Customer Reviews

Sony Digital Reader Touch Edition - Red (PRS600RC)

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Length:: 3:24 Mins

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!

But for those looking for 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.

*** Edited after 2 months -
A recent update in the software has removed some of the software connection problems I originally experienced. So, that's a plus!

However, I have recently added some PDF files that did NOT flow the same way as my original "professional" files reflowed. After checking with those more knowledgeable, I have been told that the problem is not with the Sony, but with the way the PDF files have been set up. The PDF is supposed to include "tags" that will help the pages to reflow correctly. My recommendation is that anyone with PDFs they need to carry on the reader download the free computer software and attempt to read them using this software. If it works on your computer, it will reflow correctly on the Sony. If it does not - then it will not do so on the Reader either.

Edited
While the Sony reader has been my constant companion, I have recently purchased an iPad. I was able to import my Sony protected books using Bluefire. I still use my Sony, but not so much today.

I have been watching eBooks and the available hardware for them for years. When the Kindle came out, I spent some time with one and liked it but was concerned about the proprietary nature of the format and the inability to "share" my books.

Then the Nook showed up and I was tempted, but struggled with the same aspects -- and the lack of availability when I was ready to purchase.

I had glanced at the Sony versions, but wasn't even tempted until the Touch came out.

I am *so* glad I waited.

What I love:

Reading PDFs -- I am in grad school and read 20-30 journal articles a week. That's a lot of chair time to spend in front of a computer screen -- and way too much to print out. I can also convert my own documents and put them onto the reader for ready reference.

Free Library Books -- there are ePub and PDF books available through my public library at no charge that play on my reader without conversion or strife. Beautiful Adobe interface makes it work seamlessly.

Free Public Domain Books -- Again, these books are already formatted for this reader. The pages flow beautifully. The only downside is that I could never read them all!

Large selection of Books for Purchase -- I like that I can buy them from several sources -- including Sony, Fictionwise, and the like.

Audio -- The reader offers MP3 support and plays audio books, music, and the like. I can download *free* audio books from my library for my drive-time "reading" or listen to music while I read.

Expandable -- There are two card slots for expanding the memory of the reader should I ever need more space.

Color -- It is red!! Yes, you can get it in silver, but I love that it comes in red! It may seem silly to get so excited about the aesthetics, but they do matter.

Design -- In addition to the pretty color, this reader is just beautifully engineered. It feels great in my hands and fits perfectly into the (purchased separately) lighted cover.

Touch Screen -- Turning the Pages with a button is fine, but I love just swiping my thumb to move to the next page. The ability to double-tap a word and activate a dictionary is wonderful. Highlighting, handwritten notes, and on-screen menus are all bonus features of this technology. In addition, it means there is lots more space for screen and just a tiny piece of real estate devoted to buttons. Love it.

Clarity -- The screen is somewhat reflective and the touch-screen layer does cause the reader to lose a tiny bit of clarity as compared to other Sony readers. However, unless I am holding them next to one another it is not something I notice. It is very easy to read this eBook, and the aforementioned cover-with-light allows me to read it anywhere.

Adjustable Fonts -- Being able to change the print size from tiny to gigantic is fabulous. There are 5 font sizes and I have used them all for one book or another.

Adjustable Screen Orientation -- I love being able to turn the book sideways. It is actually my preferred orientation for reading.

Why only 4 stars:

The set up of this device was clunky. It does not come with much of a manual (4 pages?) and all of the software is loaded on the device and transfers to your computer when you plug it in. Except that you need additional software to make the PDFs play nice with your library. And you have to run and upgrade the software and firmware as soon as you get it. (I love that Sony fixed the glitches, so only a minor complaint here.) If I weren't pretty savvy with technology, I would have been stuck with a glitchy, crashing program and no clue how to fix it. There needs to be a "here's how to get your machine up and running now that we've figured out that we didn't ship it ready to work" card in the box!

People have quizzed me about the need to link to my computer to acquire books and other reading material for this eBook. I actually prefer it this way. It is a rare day that I am not near my laptop. I maintain my library and back it up through my computer, and I sync the device pretty regularly. By searching for titles online I can find the best deal and widest variety rather than being tied to one source for content. (Library? Google? Free! If not, I quickly check my favorite 3 sites for the title I want at the best price.) With several hundred books on the eBook, I have never run out of material to read.

While I am not super-thrilled with the software that shipped with the unit, once I discovered an open-source program called Calibre that organizes my eLibrary, converts files to be readable on my device and fetches news from about 300 sites, I officially became hooked for good. But that would be an entirely different review.

Post Note: One Year Later...

I still love my reader. Truly. So much so that when we were shopping for a reader for my 12-year-old son's birthday in August 2010, we bought him his own Sony PRS-600. Why with the iPad, Nook with Internet, and upgraded Kindles did we do that?

