3 New Sony Readers announced today, apps coming this fall - Page 2

Nate the great · 09-01-2010, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taming

What does "flash" mean in this context? I'm guessing you are NOT talking about the flash that has come to be associated with video--not with eInk.

I'm talking about Flash storage (like a Flash drive\thumb drive\ memory key). The space where you store your ebooks.

SensualPoet · 09-01-2010, 08:14 AM

Adding the Pearl e-ink to all models is the big win for Sony -- it really is a dramatic improvement (even though the previous e-ink was good). And touch is nice and, with a stylus, probably less fiddly than Kindle 3's keyboard. But wifi/3G has NOT been added to all models -- if I reading the specs correctly, it's only available with the 950 at $299.

Details are already online at www.sonystyle.com

I am surprised by the price points: $179 for the 350 and $229 for 650. The Kindle 3 is the same form factor as the Kobo; is a 5" screen really an advantage in portability? I believe all three are roughly 8 oz. it certainly does appear to give the Nook some breathing room at $149.

JSWolf · 09-01-2010, 08:16 AM

The 5" screen really isn't much of anything. Better off with the 6" screen (IMHO).

yagiz · 09-01-2010, 08:20 AM

What about getting rid of the extra layer over the touchscreen that causes the annoying glare? Any word about that?

Nate the great · 09-01-2010, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yagiz

What about getting rid of the extra layer over the touchscreen that causes the annoying glare? Any word about that?

They said they fixed that, yes. But I haven't seen it so I don't know.

fjtorres · 09-01-2010, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SensualPoet

is a 5" screen really an advantage in portability?

*SOME* of us think so.

And, remember, both the 5 and 6in screens have the same pixel-count (600x800) so the smaller screen is going to have smaller pixels and a sharper screen. With the *right* software you can put up the same amount of text onscreen on both but it'll look sharper on the smaller screen.

It is really a matter of preference.

But in this particular case you're looking at a US$50 spread for essentially the same tech. With 2GB onboard flash plus the note-taking the Pocket Edition is no longer a crippled entry-level reader but a nice option. Some might even consider it superior to the Touch Edition. I would not be shocked to see shortages of the 350 and massive discounting on the 650.

Edit: Found the Engadget and Gizmodo links on the other thread.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/01/s...entire-reader/

http://gizmodo.com/5627167/a-slim-ne...rrives-in-town

The 350 is in fact noticeably smaller and lighter than the 650; 159 grams versus 224.
Engadget:

Quote:

Reader Pocket Edition / PRS-350 ($179)
Measuring 5.7 x 4.1 x 0.3 inches
The $179 e-reader now has 2GB of memory and an SD card slot. It'll be available very soon in both pink and silver.

(Can anybody confirm the SD card expandability? I tend to doubt they'd go that far with the 350.)

HarryT · 09-01-2010, 08:49 AM

The 950 isn't shipping until the end of the year. You might want to change the title and initial article to reflect that.

EowynCarter · 09-01-2010, 08:52 AM

Yes, 5" is more portable. Though other factors, like bezel or case will also change lots for portability.

Nate the great · 09-01-2010, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

The 950 isn't shipping until the end of the year. You might want to change the title and initial article to reflect that.

The only mistake was in the title here; I didn't mention the ship date over on TDR.

MovieBird · 09-01-2010, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mtravellerh

Are epubs finally fully justified if so wanted?

The pictures over at engadget show a fully justified reading experience. Also without the annoying page numbers on the side.

PRS-600 Dimensions
6.9 x 4.8 x .4 inches (LxWxD)

PRS-350 Dimensions
5 3/4 x 4 1/8 x 11/32 inches (H/W/D)

khalleron · 09-01-2010, 09:15 AM

My experience with the PRS-600 vs. the 505 was that the touch screen ate power. I had to recharge the 600 at least twice as often as the 505, which greatly annoyed me.

Right now the only reader that would get me to upgrade from the 505 would be one with the new Pearl screen, epub support, better ergonomics and *no* touchscreen. Wifi would be nice but not necessary.

I'm more than a bit disappointed with the new offerings - I do believe that the Sony's metal construction makes them much more rugged than the competition, but the power-hungry touchscreens make the new models very unattractive to me.

I'm not put off by the prices - a tough reader, something I carry with me all the time, is worth much more than a piece of plastic crap to me.

EDIT: Just looked at MovieBird's pic. The brightness and contrast sliders are definitely intriguing. Wish there was a SonyStyle store around here so I could look at these.

