The Sony PRS700: the Newest Member of the Sony Reader Family

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Dave Berk

Let me summarize why I think the PRS-700 is gonna be great:
1. Touch-screen.

To me the above also... but due to the virtual keyboard which adds the ability to search, annotate, take notes, etc. Stuff you can do on the Kindle v1 device.

BOb

[junkml]

So does this mean you could set a "button" in the lower right corner (or middle of the right side) to page forward? For me, that would compensate for the less than optimal placement of the page buttons on the 700.

Originally Posted by Dave Berk

1. Touch-screen.

Yes, Touch screen. Not for nothing Apple had started using touch screen with the iPod line - once you get used to it it's a better way to interface with the hardware (IMHO). Many people here wrote how they miss the button placement of the old PRS-505. With a touch screen anywhere can be a button. Since Sony said the whole thing is configurable - make your own buttons, wherever you like them.

[Dave Berk]

Originally Posted by junkml

So does this mean you could set a "button" in the lower right corner (or middle of the right side) to page forward? For me, that would compensate for the less than optimal placement of the page buttons on the 700.

I Don't know. The way I read it Sony said the swipe to change pages is configurable. But how configurable I don't know.

[LexHall]

It looks cool, but am so glad after Sony released 505 software update.

[JSWolf]

The good think witht he 700 is that reading should take less power then any other eink device since it doesn't need to update the screen twice for each page turn. Well done Sony!

[Scythe]

Sounds like the "swipe motion" is just a different take on page changing.

IE: instead of changing the page with a giant flash, it now just scrolls down the page line by line doing the change. Thus, to the naked eye, it looks as though the page changed faster and cleaner (when in fact it's the same speed, it's just not as noticeable as the entire screen changing color).

[igorsk]

There were several articles about PRS-700 launch accompanies by pictures of a PRS-500 or PRS-505 but this one takes the cake...
http://www.itproportal.com/articles/...anced-display/

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by igorsk

There were several articles about PRS-700 launch accompanies by pictures of a PRS-500 or PRS-505 but this one takes the cake...
http://www.itproportal.com/articles/...anced-display/

How did they manage to make such a big blunder?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Scythe

Sounds like the "swipe motion" is just a different take on page changing.

IE: instead of changing the page with a giant flash, it now just scrolls down the page line by line doing the change. Thus, to the naked eye, it looks as though the page changed faster and cleaner (when in fact it's the same speed, it's just not as noticeable as the entire screen changing color).

No, I don't think that's what it means. The "swipe motion" refers to the motion of your finger on the screen to turn the page, not to the way that the screen is redrawn by the machine.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

How did they manage to make such a big blunder?

I don't recognise that device at all. What is it?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I don't recognise that device at all. What is it?

It's the Sony Librie.

[HarryT]

Ah! Thanks .

[Dave Berk]

Just came across this blog entry by Mike Cane about the new 700. Good reading. He has some points about the PRS-700 which I haven't read anywhere else. Also, some of his other entries on the reader are worth reading.

What’s probably not immediately apparent is the continued genius of the hardware design. The three left-most buttons are where your left-hand thumb would go with a printed book. It’s also where your left-hand thumb would go with the two prior models, the PRS-500 and 505 (if you’re holding them properly!). So, that aspect of the design has been preserved, even though the buttons are different and now actually separate.

One more point about these views. Remember those ten buttons the 505 had on its right side, to select eBooks? Those are gone now. In their place is an alphabetical tab system at the right side of the touchscreen in List and Cover views, sort of like the alpha tabs found in the iPhone’s Contacts list. One of those tabs can be tapped on to, for example, select all eBook titles that begin with A or with T. This will be very handy for people who really put many eBooks on the Sony Reader. Being able to quickly jump to something has been much improved. No more page-page-page through Lists!

Once a book has been selected, there is an enhanced Table of Contents which now includes being able to jump to each chapter of an eBook.

Once in an eBook, the fifth button at the bottom, Magnify, will bring up a dialog box(!) with five type size choices: S, M, L, XL, and XXL. That’s two more choices than past models. In addition, changing type size is instant. No repagination delay! There’s a brief flash of the screen but, boom!, done.

[gwynevans]

Originally Posted by Dave Berk

Just came across this blog entry by Mike Cane about the new 700. Good reading. He has some points about the PRS-700 which I haven't read anywhere else. Also, some of his other entries on the reader are worth reading.

One other point he makes, which was queried about here... "Use a gesture to change the page — this can be a swipe to the left or right, a tap, or even a swipe up or down! This is totally user-selectable."

[Dave Berk]

Originally Posted by gwynevans

One other point he makes, which was queried about here... "Use a gesture to change the page — this can be a swipe to the left or right, a tap, or even a swipe up or down! This is totally user-selectable."

Totally right! Missed that one, thanks.