Readers: prs-505 or wait for foxit....or something else? :(

[techie_007]

Ok, so I am looking to purchase one of the e-ink based readers. (primarily because I love reading ebooks (read a lot on the PC too)) and these are supposed to put way less strain on the eyes.


1. Kindle OUT: Me in India. No use paying extra for the whispernet etc etc.
2. NOTE: I am probably NOT going to be buying ANY books to read. I already have a text library collected from here and there that will last me a couple of years. + most of what I read is in the public domain (some stuff on Linux + classics from gutenberg )
So DRM support etc is NOT a consideration.

3. Price IS a major consideration. I would rather NOT spend any more money than I have to. Purchase will be from the US (Amazon.com probably) Will get a friend to bring it over or something.

4. While foxit is cheap, I think the 4 level gray-scale screen may not be as good as the 8 level one on the prs 505. + its not even out/reviewed yet, so no idea how good or how bad it will be.

5. Right now I like the looks + features of the prs505, not to mention the price. NOT buying immediately, probably in 2-3 months once I scrape up the spare cash.



Opinions, suggestions etc welcome.

[techie_007]

Anyone?

[wallcraft]

I don't think the difference between 4 and 8 grey scales is significant unless images are a major fraction of your reading.

It is as you say, hard to be definitive about the eSlick. It appears to be based on similar hardware to the Cybook, and certainly the screens of all these devices are identical (the Sony has a different controller but the same screen).

Given your reading pattern, I suggest buying based on price. The Sony currently has the advantage of better support for format shifting (to LRF or ePub) via Calibre, but soon Calibre will likely have good export to MOBI support too (for every EInk device except Sony and eSlick). For the eSlick there are plenty of tools for converting to PDF.

If you are buying in 2-3 months the landscape may have changed, but the PRS-505 is still likely to be a good choice. One option, particularly for DRM-free readers, will be OpenInkPot on various EInk hardware (including the PRS-505). This already looks promising on the Hanlin V3, which is currently a bit expensive but may come down in price.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by techie_007

5. Right now I like the looks + features of the prs505, not to mention the price. NOT buying immediately, probably in 2-3 months once I scrape up the spare cash.


Opinions, suggestions etc welcome.

Given your requierments I think that price is your most important factor I would say get the one you can get for the least price, the Sony, BeBook or CyBook will all meet your needs.

Also, gray scale is NOT a factor if you are only reading text.

BOb

[Andybaby]

You might also want to consider the Jetbook, its $199 on newegg.com right now with free shipping (and tax free if you dont live in a few states like NJ, TN, CA, and they have a new warehouse somewhere i forget)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...Tpk=jet%20book

[Alisa]

Are issues like text search, annotation, dictionary support or the ability to load other fonts important to you?

[techie_007]

1. ok, so grayscale doesnt matter since I am going to be reading text mostly.

2. @pilotbob: Yes, price is a pretty important factor.

Especially keeping in mind that books are way cheaper here in India compared to the US etc since a lot of publishers print localised editions only for sale here. (agreements etc with local publishers.) If they priced it directly based on the exchange rate few would buy since they would be very expensive.

The only reason I am interested is that most of the stuff I like reading I already have in digital format, so its pretty much just a one time expense for me. + the allure of being able to carry all those books without the extra weight

3. The bebook/cybook seem to be for sale in Europe? Didnt see them on Amazon US site.

4. @andybaby: I saw the jetbook too, didnt like it. Only problem seems to be that its not an e-Ink display but an LCD. Now that I am going to buy one, it IS going to be a long term investment, so I want to get an e-Ink based one at least since they are supposed to be so much better. + if I use a PDF someday (rare I know) I think the 505 has reflow capability thats missing in the jetbook.
I have used LCDs before for reading. Both my cellphone (SE k508/750/790) and my PMP (Vision W (480X272)). But they are cumbersome to hold/navigate etc.

