Forbes not impressed by Sony's PRS700 - Page 2

Lord KiRon · 10-02-2008, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Berk

@Lord KiRon
The answer is simple. Wait for Igor firmware hack and program the buttons the way you want...
Anyway, it's too soon to decide either way. Wait for the first Youtube video... the first hater review... allow yourself to be surprised, maybe you'll find the touchscreen actually comfortable.

Thanks, I actually more likely to wait for Igor's hack to implement russian

As for buttons NatCh, it's not really like 500 where you hold with left hand but in the middle , here its lower left corner ...
I need to get use to the idea and "pilot" it when some of my friends will get reader.

Other options of reader look good, it's a buttons on the middle right I missing

Donnageddon · 10-02-2008, 07:57 PM

I will be waiting for a more comprehensive review of how well the touchscreen interface works.

I have limited use of my left thumb, and that does present a problem for me. but if the touch interface allows for easy one handed page turning via the right thumb... it could all be good.

I am impressed so far with the other details of the PRS700... might be worth selling the old 505 and investing in the 700.

Valloric · 10-02-2008, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NatCh

I agree, that would only work for left-handed holding.

I'm right-handed... why mother? WHHHHY?!

Seriously though, I must say I don't like the omission of the convenient page-turn buttons, although I'm quite sure I'd find a way to live with the touch-turning.

JSWolf · 10-02-2008, 08:45 PM

I wonder how much the Kindle would actually cost if Amazon added in a touchscreen and a frontlight. I bet it would go over the $400 price mark. So Forbes saying that the 700 is too expensive is crazy. Look at all the people who purchased the Kindle before the price dropped.

Alisa · 10-04-2008, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I wonder how much the Kindle would actually cost if Amazon added in a touchscreen and a frontlight. I bet it would go over the $400 price mark. So Amazon's saying that the 700 is too expensive is crazy. Look at all the people who purchased the Kindle before the price dropped.

I was willing to spend $400 when the Sony 505 was a lot less to get things like search, annotation and dictionary look up. This hardware seems quite worth the price to me. Sure, we'd all like them to be $99 but that's just not going to happen for awhile.

As for the page buttons, I do prefer having them on both sides, but I'm right handed and usually hold my Kindle with my left hand. So does my husband. Still, it's not fair to leave the lefties out in the cold. I would hope by now they'd look at all the popular hacks out there and start integrating some of them, like programmable buttons. However, while I like a left-side button, I don't hold at the bottom, so that wouldn't be an ideal place for me. I think it's hard to find a button layout that works for everyone. I find the Kindle highly ergonomic. My husband has adjusted to his but naturally holds his books even higher up than I do. It's less than ideal for him. I think with any device you use a lot, you do adjust and you end up working it without even thinking about it after awhile.

worxland · 10-04-2008, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valloric

I'm right-handed... why mother? WHHHHY?!

I hold my 505 in my right hand, close to the left side (holding both the reader and the cover - like I do for an open paperback's left and right side) - the left side buttons are absolutely at the right place to reach with my thumb. I hardly use the bottom-right arrows or the two page turner buttons on the right side. So pressing buttons on the left for a right-handed is not a big issue IMHO.

Be Szpilman · 10-06-2008, 11:20 PM

Quote:

"Kindle can't really be threatened because it's the only one with a wireless store built into it, and that's an amazing convenience. The Sony Reader has always been a good device. But without that critical content piece, an e-book is just a bunch of wires and a screen."

That's the epitome of American consumistic convenience. Critical content piece ?!? It's not like you digest books in a second's worth, so why would I need the whole world of books always at my fat lazy fingertips ? It drains more battery, too.

Charbax · 10-10-2008, 03:24 AM

No wireless is like having a computer without the Internet connection. Not a usable experience.

Also the touch-screen and the front-light are gimmicks. Cause the touch-screen isn't precise enough to be used to annotate using the stylus.

Be Szpilman · 10-10-2008, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charbax

No wireless is like having a computer without the Internet connection. Not a usable experience.

