PRS-600 today I decided to return my PRS-600 - Page 4

Wetdogeared · 09-15-2009, 11:55 AM

* deleted *
Answered the wrong question

Justice Strike · 09-15-2009, 04:42 PM

i just received my prs600.... i'm very dissapointed. I tried reading it in the evening with artificial light. It's hardly readable at all. The glare is prohibiting me from reading. Keeping the prs600 right in front of me shows me that the surface glare is so much that you can vaguely see your own reflection. I'm going to give the device a fair chance though. I'm going to try it a couple of days. If it doesn't feel right i'm going to send it back because 300 is really too much for "just" a purchase.

ifonline · 09-15-2009, 07:59 PM

I had the same feelings with my 600. I loved the device and everything it offered, but because first and foremost I want to use it to read, I discovered that, for me, I couldn't do that while resting in bed. The screen was dark and way too reflective (and this was with all the room lights on). I couldn't get comfortable and read with the 600 at the same time.

I swapped it for a 300. It works very well and offers what I'm looking for in a reader: excellent size, plenty of memory, and a wonderful screen that works perfectly under the same conditions where the 600 failed me.

To qualify my interest in the 300... I don't read technical manuals on the device, I don't have a desire to listen to music on the device, or look at photos, or carry gigs upon gigs of books. I just want something simple to use as a reader. So, the 300 works well for me.

Superlucky · 09-15-2009, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ifonline

I had the same feelings with my 600. I loved the device and everything it offered, but because first and foremost I want to use it to read, I discovered that, for me, I couldn't do that while resting in bed. The screen was dark and way too reflective (and this was with all the room lights on). I couldn't get comfortable and read with the 600 at the same time.

I swapped it for a 300. It works very well and offers what I'm looking for in a reader: excellent size, plenty of memory, and a wonderful screen that works perfectly under the same conditions where the 600 failed me.

To qualify my interest in the 300... I don't read technical manuals on the device, I don't have a desire to listen to music on the device, or look at photos, or carry gigs upon gigs of books. I just want something simple to use as a reader. So, the 300 works well for me.

Is the 300 really plastic? I thought maybe too small a screen and definitely the lack of SD slot were the only drawbacks with the 300, but I recently read that they don't feel as solid as the 505. Do you think it's sturdy?

ifonline · 09-15-2009, 08:19 PM

While I have no plans to try and fold it in half, it feels solid to me. The case is aluminum (or whatever they actually use) like all the others. I have no idea if the screen is plastic or not. Not even sure how to check something like that short of trying to scratch it (which, to answer the question now if it ever comes up... I won't do).

Superlucky · 09-15-2009, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ifonline

While I have no plans to try and fold it in half, it feels solid to me. The case is aluminum (or whatever they actually use) like all the others. I have no idea if the screen is plastic or not. Not even sure how to check something like that short of trying to scratch it (which, to answer the question now if it ever comes up... I won't do).

I heard the outer case was plastic? It's the same as the 505?

ifonline · 09-15-2009, 08:35 PM

Well... the front feels cold to the touch and has the same feel (as I recall) as the 600 I had just a few days ago. I had a 505 once, but don't recall specifically enough to compare the 505 with the 300. My money is on aluminum, just like the 600. The back has that strange "rubbery" feel just like the 600 does.

So, my unprofessional opinion is that the 300 is just like the 600, and my gut tells me that they are similar to the 505.

Superlucky · 09-15-2009, 08:46 PM

Thanks, that's good to know.

Haesslich · 09-15-2009, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justice Strike

i just received my prs600.... i'm very dissapointed. I tried reading it in the evening with artificial light. It's hardly readable at all. The glare is prohibiting me from reading. Keeping the prs600 right in front of me shows me that the surface glare is so much that you can vaguely see your own reflection. I'm going to give the device a fair chance though. I'm going to try it a couple of days. If it doesn't feel right i'm going to send it back because 300 is really too much for "just" a purchase.

Are you using a reading light, and how's the ambient light around you? I'm curious about why some people don't have issues with glare, and others do - I'm sure the issue has to do with the lighting environment. There's got to be a common thread somewhere here; do people tend to read them with lamps shining down with a naked bulb over their shoulder? Are they reading in well-lit rooms, or dark rooms with a single point source shining at them? At the ceiling, or are they using halogens? CFL's?

