Brand new PRS 700

Modern Bear · 05-31-2009, 03:35 AM

Well I finally decided and got my wife a PRS 700 for her birthday. I was going to get a 505 because I had looked at both in a Borders store and the 700 looked horrible. It had a very dark screen that seemed like I was looking at the screen through green water. I figured it can't be that bad and that something must have been wrong with their demo model so I went to another Borders store in the area. The one on demo there looked a lot better. Not as bright and with as much contrast as the 505 but definitely readable. I really like the touchscreen features and how it is faster than the 505. It should be able to handle her PDFs from school as long as they aren't scanned image ones, plus she can highlight and add notes with it. We also discovered Baen's free library which is awesome.

I also downloaded Calibre and was messing with that. I have read a number of times that the Sony software is pretty bad so I am wondering do you even need to use it at all? How many people here just use Calibre alone?

Also has anyone purchased Sony's extended warranty? I was considering a 2 year one that is supposed to offer accident protection but I am wondering if it's worth the cost or if Sony actually honors these warranties. We are pretty careful with our stuff but accidents can happen no matter how hard you try to avoid them.

I am also considering a M-edge case for it but also was wondering what other good alternatives were out there. Mostly it need to protect the reader while in a bag/backpack and maybe offer some cushioning if she has an oopsie.

Thanks for any answers or advice you all can offer.

Andybaby · 05-31-2009, 04:21 AM

I like the sony library. it preloads the files you put on the reader so no loading times. it has gotten currupted on my once which was a bit annoying to fix, but other than that, I like it.

I've got a 2 year warrenty w/ acidental protection. sony seems to be doing a whole lot better with their warrenties lately. even out of warrenty fixes seem to cost only 99 bucks out of warrenty, so, weigh the pros and cons,

if you havent read my review of the medge cover yet, hopefully it would make you buy one. review is linked in my signature.

trust me. They are worth it, it adds a whole lot of protection.

narbeauchamp · 05-31-2009, 07:53 AM

Buy the warranty-somehow I did not realize I could buy the warranty from Sony (although they never brought it up at J&R when I bought my PRS505 -or the one I bought as a gift)....and when my reader broke-and I had no protection,it was going to cost me nearly as much as replacing the reader with a new 505 to repair it-ultimately I ended up buying the PRS700-and I was NOT going to repeat that mistake again.I feel much better knowing,that should something befall my current beloved reader,I will have protection,at a more reasonable rate (hopefully).

Pangolyn · 05-31-2009, 07:58 AM

I like my M-Edge cover--makes it look more like a book (well, a Bible or a DayTimer). I use the Sony Store just to install their free books and books purchased through their store (I think three books). I use Adobe Digital Editions to install books borrowed from our local library's online site, as well as other protected PDFs I own.

The rest of my books (100+) are managed by Calibre, which gives me a huge amount of control. I can crop PDFs using the Mac's Preview program, get all of the metadata online using its excellent metadata editor, even get the cover from the 'net. I can easily categorize books in a dead-reliable way, which was a major failure of the Sony software and its 'autosync' categories.

The screen is definitely not as nice as the 505 (and Kindle, presumably) but the touchscreen is so critical to navigation for me, as well as the built-in light for night reading, so I can give up the 20% or so loss of clarity. Sony readers have fantastic PDF support, and since most of my books are PDFs and the library's books are PDFs it was a no-brainer.

If I chose to get the 505 plus the light wedge and their cover that holds both it was almost the same price as the 700. That would have the option of flipping the wedge out of the way to have excellent clarity in normal lighting conditions.

Hope she loves it!

Pangolyn · 05-31-2009, 08:02 AM

I'm also one of the guys that got a refurbished Sony for $99 after mine broke (apparently repeated falls on concrete aren't recommended). My wife bought it for me through the Sony store, but I've seen reports on here that it doesn't seem to matter where you bought it--$99 replaces it for any damage, even accidental.

narbeauchamp · 05-31-2009, 09:02 AM

That's interesting-have read several people with the $99 replacement story,when I initially looked into the warranty replacement several months ago...something in the avenue of $29 was stated on the website-when I called to get the authorization to send in my device for repair-they said it would cost about $200 to repair (my screen was broken)-if I'd been able to get a replacement for $99 I would've acted on that immediately. My theory was that once repair cost approached $200,I was nearly at a point where it made more sense to buy a new one. Maybe I should try again,and I might be able to get a 505 for $99 (my broken 505 is STILL sitting on my desk..all these months later...TAUNTING me)....

I'm glad to read good things about the M-Edge cases,I finally need to get around to placing the order

especially since my birthday is coming up..DEFINITELY need to replace my cover (which one day stopped fitting properly,after a very slight drop of the PRS700 -not on concrete...)

Modern Bear · 05-31-2009, 11:15 PM

Thank you all for the advice. I just ordered a black M-Edge from Amazon and I purchased a 2 year warranty from Sony. Andy that was a great review of the M-Edge covers. It had way more information than what's on Amazon or even M-Edge's own site, as well as some great pictures to show how it looks from every angle with the actual device in it. This sealed the deal for my decision. Now I just have to mess with some software so my wife and I can learn how to use it.

