PRS-350 To buy or not to buy (at $120 on Best Buy)?

[Poppaea]

Originally Posted by Asawi

And here is one reason I love the Sony x50: It's so easy to look up words. Instead of thinking "I think I know this" I actually look it up and sometimes gets surprised.

Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze

I used to have to carry the Oxford Pocket Dictionary in my schoolbag to get the same result!

Do you also love reading dictionaries? Or lexica? I have one that can be used to make a quiz. It is sooo much fun to read in it! And one that specializes in history. It is awesome, even though I still have not the slightest clue of history, but the book is so beautiful and interesting. Its just I can't remember numbers

[Poppaea]

Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze

I hope you know I wasn't intending to belittle you in any way, Poppaea.

You didn't and I didn't feel belittled.

[Latinandgreek]

Originally Posted by Poppaea

Do you also love reading dictionaries? Or lexica?

I do!

[Poppaea]

Originally Posted by Latinandgreek

I do!

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by Poppaea

Do you also love reading dictionaries? Or lexica?

Me too! I thought I was a strange girl

[Poppaea]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

Me too! I thought I was a strange girl

Naaah, you just love words.

[LucidDreams]

I own the Sony Reader Pocket Edition PRS-350 (Silver). I purchased it from Dell in February for $119.99 with free shipping. I went with this particular eReader for the following reasons.

• Small size & light weight - you really can put it in your pants pocket.
• Touch screen - couldn't see using a physical keyboard or cursor.
• ePub format - gives more options for books, including public libraries.

While I've enjoyed reading several books since I've purchased the PRS-350 there are some things about it that I don't like. The main cons are as follows.

• Font size - the size difference between small and medium is too large. Sadly, it appears that Sony used the same font sizing on the 5" version as it does on the 6". Instead they should have adjusted the font scaling to match the smaller sized screen.
• Screen whiteness - it appears that the screen is a bit darker than the 6" eReaders on the market even though they use the same screen technology. I think this occurs because the resolution is the same but the screen is smaller which leaves less space between pixels which reduces the whiteness of the screen. Also, since you'll be reading in a smaller font size the characters are closer together giving more of a darker appearance to the screen.

If I had to do it over again and given the newer eReaders that are available, mainly the Nook Touch, I would've gotten a 6" eReader. That doesn't make the PRS-350 a bad eReader but if you go that route then form factor (size) should be your #1 criteria. If it's not then I think you'll be a bit disappointed with the PRS-350. I would've went with the PRS-650 but the extra price ($229) and lack of availability didn't make it an option.

I'm on the fence right now on whether I should sell my PRS-350 while it's still popular and current so I can get a decent price for it (probably $100-110). If I go that route then I would get a Nook Touch to replace the PRS-350.

[stenciler]

Seems like a good price.

[Prestidigitweeze]

Originally Posted by Poppaea

Do you also love reading dictionaries? Or lexica?

I have a collection of dictionaries and lexica -- not only because I enjoy them but also because they're necessary for writing. Since I like to write about medieval Europe, the 1920s-30s and the Edwardian period, I also like old and even out-of-date dictionaries and thesauri.

I have dictionaries for biology, neurology, forensics, etc., and reference books like the DSM-IV. I also use visual dictionaries and an old but handy book called What's What when I can't recall the name for a specific thing I remember seeing or reading about.

Nothing is more satisfying than describing a strange or obscure thing vividly and then naming it correctly.

Originally Posted by LucidDreams

Screen whiteness - it appears that the screen is a bit darker than the 6" eReaders on the market even though they use the same screen technology. I think this occurs because the resolution is the same but the screen is smaller which leaves less space between pixels which reduces the whiteness of the screen. Also, since you'll be reading in a smaller font size the characters are closer together giving more of a darker appearance to the screen. If I had to do it over again and given the newer eReaders that are available, mainly the Nook Touch, I would've gotten a 6" eReader.

LucidDreams: I much prefer the screen of the PRS-350 to that of the Nook Touch. Since I own both 6" and 7" devices with the 350's Pearl screen, I'd be willing to compare all three over the weekend if you like. That way, you can verify or disprove your idea about the 350's relative darkness. I can tell you from the daily experience of switching back and forth from the Kindle 3 to the 350 that the screens are equally beige, with the K3 being perhaps a faint shade darker. However, if you use the official Sony case with light, the 350's screen stays a uniform shade of white when you position the light correctly at its brightest setting. It also looks gorgeous and ethereal while doing so.

The effect is a lot harder to achieve with my eLuminator Touch and the Kindle 3.

That's one reason people like to read Pearl screens with a light: At the maxumum setting, the screen gets whiter while the text remains dark. The same thing happens in direct sunlight, which is why your 350 was an excellent reader to buy when you did -- during the month before summer.