Also the touch-screen and the front-light are gimmicks. Cause the touch-screen isn't precise enough to be used to annotate using the stylus.

My experience with the PRS500/505 has been quite usable, I'm sure.

It's not even nearly like having no internet connection on a computer. No connectivity on the Reader can be resolved with a computer, whereas if the computer has not a connection all is damned.

Taylor514ce · 10-10-2008, 10:42 AM

Device details aside, the article is right to point out that CONTENT is Sony's weak link vs. Amazon, and that isn't entirely Sony's fault. Their mistake was trying to become a bookseller in direct competition with Amazon. If they had decided to do what they do (hardware) and had partnered with Amazon's competition for content, then we'd have a more competitive situation. Borders.com, for example. But instead of creating a true e-bookstore with Borders, Borders just links back to the Sony store. Ridiculous.

DaleDe · 10-10-2008, 11:43 AM

Sony has committed to 100,000 eBooks by the end of the year. That's a good start to solve the content problem.

ProDigit · 10-19-2008, 12:22 AM

as a sidenote on the left hand, in landscape, where do the buttons go? to the left or to the right hand?

And about the 700, does the 700 happen to have any side buttons?
I wasn't sure, but somewhere in my memory I remember a device with buttons on the side; could be another one...

About the price, I do agree it's a bit much seeing the 505 goes over ebay at 225-250.
For the 700, a price like 350 would have been more justified.

But perhaps either Sony will surprise us, with a better than expected device, or the price will drop somewhat in the coming months to year.

pilotbob · 10-19-2008, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProDigit

About the price, I do agree it's a bit much seeing the 505 goes over ebay at 225-250.
For the 700, a price like 350 would have been more justified.

You can't compare list price to street price.

The 505 MSRP is $299, the 700 MSRP is $399. In fact, those are the prices SonyStyle sells it for.

I'm sure we will see the 700 come down to a street price of around $350 after its out for a few months. Generally for new devices the retailers know that early adopters will pay full MSRP because they want it NOW.

BOb

Steven Lyle Jordan · 10-21-2008, 11:32 AM

I've tried the 700 in the store, and I didn't find a problem with the page-turn buttons... in fact, once I tried the "finger-slide" page turn method, I never used the page-turn buttons. The ergonomics work for me.

Pretty much the only thing I agree with Forbes on, is the too-high price of the 700. Bring it down to $300 or below, and I'll consider it. Bring it down to $200 and I wouldn't think twice... I'd be on it like white on rice.

Lacking wireless book access is really no big deal... being able to connect, once you get home (or, potentially, at a bookstore while shopping) would work fine for me. And the Sony handles more formats, so although the Sony bookstore may not match Amazon, adding the catalogs of other e-book stores makes up for it.

Bottom line, I'll be watching it, but not seriously until after the second half of '09 at the earliest, I'm sure.

ProDigit · 10-21-2008, 12:50 PM

You know, knowing what's coming, what's going to be released is a good thing but also sucks big time!

It's the anticiapation of something better in the horizon that excites me, but the wait untill it's there kind of is a bit dissapointing.

I wished Sony would sell to consumers already in their store (like limited to 1 purchase per person, perhaps for a bit more expensive price). That way we'd already have some nice reviews!. Reviews probably will be able to keep me alive for the next 3 weeks until it's official release...

The way things are now, I'd probably not have another ebook for the coming month, or maybe even longer...

10-02-2008, 08:45 PM	#19
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,796 Karma: 146391129 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I wonder how much the Kindle would actually cost if Amazon added in a touchscreen and a frontlight. I bet it would go over the $400 price mark. So Forbes saying that the 700 is too expensive is crazy. Look at all the people who purchased the Kindle before the price dropped. Last edited by JSWolf; 10-04-2008 at 12:12 PM.

