If I want a Pocket style Sony reader which one is best?

[Quoth]

PRS-350 or PRS-650
I have the PRS-350 Nice 5".

IMO there is no advantage to the later Andriod, which are T1, T2 and T3. The T1 is buggy, the T2 is OK, but really the PRS-650 might be better. The T3 is rare as then Sony exited ereaders. The Sony DPT series are not ereaders.

[Scoob]

Originally Posted by Quoth

PRS-350 or PRS-650
I have the PRS-350 Nice 5".

IMO there is no advantage to the later Andriod, which are T1, T2 and T3. The T1 is buggy, the T2 is OK, but really the PRS-650 might be better. The T3 is rare as then Sony exited ereaders. The Sony DPT series are not ereaders.

I didn't know the T series were Android. Learning a lot in this Sony Safari. I had heard that the T2 was the better of the T series offerings. Was it that one that one that had a front solid cover that clipped onto the back when reading? Maybe I'll scratch that itch in the future. Right now the 650 and 350 are what I'm looking at acquiring. They just look cool and different and so pocketable.

[acanthicus]

Originally Posted by Scoob

I'm handy with a screwdriver and pry tools so battery swaps aren't too troublesome. I have seen some places say that the replacement batteries don't always have a specific or analogous resistor that the original Sony battery had. Is that specific to certain models or is that all of them?

Hi,

I tested the PRS350 and 650 with different brands of replacement batteries. They did not work, unfortunately. The procedure itself is easy apart from 505, which is tricky. There are some good youtube videos about that. Without a working battery, it's not so easy. I think one can replace the resistor from the original one to a new one, but you need to open the battery. I did not try that.
You can install an alternative firmware on 505, 350 and 650 and I think some others, which is PRS+. I like that very much, much more than the Android on my T3.
The 505 (my first ereader)is a piece of art imho. With PRS+ you can assign several functions to the buttons.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rcentros

There are quite a few differences. First they all have good touch screens and all use micro-USB (instead of mini-USB) ports for charging and connecting (no alternate barrel charging slots in the x50s). The 650 and 950 retained the headphone jack and the micro-SD plus Pro Duo card slots. The software was updated considerably. The 950 had both WiFi and 3G, but only to connect to Sony. (They called the 950 the "Daily Edition" because you could subscribe to daily news and have sent directly to your eReader.) These had metal styluses (metal with plastic tips on the 650 and 950, plastic on the 350). Styluses weren't really needed as the touch screens were good and bright (I believe of the Pearl vintage).

The Sony PRS-650 is the sleekest 5" eReader that I've ever seen. Overall, I think the quality and build of the x50 series was the best I've seen in eReaders. So I can see why people are interested in finding these. Kind of like finding a vintage car.

The 650 is 6" The 950 is 7" but slim and tall. Not line the current 7" screens. The 350 is 5". However, the firmware is pretty limited and the version of RMSDK is old enough not to have hyphenation.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Scoob

The 505 is what I eventually want to find. It's the button placement for me. They're in both places my thumbs naturally go to when I hold things one handed.

The 505 is even worse then the x50 line. The version of RMSDK is super old. It doesn't even do full justification. Plus, the problem is going to be that it has a rather slow processor and not much working memory. So hi-res images are going to be an issue. Just a hi-res cover can case the 505 to slow down, lock up, or crash. Also, one other issue is that you cannot choose the font you want unless you embed in the ePub. And if you use the default font, you will not get a true italic. You'll just get the regular font slanted.

With the 505 and x50 line, language support outside of English can be rather poor. And you cannot change that other to embed the fonts you want/need in the ePub. The x50 line has a lot of the same issues I've listed for the 505.

[Scoob]

Originally Posted by acanthicus

Hi,

I tested the PRS350 and 650 with different brands of replacement batteries. They did not work, unfortunately. The procedure itself is easy apart from 505, which is tricky. There are some good youtube videos about that. Without a working battery, it's not so easy. I think one can replace the resistor from the original one to a new one, but you need to open the battery. I did not try that.
You can install an alternative firmware on 505, 350 and 650 and I think some others, which is PRS+. I like that very much, much more than the Android on my T3.
The 505 (my first ereader)is a piece of art imho. With PRS+ you can assign several functions to the buttons.

Well now I'm just a little more nervous about replacing batteries
I'm confident in the batteries of the 3 that I'm buying from a fellow collector but the 505 I bought is from someone else that really didn't know much about it themselves other than it turns on and off.
I was looking at the PRS+ and I think I'll try the vanilla firmware then if I don't like it I'll try the PRS+.
2 questions though about it
1) can I revert to vanilla if I don't like the PRS+
2) does it drain the battery more than stock firmware

[Scoob]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The 505 is even worse then the x50 line. The version of RMSDK is super old. It doesn't even do full justification. Plus, the problem is going to be that it has a rather slow processor and not much working memory. So hi-res images are going to be an issue. Just a hi-res cover can case the 505 to slow down, lock up, or crash. Also, one other issue is that you cannot choose the font you want unless you embed in the ePub. And if you use the default font, you will not get a true italic. You'll just get the regular font slanted.

With the 505 and x50 line, language support outside of English can be rather poor. And you cannot change that other to embed the fonts you want/need in the ePub. The x50 line has a lot of the same issues I've listed for the 505.

Well it's never a bad idea to learn how to successfully embed fonts and I've put that off for a while at this point. I've tried it once and didn't succeed but I also didn't need to succeed. As for format and layout and the like I don't mind that at all. Even not having hyphens isn't as much a issue as I thought it would be.

