PRS-900 Just received my PRS-900!

m-reader · 02-20-2010, 04:59 AM

Happy days! The UPS dude just walked into my office with a big box from B&H Photo.
I'm in Saudi Arabia and it took 5 days from placing the order to receiving the package here in Riyadh. Not too shabby!
First impressions:
1. Packaging - very nice. I enjoyed going through the boxes thoroughly.
2. Contents - I'm surprised that it comes with the power adaptor. Just as well - I don't have to buy one for the PRS-300 now.
The Case Logic pouch looks very heavy-duty.
3. The device - nice built quality, a pleasure to hold in hands. I turned it on right away and browsed some books. I was a bit apprehensive of the dreaded "glare", but I think I can live with it. The office is all fluorescent lighting and although the screen it's not the same as my old Iliad, it's by no means hard to read. I'll use it with the light cover I bought previously and see how that goes.

I'll be posting some comparison shots between PRS-300 and 900 soon. But in the meantime, it's back to work for me!

kennyc · 02-20-2010, 06:56 AM

Congratulations! I love my 900.....anyone wanna buy the CaseLogic that came with it. I really have no use for it.

Looking forward to your review after you've used it a bit...

Bremen Cole · 02-20-2010, 08:26 AM

Congrats! That is a nice touch to have a power supply, it is somewhat irritating they don't include one with all models..... enjoy!

Lilly · 02-20-2010, 09:40 AM

Welcome to the club m-reader!

kennyc · 02-20-2010, 09:45 AM

Club? We have a club? Let's party!!!

Penforhire · 02-20-2010, 05:35 PM

The Case Logic box gives me some comfort when I travel by motorcycle, carrying it in a top case, but that's the only time I use it so far.

dreams · 02-20-2010, 06:18 PM

Congratulations, m-reader! It's always fun to get a new toy Reader.

m-reader · 02-21-2010, 01:03 AM

Ok, day one is over, I'm still not over the "gadget crush" but I think I can offer a few words or reasonably impartial comments:

1. Reader light cover - I was a bit concerned that the light won't be bright enough (1 AAA battery). To be frank, it's nowhere near the Mighty Bright which takes 3 AAA batteries, but it's quite readable in full darkness. Even in low ambient light, the additional light it provides seems to make the screen "crisper".
The cover makes the reader somewhat wider by about 1 cm I would say. The spine of the cover is not as "firm" as the original so when I'm reading it sometimes the reader seems to be slightly askew. This however has no untoward effect on the reading experience or handling.
My biggest gripe is that I cannot carry the reader in the protective cover any more, as it won't fit!

2. Reading experience (ergonomics) - I am new to the world of touch screen e-readers. I tried using the finger swipes at the beginning and wasn't terribly impressed. However after a while I got the hang of it. It seems to require a bit more finger pressure than I would assume. I think I like it now. It doesn't work for single hand reading though. For this, I found that the buttons work just fine (I'm left left handed

). It's also nice not to have to push mechanical buttons to flip pages. Finger swipes are completely silent.
Note taking works reasonably well but if you are used to Wacom you will be disappointed trying to take hand written notes. The screen needs a lot more pressure with the stylus making writing notes a chore. The on-screen keyboard is pretty responsive, but I haven't played with it much.

3. Reading experience (screen quality) - I like the additional real estate on the screen. I seem to prefer the Medium font size and even with this, there's plenty text on the screen. The page turns are quick, very, very quick (compared to the old Iliad).
I found that the screen glare issue is completely manageable with a slight tilt of the reader. The worst light for reading is office cold florescent type. Even under these conditions, a slight tilt makes the glare monster go away

.
I tested it outdoors under the harsh desert sun and it's ace. Both in the shade and in direct sunlight. I don't think however I will be reading outdoors much in the months to come with the temperature rising up to 36C already.
Having said this, my wife doesn't like it when compared to her PRS-300 screen. She reckons her screen is a lot better, but I think that may have to do with the fact that her reader is pink

.

4. Reading experience (formats and UI) - This is what we buy readers for, right? PRS-900 worked so well for me that I almost forgot to comment on format support

I had preloaded Calibre already with some books in anticipation (I'm definitely donating some money to the Calibre project after this - it's absolutely awesome!). I've tried EPUB and PDF. EPUB is fantastic, and PDF works really well too. I find test re-flow to work really well for techie books. If you don't like re-flow, change screen orientation to landscape and you're away.
The dictionary works well too. All in all - superb!
Menus leave a bit to be desired IMHO. I have prefer a ribbon or a toolbar which would pop-up at the bottom of the screen as oppose to the Options pop-up menu. Lack of button driven screen orientation change is also a let-down (disclaimer: I haven't read the manual yet - that option may well be there).
The main screen and book browsing works well. Overall touch screen experience is pleasant. Almost no delays in executing taps, other than when opening e-books.

