Is the PRS-505 still considered the best Sony Reader model released so far?

[EatingPie]

Originally Posted by jswinden

I've owned and/or used the 505, 300, 600, and 900. The quality of the 505 and 300 screens is the same, though the 505 is 6" and the 300 is 5". The screens on the 600 and 900 are not very good compared to the 505 and 300 due to the touch film, but they are readable and the 900 has a slightly better screen than the 600.

Screen wise I would rate the 505 and 300 as best. Since the 505 has a SD card slot and is slightly larger I would give it the best overall rating between these two.

The 600 and 900 are very fast and have a lot of bells and whistles. I really wanted to like them, but their screens just don't make for a good reading experience for me. Occasionally I could get the light just right and they worked fine. On the other hand, my 300 is good in almost all light. None of the Sonys are good in low light.

If Sony could figure out a way to give the functionality of the 900 with a screen as good as the 505, then they would have the best e-Ink reader IMHO. For now I would settle for the form factor of the 900 without a touchscreen and a $250 price, but that is not likely to happen.

Is the 300 sharper than the 505? I saw the 505 a few years ago and can't remember how sharp it was, but the 300 was very clear and sharp. Also curious if the 300 is faster than the 505.

-Pie

[grooks]

The screen clarity is exactly the same between the 300 and 505. Also, I believe the page turn speed is exactly the same (although others say they've noticed a slight difference).

[EatingPie]

Originally Posted by grooks

The screen clarity is exactly the same between the 300 and 505. Also, I believe the page turn speed is exactly the same (although others say they've noticed a slight difference).

Thanks!

So now that begs the question... what makes the 505 better? I can see some things, but I would love to hear from others with experience.

-Pie

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by EatingPie

Thanks!

So now that begs the question... what makes the 505 better? I can see some things, but I would love to hear from others with experience.

The 505 has two SD card slots; the 300 doesn't have any. The 505 has an MP3 player (which I've never used, but some people like it). The 505 has a 6" screen instead of a 5" screen.

[jj2me]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

The 505 has two SD card slots; ...

Just a small point to be totally accurate: the 505 has one SD slot and one Memory Stick Duo slot.

[richman]

Us 505 users are a loyal group!
I remember the great COLOR WARS on this site between the BLUE model users and the RED model users and the NEUTRAL silver clan!

At least we are all joined in defending the 505 in the face of New Models coming out from sony and other companies. We seem to have ended the GREAT COLOR WAR on MR and live in peace.

All joking aside, I got the 505 last year after reading all the glowing reports from you guys on this site and I'm grateful for it's loyal fan base. And PSR+ is allowing the 505 to add features that are useful for me.
I'm thinking of buying a IPAD for tech PDF's , but for recreational reading the 505's great screen and folders and battery life make it keeper for me.

[EatingPie]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

The 505 has two SD card slots; the 300 doesn't have any. The 505 has an MP3 player (which I've never used, but some people like it). The 505 has a 6" screen instead of a 5" screen.

I just checked, and the're both 600x800. Interesting. This should make the 300 technically sharper at the same font size... though smaller font!

Still not sure about the page-turn ergonomics on the 300. The 505 is more similar to the 500, which I like a ton. But the price difference on new units is at least $100. And there's the whole ebay BS vs. a stroll into Wal-Mart (or a few clicks).

-Pie

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by EatingPie

I just checked, and the're both 600x800. Interesting. This should make the 300 technically sharper at the same font size... though smaller font!

Still not sure about the page-turn ergonomics on the 300. The 505 is more similar to the 500, which I like a ton. But the price difference on new units is at least $100. And there's the whole ebay BS vs. a stroll into Wal-Mart (or a few clicks).

-Pie

That doesn't mean sharper, just smaller. I did not like the look of the font on the 300, it seemed more difficult to read (yes even with my glasses on).

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by kennyc

That doesn't mean sharper, just smaller. I did not like the look of the font on the 300, it seemed more difficult to read (yes even with my glasses on).

I'm spoiled with PRS+ and the 505. I love choosing the font that I wish to use on the fly. I have 7 different user defined css files set up covering 5 fonts.

[Harry001]

dear dwanthny,
due to your remark on prs-plus i googled it,
loaded it
installed it
.....and loved it
now my 505 has the one thing, that i was missing for the last 18 month - a clock in the lower right bar!
don't know what i can do more - have to find out, but that would keep me from reading
thanks
and keep reading
harry

ps - karma given

[Angst]

Originally Posted by EatingPie

Thanks!

So now that begs the question... what makes the 505 better? I can see some things, but I would love to hear from others with experience.

-Pie

What is unique to the 505:
- The lightwedge (loved by some, including me, hated by others).
- PRSCustomizer (uniform text size in menus, clock, repurpose buttons to my own preferences)
- SD Cards

What I don't like:
- Text fades in direct sunlight
- No dictionary
- Only 3 font sizes.

[Mike_73]

Originally Posted by Harry001

now my 505 has the one thing, that i was missing for the last 18 month - a clock in the lower right bar!

I have PRS+ on my 505, too and I just loved the clock. So the first thing I did was checking, if the 600 couldn't have it, too. And as it is just a piece of software, I found the russification hack for the 600. There's also one for the 900 and I think the 300 is available, too, allthough Kartu will try to port PRS+ to the 300 later on.

So if you have a 600 and want the clock, you can russify your reader. It will give you the clock, screenshot capability and test mode support as main features. Autorun from /Data, Cyrillic sort, Russian localization of the menu and CP1251. I don't know what some of them mean, but the Autorun function sounds promising. If anyone knows what exactly that means, let me know. By the way, if you use the hack, the Netherlands localization is being replaced by Russian. It seems to have been easier to replace rather than adding a language.

Sure, the 600 may not be the best reader for readability, but it certainly has it advantages. So everyone go out and get the reader that's best for him/her

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by Angst

- Text fades in direct sunlight

Text fading in direct sunlight is not the norm and if the text fades on you, your device is defective.

My 505 does not fade at all in direct sunlight.

[DrMoze]

Originally Posted by kennyc

That doesn't mean sharper, just smaller. I did not like the look of the font on the 300, it seemed more difficult to read (yes even with my glasses on).

Actually, no. The 300 display is sharper, not smaller, for a given ebook file. It displays the same-sized characters at a higher 'pixel' density. It has about 1.5 times as many pixels per square inch as the 505. The 300 displays 5/6 the number of characters per line and 5/6 the number of lines per screen as compared to the 505 for a text-based (non-image) ebook file. And if you look VERY close at individual characters, you see more grey pixels at the edge of characters on the 505 than on the 300 for a particular font/font size.

Personally, I found no noticeable difference in comfort between the 300 and 505 screens. The 300 seemed to have slightly better contrast but that could be because it was newer.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by DrMoze

Actually, no. The 300 display is sharper, not smaller, for a given ebook file. It displays the same-sized characters at a higher 'pixel' density. It has about 1.5 times as many pixels per square inch as the 505. The 300 displays 5/6 the number of characters per line and 5/6 the number of lines per screen as compared to the 505 for a text-based (non-image) ebook file. And if you look VERY close at individual characters, you see more grey pixels at the edge of characters on the 505 than on the 300 for a particular font/font size.

Personally, I found no noticeable difference in comfort between the 300 and 505 screens. The 300 seemed to have slightly better contrast but that could be because it was newer.

Um.....no.....