Received the 505 today

[rcentros]

(When did they start delivering Priority Mail on Sundays?)

I like it. Incredibly thin and sleek for a ten year old eReader. (Sony made some really nice looking (and feeling) devices. The font was dimmer than the PRS-300 (which, I guess, makes sense, since the 300 is two years newer) but I discovered I could embed Constantia in my books via Calibre. What a difference. I re-converted the books on the 300 and 600 as well. The 600 is actually usable now. I'll probably do this even on the 350, even tried the process on my Nook -- a little dark on the Nook since the Nook's type is pretty dark to start with.

Now I want to learn more about Calibre and embedding fonts, like, is there a way to make the default "base" size slightly bigger?

At any rate I'm not disappointed I bought the 505. I don't see me getting rid of it any time too soon, but sooner or later the eReader culling will have to begin and it may not make the "cut."

[rkomar]

Why does there have to be a cull? Do you need the few bucks you could get for it? Is it taking up too much space? I still have the 505 I bought in 2008, and even though I don't use it much anymore, it still runs and I can't think of a good reason for getting rid of it. I don't think I'd gain anything by not having it anymore.

[revmike]

Still using my 505 which I purchased in March 2008 as my main reader. I have a T-2, but I like the feel of the 505 with its metal body.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by rkomar

Why does there have to be a cull? Do you need the few bucks you could get for it? Is it taking up too much space? I still have the 505 I bought in 2008, and even though I don't use it much anymore, it still runs and I can't think of a good reason for getting rid of it. I don't think I'd gain anything by not having it anymore.

I probably won't get rid of it, now that I think of it. I'll just give away (mostly to family) the extra Kindles I currently own (multiples of the same models). It gets to be a pain to try to keep them all charged. I have eye troubles with front-lit eReaders (for some reason) so I spend my time chasing down non-lit ones.

I've spent a little time this evening downloading Public Domain books at Feedbacks that I read as a kid (Howard Pyle, Jules Verne), and converting them to Constantia font. Maybe I can get my kids to do a little more reading.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by revmike

Still using my 505 which I purchased in March 2008 as my main reader. I have a T-2, but I like the feel of the 505 with its metal body.

I like the feel of it also. I'm getting used to the placement of the buttons and finding I like them. I also have a T2 and have used it for a couple series-es (sp?) but the Kindles are so much easier to use with the library. (Though I can still download from Overdrive when using the T2's browser, not the Overdrive app any more, however.)

EDIT: I should add ... I use Linux Mint and have had no trouble connecting to the 505. It had already been updated ePubs. There were several BBeB books on it when I got it, I've deleted them (well, there's one I haven't deleted yet, I like comparing the format). As far as I can tell, BBeB books were really, really slow to change font size, etc.

[JSWolf]

The default font used on the version of old version RMSDK is rubbish. If I am not mistaken, there is no try italic and bold variants and they are simulated. I know that's the way it's done with LRF for sure.

There is no hyphenation and no full justification with ePub on the 505. Also, if you load eBooks with a hi-res cover/graphics, it's going to either run very slow or crash. The processor is slow and the there isn't much working RAM.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I have eye troubles with front-lit eReaders (for some reason) so I spend my time chasing down non-lit ones.

You don't need to chase down non-front lit Readers. Just don't get a Kindle as front-lit Kindles (except the Oasis 2) the light cannot be fully turned off without jailbreaking.

My H2O looks good with the light off. You could get a good Reader that has a front light and just keep the light off.

The 700 is not such a Reader. It needs the light on to be able to read with it.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The default font used on the version of old version RMSDK is rubbish. If I am not mistaken, there is no try italic and bold variants and they are simulated. I know that's the way it's done with LRF for sure.

Yeah, I wasn't too impressed with the original font. Constantia is good, though.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

There is no hyphenation and no full justification with ePub on the 505. Also, if you load eBooks with a hi-res cover/graphics, it's going to either run very slow or crash. The processor is slow and the there isn't much working RAM.