Alrighty, that's it from me for now. I'm very happy with the product so far. I tried taking some pics with my mobile phone but they are shockers and won't do the justice to the device. I'll try my Leica over the weekend and see how it goes.

Cheers,

m-reader

m-reader · 02-21-2010, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bremen Cole

Congrats! That is a nice touch to have a power supply, it is somewhat irritating they don't include one with all models..... enjoy!

Thanks Bremen. I agree with you re power supply. It doesn't make much sense.

m-reader · 02-21-2010, 01:10 AM

Another thing guys - I have the Sony desktop software installed together with Adobe ADE desktop. It all seems to work well on my 64 bit Windows 7 laptop. I browsed Sony Store, downloaded some freebies but I think I'll stick with Calibre if I can help it

.

m-reader · 02-21-2010, 01:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lilly

Welcome to the club m-reader!

Thanks Lilly!

m-reader · 02-21-2010, 01:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kennyc

Club? We have a club? Let's party!!!

There was a party at my place last night! Sadly only near-beer was on offer (due to alcohol DRM geographical restrictions in Saudi), but the party went off like a fire cracker

kennyc · 02-21-2010, 06:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m-reader

There was a party at my place last night! Sadly only near-beer was on offer (due to alcohol DRM geographical restrictions in Saudi), but the party went off like a fire cracker

Glad you're liking the 900!

olguy · 02-21-2010, 09:24 AM

And let me say welcome. And it looks like you will enjoy the reader.

I use my left thumb frequently when holding the 900 in my left had. I have the page swipe set for right to left and my thumb can turn the page with no problem. In fact, that's easier than using the buttons. But I admit that I do have large hands, as you can see.

kennyc · 02-21-2010, 10:28 AM

I'm clearly not that dexterous.

02-20-2010, 04:59 AM	#1
m-reader Guru Posts: 785 Karma: 100000 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Sony PRS-300. PRS-650, PRS-900, iPad2, Iconia A500, Irex Iliad (sold)	Just received my PRS-900! Happy days! The UPS dude just walked into my office with a big box from B&H Photo. I'm in Saudi Arabia and it took 5 days from placing the order to receiving the package here in Riyadh. Not too shabby! First impressions: 1. Packaging - very nice. I enjoyed going through the boxes thoroughly. 2. Contents - I'm surprised that it comes with the power adaptor. Just as well - I don't have to buy one for the PRS-300 now. The Case Logic pouch looks very heavy-duty. 3. The device - nice built quality, a pleasure to hold in hands. I turned it on right away and browsed some books. I was a bit apprehensive of the dreaded "glare", but I think I can live with it. The office is all fluorescent lighting and although the screen it's not the same as my old Iliad, it's by no means hard to read. I'll use it with the light cover I bought previously and see how that goes. I'll be posting some comparison shots between PRS-300 and 900 soon. But in the meantime, it's back to work for me! Last edited by m-reader; 02-20-2010 at 06:39 AM.

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02-20-2010, 06:56 AM	#2
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,891 Karma: 119230421 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	Congratulations! I love my 900.....anyone wanna buy the CaseLogic that came with it. I really have no use for it. Looking forward to your review after you've used it a bit...

02-20-2010, 08:26 AM	#3
Bremen Cole Wizard Posts: 1,115 Karma: 2718 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Texas Device: iPad	Congrats! That is a nice touch to have a power supply, it is somewhat irritating they don't include one with all models..... enjoy!

02-20-2010, 09:40 AM	#4
Lilly Guru Posts: 688 Karma: 2090 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Sony PRS-505, PRS-900 & PRS-950, Amazon Kindle2	Welcome to the club m-reader!

02-20-2010, 09:45 AM	#5
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,891 Karma: 119230421 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	Club? We have a club? Let's party!!!

02-20-2010, 05:35 PM	#6
Penforhire Wizard Posts: 2,230 Karma: 7145404 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern California Device: Kindle Voyage & iPhone 7+	The Case Logic box gives me some comfort when I travel by motorcycle, carrying it in a top case, but that's the only time I use it so far.

02-20-2010, 06:18 PM	#7
dreams It's about the umbrella Posts: 25,110 Karma: 56250158 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Sony 505\| K Fire \| KK 3G+Wi-Fi \| iPhone 3Gs \|Vista 32-bit Hm Prem w/FF	Congratulations, m-reader! It's always fun to get a new toy Reader.

