Two Weeks With The PRS700

[dordale]

I agree Natch--we each have our own priorities. For me, the 505 is a good fit. I read a lot of fiction/novels, so wouldn't use the added features on the 700 that much (although I wouldn't mind having them!).

My husband has a lot of technical books on his 700. Most of these are for reference, so the search and notes features on the 700 are invaluable to him. Also, most of his books are in PDF format, so the new zoom and pan features on the 700 can really be useful with some PDFs.

dordale

[Liviu_5]

Originally Posted by bookbinder

The two most important features are clarity and contrast. Is anyone in doubt about this? And prepared to sacrifice these two for the sake of some bells and whistles? I want clear-looking black text on a white background. Forget these other diversions.

What about not waiting for ages when you change pages, move between books or navigate a book?

What you said is true only for linear reading, beginning to end, start one book, finish, start another book, no backtracking, no multiple books at a time reading and so on.

[Eddie]

I had the opportunity to handle both a 505 and a 700 side by side for a few hours.

The screen is significantly better on the 505 - clearer, crisper, easier to read; that's not to say the 700 can't be used, but after reading for a while on the 505 and then going to the 700, I was extremely disappointed.

The 700 has the upper hand on every other feature, though - faster page turns, great zoom feature, extremely easy to use interface (which makes the 505 feel just... clumsy).
If being comfortable when reading is your top priority, you should pick up a 505 or wait for a better 700 (in about 10 months, probably).

If I were to compare eReaders and physical books, I'd say the 700 is like a little bit muddy print on a grey paperback, and the 505 is a hardcover quality print. You can read both, it's just not the same experience.

However, I'm not going to buy a 505. What I want from an eReader is:
- 505 or better screen clarity/contrast, at least 640x480 resolution, at least 9 inches
- dictionary support (English is not even my second language, but my third...)
- search
- annotations
As of now, nothing comes close. I'm hoping for the Plastic Logic toy, but...

[da_jane]

For me, the faster pages turns made a huge difference but so did the integrated light. I think if you do alot of reading at night, then the sacrifice in screen clarity is worth it.

[Server]

In order to understand why some are confused as to the
clarity of the 700s screen, one must understand optics
and light physics. The additional touchpanel and Plexiglas
causes the text to appear different in different lighting.
And this is where the key is. LIGHTING! White Florescent lighting
or outdoor lighting is best for maximum 'contrast' while reading.
Any touchscreen reader will produce the same results. What I don't
understand is how one can compare the 5.xx to the 700 when
they are essentially different units! Yes they do the same thing,
but so does a Mercedes and a Chevy....

WHITE LIGHT (day light) or Florescent lighting is best.
Incandescent will work but you need to adjust for
the 'sweet spot'

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by Server

What I don't
understand is how one can compare the 5.xx to the 700 when
they are essentially different units!

Well ... I think it's mostly because if someone is considering buying a Sony Reader right now the choices they have are a PRS505 and a PRS700.

Since those are the two things a person might try to choose between, it seems relevant to actually compare them.


Yes, they are different: they each have different strengths, and are better suited to different usages, and the preferences and needs of different people. That's what a comparison/contrast examination is intended to highlight, after all.


This isn't a "one is good and the other is bad" situation, this is a "one has these advantages relative to the other, and the other has those advantages relative to the one" situation.

Each person gets to decide for themselves which is better for their situation. Knowing the relative strengths of each makes it more likely folks will make decisions they'll be happy with down the road, and I consider that to be much more important than which specific device they end up buying.

[katewilly]

Originally Posted by bookbinder

The two most important features are clarity and contrast. Is anyone in doubt about this? And prepared to sacrifice these two for the sake of some bells and whistles? I want clear-looking black text on a white background. Forget these other diversions.

Um, you paint with a broad brush. The light was very important to me, as I have way different sleep patterns than my partner. I also like to make notes about characters. As they say, one persons junk...

[lilac_jive]

My friend was playing with my 505 at lunch today, and kept pressing the screen to click a title. I'm like, uhhh, it's not touch screen. The oddest thing is he doesn't even have a touch screen device. I told him the 700 has a touch screen, and to stop poking mine before I had a heart attack.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

My friend was playing with my 505 at lunch today, and kept pressing the screen to click a title. I'm like, uhhh, it's not touch screen. The oddest thing is he doesn't even have a touch screen device. I told him the 700 has a touch screen, and to stop poking mine before I had a heart attack.

You you mean your EX friend.... (if he cracked your screen that is.)

BOb

[otterman]

Thanks for the review. I've been using the 500 for the last 2 years, but got a 700 on New Year's Day. I was holding off on getting one based on the thrashing it's been getting about the screen contrast but after reading someone's post about it being more or less comparable to the 500 I cross my fingers and went for it (Border's never had a working display unit for me to check out).

