Pulling my hair out and there's not much left!

[watersidedesigns]

Hi All

Like many I have been lurking in the shadows reading post after post after post. I am in the market for my very first reader and have settled on it being a Sony but thats as far as I have got. Please could someone push me in the right direction?

I read a fair amount of fiction during the evenings and (because of my job) i reference many technical books (mainly programming reference) during the day. These techy books do not really have a lot of graphs and charts, more screen shots and code examples.

Now, as with many many others here, my choice comes down to the 300, 505and 600.

This morning I had decided that the 600 was for me. Reasons for this would be the ability to make notes (very handy when scanning techy books if you want to make a note of where you found something). Also, the dictionary sound a nice touch when reading big words that I normally just ignore. BUT it comes down to this glare/reflection problem. Many people say its a problem and many people say its not that big a problem. All admit it exists.

I did see a 600 and a 300 in Waterstones and I admit the screen contrast on the 300 was better. Problem was these test devices were super glued to the wall so I couldnt walk around and get a good feeling for them.


So i re-considered the 300. This seems perfect for recreational reading but for techy books Hmmmmm. Maybe not a big enough screen - I dunno, anyone else read code books on a 300?

Which brought me to the 505. Big screen, great contrast. But no dictionary nor notes.

I think what i really want doesnt exist yet AHHHHHHHH!

I guess my question is, is the 600 screen really that bad? I would be using it in an office with normal office lighting, outside in daylight and during the evening sitting on the sofa with normal ceiling lighting - no spot lights pointing at the device.

Sorry if im rambling on - just trying to get my head clear. I need a pill!

[davidspitzer]

Originally Posted by watersidedesigns

Hi All

Like many I have been lurking in the shadows reading post after post after post. I am in the market for my very first reader and have settled on it being a Sony but thats as far as I have got. Please could someone push me in the right direction?

I read a fair amount of fiction during the evenings and (because of my job) i reference many technical books (mainly programming reference) during the day. These techy books do not really have a lot of graphs and charts, more screen shots and code examples.

Now, as with many many others here, my choice comes down to the 300, 505and 600.

This morning I had decided that the 600 was for me. Reasons for this would be the ability to make notes (very handy when scanning techy books if you want to make a note of where you found something). Also, the dictionary sound a nice touch when reading big words that I normally just ignore. BUT it comes down to this glare/reflection problem. Many people say its a problem and many people say its not that big a problem. All admit it exists.

I did see a 600 and a 300 in Waterstones and I admit the screen contrast on the 300 was better. Problem was these test devices were super glued to the wall so I couldnt walk around and get a good feeling for them.


So i re-considered the 300. This seems perfect for recreational reading but for techy books Hmmmmm. Maybe not a big enough screen - I dunno, anyone else read code books on a 300?

Which brought me to the 505. Big screen, great contrast. But no dictionary nor notes.

I think what i really want doesnt exist yet AHHHHHHHH!

I guess my question is, is the 600 screen really that bad? I would be using it in an office with normal office lighting, outside in daylight and during the evening sitting on the sofa with normal ceiling lighting - no spot lights pointing at the device.

Sorry if im rambling on - just trying to get my head clear. I need a pill!

You may reingnite a holy war asking about the screen on the 600 - all of them are good for casual reading my favorite being the 505 followed by the 300 then the 600. for technical books not so good - you would have to go with a larger screen device in all likelyhood like the kindle DX or the Irex Dr1000 or perhaps the new irex 800 coming out -

Plastic logic just seems to far out still to consider

[watersidedesigns]

Thanks for ur reply.

Oh dear, I don't want to start a war

being in the UK I havnt seen any prices for the irex but my guess is they are way more than the Sony readers. I guess i can still read the techy books on the 600 ok? Has anyone else tried programming books on the Sony?

I'm close to getting the 600 but I guess I'm just after a little reassurance that the glare is
not a problem unless you have lighting directly pointing to the screen.

[Superlucky]

I think techy books are still best on paper. It's hard to thumb around an ebook. Also, I'm assuming a lot of your tech books are pdf's, which don't play nice on dedicated reading devices.

If it were me, I'd go with the 300 and stick to paper for the code books.

[watersidedesigns]

Thanks Super for the reply, so say I use the ereader
for fiction only would you choose the 300 over the 505?

