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Old 01-16-2011, 04:27 AM   #1
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Question Opinions: Replace Battery on my PRS-505 or get CHEAP new Kobo?

My battery on my 505 JUST went. Last two days or so it all of a sudden won't hold a charge. So I have to decide... do I finally ditch my trusty 505 (which is in otherwise solid shape) or do I toss a little cash out for something new? Emphasis on "a little", because I don't really want to spend that much right now. The obvious alternative then might be a Kobo Wifi, while they're on sale.

I have only a day to decide though, since the $40 coupon on the Kobo for Borders Rewards ends on the 17th. I have a $17 store credit. The Kobo Wifi with the coupon is $99. So I'd pay $82 plus tax.

But... I won't really use the Wifi. Its not a feature which matters to me, since I use Calibre and a USB cable for everything.

So... opinions. Do I simply fix the 505 (the instructions on the site here seem pretty clear, and it looks like I can get the battery for $15 or $16 bucks shipped), or go Kobo? Is the Kobo a year in now, with the latest firmware, and on their 2nd generation of hardware, good enough to trump an older Sony unit (and yes, I do have the PRS+ addon)? That's basically what I need to know, I guess, since I've barely paid attention to the Kobo since it came out (and never actually tried one hands-on when it did).

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Old 01-16-2011, 06:55 AM   #2
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I would prob go with the PRS 650 if you still want to go with Sony, its tight, you would like it. If you decide to go Kobo, get their wireless version, the original kobo is going to be KOA very soon.
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Old 01-16-2011, 08:54 AM   #3
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You missed the part where I said I'm not wanting to really spend much money now. The tradeoff is either maintaining something old, but which I know is damn solid other than that battery replacement (which will run me less than $20), or sinking a minimum of cash into what looks like a steal on the Kobo (with my credit it would be a mere $82 plus tax). Eventually I may save up for a big reader, a nine incher or somthing, but this is meant as a stopgap. So is the better stopgap staying with the 505 and replacing the battery, or getting a Kobo to use for a year (I'm figuring I may buy that big reader, whatever it winds up being around next Christmas)?

Really this comes down to a "is the Kobo (with a year of improvements since its launch and Wifi) better than the 505" question, that's all. If I had something BESIDES the 505 to trade in to Sony for that credit of theirs I might have gone for the current Sony 5" Reader (well if it were yesterday--the price was $150 but that just ended and its back to $180), but with a dead battery apparently the trade-in value of the 505 drops from $75 down to $11 (in other words... not worth it).
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Old 01-16-2011, 03:22 PM   #4
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In some respects the Kobo is a fairly basic reader. It doesn't have a collections feature, nor does it keep multiple bookmarks in a book - it only keeps track of how far you've read. And it doesn't present books sorted by date. It does have five font sizes, using either a serif or sans-serif font, and, of course, the ADE is an improved version. I find the Sony somewhat easier to use because of its two sets of page turn buttons, and better menu selection buttons. For $20 and half an hour of work, I'd probably stick with the Sony...
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Old 01-16-2011, 04:27 PM   #5
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In some respects the Kobo is a fairly basic reader. It doesn't have a collections feature, nor does it keep multiple bookmarks in a book - it only keeps track of how far you've read. And it doesn't present books sorted by date. It does have five font sizes, using either a serif or sans-serif font, and, of course, the ADE is an improved version. I find the Sony somewhat easier to use because of its two sets of page turn buttons, and better menu selection buttons. For $20 and half an hour of work, I'd probably stick with the Sony...
I'm shocked to hear the Kobo STILL doesn't have real bookmarking after a year of development on their firmware. Is that lack ON PURPOSE for some reason?

The Collections feature I could live without, but I also think a lack of a date sort, like the bookmarking, seems like a shocking lack after so much development time. A continued absence of those after so long almost seems like a middle finger to the buyers--they hardly seem like sophisticated advanced features which would be a lot to expect. Bookmarking and date sorting are basic stuff.

Its a shame, because obviously around the $80 is a hell of a steal and after tomorrow I doubt I'd have another chance to get it that low, but yeah. The Kobo would actually have to be at least decent even still for me to spend that $60 difference (assuming the Sony repair to be around $20).

