Greetings fellow ereaders

Modern Bear · 05-29-2009, 06:33 AM

Hello everyone. I am new to the ebook world and haven't yet purchased a reader. My wife has a birthday coming up and I really want to get her one, she deserves it! She is an avid reader and I think one of these would be a great gift, as well as saving what little shelf space I have left for my own books

She is also a graduate student and I thought being able to read PDFs on it would help immensely.

This is what brought me to this site. I have been heavily researching different readers online and even went to Borders to look at the Sony PRS 505 and 700. I saw some people on the Amazon forums mention this site so I checked it out and I am glad I did. This site has a wealth of information and some very informed and helpful people posting on the forums.

I still haven't decided on a reader but I am leaning towards the Sony PRS 505. I know it won't be able to handle her being able to take notes and highlight her PDFs but it seems currently there aren't any good readers that can that are also within my budget. I really like the Irex Iliad but starting at $600 that is beyond what I want to pay. The Sony PRS 700 I saw in Borders just had a horrible screen. It was dark, had poor contrast and too much glare. That's a shame because I absolutely loved the touchscreen features, but if it's hard to read that defeats the purpose of a reader. The Kindle 2 sounds nice but is a bit pricey and I wonder about the fragility of it as I have seen more reviewers on Amazon lately stating it breaks too easily. I figured I could get the Sony 505 for her now so she can still have a nice book reader and then see about the Plastic Logic one due out early next year. The Plastic Logic reader looks great for education needs from what I saw of demos of it on Youtube. Hopefully that will be affordable when it comes out and it lives up to the expectations. If not Maybe the Kindle DX could be an option but I have a feeling that will suffer even greater from fragility issues, and the price isn't that hot.

Anyway I think I rambled way too much for a simple introduction post but I will repeat that I am so glad I found this site

Feel free to correct any misconceptions I might have because I really value any input.

zelda_pinwheel · 05-29-2009, 08:23 AM

hello modern bear and welcome to the forum ! we are glad you found us too !

what a nice husband you are to buy your wife a reader for her birthday ! she is lucky to have you.

the sony readers are excellent machines and you'll find plenty of people around here who absolutely adore theirs !

the problem with pdfs on readers is that they are often formatted for a much larger display than a 6" screen, and although the sony pdf support is very good and will allow you to "reflow" the pdf text (this means it will adapt the text to the size of the display), when you do that you lose most of the formatting. but, while you're waiting for an affordable large-screen device, the sony can be a very good alternative.

i personally have a sony 700 ; it does have a somewhat inferior display to the 505 because the tactile layer plus the gap for the integrated lighting somewhat obscures the e-ink screen (which is below those). however, it suffers most in a side-by-side comparison ; when you actually use it to read, it's an excellent device and the screen is absolutely readable, i've never had any trouble reading on it even in low light conditions, and in daylight it's even better. generally, people who are already used to reading on a 505 etc. don't like the 700, but those who get it as their first reader generally love it. i have to say that the ergonomics are absolutely brilliant, and the touch screen and note-taking ability (and search and highlight...) make a huge difference and for me they outweigh the (slight ! really !) loss of contrast on the display. which is not to say it's perfect, of course ; when someone makes a device with touch-screen navigation, note-taking, etc. AND a display as clear as a 505 screen, i'll definitely upgrade ! but in the meantime i love it.

the other very important feature to consider is format support. the sony devices support epub, which is the new industry standard format and already gaining a lot of ground, although mobipocket (which has been around longer) is very popular still, particularly in the US. personally i wouldn't get any device which doesn't offer native epub support.

whatever you decide i'm sure your wife will love it ! take a look around the forum, and don't hesitate to ask any questions.

MickeyC · 05-29-2009, 10:06 AM

Hi Modern Bear and welcome to MobileRead. Sound advice there from Zelda. I've had a Sony 505 for a year and a half and am very pleased with it. But the 700 is a great device as well. And ePub does appear to be the emerging industry standard and it reads very well on the Sony

desertgrandma · 05-29-2009, 10:08 AM

Welcome to MobileRead, modernbear.

Enjoy the forums, and the free books.

GraceKrispy · 06-01-2009, 01:21 AM

Welcome to the forum!

My husband also did his research and got a 505 for me. Best gift *ever.* I can't imagine how pointless my life would be without it.

