Silver, Pearl and the Aesthetics of Reading

[CommonReader]

After having a dark blue 300 I now have a silver 650. Sure, it looks technical but it is an electronic device, after all. I don't find it distracting at all and I certainly wouldn't deface it with some plastic skin. It does look splendid in its black Noreve leather cover (IMO the most beautiful cover available for the 650):

http://www.noreve.com/langue/en/prod...ther_case.html

[issybird]

Originally Posted by anjirlly

I scored the same combination, Issybird, and would be happy to talk about skins with you. I'm still not sure I need one, either, but that hasn't kept me from browsing at DecalGirl. It was helpful to look at skins for the 350 and 650, too, because those screens show text (rather than the standby screen) and help me judge how distracting the design that shows on the bezel would be.

I've been looking, too, and thanks for the tip on checking out the skins on the 650, because I also was wondering about distraction. And after clicking around, I have to say that I find that most of the designs would be a distraction to me, I think, in the sense of both distracting my eye and distracting from the elegant presentation of the reader in the jacket.

The most appealing skin to me was By Any Other Name since it picks up the red of the cover and isn't too busy, but I didn't find that on the 950 page in any case. If there were a red lacquer akin to the blue lacquer I'd cave, but next to that I like the look of the silver surround on the gray interior. If I find glare to be a serious issue I'll revisit (and perhaps ask for a custom By Any Other Name), but for now I'm good. Perhaps I'll like it on Facebook and see if any good promotions come that way.

[Ripplinger]

DecalGirl will make any of its designs for any reader. You'll pay $5 extra for the initial setup, but after that they move the design to the appropriate reader section so everyone after that point gets it at the normal price. I did that for the Milky Way design and wasn't disappointed at all.

I will add though to be sure and order your skin in the matte finish if you do decide to get one. I don't know why anyone would want glossy for a reader.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

DecalGirl will make any of its designs for any reader. You'll pay $5 extra for the initial setup, but after that they move the design to the appropriate reader section so everyone after that point gets it at the normal price. I did that for the Milky Way design and wasn't disappointed at all.

I will add though to be sure and order your skin in the matte finish if you do decide to get one. I don't know why anyone would want glossy for a reader.

And there's the rub. I do appreciate the info; thank you. Unfortunately, now the $15 skin has been bumped up to $25 and my essential cheapness is flashing lights and sounding a warning. I would have a hard time spending $10 more on a skin than I spent on a leather cover, or in other terms spending nearly 20% of the price of my reader on a skin. Only if it's absolutely necessary or if down the line once I've amortized the costs a bit I feel like changing it up.

I hope this doesn't sound like shooting the messenger. I'm grateful to stop dithering on the issue; it's a clearcut case of not now.

[anjirlly]

Originally Posted by issybird

The most appealing skin to me was By Any Other Name since it picks up the red of the cover and isn't too busy, but I didn't find that on the 950 page in any case. If there were a red lacquer akin to the blue lacquer I'd cave, but next to that I like the look of the silver surround on the gray interior. If I find glare to be a serious issue I'll revisit (and perhaps ask for a custom By Any Other Name), but for now I'm good. Perhaps I'll like it on Facebook and see if any good promotions come that way.

The roses are gorgeous! On my Mac's screen the red has blue/black tones, whereas my M-Edge cover is a very true red, but tending more toward orange.

Waiting for a discount and a skin that makes your heart sing is a good strategy.

[Arrghus]

For those in the UK who are put off by the silver or pink, the blue PRS-350 can be bought in Waterstone's. It's unlikely to be on display, so ask specifically if they have any. It's stange that they do, as the blue is not listed on the UK Sony website. There is a sticker denoting the blue colour placed over where it would usually indicate a silver reader in the box. The blue looks fantastic in the flesh - better than black I have to say. And you still get that nice contrast that you find with the Kindle also.

[graycyn]

I must be in the minority, but I really love the silver color of my 950. Black would bore me. Dark blue I might enjoy, but I've always loved the color silver and it just looks sleek, elegant and rich to me. Though I keep it in a cover for protection, this is the first reader that also felt really good to me in my hand, before I got the cover.

Of course, I didn't particularly mind the white of my Nook either... but the Nook looks cheap and plasticky when placed next to the Sony.

Anyway, I love my silver! Still, it would've been nice to have more choices, since it's clear some folks really want a darker color.