02-21-2010, 01:03 AM	#8
m-reader Guru Posts: 785 Karma: 100000 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Sony PRS-300. PRS-650, PRS-900, iPad2, Iconia A500, Irex Iliad (sold)	Ok, day one is over, I'm still not over the "gadget crush" but I think I can offer a few words or reasonably impartial comments: 1. Reader light cover - I was a bit concerned that the light won't be bright enough (1 AAA battery). To be frank, it's nowhere near the Mighty Bright which takes 3 AAA batteries, but it's quite readable in full darkness. Even in low ambient light, the additional light it provides seems to make the screen "crisper". The cover makes the reader somewhat wider by about 1 cm I would say. The spine of the cover is not as "firm" as the original so when I'm reading it sometimes the reader seems to be slightly askew. This however has no untoward effect on the reading experience or handling. My biggest gripe is that I cannot carry the reader in the protective cover any more, as it won't fit! 2. Reading experience (ergonomics) - I am new to the world of touch screen e-readers. I tried using the finger swipes at the beginning and wasn't terribly impressed. However after a while I got the hang of it. It seems to require a bit more finger pressure than I would assume. I think I like it now. It doesn't work for single hand reading though. For this, I found that the buttons work just fine (I'm left left handed ). It's also nice not to have to push mechanical buttons to flip pages. Finger swipes are completely silent. Note taking works reasonably well but if you are used to Wacom you will be disappointed trying to take hand written notes. The screen needs a lot more pressure with the stylus making writing notes a chore. The on-screen keyboard is pretty responsive, but I haven't played with it much. 3. Reading experience (screen quality) - I like the additional real estate on the screen. I seem to prefer the Medium font size and even with this, there's plenty text on the screen. The page turns are quick, very, very quick (compared to the old Iliad). I found that the screen glare issue is completely manageable with a slight tilt of the reader. The worst light for reading is office cold florescent type. Even under these conditions, a slight tilt makes the glare monster go away . I tested it outdoors under the harsh desert sun and it's ace. Both in the shade and in direct sunlight. I don't think however I will be reading outdoors much in the months to come with the temperature rising up to 36C already. Having said this, my wife doesn't like it when compared to her PRS-300 screen. She reckons her screen is a lot better, but I think that may have to do with the fact that her reader is pink . 4. Reading experience (formats and UI) - This is what we buy readers for, right? PRS-900 worked so well for me that I almost forgot to comment on format support I had preloaded Calibre already with some books in anticipation (I'm definitely donating some money to the Calibre project after this - it's absolutely awesome!). I've tried EPUB and PDF. EPUB is fantastic, and PDF works really well too. I find test re-flow to work really well for techie books. If you don't like re-flow, change screen orientation to landscape and you're away. The dictionary works well too. All in all - superb! Menus leave a bit to be desired IMHO. I have prefer a ribbon or a toolbar which would pop-up at the bottom of the screen as oppose to the Options pop-up menu. Lack of button driven screen orientation change is also a let-down (disclaimer: I haven't read the manual yet - that option may well be there). The main screen and book browsing works well. Overall touch screen experience is pleasant. Almost no delays in executing taps, other than when opening e-books. Alrighty, that's it from me for now. I'm very happy with the product so far. I tried taking some pics with my mobile phone but they are shockers and won't do the justice to the device. I'll try my Leica over the weekend and see how it goes. Cheers, m-reader

02-21-2010, 01:10 AM	#10
m-reader Guru Posts: 785 Karma: 100000 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Sony PRS-300. PRS-650, PRS-900, iPad2, Iconia A500, Irex Iliad (sold)	Another thing guys - I have the Sony desktop software installed together with Adobe ADE desktop. It all seems to work well on my 64 bit Windows 7 laptop. I browsed Sony Store, downloaded some freebies but I think I'll stick with Calibre if I can help it .

02-21-2010, 09:24 AM	#14
olguy Enthusiast Posts: 38 Karma: 26 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Kingwood, Texas Device: Sony Daily Reader	And let me say welcome. And it looks like you will enjoy the reader. I use my left thumb frequently when holding the 900 in my left had. I have the page swipe set for right to left and my thumb can turn the page with no problem. In fact, that's easier than using the buttons. But I admit that I do have large hands, as you can see.

02-21-2010, 10:28 AM	#15
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,891 Karma: 119230421 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	I'm clearly not that dexterous.