Again, this is all a stopgap. Next real leap would be to a big reader--I'm just not ready yet.

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Old 01-16-2011, 04:30 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Spiffy View Post
My battery on my 505 JUST went. Last two days or so it all of a sudden won't hold a charge. So I have to decide... do I finally ditch my trusty 505 (which is in otherwise solid shape) or do I toss a little cash out for something new? Emphasis on "a little", because I don't really want to spend that much right now. The obvious alternative then might be a Kobo Wifi, while they're on sale.

I have only a day to decide though, since the $40 coupon on the Kobo for Borders Rewards ends on the 17th. I have a $17 store credit. The Kobo Wifi with the coupon is $99. So I'd pay $82 plus tax.

But... I won't really use the Wifi. Its not a feature which matters to me, since I use Calibre and a USB cable for everything.

So... opinions. Do I simply fix the 505 (the instructions on the site here seem pretty clear, and it looks like I can get the battery for $15 or $16 bucks shipped), or go Kobo? Is the Kobo a year in now, with the latest firmware, and on their 2nd generation of hardware, good enough to trump an older Sony unit (and yes, I do have the PRS+ addon)? That's basically what I need to know, I guess, since I've barely paid attention to the Kobo since it came out (and never actually tried one hands-on when it did).

I'd go for the fix, and save up for your new 9" screen ereader!!!
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Old 01-16-2011, 05:09 PM   #7
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I say fix it - the Sony PRS-505 is still a great reader, and then upgrade when you feel like you are ready / able to afford it, especially if you don't think you'd use the wi-fi on the Kobo.
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Old 01-17-2011, 12:08 AM   #8
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Why not simply replace the battery yourself?



BTW, that is sort of how lithium batteries die, all at once. They will slowly lose their run time but the will often still hold a reasonable charge when the next time you try to turn on the device the battery is just completely dead and won't charge anymore.

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Old 01-17-2011, 02:42 AM   #9
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Why not simply replace the battery yourself?
Where did you get the impression I wouldn't be changing it myself? I though the phrase from my earlier post "the instructions on the site here seem pretty clear, and it looks like I can get the battery for $15 or $16 bucks shipped" kind of imply thats exactly what I meant--that I'd be repairing it myself if I chose to NOT get a Kobo.

For me it was just testing the water to see if the Kobo had been improved enough over the past year to be worth a small investment. The answer from most seems to be "not if you have a Sony". Which is fine--its what I wanted to know.
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Old 01-17-2011, 10:52 AM   #10
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You are aware of Sony's trade-in program, right? You can send in your old reader and get a $75 credit towards a new one. It's probably still more than you want to spend, but I'm just putting it out there...

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Old 01-17-2011, 12:20 PM   #11
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I'd just upgrade the battery. It's a lot cheaper and you keep a good ereader around.

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Old 01-17-2011, 01:04 PM   #12
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You are aware of Sony's trade-in program, right? You can send in your old reader and get a $75 credit towards a new one. It's probably still more than you want to spend, but I'm just putting it out there...

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The credit seems to be $50 for a PRS-505.
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Old 01-17-2011, 01:05 PM   #13
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I would also upgrade the battery.

The $75 trade in is over, so not an option. With a new battery installed the reader would have some resell value as well. So carefully replace the battery and sell it when you are ready for a new reader.
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Old 01-18-2011, 03:57 AM   #14
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You are aware of Sony's trade-in program, right? You can send in your old reader and get a $75 credit towards a new one. It's probably still more than you want to spend, but I'm just putting it out there...

eP
No. No you can't.

First of all, its no longer $75. A 505 in ideal shape only gets $50 from them now. (edit - I see someone beat me to this point)

Secondly, a dead battery = an $11 trade-in offer. Even though the battery replacement cost for Sony themselves is probably negligible, nevertheless they slam you for it.

The $50 off Kobo coupon is expired now, so by default I've made the decision. Also, MegaCapacity.com had the battery for $13. That's including shipping.

Of course its probably coming from Hong Kong and will probably take weeks, but even so that's a hell of a deal.

Last edited by Spiffy; 01-18-2011 at 04:01 AM.
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