What do you love/hate about your PRS - 505?

[sealbeater]

I love almost everything about my 505.

Only thing I hate is it's inability to easily handle very large book collections.

[ruth1304]

I love the fact that however I sit/lie/stand I can comfortably hold my 505 and turn the pages, and I particularly notice this when lying on my side, as others have commented.

It's easier to hold than pbooks, and there's no danger of the pages flapping around. I am also able to read without wearing my glasses for the first time since I was about 10.

I also really love my tuff-luv case - not only pink but also with a stand so I can read all the time. And my waterproof case that means I can use my 505 in the bath!

And I like travelling without carrying lots of pbooks but still having a choice of what to read.

And the long battery life - I read A LOT and can't believe how rarely I have to charge it.

In fact I can't think of anything I don't like. I can't wait for more libraries in the UK to start offering ebooks so that I can reduce my pbook reading even further.

[PDS]

I love everything about my 505, its awesome and a pleasure to read books on.

There is nothing about it that I dislike, gets 10 out of 10 from me

Dawn

[dordale]

I have no complaints either. Have had my 505 for about a year now. Love it!! I'd give up all my other gadgets before I let go of my 505 (and I have quite a few!)

dordale

[Stitchawl]

I've never had a gadget that was so quickly assimilated into my daily life as my 505. I find myself reading in places where I never would have brought a pbook, reading more than ever before, and finding it easier on my eyes than paper books. The pae-turn button placements are perfect for the way I hold a book (I very rarely use the side button except for bookmarks,) and the entire unit fits comfortably into whatever bag/pocket I have with me.

I do NOT like the fact that it won't make my tea for me in the mornings, nor will it scrub by back in the shower. I guess it will never replace my wife. Oh well.

Stitchawl

[Fathermole]

No complaints here . I use it everyday and have had no problems with it .

[Kirari]

I hate how long it's taking to ship mine from the US to AU >_< and I hate even more that the seller shipped it a week after I purchased it.

Other than that I'm sure it will be all Love when I get it

[Burliburd]

I like it but I'm not completely happy with it because of this reasons:
1. No dictionary support.
2. No zoom function for pdf files.
3. Easy to break screen.

And I can add more:
4. No WiFi.
5. Sometimes 6" are not enough.
6. No touchscreen.

[Jill75]

Each reader has its beauty and flaws so its up to you what you would want and how you would use it and the files you will be reading.

I love everything about my Sony PRS-505. The screen is just of size and the contrast of the screen although some issues I have read. The buttons are just fine as well and I could accessorize to my heart's content.

[Flashingblade]

Not had mine long but adore it. No problems with the buttons.

The left circle botton is perfect for page turns with my thumb. Very rarely use the side buttons to turn.

[Rique]

Everybody,

I think I get it... you all really love your Sony Readers. There is definitely more evangelical zeal radiating from the combined love of the Sony community than any other community here. The replies I received from my very first (intro) post went mostly like this... "welcome! I'll make it easy on you - get a Sony!" and "Blue rules!" and "I love love love my Sony Reader".

So there is no doubt that you love your Sony readers.

As a Product Manager, I am interested in user interface, user design and user experience. Although I have some doubts with respect to the design of the PRS-505, it sounds like you all get past that (if it represents an obstacle at all...) and that you have a good user experience (UE).

For me, UE means does it look good, does it handle easily, does it feel right in your hands, are the "use cases" intuitive, does typical use flow naturally? Would you all agree the 505 scores highly in that respect? And if not, why not?

What about ease of conversion from other formats? I get the impression that Calibre can pretty much do the job. Or is conversion a hurdle? Is lack of mobi support an issue at all?

I've read that there are only three fonts. Can fonts be added or changed?

I know there is no official support from Sony, but - how well does it work with a Mac? Does the reader show up as a USB drive when plugged into the computer? I assume I can simply use the Mac version of Calibre?

Any plans for dictionary support in the future (this is a "want" for me, not a "need")?

Are alternative firmwares available? Or even third party hacks or patches to add functionality not included with the standard f/w?

