| Brand: | Sony | ||
| Average Rating |
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The Reader Touch Edition features a 6 inch display with simple, easy-to-use touchscreen navigation. Turn pages with the swipe of a finger and enjoy fast and intuitive navigation of your favorite books. Take freehand notes and highlight sections of text you want to revisit later, just as you would in a real book, using the included stylus. If you prefer, a virtual keyboard is also available for entering quick notes or searching your eBooks. If you want, you can even export your notes to your computer using the eBook Library software. Enjoy access to a wider number of books from a wider number of places. By supporting both industry standard formats, ePub and PDF, you can access books at Sony’s eBookstore, check out books from public libraries, access over 500,000 free public domain titles from Google, as well as sharing sites, online aggregators and personal publishers (Internet access is required). Not sure which books to bring on your trip? With the Reader Touch Edition, you will never have to make that choice again. 512MB of onboard memory lets you carry up to 350 of your favorite books at a time. Whether you’re venturing across town or across the country, the Reader Touch Edition makes an ideal travelling companion. Measuring just 0.4 thin and weighing less than 9 ounces, the Reader Touch Edition is thinner and more lightweight than almost any book, and even many magazines. The Reader Touch Edition utilizes E-Ink screen technology to deliver an amazing, paper-like display that’s more like ink on paper and fully readable in direct sunlight. Enjoy up to two full weeks of reading (7,500 continuous page turns) on a single battery charge. Paper-like display for easy, natural reading 2 full weeks of reading on a single battery charge Built-in Oxford American English eDictionary Intuitive eBook Library software for PC & Mac 5 adjustable font sizes to customize your rea more info
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Software Ruins Great Hardware
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
The bottom line is that this is a great piece of hardware that is crippled by poor software and a limited selection of retail books. The core purpose of the reader is hindered by not being able to effectively and reliably transfer purchased books.
I have been following e-reader devices for over two years. Always waiting for the “next” device to come out, my wife rallied my family to go in together and surprise me with this reader for my birthday. I was very excited and loved the device until I tried to purchase books for it. The #1 problem was that Sony’s eBook Library software crashed whenever I tried to transfer a purchased book to it. Granted, I only purchased books from Sony’s store so this may not be the case with other eBook vendors.
I’m highly proficient with computers and would describe myself as an early adopter for new technologies. This is the most disappointed I have been with a device manufacturer in years. The reason is that I love the eReader! It is well built and has a great feature set. Getting books from Google and local libraries is a great option and works great (I did it). But Sony completely dropped the ball on their software to purchase protected books. After 4 hours of trying to get it to work consistently across 2 desktops and a laptop I knew I couldn’t keep the reader. The final factor was when I realized this has been and remains to be an unresolved issue for past models of Sony readers as well. Sony never appeared to resolve the issue for those having problems in the past and it persists to this day.
If the software works with your computer then I would recommend this reader. However, based on my disappointing experience I can’t recommend giving it a try. I may find myself waiting until the best distribution and ecosystem, which I believe to be Amazon, finds its way onto the best devices.
Pros (+)
+ Ability to write notes and highlight with stylus
+ Very well built, looks and feels nice
+ Touch screen navigation
+ Removable memory slots
+ Fun extra features – store pictures, listen to MP3s
+ Free books – from Google and local libraries
Cons (-)
- “eBook Store from Sony” software crashes when transferring purchased books
- Retail book selection much smaller than that offered on Kindle
- No wireless purchase option on this model – a big deal to me only because the software required to transfer books does not work well
A side note:
There is a way to adjust your system settings on Windows Vista using Data Execution Prevention to mitigate some of the problems. However, even this did not cause the software to work consistently for me and I recognize that most people don’t desire to go to such lengths to transfer eBooks. Another option is to buy books from other eBook sellers and use Adobe’s digital editions software to transfer books. For me that wasn’t a good enough option to keep the reader.
I Made My Choice
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I received my new Sony E-Reader a few days ago. I am very happy with it. It replaced the older 505 model. I broke that one (completely my fault) With this new model, Sony seems to have gone a bit grayer with the screen in comparison to the 505, but I am still very pleased with the text quality overall. Set up is easy – install the Sony software, connect the book to a USB port, and the rest should be simple. This book does lack wireless but the touchscreen cannot be beaten. Pages are turned effortlessly with a swipe of the finger, or you can still use buttons if you choose to. A built in dictionary is an added bonus. Double tap a word, and an instant definition pops up on the bottom of the screen.
