New Sony model to be called PRS-300 and PRS-600

[Harmon]

Originally Posted by Harmon

I can see the 300 being a $199 entry level model. This undercuts the Kindle and competes with the minor brand ereaders.

I can see the 600 as a $299 replacement of and improvement on both the 505 and the 700. This offers a head to head competitor for the Kindle, giving the user a choice between the Kindle's whispernet or the 600's touchscreen.

Heh. Nailed it!

Then maybe there's the 900, at $399. The 900 might compete with the KDX in terms of screen space, but have a smaller overall form factor, with a touchscreen and possibly wireless connection to the computer.

For my next trick...

[10basetom]

What exactly is the "Oxford American English eDictionary"? If the PRS-600 comes with an unabridged version of the 2100-page The New Oxford American Dictionary (like in the Sharp PW-E550 electronic dictionary), then I'm all over it:

http://www.amazon.com/New-Oxford-Ame...9451731&sr=8-1

Wishful thinking...

[Ea]

Originally Posted by griffonwing

My brother-in-law is an architect, and he has designed me a home that is a 2-storied loft house, and the footprint is only 650 sq. ft., with 550 sq.ft. in the loft. It's very nice, and I plan on building it when I can find the money to do so.

That sounds very nice. It's larger than anything I've lived in though The biggest is the 45 sq m apt. I live in now (480 sq ft) - and I've noticed that whenever I've moved to something bigger, I just end up owning more (unneccesary) stuff.

Originally Posted by finster

...
Anyway, looks like there is some more news coming out (although it only really confirms what we already know) - http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/04/s...f-entry-onlin/

Very nice I like the look of them, too, and I think that a relatively cheap and good-looking device like the 300 may appeal to people who hadn't considered one before. The Sony models have a nicer finish, not 'plasticky', they're like something you'd want to show off to people (non-nerds ) who judge gadgets by their 'cover'.

[ReaderTom]

Whether or not the names for the new models are appropriate is rather irrelevant. I really do not see this as a progress regarding the 505 and 700 models. But I do agree that these new models will probably have an impact on the mass market.

Nevertheless, I wish Sony had thought of the professional users, who need a larger screen of at least 9". For fiction reading my 505 does just fine. For technical stuff I use my DRS1000, which cannot compare to Sony quality, regarding fabrication, material, look and feel and software stability.

I do not care about WiFi. That is a feature I really do not need, since selecting a book from my 'library' is always easier on a computer than on the reader.
Even Amazon has seen the need for a bigger reader. I cannot fathom Sony's business strategy…
Just disappointing…

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by ReaderTom

Whether or not the names for the new models are appropriate is rather irrelevant. I really do not see this as a progress regarding the 505 and 700 models. But I do agree that these new models will probably have an impact on the mass market.

Actually, how I see it: they stopped the 505 line and made a 5" screen instead. And then they took the 700 line, made it better on some parts and removed other things (like that light). It's "better" than the 505 (touch screen for instance), but "worse" than the 700 (lack of lighting). They will also bring these two out in other parts of the world, which is a huge step forward.

And who says they're not working on other models?

[ReaderTom]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

They will also bring these two out in other parts of the world, which is a huge step forward.

But I doubt that...

So much for Sony secrets (again). An online retailer recently leaked the specs of Sony’s upcoming ebook readers, the PRS-300 and the PRS-600.
...
As the PRS-500, -505 and -700 have all been ignored by Sony Philippines, we doubt that these two will make it here either. Of course, we can always hope. Or import.

Found here: http://www.techie.com.ph/news/331

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by ReaderTom

But I doubt that...

So much for Sony secrets (again). An online retailer recently leaked the specs of Sony’s upcoming ebook readers, the PRS-300 and the PRS-600.
...
As the PRS-500, -505 and -700 have all been ignored by Sony Philippines, we doubt that these two will make it here either. Of course, we can always hope. Or import.

Found here: http://www.techie.com.ph/news/331

I never said the entire world... I said other parts! As the 700 never even made it across either of those two big ponds, it is a step forward!

[doreenjoy]

Originally Posted by 10basetom

What exactly is the "Oxford American English eDictionary"? If the PRS-600 comes with an unabridged version of the 2100-page The New Oxford American Dictionary (like in the Sharp PW-E550 electronic dictionary), then I'm all over it:

http://www.amazon.com/New-Oxford-Ame...9451731&sr=8-1

Wishful thinking...

I'm sure it's a special "E-" version.

[ReaderTom]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I said other parts!

Meaning what? Russia? Egypt? Antarctica? What is your point? Where do you see the "huge step forward"?

I cannot say that I missed the model 700 here in Europe. Everybody just kept complaining about the milky screen. The 505 was introduced over here, and even if it wasn't, people would have bought it from the US (as I did almost a year before it got to Europe) or wherever available. And even if that would not have been possible, there are still some alternatives to the Sony readers (like Iliad) that are not that bad, even if they lack some of Sony's quality.

