Sony PRS-505/LC Blue Digital Book Reader by Sony
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Digital camera reviews of Sony PRS-505/LC Blue Digital Book Reader
Digital camera Review: Can't stop reading!
Summary: 5 Stars
I must say that I'm very satisfied with this product, especially about the fact that you can download all kinds of formats (Microsoft word, Adobe pdf, other text), to the reader. Also the paper like screen it's very similar to reading in a real sheet of paper, it's completely different than reading in a pda or something similar. It's really easy on the eyes. Now that I have it, I've found only two cons, the first is that it doesn't have its own light and the second one is that you can't write notes. If you can afford $100 more I would recommend the next model from sony which is the PRS-700BC, it `s perfect!Digital camera Review: Caution urged for those with astigmatism or unusual lens Rx
Summary: 1 Stars
After doing a tremendous amount of research, I asked for & received one of these readers for my birthday. I had heard nothing but rave reviews about e-ink and e-paper, readability and the low/no eyestrain produced by this great technology. In all fairness, I will say that is seems like a wonderful device and thus far, it operates as advertised.
Unfortunately for me, I had not read my new ebook for more than 15 minutes when I experienced massive eyestrain, a migraine-level headache and nausea so extreme it was almost debilitating. I tried again several days later with the same results. I have an unusual glasses prescription w/an acute astigmatism and even with corrective lenses, apparently this format just doesn't work for everyone. I had not read of this reaction in any other reviews or I would not have risked asking my family to order one before viewing one in person.
Other family members (with better eyes) are able to use it and although they say it isn't as crisp as real print on real paper, they were not affected in such an immediate & negative way.
If anyone intending to use a reader with e-ink and e-paper (of any brand)has vision issues or an unusual prescription, I would strongly advise attempting to find one of these readers for a live demo before purchasing (or at the very least, double-check the return policy).
Because it had been engraved for me, it is not returnable. Expensive lesson learned.
Digital camera Review: Converting / Reading PDF's and Exercising
Summary: 4 Stars
Below is an update to my original review on 1/3/09.
UPDATE: If your pdf has tables, you'll only be able to view the tables in their original format in (very) small text, which is virtually impossible to read. Any pdf document without tables is not an issue. It even handled a pdf with two columns on one page properly. It shows the left column first, then the right column. Another downside is the title of the pdf document. It keeps the Title of the document used by the creator which, in many cases, is random or does not match the subject matter. This title cannot be modified, so you'll just need to memorize the random title for what you are uploading to the ebook.
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Most of the material I read for work and pleasure comes in pdf format from various web sites.
I reviewed the Kindle and decided to go with the Sony because of its ability to handle pdf's. It's not perfect because pdf's come formatted in many different ways, but the Sony definitely meets my requirements.
In addition to uploading pdf's directly into the eBook, another option, is to save the document as a text file (.txt) before uploading. Adobe Reader gives you this option on the File menu to "Save as Text". You lose all formatting, but if you're reading just for content, it's not an issue.
I also like to read while exercising. Another reader stated she removes the cover and puts their Sony in a zip lock bag to read in the bath tub. To take that a step further, I place mine in a larger zip lock bag and keep the cover on. I take mine to the gym and read it on a exercise bike to keep the sweat off.
Although the Sony eBook and Amazon Kindle are not cheap, I view them as an investment and not an expense in today's information age.
Digital camera Review: Could have been perfect
Summary: 4 Stars
I wanted to have an eInk device for a long time. Mainly to read scientific articles and e-books.
With these ideas in mind I started to keep an eye on such devices. Basically, some time ago there were 3 decent devices: Amazon Kindle, Sony PRS-500 (previous model) and lBook eReader V3. Now, I live in Europe and I don't see any point in purchasing Kindle, but for US residents it is certainly an option lBook reader was my favorite, but at that time it was sold in Russia only and its price was about 450$ without shipping. Later in spring I read favorable reviews about Sony PRS-505. At that time I was visiting the US, so, i decided to get one.
The design and construction is nearly perfect. Unfortunately, the single minus is a major one for me - PDF handling. Nearly all PDF documents found on the web are formatted to be A4, but reader's screen is too small to display A4-sized page to be read comfortably. So, one has to convert every PDF either to fit on a smaller page (luckily Sony provides a special dimensions guide) or convert it into Sony's native LRF format (there is a free tool called pdflrfwin).
There are also some features I miss. First of all, I would really like to see a "Find ..." (though, I cant tell how often I would use it). Also, it would be great to be able to automatically sync/download RSS feeds into reader (there are some services, but these are not mature yet and again you have to perform some tasks manually - additional burden. at the same time sony could embed something similar to podcasts feature in iTunes to their syncing software).
To conclude, I really hope that software would be updated to handle PDF better. Other than that, the device is pretty solid, but of course there are ways to improve overall usage experience.
Digital camera Review: Couldn't Live Without it now....
Summary: 5 Stars
Love, love, looooove my Ereader. It's perfect size. The print is easy to read with little to no eyestrain. (the only strain would be badly formatted PDF's, not the reader's fault)
It's lightweight and the pages turn easily in 2 locations. I'm a reader on my lunch/dinner breaks so putting it up right and just having to use one finger to turn the page and not have to get the book all messy is just awesome!
I had it for 3 weeks before I even recharged it--and I still had time to go, it was only at the halfway mark on the battery.
The only issue I have is sometimes I hit the side control buttons instead of the page turn button and I've screwed myself up a time or two to get out of that function to find a page. I know how to back out now, but the first time I totally went back to page 6 and I didn't remember what page I was on.
Great product. For once, Sony did something very, VERY right.