24 hours later with my PRS-700

[slh17]

Decided to wait until I'd spent enough time reading with it before writing what I thought.

At first glance, the screen is definitely on the grey side - this is what I noticed, not any problems with the sharpness of the text. I guess it's right to say that it has lower contrast than the 505 (which i've only seen in a sony store), but for me it just took a bit of getting used to after years of reading books with white pages.

I can't believe how light and portable it is - it will travel everywhere with me from now on.

I don't normally read in the dark, so I haven't really tested the full light capability - although earlier today i was reading in a bit of a dim spot and the light's lowest setting made it very comfortable.

I've tried flipping the pages both with the touch screen and with the button. Both work very well for me, and I find I choose the method based on how I'm holding the reader.

The biggest and most important test for me was whether I'd be able to forget that i was using an ereader. At first, I was very conscious that I was reading with a funky gizmo. But, earlier today, I'm happy to say that i managed to forget all about it and disappear into my book.

And so, after all that, I'm very happy with it. I often travel with several books and hate being caught without something to read so the portability is a big deal. I'm still trying to find the best sources for the books I need - Sony is fine for popular books but doesn't have others I'd like (travel, etc).

I'd really like to download some French books as well - any ideas?

[Wetdogeared]

Hello slh17

I'm glad you like your new reader. If you have ever had to wear progressive eyeglasses, there is a learning curve to ignoring the unwanted distractions, somehwhat similar the the PRS700.

I got this link somewhere in MobileRead but I can't remember where. Whomever it is can please take credit. All about E-Book Sources and Readers.

http://users.cwnet.com/dalede/ebook.html#ebooks

This site is a great start and will direct you to other sites. Enjoy.

The site was created by Dale DePriest, who deserves all the credit. His homepage is:

http://users.cwnet.com/dalede

[DDHarriman]

Great you love your brand new reader! Congrats!

And yes, eBook readers are all about making life easier.
The part: "still trying to find the best sources for the books...", hey it's now that the really fun begins!

Enjoy

[guguy]

Originally Posted by slh17

Decided to wait until I'd spent enough time reading with it before writing what I thought.

At first glance, the screen is definitely on the grey side - this is what I noticed, not any problems with the sharpness of the text. I guess it's right to say that it has lower contrast than the 505 (which i've only seen in a sony store), but for me it just took a bit of getting used to after years of reading books with white pages.

I can't believe how light and portable it is - it will travel everywhere with me from now on.

I don't normally read in the dark, so I haven't really tested the full light capability - although earlier today i was reading in a bit of a dim spot and the light's lowest setting made it very comfortable.

I've tried flipping the pages both with the touch screen and with the button. Both work very well for me, and I find I choose the method based on how I'm holding the reader.

The biggest and most important test for me was whether I'd be able to forget that i was using an ereader. At first, I was very conscious that I was reading with a funky gizmo. But, earlier today, I'm happy to say that i managed to forget all about it and disappear into my book.

And so, after all that, I'm very happy with it. I often travel with several books and hate being caught without something to read so the portability is a big deal. I'm still trying to find the best sources for the books I need - Sony is fine for popular books but doesn't have others I'd like (travel, etc).

I'd really like to download some French books as well - any ideas?

You can find thousands of French or English books on feedbooks. I especially enjoy the fact that
you can get them in Custom sony reader PDF, justified and hyphened!

[Liviu_5]

Originally Posted by slh17

I'd really like to download some French books as well - any ideas?

http://www.ebooksgratuits.com/

Also Google books has tons of French classics - pdf image so big files and quite slow with most devices, but the 700 handles them decently except for some occasional problems with embedded images but those come from Adobe Digital Editions

Gallica is also very useful though since Google books I could find the French classics I've been interested in there directly, so have not used it recently (some harder to find Dumas, Ponson du Terrail, Arsene Lupin...).

http://gallica.bnf.fr/

Now that Europeana is slated to come online in December with better capacity, it will probably be a very important source of French language books.

