|
I can have several of my own picks. This is such a brilliant ideal. I said for the longest I wanted to read more, this is just the device I needed so there are no excuses for not being able to have a book with me that I'm interested in. Not cumbersom, heavy or hard to take everywhere you go. I love it so far.
As others have noted.pdf files don't work all that well, and there are several classic titles that Sony doesn't have. I get about 1000. Easy to read, under all kinds of lighting conditions. It works. It does accept a standard USB mini connector (unlike a few other things that have their own special $$$ cable). But.The book says you get up to 7000 page changes per charge.
So I like it.
You have to use the eBook reader software to buy titles from Sony.
You have to charge it with the optional charger, or connect to a computer.
I travel often by air, and the 505 is a nice fit in my computer bag.
(I guess that counts as "up to") It dies all by itself if I let it sit for a couple of weeks.
Very slow, and surprising as Internet Explorer can surf the Sony book site quickly.
Still, a lot easier than lugging a few paperbacks around.
The cheap USB charger gizmos that work with most portable gadgets do not work with the Sony.
You have to charge it completely before you travel or remember to take the cable along.Conclusion: fairly good, but still a few problems.
It makes life easier.I have also purchased the booklight cover. I cannot see myself paying 9.99 a book. It is nice for reading without waking my spouse, but the text quality diminishes. I felt like a dork every time.
I am not sure Kindle users can do this. This means I can do price comparisons. I have purchased over 100 books since I got my reader (I read A LOT). Before I had my Reader, I purchased books from other sites, Amazon is one of them, and they claim they will maintain my library for me.
I have dropped it several times and it still works like new. Too pricey for me. If I paid Kindle prices, that is a thousand bucks. No way am I ever gonna pay that kind of money.3) The battery really does last a very long time. I have had my Sony reader for 16 months now - and I love it.Things I like:1) I can carry forty books in my hand at once - without extra memory.2) I can buy e-books from multiple sources.
When I go back to download the book again, they recognize I purchased the book, but no longer maintain the data format. I am then told that I can re-purchase the book if I would like.5) It is not too delicate for real life use. As precious as this item is to me, stuff happens.For those who can't get used to the idea of using an electronic device in place of a paper book.I used to feel that way too. When I first started reading with my Sony reader, I kept reaching up to try and turn the page. I use my PC, shop for books, download and I'm done. Honestly, I make most of my ebook purchases at the Sony bookstore - they often have lower prices than other websites and always have free books too. Think of what this means though: the reading experience was normal, comfortable, and natural.
I think the information booklet says something like 1000 pages - I would double that number.4) I can manage my library on my computer. I am secure knowing that my book will always be available on my computer - I don't have to worry if another party will continue to maintain my data in a compatable format. Now, when I pick up a paper book, I want to click a button to turn the page.I highly recommend the extra purchase of the AC adapter for charging. There is still a little work to be done on that one.Love my Sony 505 Reader.
I like how the blue one looks blueish-black , nice color and it looks expensive. Calibre has program to increase font in bulk conversion , and then you can zoom it 3x on top of that. This has 3 weeks battery life. Some of the negative reviews come from conversion problems but this is fixed if you use the Free calibre program. Since it's not backlit like all my other tech gear, I'm not looking into the LIGHT (the screen) and wearing out my eyes. You can collect news sites from web and download them automatically to the device everyday using that program.As to books , Google-sony has 500,000 of them for FREE in format for sony. Calibre is the program you need to convert pdf's and other formats to this device. So you can make the font sizes on any of these ebooks as big or small as you want with calibre.Battery life is fantistic because if you have been using the other devices itouch,zune,dslite, laptops,netbooks, you know they only have a few hours of battery life.
Public Library has ebooks that are FREE for this too. Other sites on web have lots of FREE ebooks for this device if you look around.I like to just convert my pdf books to LRF format using calibre and it's easy and pretty fast.I have sony psp charger and that works with this device and they are cheap to pick up.There are replaceable batteries on the internet you can buy for it in the future if you search.I'm reading again because I can zoom the print and I don't have to use my glasses for reading anymore. So I leave it on and it only uses power when I change the page. So the sony is easier on the eyes.Think of this as just a book, don't use the mp3 aspect of it because it will wear down the battery faster, just bring small mp3 player for that.
I quickly got used to it to the point that it's really a non-issue. But in defense of the reader, it is to my understanding that a backlight would deter from the "paper-ness" of the display, which is why few e-readers on the market provide a built in light. I hope that either Sony gets the memo and steps up the ante to provide more books, or that Amazon will release their books in more than just one format.Not being overly dramatic, this device has honestly changed my life. Luckily there are websites than just Sony that provide usable and reasonably priced e-books. The screen operates much like an etch-a-sketch in that every time you click on a menu option or change the page, the device will write the information to the screen, and then turn off - which explains the flicker every time you turn a page. When reading an actual e-book, they let you jump to a specified page number.
The main advantages of this are that you will not get the same eye-strain you get when starting at a computer screen, and that you can read from the device in direct sunlight. The user interface is quite easy to use, though my only gripe is the lack of a status indicator; loading a book can take anywhere from 3 - 30 seconds in my experience, and you have no way of knowing if the device is actually working or frozen.The provided software is where the device suffers - though no fault of its own. It can be annoying at first, but you quickly get used to it. The screen software is something relatively new called "E-ink" - the name speaks for itself. On the right side of the screen are 10 numbered buttons that, with the user interface, act much like the menu buttons on an ATM.
It's a special kind of screen that basically emulates paper, so that reading on the device is very much like reading a book. The screen size (or lack thereof) was my first impression; but on my list of things wrong with this device, the screen size will probably be the last on the list. In my experience, the books tend to be more expensive than Amazon's library, not to mention the fact that Sony's library is sorely lacking when compared to Amazon. The dimensions are all there, but it is pretty much the size of a normal paperback book, while the screen is slightly smaller. I don't really understand the reason for the directional pad at the bottom-right, as I don't really use it, but the rest of the buttons seem logical. The big fallback in my opinion is that the device is not backlit, so you can't read in complete darkness - however you can purchase a book-light as you would with a normal book. I plan on using this overseas and as such the 3g internet connection of the Kindle is quite useless for me, though I can see it as a pretty big plus for those in the States where it actually works. The build quality gives me the impression that the device is built to weather a tornado - or at least everyday use with accidental drops of reasonable heights.
I just received my blue PRS-505 and let me say, this thing is an absolute beauty. As many have said, the free software "Calibre" is a godsend for managing your device as it allows you to convert books, and even download content from news websites and blogs and convert them into a readable format so that you can take it to go. Where the device suffers greatly is Sony's Ebook store. Fictionwise, Booksonboard, Manybooks, Feedbooks, et al. The PRS-505 is heavier than it looks, though it is still lighter than a typical paperback. But in the end, it was the prospect of a lighter traveling load that really sold me on the whole "e-book concept." I find myself reading more often, and pretty much everywhere I go. In fact, I see the small form factor a more of a plus than anything, as it increases the portability quotient while still performing its primary task with flying colors.Reading on this thing is an absolute joy. I can find no major flaws despite the included software (though it is pretty much a non-issue with Calibre) and the lack of books in the Sony e-book store.
The upside to this is that it allows the device to achieve long battery life. The buttons seem logically placed, however the page-turning buttons on the right offer slight resistance and "clicking" whenever they're pressed, but I imagine they will be burned in with time. I ultimately purchased it for portability and its light-weightedness. E-books are much cheaper than their paper counterparts, and as such this device is an investment that pays for itself after the first 15 or so books purchased.
|