Andybaby · 06-01-2009, 03:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Modern Bear

Thank you all for the advice. I just ordered a black M-Edge from Amazon and I purchased a 2 year warranty from Sony. Andy that was a great review of the M-Edge covers. It had way more information than what's on Amazon or even M-Edge's own site, as well as some great pictures to show how it looks from every angle with the actual device in it. This sealed the deal for my decision. Now I just have to mess with some software so my wife and I can learn how to use it.

thank you, anyone who buys it from the link in my review gives me $1.20, so far I've made 6 bucks! lol, thanks for your kind words.

Treven · 06-16-2009, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by narbeauchamp

That's interesting-have read several people with the $99 replacement story,when I initially looked into the warranty replacement several months ago...something in the avenue of $29 was stated on the website-when I called to get the authorization to send in my device for repair-they said it would cost about $200 to repair (my screen was broken)-if I'd been able to get a replacement for $99 I would've acted on that immediately. My theory was that once repair cost approached $200,I was nearly at a point where it made more sense to buy a new one. Maybe I should try again,and I might be able to get a 505 for $99 (my broken 505 is STILL sitting on my desk..all these months later...TAUNTING me)....

I'm glad to read good things about the M-Edge cases,I finally need to get around to placing the order

especially since my birthday is coming up..DEFINITELY need to replace my cover (which one day stopped fitting properly,after a very slight drop of the PRS700 -not on concrete...)

I had a 505 prior to getting my 700. The power switch on the 505 kept flaking out on me & Sony replaced it with a refurbished one for $29. They sent me the refurbished one before I returned my defective one.
So being the nice person I am, I gave the refurbished one to a co-worker of mine.

kaylene · 06-29-2009, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Modern Bear

Well I finally decided and got my wife a PRS 700 for her birthday. I was going to get a 505 because I had looked at both in a Borders store and the 700 looked horrible. It had a very dark screen that seemed like I was looking at the screen through green water. I figured it can't be that bad and that something must have been wrong with their demo model so I went to another Borders store in the area. The one on demo there looked a lot better. Not as bright and with as much contrast as the 505 but definitely readable. I really like the touchscreen features and how it is faster than the 505. It should be able to handle her PDFs from school as long as they aren't scanned image ones, plus she can highlight and add notes with it. We also discovered Baen's free library which is awesome.
I also downloaded Calibre and was messing with that. I have read a number of times that the Sony software is pretty bad so I am wondering do you even need to use it at all? How many people here just use Calibre alone?
Also has anyone purchased Sony's extended warranty? I was considering a 2 year one that is supposed to offer accident protection but I am wondering if it's worth the cost or if Sony actually honors these warranties. We are pretty careful with our stuff but accidents can happen no matter how hard you try to avoid them.
I am also considering a M-edge case for it but also was wondering what other good alternatives were out there. Mostly it need to protect the reader while in a bag/backpack and maybe offer some cushioning if she has an oopsie.
Thanks for any answers or advice you all can offer.

Have you looked at the BookArmor travel case? I was googling cases and came across it. It's designed for travel and has hard plastic protecting the front and back of the device. I'm really thinking about buying one.

As for the Sony warrenty, GET IT IF YOU CAN!!!!!! I had my prs for just 5 weeks and it got damaged. I leaned on it while it was on my bed without realizing it and cracked the screen. I luckily had paid the extra $50 and purchased the 2 year accidental damage warrenty with my reader, and Sony replaced with it a refurbished one for free. I was so happy for that.

sdmama · 06-29-2009, 06:48 PM

I have a BookArmor case for my Sony and it is a very nice case. It has a nice hard cover and it fits very snug so that it doesn't add too much bulk. I would recommend it.

05-31-2009, 03:35 AM	#1
Modern Bear Member Posts: 17 Karma: 48 Join Date: May 2009 Location: New York, USA Device: Sony PRS 505 & 700	Brand new PRS 700 Well I finally decided and got my wife a PRS 700 for her birthday. I was going to get a 505 because I had looked at both in a Borders store and the 700 looked horrible. It had a very dark screen that seemed like I was looking at the screen through green water. I figured it can't be that bad and that something must have been wrong with their demo model so I went to another Borders store in the area. The one on demo there looked a lot better. Not as bright and with as much contrast as the 505 but definitely readable. I really like the touchscreen features and how it is faster than the 505. It should be able to handle her PDFs from school as long as they aren't scanned image ones, plus she can highlight and add notes with it. We also discovered Baen's free library which is awesome. I also downloaded Calibre and was messing with that. I have read a number of times that the Sony software is pretty bad so I am wondering do you even need to use it at all? How many people here just use Calibre alone? Also has anyone purchased Sony's extended warranty? I was considering a 2 year one that is supposed to offer accident protection but I am wondering if it's worth the cost or if Sony actually honors these warranties. We are pretty careful with our stuff but accidents can happen no matter how hard you try to avoid them. I am also considering a M-edge case for it but also was wondering what other good alternatives were out there. Mostly it need to protect the reader while in a bag/backpack and maybe offer some cushioning if she has an oopsie. Thanks for any answers or advice you all can offer.

