First Impressions of the PRS-700

Nate the great · 10-21-2008, 01:59 PM

I spent about a half hour at the nearest SonyStyle store. It's the one at Tyson's Corner Center Mall. The staff was polite friendly and helpful. I wish I could thank them by name, but I forgot to write them down.

I won't post most of my pictures. The lighting conditions were horribly for photography. All of the pictures are angled funny becuase I was trying to avoid catching the reflected spotlights in the ceiling.

The first new feature that caught my eye was on the "Books" menu screen. They added an index on the right side of the screen. Guess how it works? Also, you can still sort by title, author, and date.

I didn't find the smudges on the screen to be a problem. And I was careful to test this as thoroughly as possible. I had to hold the screen at an angle that made reading impossible before I noticed the smudges.

I found that I could hold the 700 in one hand and turn the page with my thumb. The motion was really easy to figure out repeat consistently.Also,m since you can set the turn page swipe to go both left and right, the 700 should be comfortable for lefties.

The on screen keyboard is finger friendly. Unfortunately, you can't use the it to type notes. It's only for the search function. The only things you can do to a book is highlight and bookmark.

I would definitely recommend this device over the 505. I think it's worth the extra cost.

zelda_pinwheel · 10-21-2008, 02:04 PM

thanks for the review nate !

a question or 2 about page turning with the finger swipe, can this be done only in a certain zone of the screen, or anywhere ? also, can it be only horizontal, or can you configure a vertical swipe ? for example, if holding it in one hand with the thumb on the side of the screen, could you use your thumb to swipe vertically down to page forward, up for back ?

Dave Berk · 10-21-2008, 02:05 PM

Thanks for the review, Nate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

The on screen keyboard is finger friendly. Unfortunately, you can't use the it to type notes. It's only for the search function. The only things you can do to a book is highlight and bookmark.

That's weird.

Are you sure? in one of movies floating around you can see someone using the keyboard to enter notes...

Nate the great · 10-21-2008, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

thanks for the review nate !

a question or 2 about page turning with the finger swipe, can this be done only in a certain zone of the screen, or anywhere ? also, can it be only horizontal, or can you configure a vertical swipe ? for example, if holding it in one hand with the thumb on the side of the screen, could you use your thumbt. to swipe vertically down to page forward, up for back ?

Left and right are the only two options under the Settings menu. And yes, you can swipe anywhere on the screen.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Berk

Thanks for the review, Nate.

That's weird.

Are you sure? in one of movies floating around you can see someone using the keyboard to enter notes...

I could be wrong, but I didn't see a way to annotate. All I could see was that you could make a note by highlighting the text.

Dave Berk · 10-21-2008, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

All I could see was that you could make a note by highlighting the text.

Yep. That's exactly how he did it in the movie.

MickeyC · 10-21-2008, 03:06 PM

I found that it's easier to use the stylus to turn the page, at least at first. I have an iPhone which has a much more user friendly screen. You just rub your thumb or forefinger across the screen and the page turns. But on the 700, I found that using your fingernail on the screen was a better way to turn the page.

Nate the great · 10-21-2008, 09:34 PM

I was busy with other matters when I was posting before, so I didn't really add an opinion. Here it is.

I like the design of the 700 over that of the 505 and the 500. Honestly, I've never liked the hardware design of the 505. If I was still using the 500, I would not have upgraded to the 505. I would upgrade to the PRS-700.

I like how I didn't have to keep my thumb near the edge of the device so I could flip the page. I think holding the 700 near the middle of the device gives a better grip, which is safer.

I like how the UI finally departed from the "10 lines for 10 buttons" menu concept. I always thought it was ugly. The 700 also dropped most of the full screen menus.

I really didn't see anything not to like about the device (other than the price). If I wasn't happy with the device I have now, I might get this one.

zelda_pinwheel · 10-21-2008, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

I was busy with other matters when I was posting before,

are you saying you have a life outside of MR ? is that allowed ? does alex know ?

Quote:

so I didn't really add an opinion. Here it is.

I like the design of the 700 over that of the 505 and the 500. Honestly, I've never liked the hardware design of the 505. If I was still using the 500, I would not have upgraded to the 505. I would upgrade to the PRS-700.

I like how I didn't have to keep my thumb near the edge of the device so I could flip the page. I think holding the 700 near the middle of the device gives a better grip, which is safer.

I like how the UI finally departed from the "10 lines for 10 buttons" menu concept. I always thought it was ugly. The 700 also dropped most of the full screen menus.

I really didn't see anything not to like about the device (other than the price). If I wasn't happy with the device I have now, I might get this one.

thanks for that, it's helpful (damn sony ! if they had put the 700 in stores THREE DAYS earlier i could have seen it for myself !!!). personally i think the ergonomy of the 505 seemed better than most current models but i've never been able to use one for more than a few minutes and i did have doubts about the comfort of the grip for extended reading sessions. it's nice to hear the 700 seems to have resolved that issue, at least in your experience... (arg !!! THREE days !!!!)

Seabound · 10-21-2008, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

I like how I didn't have to keep my thumb near the edge of the device so I could flip the page. I think holding the 700 near the middle of the device gives a better grip, which is safer.

I'm guessing you used the PRS-700 without a cover? With a cover, the dynamics might be a bit different. I use my PRS-505 with a cover, and with the cover, I naturally have to hold the bottom left of the device when I'm using my left hand. This is quite convenient, since the cover acts as extra support for my thumb, and I can easily press the page turn button of the 505.

So does the PRS-700 still have physical page turn buttons?