05-29-2009, 06:33 AM	#1
Modern Bear Member Posts: 17 Karma: 48 Join Date: May 2009 Location: New York, USA Device: Sony PRS 505 & 700	Greetings fellow ereaders Hello everyone. I am new to the ebook world and haven't yet purchased a reader. My wife has a birthday coming up and I really want to get her one, she deserves it! She is an avid reader and I think one of these would be a great gift, as well as saving what little shelf space I have left for my own books She is also a graduate student and I thought being able to read PDFs on it would help immensely. This is what brought me to this site. I have been heavily researching different readers online and even went to Borders to look at the Sony PRS 505 and 700. I saw some people on the Amazon forums mention this site so I checked it out and I am glad I did. This site has a wealth of information and some very informed and helpful people posting on the forums. I still haven't decided on a reader but I am leaning towards the Sony PRS 505. I know it won't be able to handle her being able to take notes and highlight her PDFs but it seems currently there aren't any good readers that can that are also within my budget. I really like the Irex Iliad but starting at $600 that is beyond what I want to pay. The Sony PRS 700 I saw in Borders just had a horrible screen. It was dark, had poor contrast and too much glare. That's a shame because I absolutely loved the touchscreen features, but if it's hard to read that defeats the purpose of a reader. The Kindle 2 sounds nice but is a bit pricey and I wonder about the fragility of it as I have seen more reviewers on Amazon lately stating it breaks too easily. I figured I could get the Sony 505 for her now so she can still have a nice book reader and then see about the Plastic Logic one due out early next year. The Plastic Logic reader looks great for education needs from what I saw of demos of it on Youtube. Hopefully that will be affordable when it comes out and it lives up to the expectations. If not Maybe the Kindle DX could be an option but I have a feeling that will suffer even greater from fragility issues, and the price isn't that hot. Anyway I think I rambled way too much for a simple introduction post but I will repeat that I am so glad I found this site Feel free to correct any misconceptions I might have because I really value any input.

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05-29-2009, 08:23 AM	#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?	hello modern bear and welcome to the forum ! we are glad you found us too ! what a nice husband you are to buy your wife a reader for her birthday ! she is lucky to have you. the sony readers are excellent machines and you'll find plenty of people around here who absolutely adore theirs ! the problem with pdfs on readers is that they are often formatted for a much larger display than a 6" screen, and although the sony pdf support is very good and will allow you to "reflow" the pdf text (this means it will adapt the text to the size of the display), when you do that you lose most of the formatting. but, while you're waiting for an affordable large-screen device, the sony can be a very good alternative. i personally have a sony 700 ; it does have a somewhat inferior display to the 505 because the tactile layer plus the gap for the integrated lighting somewhat obscures the e-ink screen (which is below those). however, it suffers most in a side-by-side comparison ; when you actually use it to read, it's an excellent device and the screen is absolutely readable, i've never had any trouble reading on it even in low light conditions, and in daylight it's even better. generally, people who are already used to reading on a 505 etc. don't like the 700, but those who get it as their first reader generally love it. i have to say that the ergonomics are absolutely brilliant, and the touch screen and note-taking ability (and search and highlight...) make a huge difference and for me they outweigh the (slight ! really !) loss of contrast on the display. which is not to say it's perfect, of course ; when someone makes a device with touch-screen navigation, note-taking, etc. AND a display as clear as a 505 screen, i'll definitely upgrade ! but in the meantime i love it. the other very important feature to consider is format support. the sony devices support epub, which is the new industry standard format and already gaining a lot of ground, although mobipocket (which has been around longer) is very popular still, particularly in the US. personally i wouldn't get any device which doesn't offer native epub support. whatever you decide i'm sure your wife will love it ! take a look around the forum, and don't hesitate to ask any questions.

05-29-2009, 10:06 AM	#3
MickeyC Grand Sorcerer Posts: 16,731 Karma: 12185114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Florida Device: iPhone 6 plus, Sony T1, iPad 3	Hi Modern Bear and welcome to MobileRead. Sound advice there from Zelda. I've had a Sony 505 for a year and a half and am very pleased with it. But the 700 is a great device as well. And ePub does appear to be the emerging industry standard and it reads very well on the Sony

05-29-2009, 10:08 AM	#4
desertgrandma Enjoying the show.... Posts: 14,270 Karma: 10462843 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Arizona Device: A K1, Kindle Paperwhite, an Ipod, IPad2, Iphone, an Ipad Mini & macAir	Welcome to MobileRead, modernbear. Enjoy the forums, and the free books.

06-01-2009, 01:21 AM	#5
GraceKrispy It's Dr. Penguin now! Posts: 3,909 Karma: 4705733 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: (USA) Device: iPad mini, Samsung Note 3, Sony PRS-650 (rarely used now)	Welcome to the forum! My husband also did his research and got a 505 for me. Best gift ever. I can't imagine how pointless my life would be without it.

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