Will it remember where I left off with all books in progress? Even if there are several in progress at the same time? How is the bookmarking?

And how readable is it in bright sunlight, really? I like to read on my deck.

Finally, some have mentioned there are problems with large libraries. How large is large? And what are the nature of the problems? How can I avoid the problems?

I think that is all the questions I had (that's enough, right? ).

Thanks again for the benefit of your experience and your appreciation for the 505!

-- Rique

[zelda_pinwheel]

i have a 700, not a 505, but i can answer some of your questions, if i may, and add my personal vote for readers supporting epub (this is not exclusive to the sony devices, but they were the first ones to add it).

Originally Posted by Rique

What about ease of conversion from other formats? I get the impression that Calibre can pretty much do the job. Or is conversion a hurdle? Is lack of mobi support an issue at all?

for non-drm (or drm-removed) books, conversion using calibre is fast and intuitive with generally good results. if you convert to epub the books can easily be edited to correct any formatting / editing errors you find.

I've read that there are only three fonts. Can fonts be added or changed?

see this thread for a very easy way to add whatever custom fonts you want to your 505, using a bit of css added to your epub file to tell it to use fonts installed in the memory. practically unlimited font possibilities...

I know there is no official support from Sony, but - how well does it work with a Mac? Does the reader show up as a USB drive when plugged into the computer? I assume I can simply use the Mac version of Calibre?

yes to both of those questions.

Any plans for dictionary support in the future (this is a "want" for me, not a "need")?

there is an active campaign to get adobe to integrate dictionary support to their epub rendering engine. hopefully they'll take notice, in which case sony could add that via a firmware update.

Are alternative firmwares available? Or even third party hacks or patches to add functionality not included with the standard f/w?

see the 505 forum for user hacks and firmware updates.

Will it remember where I left off with all books in progress? Even if there are several in progress at the same time? How is the bookmarking?

the sony bookmarking function is very good, and the 505 has a dedicated bookmark button that will add / remove them or, via a long press, display all bookmarks on the device (good for people who like to read a lot of books at the same time, or bookmark pages for future reference).

And how readable is it in bright sunlight, really? I like to read on my deck.

all the e-ink screens are excellent in bright sunlight ; in fact that's really where they are at their best, in direct contrast to backlit lcd screens which are generally unreadable in those conditions.

Finally, some have mentioned there are problems with large libraries. How large is large? And what are the nature of the problems? How can I avoid the problems?

personally, i use calibre to create "collections" (virtual folders) by adding tags and series info, and that makes a big difference for navigating through bit libraries (i currently have about 400 books on mine, but between the collections and the bookmarks i get around them just fine).

[lilac_jive]

I'll add a few things to Zelda's post:
There is a dictionary an MR member made for the 505 (somewhere around here). I haven't tried it but I heard some people really like it.

As for large libraries, personally I hate having tons and tons of books on my Reader. Every few weeks (or when I buy books) I delete the ones I have read, leaving only unread books on it. Usually I only have 60 to 70 books on it at any given time, and I don't have collections. And I don't have to scroll through them all, by going to main menu then Titles then whatever letter it begins with.

My user experience has been excellent. For me it's easy very intuitive. I never even cracked open the user's manual, to be honest.

[toomanybooks]

Ten minutes after I arrived home with my Sony I had 60 books transferred onto it and was reading without using any software. I found the UI and navigation to be very intuitive. I didn't look at a user guide for two weeks. The Sony reader is great for me because it an open format device with an existing structure. I am somewhat computer literate, but not enough to hack into my Sony and customize it. However the Sony provides enough structure that I can use it without any other software. I can easily use Calibre software if I choose. More tech adept people than I have hacked their Sonys and really customized them. I like that the Sony can be used by people with differing levels of experience with technology. This is a key component of good design to me.

[Juggle4Evr]

Love:

• Battery life is great
• Display is perfect
• User interface is just right
• Reading is just fun with the 505
• Everything else

Soso:

• PDF support could be better

Hate:

• Could be smaller: same display, less room for buttons
• No real software support for Mac OS (DRM books)