PRS-350 Options for loading content onto PRS-350

Originally Posted by Jane12

Thanks Jack! So hard to choose between readers. I was leaning toward the PRS-350 because of the epub support and touch screen, but the poor landscape implementation would annoy me and overall, it seems the K3 is a better reader as far as actual readability goes. I notice you have both PRS-350 and K3 -- why both and which do you like better? And what do you think about the Nook? Thx!

I've only played with a Nook once at Best Buy for a few minutes, but I didn't like it as much as the 350 or K3. The screen on the current Nook is not nearly as good as the ones on the 350 and K3, and the interface is slow and cumbersome. BTW, B&N is having a press conference this week (Tuesday?) and they might introduce a new improved Nook. So you might want to check that out before making any final decisions.

The 350 is SOOOOOOOO portable and the interface a better than the the K3 in many ways. However, I find myself using the K3 a lot more than the 350. Basically, when I'm at home I use the K3 because it is more comfortable to hold and turn pages while in my recliner. But whenever I go someplace I like to take the 350 because it is so tiny and lightweight, thus extremely portable. The problem I have with the 350 is the page turning buttons are awkwardly positioned for my big hand and the bezel is so small that one handed operation is actually easier for me when using the K3. I have trouble finding a comfortable position for my thumb on the 350 that doesn't cast a shadow on the screen. But some people like the smaller size and have no difficulty using it one-handed.

Like a lot of people I have both to have access to MOBI and ePub. Another thing the 350 is better at is reading two-column PDFs, but I try to avoid PDFs like the Plague.

[Jane12]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Sony didn't implement the landscape mode very well. If you play with it in landscape mode you will notice that there is typically a little bit of overlap of lines between what is shown at the top of a page, middle of a page, and bottom of a page. For small to medium size texts I notice at least a couple of lines of text that are repeated when you scroll down (page down) .... My Kindle WiFi on the other hand doesn't do this .... Amazon got it right and Sony screwed up on landscape mode.
...

I think I misunderstood when I read this the first time. I thought when lines were cut off at the bottom, you simply couldn't read them at all. But am I understanding that the cut-off line is repeated on the next page (along with perhaps a couple other lines)? I guess this isn't as bad since you don't actually lose lines and still get to read everything. But still ....

[SeaBookGuy]

Jane --

I have a 650, not a 350, but am curious as to why you're so interested in landscape mode issues as I see no need for it all?

[Jane12]

Originally Posted by SeaBookGuy

I have a 650, not a 350, but am curious as to why you're so interested in landscape mode issues as I see no need for it all?

LOL! I guess I'm so used to reading on an iPod in landscape orientation that I've gotten to like reading that way :-)

But also, while I like the small size and light weight of the 350, the small size also means fewer words per line. Thanks to presbyopia, I like big text. Big text plus small/narrow screen = not so good. Add justified text and it's even worse. So switching to landscape mode is often easier to read.

[SeaBookGuy]

I think in the long run the slightly larger 650 in portrait would be better than relying on the 350 in landscape. When all is said and done though, you're going to have to see both models together as display units to see what works best for you.

Epubs on my 650 in small read as well as most "regular" print books -- medium generally looks like a Large Print edition to me.

[jgray]

Originally Posted by Jane12

But seriously, I like the small size and light weight of the 350, but the small size also means fewer words per line. Thanks to presbyopia, I like big text. Big text plus small/narrow screen = not so good. Add justified text and it's even worse. So switching to landscape mode is often easier to read.

I'm with you. I just returned a loaner PRS350 and found small text in landscape better than medium text in portrait. I hope to have my PRS650 Real Soon Now.

As for the duplicated lines between pages in landscape, I don't like it at all. It interrupts the flow of reading when I have to scan the second page to find my place again.

Sony can and should fix this. Making the text fit their idea of a fixed screen/page is counter to the whole idea of ebooks and re-flowable text. And besides, it's annoying as hell.

Joe