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05-31-2009, 04:21 AM	#2
Andybaby Wizard Posts: 1,279 Karma: 1002683 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New York Device: PRS-700	I like the sony library. it preloads the files you put on the reader so no loading times. it has gotten currupted on my once which was a bit annoying to fix, but other than that, I like it. I've got a 2 year warrenty w/ acidental protection. sony seems to be doing a whole lot better with their warrenties lately. even out of warrenty fixes seem to cost only 99 bucks out of warrenty, so, weigh the pros and cons, if you havent read my review of the medge cover yet, hopefully it would make you buy one. review is linked in my signature. trust me. They are worth it, it adds a whole lot of protection.

05-31-2009, 07:53 AM	#3
narbeauchamp Groupie Posts: 170 Karma: 98 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: New York,NY Device: PRS700BC/PRS505/TZ350N/MacBook/Aspire One/iPad/iPhone/BB 9630	Buy the warranty-somehow I did not realize I could buy the warranty from Sony (although they never brought it up at J&R when I bought my PRS505 -or the one I bought as a gift)....and when my reader broke-and I had no protection,it was going to cost me nearly as much as replacing the reader with a new 505 to repair it-ultimately I ended up buying the PRS700-and I was NOT going to repeat that mistake again.I feel much better knowing,that should something befall my current beloved reader,I will have protection,at a more reasonable rate (hopefully).

05-31-2009, 07:58 AM	#4
Pangolyn Enthusiast Posts: 38 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2009 Device: PRS700	I like my M-Edge cover--makes it look more like a book (well, a Bible or a DayTimer). I use the Sony Store just to install their free books and books purchased through their store (I think three books). I use Adobe Digital Editions to install books borrowed from our local library's online site, as well as other protected PDFs I own. The rest of my books (100+) are managed by Calibre, which gives me a huge amount of control. I can crop PDFs using the Mac's Preview program, get all of the metadata online using its excellent metadata editor, even get the cover from the 'net. I can easily categorize books in a dead-reliable way, which was a major failure of the Sony software and its 'autosync' categories. The screen is definitely not as nice as the 505 (and Kindle, presumably) but the touchscreen is so critical to navigation for me, as well as the built-in light for night reading, so I can give up the 20% or so loss of clarity. Sony readers have fantastic PDF support, and since most of my books are PDFs and the library's books are PDFs it was a no-brainer. If I chose to get the 505 plus the light wedge and their cover that holds both it was almost the same price as the 700. That would have the option of flipping the wedge out of the way to have excellent clarity in normal lighting conditions. Hope she loves it!

05-31-2009, 08:02 AM	#5
Pangolyn Enthusiast Posts: 38 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2009 Device: PRS700	I'm also one of the guys that got a refurbished Sony for $99 after mine broke (apparently repeated falls on concrete aren't recommended). My wife bought it for me through the Sony store, but I've seen reports on here that it doesn't seem to matter where you bought it--$99 replaces it for any damage, even accidental.

05-31-2009, 09:02 AM	#6
narbeauchamp Groupie Posts: 170 Karma: 98 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: New York,NY Device: PRS700BC/PRS505/TZ350N/MacBook/Aspire One/iPad/iPhone/BB 9630	That's interesting-have read several people with the $99 replacement story,when I initially looked into the warranty replacement several months ago...something in the avenue of $29 was stated on the website-when I called to get the authorization to send in my device for repair-they said it would cost about $200 to repair (my screen was broken)-if I'd been able to get a replacement for $99 I would've acted on that immediately. My theory was that once repair cost approached $200,I was nearly at a point where it made more sense to buy a new one. Maybe I should try again,and I might be able to get a 505 for $99 (my broken 505 is STILL sitting on my desk..all these months later...TAUNTING me).... I'm glad to read good things about the M-Edge cases,I finally need to get around to placing the order especially since my birthday is coming up..DEFINITELY need to replace my cover (which one day stopped fitting properly,after a very slight drop of the PRS700 -not on concrete...)

05-31-2009, 11:15 PM	#7
Modern Bear Member Posts: 17 Karma: 48 Join Date: May 2009 Location: New York, USA Device: Sony PRS 505 & 700	Thank you all for the advice. I just ordered a black M-Edge from Amazon and I purchased a 2 year warranty from Sony. Andy that was a great review of the M-Edge covers. It had way more information than what's on Amazon or even M-Edge's own site, as well as some great pictures to show how it looks from every angle with the actual device in it. This sealed the deal for my decision. Now I just have to mess with some software so my wife and I can learn how to use it.

06-29-2009, 06:48 PM	#11
sdmama Enthusiast Posts: 42 Karma: 148 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: San Diego Device: Sony Reader 505 and 700 and Kindle 2	I have a BookArmor case for my Sony and it is a very nice case. It has a nice hard cover and it fits very snug so that it doesn't add too much bulk. I would recommend it.

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