10-19-2008, 12:22 AM	#27
ProDigit Karmaniac Posts: 2,553 Karma: 11499146 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Miami FL Device: PRS-505, Jetbook, + Mini, +Color, Astak Ez Reader Pro, PPW1, Aura H2O	as a sidenote on the left hand, in landscape, where do the buttons go? to the left or to the right hand? And about the 700, does the 700 happen to have any side buttons? I wasn't sure, but somewhere in my memory I remember a device with buttons on the side; could be another one... About the price, I do agree it's a bit much seeing the 505 goes over ebay at 225-250. For the 700, a price like 350 would have been more justified. But perhaps either Sony will surprise us, with a better than expected device, or the price will drop somewhat in the coming months to year. Last edited by ProDigit; 10-19-2008 at 12:26 AM.

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10-02-2008, 07:57 PM	#17
Donnageddon Now you lishen here... Posts: 2,494 Karma: 479498 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Seattle-ish Device: Sony PRS-650. Kobo Touch, Kindle Fire	I will be waiting for a more comprehensive review of how well the touchscreen interface works. I have limited use of my left thumb, and that does present a problem for me. but if the touch interface allows for easy one handed page turning via the right thumb... it could all be good. I am impressed so far with the other details of the PRS700... might be worth selling the old 505 and investing in the 700.

10-10-2008, 03:24 AM	#23
Charbax Addict Posts: 203 Karma: 550683 Join Date: Mar 2007	No wireless is like having a computer without the Internet connection. Not a usable experience. Also the touch-screen and the front-light are gimmicks. Cause the touch-screen isn't precise enough to be used to annotate using the stylus.

10-10-2008, 10:42 AM	#25
Taylor514ce Actively passive. Posts: 2,042 Karma: 478376 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: US Device: Sony PRS-505/LC	Device details aside, the article is right to point out that CONTENT is Sony's weak link vs. Amazon, and that isn't entirely Sony's fault. Their mistake was trying to become a bookseller in direct competition with Amazon. If they had decided to do what they do (hardware) and had partnered with Amazon's competition for content, then we'd have a more competitive situation. Borders.com, for example. But instead of creating a true e-bookstore with Borders, Borders just links back to the Sony store. Ridiculous.

10-10-2008, 11:43 AM	#26
DaleDe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,470 Karma: 13095790 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Grass Valley, CA Device: EB 1150, EZ Reader, Literati, iPad 2 & Air 2, iPhone 7	Sony has committed to 100,000 eBooks by the end of the year. That's a good start to solve the content problem.

10-21-2008, 11:32 AM	#29
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	I've tried the 700 in the store, and I didn't find a problem with the page-turn buttons... in fact, once I tried the "finger-slide" page turn method, I never used the page-turn buttons. The ergonomics work for me. Pretty much the only thing I agree with Forbes on, is the too-high price of the 700. Bring it down to $300 or below, and I'll consider it. Bring it down to $200 and I wouldn't think twice... I'd be on it like white on rice. Lacking wireless book access is really no big deal... being able to connect, once you get home (or, potentially, at a bookstore while shopping) would work fine for me. And the Sony handles more formats, so although the Sony bookstore may not match Amazon, adding the catalogs of other e-book stores makes up for it. Bottom line, I'll be watching it, but not seriously until after the second half of '09 at the earliest, I'm sure.

10-21-2008, 12:50 PM	#30
ProDigit Karmaniac Posts: 2,553 Karma: 11499146 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Miami FL Device: PRS-505, Jetbook, + Mini, +Color, Astak Ez Reader Pro, PPW1, Aura H2O	You know, knowing what's coming, what's going to be released is a good thing but also sucks big time! It's the anticiapation of something better in the horizon that excites me, but the wait untill it's there kind of is a bit dissapointing. I wished Sony would sell to consumers already in their store (like limited to 1 purchase per person, perhaps for a bit more expensive price). That way we'd already have some nice reviews!. Reviews probably will be able to keep me alive for the next 3 weeks until it's official release... The way things are now, I'd probably not have another ebook for the coming month, or maybe even longer...