies, maybe you can have em ship one over to you.

[Elton Noway]

Originally Posted by rudyt

The 300 is just as good as the highly praised 505 (I have both)

I also own both the 505 and the 300. I also had a 600 for about a week but returned it. I was disappointed with both the poor contrast and the glare. Since the whole point behind having an ereader is for reading books etc... I decided a crisp, easy to read display was more important that any advantage the touch screen offered. IMHO the contrast of the 300 and 505 are identical. Both excellent for reading indoors and out.

That said, if you don't plan on utilizing the SD memory slots, or listening to MP3s on the 505... then you might be better off with the 300. When it comes to reading on the subway or reading in bed I much prefer the 300 over the 505. The 300 is very easy to hold and manipulate with one hand whereas the added weight and size of the 505 can work against one handed operation. The 300 can also easily be slipped into your pants pocket or purse whereas the size of the 505 isn't really pocket friendly.

Obviously the 5 inch display of the 300 is an inch smaller so the amount of text displayed per page will be less than that of the 505. As a result you will have more frequent page turns. I'll admit I like the larger 6" screen of the 505 due to the amount of text displayed. The 6inch display makes the page appear very similar in appearance and size to that of a paperback book.

You can find the 300 brand new (with genuine Sony cover) all day long for $138. Even less if you shop around. The 505 is still readily available on eBay but its popularity has made them very expensive, frequently selling for much more than what the sold for new. Then again, if you are a regular eBay'er and can be patient, and don't mind waiting several weeks (maybe even a month or more) you can snag a 505 at a good price. I queried eBay everyday for new listings of 505's. When I would find one I would add it to my watch list. After a month an a half of being out bid and watching prices go thru the roof... I saw one getting ready to close and only two people had bid on it. It was like new and preloaded with lots of books. I placed my bid in in the final seconds of the auction and snagged it for $92 shipped! The wait was worth it!

[del2608]

Have taken the plunge and picked up a 505 for a very good price (I think). Just waiting on it charging up now - I'm so excited!!!!!!