[DaleDe]

Thanks Wetdogeared for the plug of my site. It has a few unique things but most of the eBook stuff has be redone in the wiki only arranged differently. There are a few more things I need to bring over to the wiki.

Dale

[astra]

Originally Posted by slh17

The biggest and most important test for me was whether I'd be able to forget that i was using an ereader. At first, I was very conscious that I was reading with a funky gizmo. But, earlier today, I'm happy to say that i managed to forget all about it and disappear into my book.

I am with you. I believe it is one of the most important features of Sony Reader, any of the three models. They are made so nicely, that you don't feel like you are working with a gadget.

[Vi0linha]

slh17,

thank you for your review.

I want to buy a 700BC, I always wanted to buy a e-reader, but I was waiting exactly for a touch screen model.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Vi0linha

slh17,

thank you for your review.

I want to buy a 700BC, I always wanted to buy a e-reader, but I was waiting exactly for a touch screen model.

I see this is your first post, so I would like to welcome you to MobileRead.

Please let us know your reactions when you buy your first Reader - whatever model you decide is appropriate for your needs.

You'll find many free Public Domain and Creative Commons books here. Welcome.

Don

[LuluLemon]

Wow! Great suggestions for French e-book links...Thanks everyone.

[Vi0linha]

Dr. Drib,

thank you. I'll let you know when I buy it, but sony doesn't sell it here in Brazil, so I'll have to import it.

I see you are from Peru. Hispanohablante? Can you tell me if the sony reader has any trouble showing special characters like ç â ã é ê etc??!

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Vi0linha

Dr. Drib,

thank you. I'll let you know when I buy it, but sony doesn't sell it here in Brazil, so I'll have to import it.

I see you are from Peru. Hispanohablante? Can you tell me if the sony reader has any trouble showing special characters like ç â ã é ê etc??!

I'm actually living, working Peru, but I'm from the U.S. I guess you might call me an expatriate. All my Reading and electronics were purchased and authorized while I was living in the U.S.

Don

[Stingo]

Originally Posted by Vi0linha

Dr. Drib,

thank you. I'll let you know when I buy it, but sony doesn't sell it here in Brazil, so I'll have to import it.

I see you are from Peru. Hispanohablante? Can you tell me if the sony reader has any trouble showing special characters like ç â ã é ê etc??!

The reader can display all standard Spanish characters. I have Vargas Llosa, Cortazar and Borges on my reader. I also now read La Nacion using the Calibre import function. That said, if you convert your own file to put on the reader, special attention has to be taken with the conversion program to avoid loosing those characters due to an incompatible character set.

[Vi0linha]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

I'm actually living, working Peru, but I'm from the U.S. I guess you might call me an expatriate. All my Reading and electronics were purchased and authorized while I was living in the U.S.

Don

Don,

oh... sorry... I thought you were 'peruano'.

Originally Posted by Stingo

The reader can display all standard Spanish characters. I have Vargas Llosa, Cortazar and Borges on my reader. I also now read La Nacion using the Calibre import function. That said, if you convert your own file to put on the reader, special attention has to be taken with the conversion program to avoid loosing those characters due to an incompatible character set.

Actually I need it to show portuguese characters, but if it can display spanish, I believe it will be ok.

By the way: I love Cortazar and Borges, I start reading Cortazar in portuguese, but today I read him in spanish.

Thank you!

[TheRealBillc]

I just got my 700 from Books On Board (no shipping charge and no tax). I've only had enough time to charge it and start reading the quick start guide. At the bottom of the device is a small (threaded?) hole for a hand strap, but Sony doesn't seem to sell one. Anybody know if there is some type of "universal" hand strap that could be used? Would I buy one at a luggage store? I would really like to have a hand strap for added protection because I will be using it on the New York Subway System and I think it might prevent me from dropping it when one of the trainees that run the trains stands on the breaks, or jeaks us out of a station from a dead stop.