My 505 is Dead, Long Live the 505

[megasad]

Hello,

I've been reading these forums on and off the last few months, have found it a useful place. However, I sadly sign up for an unhappy reason.

Back in May I bought a 505 Reader and have enjoyed using it very much, was all set to take it with me to Australia when I go there on holiday for a few weeks in November. That 22 hour flight was going to zoom by...

Last week I dropped it and the metal case bulged outwards above the screen. It still worked fine, there was just a slight gap.

A few days after that I tried to squeeze the metal back in... And then there was a sickening cracking sound and when I turned it back on I got this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgEH-sfLEBQ
(Click the HD button to see more clearly.)

It's almost still okay to read, just the top line of text is slightly obscured, but it's slowly getting worse, I don't imagine it will somehow get better.

So, I ask two questions:

1 - Will Sony fix this? I completed the return/repair process on their website, they give me an address to post it to, but has anyone any experience with this? Will they be really nice and repair it for free? Will they charge a fee? Does anyone know how much? I bought the device for £195. Which leads into...

2 - I can buy a brand new 505 for £160 on Play.com, or a 300 for £170. I've not yet seen the 300 in person and won't have a chance before I go on holiday. If Sony will want too much to repair it, what are people's thoughts on buying a 505 vs. a 300? Or, of the deluge of new readers in the last few weeks, is there one I can actually get ahold of in the next week and a half? I'm in Frankfurt but have a friend travelling to the UK next week...

Thanks for any replies.

[Superlucky]

Sorry for your loss.

I have a 505 and I've seen the 300 in the store. It's 2/3 the size and has no card slots - other than that it's identical to the 505. I think it may have more internal memory.

[dordale]

Unless you want a smaller device which would be a little more portable, I'd go with the 505. £10 cheaper, and it'll come with a cover--the 300 only comes with a sleeve, so you'll have to spend even more money if you want a cover. And as Superlucky the devices are basically identical, except for the size and the 300 not having any card slots. I do think that the 300 does have more internal memory than the 505 though.

dordale

[megasad]

Originally Posted by Superlucky

Sorry for your loss.

I have a 505 and I've seen the 300 in the store. It's 2/3 the size and has no card slots - other than that it's identical to the 505. I think it may have more internal memory.

Originally Posted by dordale

Unless you want a smaller device which would be a little more portable, I'd go with the 505. £10 cheaper, and it'll come with a cover--the 300 only comes with a sleeve, so you'll have to spend even more money if you want a cover. And as Superlucky the devices are basically identical, except for the size and the 300 not having any card slots. I do think that the 300 does have more internal memory than the 505 though.

dordale

I've not actually used the SD or Memory Stick Pro Duo slots, depsite having 32GB and 16GB cards of each type respectively. I finished four books, The Three Musketeers was my fifth and I had three more queued up to read. Actually, I did use the SD slot to insall some custom firmware, so that i could make the menu text the same size and have a clock in the lower right corner...

As for the 300, I would like the smaller size of the device, being able to put it in my pocket would be very nice, but the smaller screen much less so.

Anyway, thanks for the advice. At the moment I guess I shall see how my poor 505 survives three weeks holiday and then see what's what when I get back. I'm tempted to buy a new one now, keep it sealed in the box, just in case no new machines come out that I like.

Has anyone in the UK had the screen of their 505 repaired? How much did it cost?

[Superlucky]

Originally Posted by megasad

I've not actually used the SD or Memory Stick Pro Duo slots, depsite having 32GB and 16GB cards of each type respectively.

I don't think cards that size will work in the 505.

[megasad]

Originally Posted by Superlucky

I don't think cards that size will work in the 505.

Really? I tried them both insofar as sliding them in, they seemed to be detected fine, but I didn't try filling them up with actual books.

[Superlucky]

Originally Posted by megasad

Really? I tried them both insofar as sliding them in, they seemed to be detected fine, but I didn't try filling them up with actual books.

I think after a couple of gigs there start to be problems.

[Beatlebacker]

Sony will repair it but it might cost you dearly as it could be classed as misuse (whether deliberate or inadvertently) or phyiscal damage. It might be worth sending it in and if push comes to shove you mgiht be able to get an estimated cost or something?! Does the rest of the Reader show signs of damage at all?

[easterncoyote]

Originally Posted by megasad

As for the 300, I would like the smaller size of the device, being able to put it in my pocket would be very nice, but the smaller screen much less so.

I have both the 505 and the 300, thinking I would return one, but ended up liking them both! The 300 has about twice the internal memory of the 505 - not sure of the exact numbers at the moment. It is a very nice little reader to carry with you, and I don't find the smaller screen size is a problem. I usually read the 505 at home. Good luck!

[megasad]

Originally Posted by Beatlebacker

Sony will repair it but it might cost you dearly as it could be classed as misuse (whether deliberate or inadvertently) or phyiscal damage. It might be worth sending it in and if push comes to shove you mgiht be able to get an estimated cost or something?! Does the rest of the Reader show signs of damage at all?

Other than the metal bowing slightly away at the top (which is now actually less pronounced than before :/ ), the only other sign of damage is the broken screen itself. I'll send it in over Christmas, see whether it's worth fixing.

As for the 505 vs 300 vs something else, I wait to see if the nook comes to the UK / Germany, it looks very interesting.

[Patricia]

Sony have had my 505 since 15 September, for a repair (under guarantee) of a faulty screen controller.
I wouldn't hold your breath about getting it back in time for your holiday.

[iptech]

Originally Posted by Patricia

Sony have had my 505 since 15 September, for a repair (under guarantee) of a faulty screen controller.
I wouldn't hold your breath about getting it back in time for your holiday.

It took three weeks for Sony repair centre at Pencoed to repair my 505 earlier this year. Sadly I broke the screen last weekend and decided it probably wouldn't be economical to repair and my insurance has a £100 excess so doesn't justify a claim.

When looking for a replacement I considered the 600 (not sure I'd bee happy with the lower contrast & glare) and the 300 (smaller screen and dearer to buy locally than a new 505) but in the end opted for another 505 from John Lewis for £150 (red only). I did consider not buying a new reader altogether, but one night of reading on my netbook made me realize just how nice the 505 is for reading. I use my reader everyday for reading the news feeds so the net cost of around £3 per week for the reader against the cost of buying a daily newspaper still make it a cheap option and so much more convenient.

Now just waiting for my new case to emerge from the mess that is known as the Royal Mail.

Edit: It seems my case delivery just beat the postal delivery strike scheduled for tomorrow, it's just dropped through the letterbox. I bought one of these First impression are that it's excellent value for money. It appears to be an exact copy of the Tuff Luv case (ripoff or re-branded?) although for the price I suspect it might be made from bonded leather rather than top-hide. I like the all black stitching though and it has a nice quality look & feel. Whatever the material, it's good value @ £8.99.