Happy to say I'm very please. It's close enough to the 500's contrast for me not to give it much thought. The additional features - notes, more sizes, touch screen with menus, built-in light, etc., make it a joy.

A friend of mine got a Kindle for Christmas and as much as I might like the wireless feature, that is one fugly device and not my favorite reading experience. Happy with my 500 and 700!

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

You you mean your EX friend.... (if he cracked your screen that is.)

BOb

No he didn't crack it, otherwise you'd be right

[LucidDreams]

The PRS-700's screen can't come close to the PRS-505. The PRS-505 is more then a "little" better. But what makes the PRS-700 shine is it's pure SPEED. Of course reading books doesn't require a lot of speed. And if you buy most of your books from the Sony store then you probably don't need a lot of speed. But if you use PDF files then you're in a pickle...do you go with a better screen display with VERY slow eBook speed...or the PRS-700 which eats PDF's for lunch with time to spare (at least compared to the PRS-505). It's a hard place to live in the the eBook Reader world right now. We're on the verge of something great...but it's not here yet...the nex-gen eBook Reader will finally have most of the pieces that we've all been waiting for - good display, good speed, good multi-format file support, lighted display (back or in-direct), dictionary, wi-fi, etc..

For those that are patient enough, get the PRS-505 and upgrade come Fall when Sony releases the nex-gen. If you're a gadget person or can't even wait in a fast food line because it takes too long, or if you want to "try" and read 8x11" sized documents on a small eBook Reader and are on a budget then get the PRS-700 and deal with the display not being as good but is still VERY readable, just not as good or nice to read on as the PRS-505

[Andybaby]

Originally Posted by LucidDreams

The PRS-700's screen can't come close to the PRS-505. The PRS-505 is more then a "little" better. But what makes the PRS-700 shine is it's pure SPEED. Of course reading books doesn't require a lot of speed. And if you buy most of your books from the Sony store then you probably don't need a lot of speed. But if you use PDF files then you're in a pickle...do you go with a better screen display with VERY slow eBook speed...or the PRS-700 which eats PDF's for lunch with time to spare (at least compared to the PRS-505). It's a hard place to live in the the eBook Reader world right now. We're on the verge of something great...but it's not here yet...the nex-gen eBook Reader will finally have most of the pieces that we've all been waiting for - good display, good speed, good multi-format file support, lighted display (back or in-direct), dictionary, wi-fi, etc..

For those that are patient enough, get the PRS-505 and upgrade come Fall when Sony releases the nex-gen. If you're a gadget person or can't even wait in a fast food line because it takes too long, or if you want to "try" and read 8x11" sized documents on a small eBook Reader and are on a budget then get the PRS-700 and deal with the display not being as good but is still VERY readable, just not as good or nice to read on as the PRS-505

i bought my 700 with a 2 year Acidental warrenty and i told myself i will not update untill the 2 years are up..

when that comes i expect something Great will be upon us in hte ebook world, either the
Kindle 2 (or 3)
Color Eink
Or, Foldable Display. i would buy a foldable display in a hearbeat, color Eink is very Meh to me, Kindle 2 is on my top list, espcially if it gets an upgraded screen. or whatever new screen there will be.

[ProDigit]

I'm not reading comic book or anime PDF files, but I don't really have any complaints about the speed on a regular book in PDF.

I just press page forward,when I'm 1 or 2 sentences from the end,and the pageturn happens.

It is better to view anime in .jpegs of a specific size.

[LucidDreams]

Originally Posted by ProDigit

I just press page forward,when I'm 1 or 2 sentences from the end,and the pageturn happens.

For a normal text only PDF file the PRS-505 is okay. But if the PDF has any graphics in it, even if it's a 6x9" PDF book, then it can be very slow.

I played with the PRS-700 and PRS-505 side by side and the difference was huge. The PRS-700 was at human speeds...the PRS-505 felt like I was waiting for paint to dry. I know that's a bit harsh to say but the PRS-505 is just not very responsive. Even pressing the buttons on the main screen has a delay before you see the screen update the cursor. I know these things are for reading so speed shouldn't be that much of an issue. But when you play with the PRS-700 vs the PRS-505 you really end up wishing the two would marry and produce a PRS-705, with all the features of the 700 + the 505 screen.

I'm still on the fence as to which one to get. I'm leaning towards the 505 because the screen is better and the price is right at $199.99 with the Sony $100 credit. I would jump on the 700 but even at $299.99 with the Sony $100 credit I feel it's too much considering the screen is substandard, at least in my book. But if I do get the 505 it will be my intention to upgrade as soon as a 705 like device is available, probably within the year. At least with the $100 credit I should be able to sell the 505 for what I paid for it or at worse a $50 loss, which isn't bad considering I would have used the eBook Reader for 8-12 months. Still, I'm not looking forward to the laggy response on the 505 if I do end up going that way.