Sony PRS 505 LC Blue Digital Book Reader

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Sony PRS 505 LC Blue Digital Book Reader

Experience the joy of reading a variety of your favorite books all stored digitally in one compact device. The slimmer, redesigned Reader Digital Book lets you carry a stack of books in one hand. The Reader Digital Book holds about 160 eBooks or hundreds more with optional removable memory cards. Its portable size makes it the perfect travel companion, allowing you to read a variety of books whenever and wherever you want. With thousands of eBook titles available at The eBook Store from Sony, you can choose to download new releases, classics and popular book titles as well as view other document formats such as Adobe PDF10, RTF, TXT, BBeB and Microsoft Word. Its long battery life lasts up to 7,500 continuous page turns, and the amazing paper-like screen technology is easy on the eyes. Screen Size – Approx. 6 Measured Diagonally; Resolution – Approx. 170 Pixels Per Inch; Gray Scale – 8-Level Grey Scale Up to 7,500 page turns on full charge Audio and picture playback Dual SD Card and Memory Stick(R) Pro Duo Expansion Slot Mountable USB Drive Charges via USB Unit Dimensions (Approx.) – 6.9 x 4.8 x 0.3 (175 x 122 x 8mm) / Weighs 9 ounces Includes Tan Soft Case, USB Cable, Quick Start(TM) Guide, CD-ROM Limited Warranty – Labor- 90 days from the date of purchase; Parts- 1 Year from the date of purchase

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Great Product
Back in 2000 I was enthralled by the MS Reader and all the books available on Project Gutenburg and The University of Virginia. I spent much time reading classics on my computer, but then the Copyright laws changed extending the copyright period and I lost interest. On a recent trip to Dallas, the gentleman next to me had the Kindle 1, and I was really intrigued to see it. It did, to me, look a little cheap and the keyboard looked bothersome. Since I was going on vacation I spent some time reading a variety of reviews of the variations of the Kindle and Sony reader. I always travel with a laptop, so the wireless feature of the Kindle and the need for a keyboard were not important to me. The more open file system of the Sony against the larger e-library at Amazon were about even trade-offs. I am convinced that sooner or later Amazon will bend and start selling books formatted for the Reader.

So the final decision for me was the form factor. Having seen both machines the PRS 505LC just grabbed me. Having made the decision, I have regrets or buyers remorse whatsoever. It is simply a great reader and I have already gone through two books in a short time.

5 Stars Very Pleased with Product
I have been looking at various EReaders for quite a while now, and just recently purchased a Sony Reader at WalMart. I have to say, the Reader has exceeded my expectations. It’s light, easy to use, holds a lot of books, and everything the sellers say. The page turning animation was a little annoying at first, but I quickly grew used to it after a few turns. Now, granted that I am very computer oriented, and find it easy to use electronics, but the Reader was very easy to set up and use. I would definately recommend this to others.

4 Stars Yes, but …
It works. I travel often by air, and the 505 is a nice fit in my computer bag. Easy to read, under all kinds of lighting conditions. As others have noted .pdf files don’t work all that well, and there are several classic titles that Sony doesn’t have. You have to use the eBook reader software to buy titles from Sony. Very slow, and surprising as Internet Explorer can surf the Sony book site quickly. Still, a lot easier than lugging a few paperbacks around. So I like it. But …

The book says you get up to 7000 page changes per charge. I get about 1000. (I guess that counts as “up to”) It dies all by itself if I let it sit for a couple of weeks. You have to charge it with the optional charger, or connect to a computer. The cheap USB charger gizmos that work with most portable gadgets do not work with the Sony. It does accept a standard USB mini connector (unlike a few other things that have their own special $$$ cable). You have to charge it completely before you travel or remember to take the cable along.

Conclusion: fairly good, but still a few problems.

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