EowynCarter · 09-01-2010, 09:15 AM

Quote:

The pictures over at [url=http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/01/sony-slims-down-speeds-up-and-adds-touch-to-its-entire-reader/]engadget] show a fully justified reading experience. Also without the annoying page numbers on the side.

Yes, but is that an ePub.

rammbam · 09-01-2010, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

The 950 isn't shipping until the end of the year.

How u know?

darknessangel · 09-01-2010, 09:26 AM

God damn it Sony! You keep dropping the ball! Why do I need so much touchcreen? I need a large reader! -_- Meh, they didn't even put connectivity on those (not that I would use it) but it could be (useless) excuse to update. I really don't mind the new pearl screen. I don't want touchscreen or rather fingersmudge on my reader. And I (or anybody for that matter) won't be able to read those 2 GB of books. I have 43 books in my current 505 and there's still free space FFS!

So basically (for me) they updated... nothing interesting >_>

Way to go Sony!

GJMS

An-Jay · 09-01-2010, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rammbam

How u know?

Reading the Press release helps

The 950 won't be shipped before November. The others are available immediately.

09-01-2010, 09:15 AM	#26
khalleron Kate Posts: 1,700 Karma: 3605799 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Oregon, United States Device: MeeBook, Kobo Libra Colour	My experience with the PRS-600 vs. the 505 was that the touch screen ate power. I had to recharge the 600 at least twice as often as the 505, which greatly annoyed me. Right now the only reader that would get me to upgrade from the 505 would be one with the new Pearl screen, epub support, better ergonomics and no touchscreen. Wifi would be nice but not necessary. I'm more than a bit disappointed with the new offerings - I do believe that the Sony's metal construction makes them much more rugged than the competition, but the power-hungry touchscreens make the new models very unattractive to me. I'm not put off by the prices - a tough reader, something I carry with me all the time, is worth much more than a piece of plastic crap to me. EDIT: Just looked at MovieBird's pic. The brightness and contrast sliders are definitely intriguing. Wish there was a SonyStyle store around here so I could look at these. Last edited by khalleron; 09-01-2010 at 09:23 AM.

09-01-2010, 09:26 AM	#29
darknessangel Addict Posts: 297 Karma: 1018140 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: PRS-505, iPad	God damn it Sony! You keep dropping the ball! Why do I need so much touchcreen? I need a large reader! -_- Meh, they didn't even put connectivity on those (not that I would use it) but it could be (useless) excuse to update. I really don't mind the new pearl screen. I don't want touchscreen or rather fingersmudge on my reader. And I (or anybody for that matter) won't be able to read those 2 GB of books. I have 43 books in my current 505 and there's still free space FFS! So basically (for me) they updated... nothing interesting >_> Way to go Sony! GJMS Last edited by darknessangel; 09-01-2010 at 09:37 AM.

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09-01-2010, 08:14 AM	#17
SensualPoet Wizard Posts: 2,302 Karma: 2607151 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Asus ZenPad 3, Kobo Glo	Adding the Pearl e-ink to all models is the big win for Sony -- it really is a dramatic improvement (even though the previous e-ink was good). And touch is nice and, with a stylus, probably less fiddly than Kindle 3's keyboard. But wifi/3G has NOT been added to all models -- if I reading the specs correctly, it's only available with the 950 at $299. Details are already online at www.sonystyle.com I am surprised by the price points: $179 for the 350 and $229 for 650. The Kindle 3 is the same form factor as the Kobo; is a 5" screen really an advantage in portability? I believe all three are roughly 8 oz. it certainly does appear to give the Nook some breathing room at $149.

09-01-2010, 08:16 AM	#18
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,515 Karma: 145863177 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	The 5" screen really isn't much of anything. Better off with the 6" screen (IMHO).

09-01-2010, 08:20 AM	#19
yagiz http://is.gd/4flJX Posts: 134 Karma: 422 Join Date: Jan 2008 Device: Sony PRS-505, iPhone 3G	What about getting rid of the extra layer over the touchscreen that causes the annoying glare? Any word about that?

09-01-2010, 08:49 AM	#22
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	The 950 isn't shipping until the end of the year. You might want to change the title and initial article to reflect that.

09-01-2010, 08:52 AM	#23
EowynCarter Wizard Posts: 4,337 Karma: 4000000 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Paris Device: Cybooks; Sony PRS-T1	Yes, 5" is more portable. Though other factors, like bezel or case will also change lots for portability.