Build quality seems to be great. It has a nice “rubberized” feel to the back and I believe its a bit thicker than the Kindle. Sony is an established “quality” company and I do not think you can go wrong here. Wireless is on its way from Sony but honestly? Its not a big deal in my humble opinion. I can purchase or find free books, load up a few onto the device through my USB port in a matter of minutes, and then I am set for a while. Additionally, I was able to get all of my older purchases from Sony (another reason I bought Sony again) back onto this unit. I simply was not ready or willing to give those up!
The ability to take notes with an added stylus is also nice… to sum it up, this is the best Sony reader to date. Not perfect, but very good. I also agree that the contrast is not as good as a paperback, but its still great. Two things I recommend are a leather case and a clip on light. It does come with a black “sleeve” which is nice but not as good as the older model’s leather case. A cost cutter from Sony, I am sure.
Big Improvement over 700
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I received mine about a week and a half ago. The screen has better clarity than the 700 and the touch screen is more responsive. With the touch screen, the device seems more like an actual book. I can manipulate it directly without using the buttons. This is what one does with a book after all. Since the screen is as sensitive as it is, I can hold it with either hand in any position, and with just a slight swipe the page changes. The page changes are much faster too. You don’t even notice them. Love the dictionary, but you have to actually select a word in the text to use it. Would be nicer if you could just access the dictionary from the home screen. The hand writing feature is very nice as well. It is not wireless. But, I have so many books on it that if I took off for a month, I would not have time to read them all. Anyway… pros: touch screen is sensitive, page turns are fast, like the dictionary and handwriting function. But… cons: Need easy access for the dictionary, clarity not as nice as the 505. Loses one star. Still a very nice device.
Why Sony?
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/ROARCPCFQMND5 I have been following the e-book readers for some time, and I wanted several things for me to “jump on the bandwagon.” ***Since I have received many questions, I am now including a video to demonstrate my favorite features***
1) I have a number of PDF reference books, so a Reader needs to handle these well. Since my books are text, these reflow well on the Sony.
2) Because I will use (and now am using) the Reader for reference books, it was important that I be able to access my notes directly from my computer to use in other documents. I actually began using the software on my desktop several months before I purchased the 600, and was pleased with its capabilities.
3) I enjoy the free epub books from my library. The Sony accesses these easily. There are also a number of locations besides Sony selling the epub or Adobe digital books (usable by the Sony Touch) giving me more choice in my decision.
4) The Touch handles my regular documents well – as a public speaker, I love having my speeches available to study on the reader, without having to print them out!
The points I already love (thus the 5 stars)
1) I love having the touch turn capability, just a brush of my thumb!
2) I enjoy the sideways and zoom features for PDFs that you want to keep “standard”
3) After only a couple of minutes, I forgot I was even using a reader and I got involved in the book.
*** I live in an isolated area – so neither Whispernet for the Kindle nor the upcoming 3G connection on the more expensive Daily model would be helpful – I’m just as happy to order my books “in advance” and carry them with me.
I enjoy the feel of the Reader by itself, but since I will be carrying this “library” with me, and I was worried about protection, I purchased the M-edge Executive Jacket for Sony Reader PRS-505 (Genuine Leather–Pebbled Grey w/ Black) – SALE! which fits it perfectly.
I also purchased the Sony AC Charger for PRS505SC and PRS505LC to ensure that I can charge up my reader when my computer isn’t around.
Edited after 2 weeks and 10 books –
Some people have mentioned the glare – since my previous reading was on my laptop – this isn’t an issue for me. I keep my lighting at my side, and it is not a problem at all. It is more noticeable in a dark room with a single light source.
Another issue I have encountered isn’t with the reader – but with the interaction between Windows and the software. It is pretty touchy. I have learned to be careful of some PDF documents which have caused problems.
It is also important that when importing books that aren’t loaded through the reader that you “maintain” the link by not moving them once they are imported. Like Powerpoint and other programs, the desktop ebook reader doesn’t store the book in the program – it links to it on your computer. Breaking the link means it can’t find the book – and it can’t upload the book.
*** A special touch for a “Grandma” is the ability to be able to load photos of my granddaughter to carry with me. There is even a feature that permits showing the photos as a slide show. While the photos are in black and white, they are very sharp and it is a nice touch when I travel.