5. @Alisa: The dictionary/annotations, text support etc I can live without. I usually dont need to refer a dictionary etc. If I need it that bad, I can always load up a java based one on my cell or something


So it seems unless something really new comes up at CES, the 505 it seems to be.


Also, dunno whether a separate thread on this is required or not, but are the extra warranty plans etc any good?

[ashkulz]

Where in India are you? If you are around Mumbai, you can see a 1150/1200 in action...

[Andybaby]

Originally Posted by techie_007

Also, dunno whether a separate thread on this is required or not, but are the extra warranty plans etc any good?

I got a 2 year Extended Warranty w/ Accidental Damage coverage for my PRS-700, but if i had to pay for it. i would NOT have gotten the warrenty. it was a Christmas present.

i Dobut we will see a Decrease in price, Increase in Performance of any Eink Screened device for atleast a year.

I have the PRS-700, if i needed a Second Device as a Back-up or one for my girlfriend, i would probably Get the JetBook (or possibly a 505 if i could find it cheap enough), the only Disadvantage of LCD over Eink is that LCD doesnt have Subpixel Dithering (cleartype) so the fonts look blocky when compared to Eink, everything else i think LCD beats Eink out of the park, such as Contrast, and Refresh Rate.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by Andybaby

I got a 2 year Extended Warranty w/ Accidental Damage coverage for my PRS-700, but if i had to pay for it. i would NOT have gotten the warrenty. it was a Christmas present.

i Dobut we will see a Decrease in price, Increase in Performance of any Eink Screened device for atleast a year.

I have the PRS-700, if i needed a Second Device as a Back-up or one for my girlfriend, i would probably Get the JetBook (or possibly a 505 if i could find it cheap enough), the only Disadvantage of LCD over Eink is that LCD doesnt have Subpixel Dithering (cleartype) so the fonts look blocky when compared to Eink, everything else i think LCD beats Eink out of the park, such as Contrast, and Refresh Rate.

Actually e-ink does not have subpixel aliasing since a subpixel requires color and the idea of subpixel is to use one of the basic color pixels which is only 1/3 the full size of a pixel, hence the term sub-pixel. E-ink only has a dot per pixel so there is no way to achieve subpixel. Clear type works fine on LCD displays but there is no clear type on e-Ink devices. What is used on e-Ink is anti-aliasing techniques of using an adjacent pixel in gray scale to blend with the regular pixels to achieve an apparent smoothness.

Dale

[techie_007]

1. @ashkulz: Pune actually. + the whole point is that E-Ink is supposed to be soooo much better over LCDs as per reviews Thats why I want to get an E-Ink one only.

2. @AndyBaby/Dalede: The whole point is the ease of reading for E-Ink over LCDs I guess. + I heard the build quality of the PRS-505 is pretty good so warranty I will do without I guess.

269$ on Amazon. Now to wait till I get the cash in hand

[bayankaran]

I am from India.

I bought PRS 505. Now thinking of buying an extra unit for my parents.

PRS 700 is having extra features which are not really necessary - a reader should do one thing right - reading, bells and whistles do not really matter.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by bayankaran

PRS 700 is having extra features which are not really necessary - a reader should do one thing right - reading, bells and whistles do not really matter.

I'm not really sure that searching, dictionary lookup, bookmarks and annotation are bells and whistles. Although, probably most people don't use these things for non-fiction recreational reading.

But, to assume that everyone has the same use case for a device is also the wrong approach to take IMNSHO.

Good on you for getting one for your parents. What a good child you are.

BOb

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I'm not really sure that searching, dictionary lookup, bookmarks and annotation are bells and whistles.

For me, bookmarks are absolutely critical - when I proof-read books, I use bookmarks to mark pages which need correction.

Dictionary lookup is EXTREMELY useful for those of us who read older novels. Eg, Dickens uses a huge number of words which are no longer current in contemporary English.

[bigmoney]

How does the 505 handle very large PDFs, say, 50 MB?