You know, I'm wondering if there's a business opportunity here for someone willing to market an 'antiglare' screen protector the way they do for PDA's and iPhones, which don't cut down on the clarity - just on the glare...

quillaja · 09-15-2009, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Haesslich

... I'm curious about why some people don't have issues with glare, and others do - I'm sure the issue has to do with the lighting environment. ...

and individuals' tolerance to glare. it doesn't bother me at all, but maybe i'm used to reading on a glossy laptop screen for hours and hours a day. =P

Justice Strike · 09-16-2009, 03:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by quillaja

and individuals' tolerance to glare. it doesn't bother me at all, but maybe i'm used to reading on a glossy laptop screen for hours and hours a day. =P

This is NOT the individual tolerance to glare. It is IMPOSSIBLE to see the screen with the glare i'm talking about.

I've used it in several rooms. Inderectly lighted directly lighted. Multiple flood lights etc... The glare is not always present. But the reflection on the device is atleast that much that you can see your own reflection in the device when holding it up infront of your face (eye level).

Justice Strike · 09-16-2009, 03:50 AM

Here are some pictures i made. You can see in the first and the last picture that the glare really prohibits you from reading. The last picture is a stance which you would normally hold your when you would be reading. Tilted of horizontal.

In the second picture i held the device such that the light did not fall on the device. You can now clearly see a vague reflection of the persion. Yes the text is readable, but it does give an indication of how reflective the screen is.

The device really prohibits you from using it with artificial light... Something which is pretty comon in a corporate environment and at my home. In the train it might not be so dramatic, but i havn't tested it with low standing sun.

Furthermore there are some other things that really bug me. But i'm going to give the device a fair chance. I have a couple of days. After that i'll make my decision.

babyd · 09-16-2009, 03:52 AM

I agree, the reflection issue can be distracting in natural lighting, thoug its worse in dimmer lighting than bright.....

I use my 600 with a mighty bright clip on light and its perfect then, no issues with glare or reflection, in any lighting......it looks pretty much like my 505 with the mighty bright....

Justice Strike · 09-16-2009, 04:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by babyd

I agree, the reflection issue can be distracting in natural lighting, thoug its worse in dimmer lighting than bright.....

it's annoying either way. I can't read at all where the glare is.

Quote:

I use my 600 with a mighty bright clip on light and its perfect then, no issues with glare or reflection, in any lighting......it looks pretty much like my 505 with the mighty bright....

I could have just as well bought a backlight device.

babyd · 09-16-2009, 04:30 AM

that's fair enough. I guess Im not as bothered as I have the 505 too......so its not my only reader, but I find do prefer the features on the 600 and the fact that I can add all my books to the 600 with no issues, my 505 struggled when using memory cards to the point where I gave up on them. So the fact that I can have all my books on one reader makes the 600 a winner for me, plus the extra features of dictionary and annotations are great.
I find if I use my 600 with no clip on light there is reflection, but if I angle it, it improves it. The screen is not as good as the 505 for sure, but I find I can live with it and the bonus's outweigh the losses for me anyway.

Its a very personal thing, it obviously does not suit you and returning it may be your best bet.

I guess I just live with the fact that no readers are perfect yet, its a new technology and it may take a while to get it right. The 505 have the perfect screen for me, but it has some major flaws in the firmware execution and memory card use, this bugged me more than the screen does on the 600....

I am already getting excited to see what they come out with next, if they could get the 505 screen with the 600 features then I would be in reader heaven lol

09-15-2009, 11:55 AM	#46
Wetdogeared Storm Surge'n Posts: 5,780 Karma: 8213195 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Polar Vortex Device: S0ny PRS-300/350/505/700/T1	* deleted * Answered the wrong question Last edited by Wetdogeared; 09-15-2009 at 11:58 AM.