[Tuna]

Originally Posted by porkupan

Yes, you did say it, and I even wanted to respond, but then forgot. Thanks for reminding.

So, if you think that the new capabilities, such as Search, Dictionary Lookup, Notes, Hand-scribbled notes, Highlighting, touchscreen, a much faster CPU (which makes a whole lot of difference on PDFs and EPUBs), more memory, fast paging - if when spending a couple of hundred dollars on an ebook reader those new features are not worth fifty bucks to you, then you are probably right. But in my opinion the PRS-600 looks like a major upgrade over both the 505 and the 700, and the price point of $330 (the cover is extra $30) seems like the absolute best deal out of all the reader currently on offer.

So, I guess, I respectfully disagree.

Ah, but the difference isn't fifty bucks is it? the PRS-600 is $330, whereas you can get the PRS-505 for $199.

I fully appreciate that the 600 is a reasonable upgrade to the 505, but for the core purpose of simply reading books, those differences make a fairly negligible impact. Maybe I'm not representitive of most readers, but I get through the vast majority of my books (both leisure and technical) without referring to a dictionary, or making notes. I bookmark useful sections, but that's about it. Faster page turns really don't matter that much when they're already tolerably quick, and memory is irrelevant when a 4GB SD card is a few bucks.

The upgrade that would interest me would be a larger screen so that you can read more of a page with better formatting. It's as simple as that. Other bells and whistles are nice, but I bought an e-reader to read books and the most important part of that is the display. Not how fast the processor is, or whether I can turn pages by touching the screen or pressing a button.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by ReaderTom

Meaning what? Russia? Egypt? Antarctica? What is your point? Where do you see the "huge step forward"?

I cannot say that I missed the model 700 here in Europe. Everybody just kept complaining about the milky screen. The 505 was introduced over here, and even if it wasn't, people would have bought it from the US (as I did almost a year before it got to Europe) or wherever available. And even if that would not have been possible, there are still some alternatives to the Sony readers (like Iliad) that are not that bad, even if they lack some of Sony's quality.

The 505 was only introduced in the UK, France and Germany. And then only recently (except the UK, but we all know the UK is a sometimes US-state) The 700 never. I don't think the 500 was ever introduced. And I wouldn't compare the Iliad with the Sony. First, the Iliad has a larger screen, second, it's twice as expensive. It would have been better if you'd said the BeBook or CyBook.

About buying in the States: most stores won't deliver electronic devices to Europe.

Better = not only US and Canada, but also UK, and mainland European countries, most likely from the start (or with a slight delay, not years).

[SolRaven]

Originally Posted by JasonB

I think that the general consensus is the 700, while a good attempt, failed on screen quality issues - even if some people don't have a problem with it, or if the benefits outweigh this issue for them, I think that the general popular view was negative. (Sony seems to have made a decision to drop the built-in light as a way of improving that.)

I think that Sony needs to come out w/ a PRS-707. Fix the contrast issue and improve the lighting. I love that everything is built into my 700 but it only has good contrast when the light is on, even when it's bright out and don't "need" the light, it has better contrast when the light is on. I find it odd that the page lightens up even in the daylight when the light is on.

[SolRaven]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

The PRS-300 and PRS-505 are so similar that I'm sure Sony is discontinuing the PRS-505. There is no point in having three models between $200 and $300.

I don't think that they're anything alike. The 300 does nothing for me. It's screen is smaller than the industry standard and you can't expand the memory. Those two things tell me it's a step down, but meant to be an introductory model for someone just trying to get a reader in their hands.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by SolRaven

I don't think that they're anything alike. The 300 does nothing for me. It's screen is smaller than the industry standard and you can't expand the memory. Those two things tell me it's a step down, but meant to be an introductory model for someone just trying to get a reader in their hands.

Oh, that influx of new 5" screens doesn't mean anything? I think there'll be several standards in size: 5", 6" and 9" at least.

But I agree, that it's not really a replacement for the 505, but a model for people that don't want to spend too much and still have a handy reader. The 600 looks like the best of two worlds from the 505 and 700. So, they added a few features of the 700 in the 505, dropped a few others and voila: the 600!

[Scarpad]

Originally Posted by SolRaven

I don't think that they're anything alike. The 300 does nothing for me. It's screen is smaller than the industry standard and you can't expand the memory. Those two things tell me it's a step down, but meant to be an introductory model for someone just trying to get a reader in their hands.

Well its also a reader that can get into my pockets and hands, the problem with the 505 is that it's a chore to carry around, tough to just whip out at a moments notice. I've used my Ipof Touch, much easier to pull out of a pocket but a 3.3 inch screen and backlit. The 300 is in the middle of the Ipod and the 505 offerring better portablility and that appeals to me.