[LucidDreams]

Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze

LucidDreams: I much prefer the screen of the PRS-350 to that of the Nook Touch. Since I own both 6" and 7" devices with the 350's Pearl screen, I'd be willing to compare all three over the weekend if you like. That way, you can verify or disprove your idea about the 350's relative darkness. I can tell you from the daily experience of switching back and forth from the Kindle 3 to the 350 that the screens are equally beige, with the K3 being perhaps a faint shade darker. However, if you use the official Sony case with light, the 350's screen stays a uniform shade of white when you position the light correctly at its brightest setting. It also looks gorgeous and ethereal while doing so.

I think you might be confusing the Nook Touch with the Nook Color. Really, it's just the new Nook eReader released yesterday that I was referring too, which becomes available on June 10th. It's $139, 6" touch screen (uses IR like the Sony), supports ePub and PDF, has Wi-fi and microSD slot, along with 7 text sizes plus 6 styles.

While both the PRS-350 and Kindle 3 use the same screen the reason why it appears darker to me is because I use the small font size. The medium font is too big so the page formatting doesn't look right to me. So if the Kindle 3 and PRS-350 displayed the same text page with the only difference being the PRS-350 screen being smaller then you have less white space between text which makes the page appear darker. When I looked at the PRS-350 demo unit at Best Buy it appeared to be brighter than the one I own. So I don't know if my screen could be the issue. Not defective since it works but rather an inconsistency with manufacturing of the screen.

For on the go reading the PRS-350 is a great device because of it's form factor. But if one will also spend a good amount of time reading at home then a 6" screen would be a better choice. While it would be nice to have the PRS-350 and a 6" eReader the negatives of the additional cost, keeping both in sync, and charged defeat the advantages. At least for me.

[Asawi]

Originally Posted by LucidDreams

IWhen I looked at the PRS-350 demo unit at Best Buy it appeared to be brighter than the one I own.

I hope you are aware that the screen can be adjusted on the 350. Not a whole lot, but at least some. so when comparing devices, make sure they have the same setting! (Options, Adjust view). I have fiddled around but decided that "original" suites me best, but my daughter has som other setting (that I don't remember) that she likes better.

[Prestidigitweeze]

Actually, I knew the iteration of Nook to which you were referring. What I didn't know was that it uses the same Pearl screen as the Kindle and PRS series. That's new for the Nook. Until now, it has used a Vizplex for its eInk screens.

As I said, I own the other three devices you're talking about. You've been saying the 350 is darker than the others and attributing this to the amount of text, but I've compared the Kindle 3 and the 350 and I must say -- I disagree.

It might be a difference in settings, as my colleague said above, in which case, to be fair, all brightness and contrast settings should be normalized before the comparison.

In the past, Vizplex screens on the Nook have looked to me to be brighter than their Pearl counterparts, but the text was slightly dimmer and less sharp. It will be interesting to compare the old Nook with the Touch and see if the difference is down to that.

The one review I've read that seemed to substantiate your claim was an early one that included this picture:

Originally Posted by LucidDreams

I think you might be confusing the Nook Touch with the Nook Color. Really, it's just the new Nook eReader released yesterday that I was referring to[], which becomes available on June 10th. While both the PRS-350 and Kindle 3 use the same screen the reason why it appears darker to me is because I use the small font size.

With the Nook Touch, the features are getting so close that the deciding factor might well become economic (Nook's price) or aesthetic (Sony's construction).

Also: As anyone who used a previous-generation Sony Reader will tell you, the touchscreen of the new Nook should be tried before you buy one. You want to be certain they got the tech right, since you now have an eReader that does that particular thing well.

[Pomtroll]

Originally Posted by Poppaea

Do you also love reading dictionaries? Or lexica? I have one that can be used to make a quiz. It is sooo much fun to read in it! And one that specializes in history. It is awesome, even though I still have not the slightest clue of history, but the book is so beautiful and interesting. Its just I can't remember numbers

Nice to know there are other people in the world like me.

[ardeegee]

As seen in the bargains area, the 350 is now $110 at Borders:

http://www.borders.com/online/store/...id=SA_20110525

[LucidDreams]

Originally Posted by Asawi

I hope you are aware that the screen can be adjusted on the 350. Not a whole lot, but at least some. so when comparing devices, make sure they have the same setting! (Options, Adjust view). I have fiddled around but decided that "original" suites me best, but my daughter has som other setting (that I don't remember) that she likes better.

I'm aware of the settings and how they can affect the screen. I typically use 50 and -50 for my view settings. To me that gives the small font a bit more darkness.