Nate the great · 10-21-2008, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seabound

I'm guessing you used the PRS-700 without a cover? With a cover, the dynamics might be a bit different. I use my PRS-505 with a cover, and with the cover, I naturally have to hold the bottom left of the device when I'm using my left hand. This is quite convenient, since the cover acts as extra support for my thumb, and I can easily press the page turn button of the 505.

So does the PRS-700 still have physical page turn buttons?

You are correct. The display units don't have covers.

The 700 does have page turn buttons. They're the 2nd and 3rd buttons from the left.

lovebeta · 10-21-2008, 10:56 PM

Thanks for the review. I was wondering about the page-turning speed of the new model. Some reported that it was much faster. What do you think Nate?

jerryleejr · 10-21-2008, 11:04 PM

Great Review Nate,
As much as I want to love the 700 I just cant see enough of an improvement to abandon my 505. With that being said I do think this is a step in the right direction and maybe the next version will have enough for me to upgrade that will give me two years with my 505.

JJ

Nate the great · 10-21-2008, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovebeta

Thanks for the review. I was wondering about the page-turning speed of the new model. Some reported that it was much faster. What do you think Nate?

I don't know about page turns in a book, but I do think that the menus changed much faster than on the Kindle.

Seabound · 10-21-2008, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

The 700 does have page turn buttons. They're the 2nd and 3rd buttons from the left.

Ah, very good! Thanks!

Seabound · 10-22-2008, 12:12 AM

BTW, what did you think of the frontlighting? Although, I imagine this would be hard to judge in a fully lit environment.

10-21-2008, 01:59 PM	#1
Nate the great Sir Penguin of Edinburgh Posts: 12,375 Karma: 23555235 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DC Metro area Device: Shake a stick plus 1	First Impressions of the PRS-700 I spent about a half hour at the nearest SonyStyle store. It's the one at Tyson's Corner Center Mall. The staff was polite friendly and helpful. I wish I could thank them by name, but I forgot to write them down. I won't post most of my pictures. The lighting conditions were horribly for photography. All of the pictures are angled funny becuase I was trying to avoid catching the reflected spotlights in the ceiling. The first new feature that caught my eye was on the "Books" menu screen. They added an index on the right side of the screen. Guess how it works? Also, you can still sort by title, author, and date. I didn't find the smudges on the screen to be a problem. And I was careful to test this as thoroughly as possible. I had to hold the screen at an angle that made reading impossible before I noticed the smudges. I found that I could hold the 700 in one hand and turn the page with my thumb. The motion was really easy to figure out repeat consistently.Also,m since you can set the turn page swipe to go both left and right, the 700 should be comfortable for lefties. The on screen keyboard is finger friendly. Unfortunately, you can't use the it to type notes. It's only for the search function. The only things you can do to a book is highlight and bookmark. I would definitely recommend this device over the 505. I think it's worth the extra cost.

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10-21-2008, 02:04 PM	#2
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	thanks for the review nate ! a question or 2 about page turning with the finger swipe, can this be done only in a certain zone of the screen, or anywhere ? also, can it be only horizontal, or can you configure a vertical swipe ? for example, if holding it in one hand with the thumb on the side of the screen, could you use your thumb to swipe vertically down to page forward, up for back ?

10-21-2008, 03:06 PM	#6
MickeyC Grand Sorcerer Posts: 16,731 Karma: 12185114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Florida Device: iPhone 6 plus, Sony T1, iPad 3	I found that it's easier to use the stylus to turn the page, at least at first. I have an iPhone which has a much more user friendly screen. You just rub your thumb or forefinger across the screen and the page turns. But on the 700, I found that using your fingernail on the screen was a better way to turn the page.

10-21-2008, 09:34 PM	#7
Nate the great Sir Penguin of Edinburgh Posts: 12,375 Karma: 23555235 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DC Metro area Device: Shake a stick plus 1	I was busy with other matters when I was posting before, so I didn't really add an opinion. Here it is. I like the design of the 700 over that of the 505 and the 500. Honestly, I've never liked the hardware design of the 505. If I was still using the 500, I would not have upgraded to the 505. I would upgrade to the PRS-700. I like how I didn't have to keep my thumb near the edge of the device so I could flip the page. I think holding the 700 near the middle of the device gives a better grip, which is safer. I like how the UI finally departed from the "10 lines for 10 buttons" menu concept. I always thought it was ugly. The 700 also dropped most of the full screen menus. I really didn't see anything not to like about the device (other than the price). If I wasn't happy with the device I have now, I might get this one.

10-21-2008, 10:56 PM	#11
lovebeta Groupie Posts: 176 Karma: 406 Join Date: Jan 2008 Device: Amazon Kindle 2, Amazon Kindle, Sony PRS-505	Thanks for the review. I was wondering about the page-turning speed of the new model. Some reported that it was much faster. What do you think Nate?

10-21-2008, 11:04 PM	#12
jerryleejr Koby-rific! Posts: 944 Karma: 191112 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: 2' From My MacBook Pro Device: Kobo Sage,Kobo Aura One, Glo HD,PRS-T1,PRS-950, PRS 300, PRS 350	Great Review Nate, As much as I want to love the 700 I just cant see enough of an improvement to abandon my 505. With that being said I do think this is a step in the right direction and maybe the next version will have enough for me to upgrade that will give me two years with my 505. JJ

10-22-2008, 12:12 AM	#15
Seabound Steerage Class Posts: 711 Karma: 505995 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Pacific Northwest, USA Device: Won't fit here anymore, see sig for a list of liseuses.	BTW, what did you think of the frontlighting? Although, I imagine this would be hard to judge in a fully lit environment.

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