Thinking about how I read tech books I am indeed always jumping from page to page so I think you have a very valid point there. That just leaves one feature of the 600 that I may find useful for fiction Reading and that's the dictionary.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by watersidedesigns

Hi All

Like many I have been lurking in the shadows reading post after post after post. I am in the market for my very first reader and have settled on it being a Sony but thats as far as I have got. Please could someone push me in the right direction?

I read a fair amount of fiction during the evenings and (because of my job) i reference many technical books (mainly programming reference) during the day. These techy books do not really have a lot of graphs and charts, more screen shots and code examples.

Now, as with many many others here, my choice comes down to the 300, 505and 600.

This morning I had decided that the 600 was for me. Reasons for this would be the ability to make notes (very handy when scanning techy books if you want to make a note of where you found something). Also, the dictionary sound a nice touch when reading big words that I normally just ignore. BUT it comes down to this glare/reflection problem. Many people say its a problem and many people say its not that big a problem. All admit it exists.

I did see a 600 and a 300 in Waterstones and I admit the screen contrast on the 300 was better. Problem was these test devices were super glued to the wall so I couldnt walk around and get a good feeling for them.


So i re-considered the 300. This seems perfect for recreational reading but for techy books Hmmmmm. Maybe not a big enough screen - I dunno, anyone else read code books on a 300?

Which brought me to the 505. Big screen, great contrast. But no dictionary nor notes.

I think what i really want doesnt exist yet AHHHHHHHH!

I guess my question is, is the 600 screen really that bad? I would be using it in an office with normal office lighting, outside in daylight and during the evening sitting on the sofa with normal ceiling lighting - no spot lights pointing at the device.

Sorry if im rambling on - just trying to get my head clear. I need a pill!

I guess it's quite simple: If you directly compare, let's say, Sony 505 and Sony 700 or Sony 600, Sony 505 by far will be superior.
But on its own, Sony 600 or even the older Sony 700 with way more glare will be absolutely fine.
A friend of mine did have Sony 700, now switched to Sony 600. When comparing to my Sony 505, he has been disappointed for a moment.
But afterwards, when using his reader in various situations (frequent traveler, so reading on the plane, at night, in the taxi, .....) he was happy with his choice again.
Same to me: I'm using the Kindle app on iPhone. iPhone's display has way more glare than any of my readers. if I directly compare the small display, the glare or the energy consumption, iPhone is a disaster. But still, on its own without comparing, it's absolutely okay.
Meaning: There always will be a better unit with some more desirable features. But each reader, even my least favorite BeBook, is absolutely fine.

And concerning Sony 600: I have been positively surprised and I use it way more often than my Sony 300 because of the screen size.
But I don't have much use for the touchscreen, so Sony 505 still would be okay for me.

[Superlucky]

Originally Posted by watersidedesigns

Thanks Super for the reply, so say I use the ereader for fiction only would you choose the 300 over the 505?

That depends on what you value. If you value portability and don't see any point in carrying a thousand ebooks around, then go with the 300. I think the 505 is better because I like the bigger screen and the removable memory slots. Also, the 505 is customizable (with PRSCustomizer) because of the card slots. I like that mainly for the clock feature.

There's price to consider. I understand that you can get a 505 for the same price as a 300 if you know where to look, but it may not be available for that price where you live. Keep in mind that the 300 doesn't come with a good cover like the 505 (just a pouch, I think), so that's another chunk of money you'll have to spend if you want one (advisable).

Also think about your vision when thinking about size. The 300 and 505 have three font sizes. I understand that if your vision is such that you will need to always use the largest font size that the 300 might be too small (i.e. there will be annoyingly few words per line). However, I've looked at it and if you can read on medium or small font sizes then it's perfectly fine.

I would go for the 505, because I can get it for the same price as the 300 where I live, my preferred font size is medium, I like the clock on the front of my "page" and I carry my Reader in my backpack. Your situation may be different.

[watersidedesigns]

Ok Guys, thanks for all of your input. I have now decided that my first ereader will be the Sony PRS-505.

Why?

a) I can get it for the same price as the 300 (near enough)
b) In red
c) The slightly bigger screen appeals to me
d) Whilst the dictionary and note taking appeal to me, I dont have this option on real books (other than writing on them) and the extra clarity of the 505 over the 600 is a must for me
e) You get a proper cover for it
f) Its in red

Thank you all once again - you have been a great help