[Poppaea]

Originally Posted by graycyn

I must be in the minority, but I really love the silver color of my 950. Black would bore me. Dark blue I might enjoy, but I've always loved the color silver and it just looks sleek, elegant and rich to me. Though I keep it in a cover for protection, this is the first reader that also felt really good to me in my hand, before I got the cover.

Of course, I didn't particularly mind the white of my Nook either... but the Nook looks cheap and plasticky when placed next to the Sony.

Anyway, I love my silver! Still, it would've been nice to have more choices, since it's clear some folks really want a darker color.

You are not alone! I bought the 350 in silver on purpose and the 650 too. It not only is a beautiful color, it also goes very well with absolutely every cover. Now that I bought the Oberon covers for the 650 I really appreciate how stunnigly the silver complements the pewter button.

[Pomtroll]

Originally Posted by graycyn

I must be in the minority, but I really love the silver color of my 950. Black would bore me. Dark blue I might enjoy, but I've always loved the color silver and it just looks sleek, elegant and rich to me. Though I keep it in a cover for protection, this is the first reader that also felt really good to me in my hand, before I got the cover.

Of course, I didn't particularly mind the white of my Nook either... but the Nook looks cheap and plasticky when placed next to the Sony.

Anyway, I love my silver! Still, it would've been nice to have more choices, since it's clear some folks really want a darker color.

I have the silver prs350 & the pink prs 350. I love both colors. Most of the skins are too busy for my taste. I do prefer simple. I have seen a few I find attractive. There was one skin that would work well for any of the people who wanted a pink Sony but could only get a silver.

[graycyn]

I agree, the silver looks very, very nice in the Oberon covers! I think I tend to prefer simple looks myself.

[Prestidigitweeze]

So do I, which is why I prefer the simpler skins.

The only reason I prefer a skin at all should be obvious to anyone who has read the OP:-- it's a question not of decorative embellishment but readability.

[Bookworm_Girl]

I went with a skin that was solid black around the top half and then a floral pattern on the bottom half that nicely matches my red Oberon cover. I was worried about the pattern distraction too, but it has worked out fine for me. I think it helps that the top half and pattern background are black.

[Prestidigitweeze]

Blue lacquer works for me in much the same way. If I lived in the UK, I'd have been happier hunting down a blue PRS-350 that required no skinning at all.

As an experiment, and knowing it went against my personal aesthetic, I bought a second skin in addition to the blue lacquer for my 950. Said skin uses a subdued color that matches my cases and silver 950's outlines, and a subdued but still distracting picture. I think I was curious as to how the screen wallpaper/skin combination would strike me.

The answer is that it strikes me as a boat-themed monster truck show might -- a show in which all monster trucks resembled boats and the various clashes and crashes were meant to simulate classic sinking-ship tragedies:-- gimmicky and irrelevant.

Luckily, I have my first choice standing by. I've only been reluctant to remove the gimmicky skin because I applied it particularly well.

Bookworm Girl: I've always been a fan of black and red myself. I once changed the body of my iMod (a modded iPod given to me for writing a review) to black with a red touch wheel for that reason.

Fancy uploading a picture or two? Love to see how the skin matches the Oberon.

[Bookworm_Girl]

Hi, Prestidigitweeze! Here are the requested photos. Sorry it's taken me awhile to respond. I was sick for several days, and then I was attempting to be sensitive because I knew you were mourning the unfortunate loss of your 350. However, it seems all has been happily resolved on that issue! The colors are distorted from the camera flash. The red of the cover is actually much darker. The red of the flowers on the skin doesn't match the cover as exact as I would like, but it was the best option at the time and my primary concern was a black background. One thing I have noticed recently is that the skin is starting to show a small wear mark on the upper-right hand corner from the elastic strap.

[elcreative]

Originally Posted by Arrghus

For those in the UK who are put off by the silver or pink, the blue PRS-350 can be bought in Waterstone's. It's unlikely to be on display, so ask specifically if they have any. It's stange that they do, as the blue is not listed on the UK Sony website. There is a sticker denoting the blue colour placed over where it would usually indicate a silver reader in the box. The blue looks fantastic in the flesh - better than black I have to say. And you still get that nice contrast that you find with the Kindle also.

Also you may find covers available... Birmingham High Street Waterstones has a variety of 350 and 650 covers both with and without light...