Thoughts on the 505 vs the 500

kulaga · 08-22-2008, 07:50 PM

I took advantage of the trade-in offer to upgrade my 2 year old PRS-500 to a shiny new 505.

1. The background of the 505 is a crisp white vs the light gray of my old 500. Makes a difference, but not a reason to upgrade alone.
2. The page refresh is noticeably faster, I no longer need to press the page button then read the last sentence before it refreshes. Just a slight increase, but it makes a big difference
3. Listing books by author, title or date takes you to a second screen that divides the alphabet and lists the number of books in each division. No more pressing the page button 19 times to scroll through all the books (I'm a bit of a pack rat with my reader and SD card).
4. Ability to delete books from the reader. I love this. After I read a book, I transfer it to the memory card (would love to do this from the reader) and frequently forget to delete the copy on the reader. Now I can clean things up without searching for the USB cord.
5. Accidentally pressing the numbers buttons will no longer take you to a random place in the book. Instead, you use the buttons to enter the page number you would like to go to. No more cursing and going back to the history to figure out what page you were on.
6. Cover is stiffer and nicer than the old one, however my Verilux light fits looser (still usable but need to be careful when carrying).
7. I finally get used to holding a "book" in my left hand and they switch the buttons to the right. Not a big deal, but takes some getting used to.

Overall, I'm very glad I upgraded. There was no killer feature for me (I avoid PDFs whenever possible), just a lot of small refinements that improve an already great product.

JSWolf · 08-22-2008, 11:36 PM

And one other advantage of the 505 over the 500. With the latest firmware upgrade for the 505, LRF/LRX with embedded fonts are no longer slow.

MickeyC · 08-23-2008, 08:01 AM

I had planned on getting a 500 last year in June assuming I would get a MicroCenter gift certificate for my birthday. But I got shirts instead. Truth is I needed shirts a lot more than I needed an eBook reader.

Anyway, I looked at the 505 when it came out later that year and and bought one in January and am really glad I got the newer model.

DrMoze · 08-23-2008, 11:06 AM

We have one of each--got a 500 with Sony's $60 deal last year; then I got the 505 when I gave the (russified) pristine 500 as a gift to my SO who reads Russian (when it wasn't 'safe' to flash a 505 at the time). She's fine with the 505 and uses it constantly. The 500 is still a great ebook device, and I like the 'heft' of it.

Besides the pluses of the 505 above, I like the new Sony light wedge cover, and the ePub option which lets me borrow library e-books. Eventually we'll probably both have 505's (or a 505 and a newer model?).

08-22-2008, 07:50 PM	#1
kulaga Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 110 Join Date: Jan 2007 Device: PRS-500	Thoughts on the 505 vs the 500 I took advantage of the trade-in offer to upgrade my 2 year old PRS-500 to a shiny new 505. 1. The background of the 505 is a crisp white vs the light gray of my old 500. Makes a difference, but not a reason to upgrade alone. 2. The page refresh is noticeably faster, I no longer need to press the page button then read the last sentence before it refreshes. Just a slight increase, but it makes a big difference 3. Listing books by author, title or date takes you to a second screen that divides the alphabet and lists the number of books in each division. No more pressing the page button 19 times to scroll through all the books (I'm a bit of a pack rat with my reader and SD card). 4. Ability to delete books from the reader. I love this. After I read a book, I transfer it to the memory card (would love to do this from the reader) and frequently forget to delete the copy on the reader. Now I can clean things up without searching for the USB cord. 5. Accidentally pressing the numbers buttons will no longer take you to a random place in the book. Instead, you use the buttons to enter the page number you would like to go to. No more cursing and going back to the history to figure out what page you were on. 6. Cover is stiffer and nicer than the old one, however my Verilux light fits looser (still usable but need to be careful when carrying). 7. I finally get used to holding a "book" in my left hand and they switch the buttons to the right. Not a big deal, but takes some getting used to. Overall, I'm very glad I upgraded. There was no killer feature for me (I avoid PDFs whenever possible), just a lot of small refinements that improve an already great product.

08-23-2008, 08:01 AM	#3
MickeyC Grand Sorcerer Posts: 16,731 Karma: 12185114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Florida Device: iPhone 6 plus, Sony T1, iPad 3	I had planned on getting a 500 last year in June assuming I would get a MicroCenter gift certificate for my birthday. But I got shirts instead. Truth is I needed shirts a lot more than I needed an eBook reader. Anyway, I looked at the 505 when it came out later that year and and bought one in January and am really glad I got the newer model. Last edited by MickeyC; 08-23-2008 at 02:40 PM.

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08-22-2008, 11:36 PM	#2
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,771 Karma: 145864619 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	And one other advantage of the 505 over the 500. With the latest firmware upgrade for the 505, LRF/LRX with embedded fonts are no longer slow.

08-23-2008, 11:06 AM	#4
DrMoze Booknut Posts: 860 Karma: 2852 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: West Palm Beach, Florida! Device: Sony Reader 500/505/300/350, Nook Glowlight Plus (6")	We have one of each--got a 500 with Sony's $60 deal last year; then I got the 505 when I gave the (russified) pristine 500 as a gift to my SO who reads Russian (when it wasn't 'safe' to flash a 505 at the time). She's fine with the 505 and uses it constantly. The 500 is still a great ebook device, and I like the 'heft' of it. Besides the pluses of the 505 above, I like the new Sony light wedge cover, and the ePub option which lets me borrow library e-books. Eventually we'll probably both have 505's (or a 505 and a newer model?).

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