Sony Model Matrix Availability

travelingsandy · 04-28-2011, 03:49 PM

I am in the process of purchasing my first e-reader & have decided I want a Sony. I am having difficulties on deciding which model to purchase. I continue going back & forth from web-sites reviewing info. Does anyone know if there is a matrix (or a grid of some kind) that conpares the Sony models with info such as screen size, wi-fi, date first sold, etc.

I think I may like the 7" screen over 5" or 6"; but not sure. The 950 is about $60 more than the 900 & I do not see that much difference.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions. I am excited about moving to an e-reader from these heavy hard cover books; although it will also be sad not feeling the pages.

dreams · 04-28-2011, 04:09 PM

The one I usually check is in our MR wiki and has "The famous eBook Reader Matrix". It does list most all devices, but you can scroll up and down pretty quick.

I still have the old Sony 505 and it is still going strong. I love it and am very tempted to get something new. I just can't justify it, as it does all I want for just reading, I've never had a problem, and the battery still lasts a good two weeks. **I think, I just want a new toy.**

Good luck finding just the right device for you.

mimosavj · 04-28-2011, 04:15 PM

I miss my PRS 505 from time to time. I never had any problem in the 1.5 years I owned it.

Bilbo1967 · 04-28-2011, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mimosavj

I miss my PRS 505 from time to time. I never had any problem in the 1.5 years I owned it.

Ditto to that

travelingsandy · 04-28-2011, 04:44 PM

I noticed numerous positive responces on the PRS 505; but on the "technical" icon it does not list Window 7 Home Premium 64-bit compatible (which I have). What would that mean?

Poppaea · 04-28-2011, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelingsandy

I am in the process of purchasing my first e-reader & have decided I want a Sony. I am having difficulties on deciding which model to purchase. I continue going back & forth from web-sites reviewing info. Does anyone know if there is a matrix (or a grid of some kind) that conpares the Sony models with info such as screen size, wi-fi, date first sold, etc.

I think I may like the 7" screen over 5" or 6"; but not sure. The 950 is about $60 more than the 900 & I do not see that much difference.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions. I am excited about moving to an e-reader from these heavy hard cover books; although it will also be sad not feeling the pages.

There is a world of difference. The 900s had a bad glare problem due to the technology used for the touchscreen. The new touchscreen technology is infra-red which means the screen is as matte as any other e-readers that doesn't have a touchscreen.

You simply can't compare the 900 to the 950.

Make sure you buy a X50 or you will be bitterly disappointed. The only way to save some bucks is to go for a 505. These are button operated and the page turn is much slower, but were built like tanks.

travelingsandy · 04-28-2011, 05:39 PM

ok, now after reading further--I have changed my mind again & am leaning heavily towards the 650. Wow, what glowing reports. Now if I can find one!! Thanks everyone, it is great being able to rely on personal experiences.

rhadin · 04-28-2011, 06:21 PM

I have both a 505 and a 950. The 505 is nearly 4 years old now and still running great. My wife uses it. The 950 is fantastic. Well worth every nickel of the price. I expect to get 4 or more years of use out of it. But like Poppaea wrote, be sure to get an x50 Sony. Everything about them is superior to the x00 model.

simulacrum · 04-28-2011, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelingsandy

I am in the process of purchasing my first e-reader & have decided I want a Sony. I am having difficulties on deciding which model to purchase. I continue going back & forth from web-sites reviewing info. Does anyone know if there is a matrix (or a grid of some kind) that conpares the Sony models with info such as screen size, wi-fi, date first sold, etc.

I think I may like the 7" screen over 5" or 6"; but not sure. The 950 is about $60 more than the 900 & I do not see that much difference.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions. I am excited about moving to an e-reader from these heavy hard cover books; although it will also be sad not feeling the pages.

If I were you I'd stick to the current range of models prs-350, prs-650, and prs-950. Between those three the only thing you need to think about is device/screen size and whether you need wifi.

redbees · 04-28-2011, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelingsandy

ok, now after reading further--I have changed my mind again & am leaning heavily towards the 650. Wow, what glowing reports. Now if I can find one!! Thanks everyone, it is great being able to rely on personal experiences.

travelingsandy,
I see that you are now interested in the PRS-650. As of 9:20 pm MST (US) on Thursday, 04/28/11, Sonystyle.com has the black model available. This afternoon B & H Photo (bhphotovideo.com) had the black reader in stock, but it is now marked discontinued.