I've got one compilation book on it (over 20 MGs) and it's definitely not speedy loading on it – but once I'm reading the book, it seems to turn pages fine for me. And loading regular books doesn't seem too slow at all. (I'm old and slow also and like to make "cast-aways" useful again.)

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

You don't need to chase down non-front lit Readers. Just don't get a Kindle as front-lit Kindles (except the Oasis 2) the light cannot be fully turned off without jailbreaking.

My H2O looks good with the light off. You could get a good Reader that has a front light and just keep the light off.

The 700 is not such a Reader. It needs the light on to be able to read with it.

My Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight definitely needs the light on or it's very murky. I had a chance to bid on a 700 and didn't after I saw how its lights worked in a YouTube video. Didn't look good at all (of course it could have been a poor video).

I wish I could take a look at Kobo Aura (or another of the newer Kobos before buying), but I think the Touch will probably work out okay for now (if I win the bid).

[Hemmi]

The light on the 700 is just awful. You see any speck of dust inside the reader. It's really not good.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rcentros

My Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight definitely needs the light on or it's very murky. I had a chance to bid on a 700 and didn't after I saw how its lights worked in a YouTube video. Didn't look good at all (of course it could have been a poor video).

I wish I could take a look at Kobo Aura (or another of the newer Kobos before buying), but I think the Touch will probably work out okay for now (if I win the bid).

I can honestly say the H2O is a nice Reader. I like the larger screen size. It's quite good without the light on. Also, since the light bothers you, the H2O2 might help as it has the orange light that might help.

As for the 700, it's a terrible design. The touch layer is raised from the screen with the LEDs in between. Think of the 600 with the touch layer raised and the lights in between the touch layer and the screen. You do need the light on to read with the 700. So that would not do for you at all.

You can ask in the Kobo Reader forum as to how good the Aura is with the light off. I've never seen on in person so I cannot comment.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Hemmi

The light on the 700 is just awful. You see any speck of dust inside the reader. It's really not good.

There doesn't seem to be much argument about that. I guess it was a failed early design. Is this the only front-lit Reader Sony tried?

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I can honestly say the H2O is a nice Reader. I like the larger screen size. It's quite good without the light on. Also, since the light bothers you, the H2O2 might help as it has the orange light that might help.

As for the 700, it's a terrible design. The touch layer is raised from the screen with the LEDs in between. Think of the 600 with the touch layer raised and the lights in between the touch layer and the screen. You do need the light on to read with the 700. So that would not do for you at all.

You can ask in the Kobo Reader forum as to how good the Aura is with the light off. I've never seen on in person so I cannot comment.

There are a couple Aura users who like the screen without the light but I would still like to see one before buying. As for the H2O, I'm really not in the market for a bigger screen, though I may change my mind if I see one. The 700 seems universally detested, which is a shame because the metal case looks nice.

[rcentros]

Getting to like the 505 more and more. I now take it out of the case when reading because it's nicer to hold that way. Nice craftsmanship and (once I got used to the keys) they're very quick and easy. There's no dictionary, however, and sometimes I miss that. I wish Sony had built cases that folded back on themselves, like Amazon. It turns out that the 505 is also a good MP3 player. I'm definitely not "culling" this one. I'm guessing this was not a cheap Reader when it first came out.

[JSWolf]

If you'd like a nice aluminum frame, the 650 is nice.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rcentros

Getting to like the 505 more and more. I now take it out of the case when reading because it's nicer to hold that way. Nice craftsmanship and (once I got used to the keys) they're very quick and easy. There's no dictionary, however, and sometimes I miss that. I wish Sony had built cases that folded back on themselves, like Amazon. It turns out that the 505 is also a good MP3 player. I'm definitely not "culling" this one. I'm guessing this was not a cheap Reader when it first came out.

I don't know what case you have, but the official Sony cases for the 505 do fold over. I used to have one.