09-16-2009, 03:50 AM	#57
Justice Strike Enthusiast Posts: 48 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: psr600	Here are some pictures i made. You can see in the first and the last picture that the glare really prohibits you from reading. The last picture is a stance which you would normally hold your when you would be reading. Tilted of horizontal. In the second picture i held the device such that the light did not fall on the device. You can now clearly see a vague reflection of the persion. Yes the text is readable, but it does give an indication of how reflective the screen is. The device really prohibits you from using it with artificial light... Something which is pretty comon in a corporate environment and at my home. In the train it might not be so dramatic, but i havn't tested it with low standing sun. Furthermore there are some other things that really bug me. But i'm going to give the device a fair chance. I have a couple of days. After that i'll make my decision. Attached Thumbnails

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09-15-2009, 04:42 PM	#47
Justice Strike Enthusiast Posts: 48 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: psr600	i just received my prs600.... i'm very dissapointed. I tried reading it in the evening with artificial light. It's hardly readable at all. The glare is prohibiting me from reading. Keeping the prs600 right in front of me shows me that the surface glare is so much that you can vaguely see your own reflection. I'm going to give the device a fair chance though. I'm going to try it a couple of days. If it doesn't feel right i'm going to send it back because 300 is really too much for "just" a purchase.

09-15-2009, 07:59 PM	#48
ifonline Connoisseur Posts: 89 Karma: 26 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Braselton, GA Device: Kindle 3, iPad	I had the same feelings with my 600. I loved the device and everything it offered, but because first and foremost I want to use it to read, I discovered that, for me, I couldn't do that while resting in bed. The screen was dark and way too reflective (and this was with all the room lights on). I couldn't get comfortable and read with the 600 at the same time. I swapped it for a 300. It works very well and offers what I'm looking for in a reader: excellent size, plenty of memory, and a wonderful screen that works perfectly under the same conditions where the 600 failed me. To qualify my interest in the 300... I don't read technical manuals on the device, I don't have a desire to listen to music on the device, or look at photos, or carry gigs upon gigs of books. I just want something simple to use as a reader. So, the 300 works well for me.

09-15-2009, 08:19 PM	#50
ifonline Connoisseur Posts: 89 Karma: 26 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Braselton, GA Device: Kindle 3, iPad	While I have no plans to try and fold it in half, it feels solid to me. The case is aluminum (or whatever they actually use) like all the others. I have no idea if the screen is plastic or not. Not even sure how to check something like that short of trying to scratch it (which, to answer the question now if it ever comes up... I won't do).

09-15-2009, 08:35 PM	#52
ifonline Connoisseur Posts: 89 Karma: 26 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Braselton, GA Device: Kindle 3, iPad	Well... the front feels cold to the touch and has the same feel (as I recall) as the 600 I had just a few days ago. I had a 505 once, but don't recall specifically enough to compare the 505 with the 300. My money is on aluminum, just like the 600. The back has that strange "rubbery" feel just like the 600 does. So, my unprofessional opinion is that the 300 is just like the 600, and my gut tells me that they are similar to the 505.

09-15-2009, 08:46 PM	#53
Superlucky Fanatic Posts: 581 Karma: 5952 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: PRS-505, PRS-350	Thanks, that's good to know.

09-16-2009, 03:52 AM	#58
babyd Addict Posts: 384 Karma: 1567 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: UK Device: Sony:505, 600, 350, 650, Kindle 3 & PW, Kobo Mini & Aura HD	I agree, the reflection issue can be distracting in natural lighting, thoug its worse in dimmer lighting than bright..... I use my 600 with a mighty bright clip on light and its perfect then, no issues with glare or reflection, in any lighting......it looks pretty much like my 505 with the mighty bright....

09-16-2009, 04:30 AM	#60
babyd Addict Posts: 384 Karma: 1567 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: UK Device: Sony:505, 600, 350, 650, Kindle 3 & PW, Kobo Mini & Aura HD	that's fair enough. I guess Im not as bothered as I have the 505 too......so its not my only reader, but I find do prefer the features on the 600 and the fact that I can add all my books to the 600 with no issues, my 505 struggled when using memory cards to the point where I gave up on them. So the fact that I can have all my books on one reader makes the 600 a winner for me, plus the extra features of dictionary and annotations are great. I find if I use my 600 with no clip on light there is reflection, but if I angle it, it improves it. The screen is not as good as the 505 for sure, but I find I can live with it and the bonus's outweigh the losses for me anyway. Its a very personal thing, it obviously does not suit you and returning it may be your best bet. I guess I just live with the fact that no readers are perfect yet, its a new technology and it may take a while to get it right. The 505 have the perfect screen for me, but it has some major flaws in the firmware execution and memory card use, this bugged me more than the screen does on the 600.... I am already getting excited to see what they come out with next, if they could get the 505 screen with the 600 features then I would be in reader heaven lol

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