I hope you are able to obtain a 650. Along with others in this thread, I recommend it highly, as I do the 950. I have no experience with the 350, but I have heard great things about it, too. Good luck.

SeaBookGuy · 04-29-2011, 12:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelingsandy

I think I may like the 7" screen over 5" or 6"; but not sure. The 950 is about $60 more than the 900 & I do not see that much difference.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions. I am excited about moving to an e-reader from these heavy hard cover books; although it will also be sad not feeling the pages.

The extra $60 is well spent - the 950's screen is far superior to the murky 900. Here are some considerations ...

Do you need wifi (only available on the 950 - you cannot download books from sources other than the Sony Store)? You can look up Wiki info, etc. while reading.

The 950 and 650 have audio playback (mp3 and AAC files) and storage card slots. All three x50 units have room to store hundreds of books at a time (if not more); I use a card to store audio files (which do take up a fair amount of room compared with ebooks), but honestly, only add the audio files because the feature's there! Circular, but that's the way it goes ...

As a rule of thumb, the 350 gets about three lines fewer per page than the 650, and I suppose the 950 gets about that many more. Will you be okay with small font, or more frequent page turning on the 350 using medium? I'm not being down on the 350 - it's a nice reader - just trying to help your comparisons. Do you know whether you'll be reading books in PDF format? If so, the 950 might be best as those are optimally read in small font (you can read them in larger ones, but they don't keep their formatting very well). The 950, being longer, has a unique feature of being able to read a page in landscape mode as two columns, which some folks like as a work-around for the issue of the too-wide gap between Sony's small and medium display size is.

PAGE 1 PAGE 1 CONTD

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Shorthand comparison:

350 is very portable, though perhaps slightly more page turns, no card, audio, nor wifi.

650 is still in the easily portable range for pockets, etc. No wifi either. Good "compromise" candidate.

950 is definitely longer, not really pocket sized. Extra display option above and wifi -comes with AC adapter (350/650 don't, but the x50's accept most mobile phone chargers, there are threads on that). Costs a fair amount more.

kartu · 04-29-2011, 07:10 AM

950's exclusive feature, not yet mentioned: you can read most A4 (Letter) sized PDFs (in landscape layout) with cut margins (might editing PDF, as reader viewer often fails to correctly cut all empty space) at very close to real zoom level.

mediax · 04-29-2011, 11:28 AM

I upgraded from a 505 to a 650 last December. I loved my 505 and was very reluctant to change it, but I am sooo glad I finally did. The improved screen and (particularly) the vastly better refresh times of the 650 improve the "reading experience" no end.

Assuming it's the right size screen for you, go for the 650 unless you're seriously constrained financially, in which case grab a 505. I think the 600 was the generation to avoid.

SeaBookGuy · 04-29-2011, 11:50 AM

At this point, I think a new 350 is a better deal than a used 505.

travelingsandy · 04-29-2011, 02:19 PM

Thank you so much to everyone for your input. It was extremely valuable with making my decision. I ordered a 650 this a.m. from Sony directly, they had it available for $229.99 (black). That seems like a real value for the features. They are to ship next Monday & I should have it within 5 days. Now I will seek a cover for it & change my personal info to a proud owner of a Sony 650. Thanks again.

04-28-2011, 03:49 PM	#1
travelingsandy Connoisseur Posts: 73 Karma: 5302 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Vero Beach, FL Device: Kindle Fire HD 7", Kobo Aura	Sony Model Matrix Availability I am in the process of purchasing my first e-reader & have decided I want a Sony. I am having difficulties on deciding which model to purchase. I continue going back & forth from web-sites reviewing info. Does anyone know if there is a matrix (or a grid of some kind) that conpares the Sony models with info such as screen size, wi-fi, date first sold, etc. I think I may like the 7" screen over 5" or 6"; but not sure. The 950 is about $60 more than the 900 & I do not see that much difference. Thank you in advance for your suggestions. I am excited about moving to an e-reader from these heavy hard cover books; although it will also be sad not feeling the pages.