[acanthicus]

1) can I revert to vanilla if I don't like the PRS+
2) does it drain the battery more than stock firmware

You will find lots of information in this thread and the link it provides at the top:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=64510

PRS+ is a kind of addition to the normal firmware. It does not replace the original firmware (I learned this by using the link above .
I think you can delete it, but I never did that, because I like it better than the original. I don't remember if the battery drains more, because I installed it a long time ago. Nowadays the battery life is not as good as in the T3, because the replacements I installed (at a time when it was possible to find working ones) were never as good as the original sony ones.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Scoob

First of all thank you for your thorough answers and how quickly you responded

It was a little bit of a bummer to hear they might have the language locked as I found many well taken care of 350 and 650 and other Sony ereaders on mercari Japan. (I have read your PM however so I will get in contact later today for that).

A question that did arise when looking at units was: 1) Whats the material for the buttons?

I didn't see this question earlier. Sorry.

Metal buttons on the x50 series. Mostly plastic buttons on the 505 (except maybe for the big multi-directional buttons at the bottom appear to be metal). Looks like the 300 is the same as the 505, but I'm beginning to think that even the big buttons might be plastic. Whatever they're made with they seem to hold up well.

[Scoob]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I didn't see this question earlier. Sorry.

Metal buttons on the x50 series. Mostly plastic buttons on the 505 (except maybe for the big multi-directional buttons at the bottom appear to be metal). Looks like the 300 is the same as the 505, but I'm beginning to think that even the big buttons might be plastic. Whatever they're made with they seem to hold up well.

Good to know. I saw a few on Ebay that had messed up buttons. I figure thats from people using their nail rather than finger pad to hit buttons.

[Scoob]

My Sony bundle is in my mitts and they couldn't be happier. All three just look beautiful and mint condition which is credit to rcentros. My smallest ereader is my Glow4 which I really like and upon first holding it it felt nearly like a toy with how small and light it is. Holding the 350 for example is the complete opposite. It feels solid and light for being small too. It doesn't look nor feel like a tablet, phone, or another ereader. It feels like a high tech E-ink Reading Device. I am excited to get to use these Devices and give them more time in the sun.

Now I await a 505 purchased off ebay that is going on a surprise adventure thru the midwest to get to me

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Scoob

Well it's never a bad idea to learn how to successfully embed fonts and I've put that off for a while at this point. I've tried it once and didn't succeed but I also didn't need to succeed. As for format and layout and the like I don't mind that at all. Even not having hyphens isn't as much a issue as I thought it would be.

I like dark fonts so I embed Constantia into my ePubs (via Calibre). Something I learned from JSWolf (despite his disdain for Sony readers) is that with the x50 and T series readers, you can adjust screen brightness and contrast. He told me that a good setting is contrast set to 60 and the brightness set to -60. (Hit the Options button, go to Custom View and then Custom and you'll see the two sliders, top is contrast and the bottom is brightness.) This is done book by book, but it's usually the first thing I do when I move a new book over to the Sonys.

Another thing not mentioned much about the old (x50 and T series) Sonys is the good quality dictionaries built into them. The New Oxford American Dictionary, the Oxford Dictionary of English (which sometimes has words the American dictionary doesn't have), and the Oxford-Hachette French Dictionary (EN-FR and FR-EN), the Collins English-German and German-English dictionaries. The Oxford Spanish Dictionaries (EN-ES, ES-EN). The Collins English-Italian and Italian-English dictionaries and the Van Dale English-Dutch and Dutch-English dictionaries.

I remember seeing the Sony readers in Target. And, I think, I remember the x50 series ones selling their for about $350 (but my memory may not be accurate). This could be why they died out. My first Sony was a refurbished PRS-T2 I bought at the old Tiger Direct store for about $60.

[Scoob]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I like dark fonts so I embed Constantia into my ePubs (via Calibre). Something I learned from JSWolf (despite his disdain for Sony readers) is that with the x50 and T series readers, you can adjust screen brightness and contrast. He told me that a good setting is contrast set to 60 and the brightness set to -60. (Hit the Options button, go to Custom View and then Custom and you'll see the two sliders, top is contrast and the bottom is brightness.) This is done book by book, but it's usually the first thing I do when I move a new book over to the Sonys.

I am not partial to any font really which sounds like a rarity around here. I did some reading last night on all three Sonys and whatever the default font was it's fine with me. That being said I use Baskerville on all my other ereaders so to continue the theme I might embed it on all my books as their default font.
I clicked around in all the settings and did come across those sliders and wondered what they were for. Especially the brightness one as they don't have frontlights. I'll try out the 60 and -60 and see how thats looks. Right now I just set everything to margin cut and medium font and that looked okay to me.
Double tap to get into the dictionary is something I've never encountered before so that took a few minutes to get used to. I greatly appreciate the definition in the box an not what kindle sometimes does where it gives you nothing and you have to tap into the dictionary to get a definition.

[rkomar]

Originally Posted by Scoob

I am excited to get to use these Devices and give them more time in the sun.

I seem to recall that my 505's display goes faint when it changes in direct sunlight. You have to keep the sun off when flipping pages (i.e. close the cover or turn it over) or you won't be able to read the text. Later devices had UV-blockers added to the plastic on top of the display to fix that problem.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by acanthicus

You will find lots of information in this thread and the link it provides at the top:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=64510

PRS+ is a kind of addition to the normal firmware. It does not replace the original firmware (I learned this by using the link above .
I think you can delete it, but I never did that, because I like it better than the original. I don't remember if the battery drains more, because I installed it a long time ago. Nowadays the battery life is not as good as in the T3, because the replacements I installed (at a time when it was possible to find working ones) were never as good as the original sony ones.

I tried PRS+ on my 650 and it drained the battery big time. And now it's no longer supported I would forget it.