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04-28-2011, 04:09 PM	#2
dreams It's about the umbrella Posts: 25,110 Karma: 56250158 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Sony 505\| K Fire \| KK 3G+Wi-Fi \| iPhone 3Gs \|Vista 32-bit Hm Prem w/FF	The one I usually check is in our MR wiki and has "The famous eBook Reader Matrix". It does list most all devices, but you can scroll up and down pretty quick. I still have the old Sony 505 and it is still going strong. I love it and am very tempted to get something new. I just can't justify it, as it does all I want for just reading, I've never had a problem, and the battery still lasts a good two weeks. I think, I just want a new toy. Good luck finding just the right device for you.

04-28-2011, 04:15 PM	#3
mimosavj Addict Posts: 205 Karma: 352572 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: USA Device: Sony PRS 650, Nook HD+, Aura HD, Aura H2O v1, Libra 2	I miss my PRS 505 from time to time. I never had any problem in the 1.5 years I owned it.

04-28-2011, 04:44 PM	#5
travelingsandy Connoisseur Posts: 73 Karma: 5302 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Vero Beach, FL Device: Kindle Fire HD 7", Kobo Aura	I noticed numerous positive responces on the PRS 505; but on the "technical" icon it does not list Window 7 Home Premium 64-bit compatible (which I have). What would that mean?

04-28-2011, 05:39 PM	#7
travelingsandy Connoisseur Posts: 73 Karma: 5302 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Vero Beach, FL Device: Kindle Fire HD 7", Kobo Aura	ok, now after reading further--I have changed my mind again & am leaning heavily towards the 650. Wow, what glowing reports. Now if I can find one!! Thanks everyone, it is great being able to rely on personal experiences.

04-28-2011, 06:21 PM	#8
rhadin Literacy = Understanding Posts: 4,833 Karma: 59674358 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: The World of Books Device: Nook, Nook Tablet	I have both a 505 and a 950. The 505 is nearly 4 years old now and still running great. My wife uses it. The 950 is fantastic. Well worth every nickel of the price. I expect to get 4 or more years of use out of it. But like Poppaea wrote, be sure to get an x50 Sony. Everything about them is superior to the x00 model.

04-29-2011, 07:10 AM	#12
kartu PRS+ author Posts: 1,637 Karma: 2446233 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Sony PRS-300, 505, 600, 650, 950	950's exclusive feature, not yet mentioned: you can read most A4 (Letter) sized PDFs (in landscape layout) with cut margins (might editing PDF, as reader viewer often fails to correctly cut all empty space) at very close to real zoom level.

04-29-2011, 11:28 AM	#13
mediax Readaholic Posts: 255 Karma: 1058454 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Swindon, UK Device: Sony PRS-T2 (previously 505 and 650)	I upgraded from a 505 to a 650 last December. I loved my 505 and was very reluctant to change it, but I am sooo glad I finally did. The improved screen and (particularly) the vastly better refresh times of the 650 improve the "reading experience" no end. Assuming it's the right size screen for you, go for the 650 unless you're seriously constrained financially, in which case grab a 505. I think the 600 was the generation to avoid.

04-29-2011, 11:50 AM	#14
SeaBookGuy Can one read too much? Posts: 2,029 Karma: 2487799 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Naples, FL Device: Kindle PW 3, Sony 350 and 650	At this point, I think a new 350 is a better deal than a used 505.

04-29-2011, 02:19 PM	#15
travelingsandy Connoisseur Posts: 73 Karma: 5302 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Vero Beach, FL Device: Kindle Fire HD 7", Kobo Aura	Thank you so much to everyone for your input. It was extremely valuable with making my decision. I ordered a 650 this a.m. from Sony directly, they had it available for $229.99 (black). That seems like a real value for the features. They are to ship next Monday & I should have it within 5 days. Now I will seek a cover for it & change my personal info to a proud owner of a Sony 650. Thanks again.