First, I have been very happy with mine. It does everything I want it to do -- as a reader -- and I've had no complaints with battery life, storage space, crashes, or the like.

Second -- and this is the really real reason -- we wanted our son's ebook to be a book, just a book, and only a book. I almost purchased an Internet-connected version of a different product that is promising a browser option. But then I thought about it. My son has access to the Internet just about everywhere he goes. He is gaming, watching videos, and chatting with folks plenty. We have an No Electronics After Dinner rule at our house for a reason and I wanted his book to be a book so that I didn't have to regulate his access to it or what he accessed from it.

Third, it's nice to just plug something in and use it. We were already familiar with the Sony interface, Calibre, how our lending library works with this format, etc.

We are very happy with our additional purchase of this product.

Sony PRS-600BC ClearTouch Anti-Glare Screen Protector

Ok, where to start? I guess with the title of this review. I do not believe that this is your average Sony product because I was really expecting so much more from a company with their reputation. So with no further adieu, here's my take on the Sony PRS600 eBook reader.

My first impression was that this eBook reader really comes across in its elegance. So in this respect the pictures simply can't do it enough justice. This really does come across as something that you will want to be seen with in business and personal surroundings. I went with the more standard black version as opposed to the other options, but the red might not a bad choice for someone that either wants to push the envelope, or simply make a statement.

One of the features that I really like about this device is the multiple memory card slots. This reader allows you to store your data on SD as well as the more proprietary Sony Memory Stick format. This is a very good feature for someone like me, that has had Sony cameras in the past (that I no longer use), which allow me to utilize those old memory cards that I just happen to have lying around. Also, because there are two separate slots on the top edge of the device, it should allow you to populate both slots with the cards of your choice, which should allow you the added benefit of keeping work and play geographically separated, which is another nice feature that you will not find on many of the other eBook readers.

The menus, I found, are fairly decent, but I found them to also be a bit lacking. For instance, there's no way to adjust contrast on the device. My concern with the ability to adjust contrast comes from one of my more major concerns with the amount of glare that this screen produces. Granted, for some it may not be much, but for me it's been a bit too much. That being said, I've recently come across the "Sony PRS-600BC ClearTouch Anti-Glare Screen Protector", which I've just purchased. Too bad that I didn't know about this when I purchased the reader, as I would definitely recommend this to anyone that is going to, or has purchased this device. Between that and the "Sony Digital Reader Touch Edition Cover with Light - Black (PRSACL6)" this device will be almost completely perfect.

Since this is the "touch edition", no review would be complete without addressing this functionality. The touch functionality really comes into play when you want to either flip pages, or when you're using the zoom feature to move the page around (since when in zoom mode, the zoom slider stays on the screen and the viewed page will need to be moved around in order to view any information that might be obscured from view).

Previously I was fairly undecided about this device. I would have loved the larger screen of say, the Kindle DX. But after having looked around Amazon a bit, I also realize that there are less ways to truly personalize the Kindle, as well as far less accessories available to make the Kindle better or correct any associated short comings. Also, while we're on the topic, even though the Kindle supports more formats it does not support the ePub format, which means that unless you plan to purchase all of your eBooks from Amazon, you probably want have too much available in the terms of other eBooks via anybody else. In all fairness though, while the Sony does support the MS Word format in terms of the .RTF file extension, it does not support the .DOC file extension, which the Kindle does ([...]).

As for the software, a coworker of mine advised me that prior to receiving this device that Sony's been quite lacking on their development of the eBook reader software. His one suggestion to me was to download the free Calibre eBook reader management software (which I found with a simple internet search). So I use the free Calibre eBook reader management software and have had none of the associated problems that I've seen mentioned in some of the other reviews. Also, the Calibre software's functionality allows me to pull down free magazines and allows me to sync them easily with my eBook reader (for reading sometime later on). So if you're getting ready to hit the road, it's as simple as Launch --> select "Fetch News" --> select "Download all scheduled" and then just wait for it to bet pushed to your device (time depends on how many have been selected and they are available in different languages. So I download the German Spiegel online Magazine to keep my German skills up). The Sony reader software does not allow this sort of functionality, which is pretty surprising considering their reputation.

Final Verdict:
For what it's worth, this is a really fairly nice eBook reader. Fit and finish are top notch, it works as advertised, is very appealing to the eyes, and fairly easy to navigate. My one recommendation would be to purchase the accessories as mentioned earlier, which should also help to make your eBook reader experience that much more enjoyable.
Realistically, no eBook reader will be 100% of what "you" really want an eBook reader to be. The trick seems to be in finding one that will meet the most of the requirements that you deem are most important to you.

Update!: You will need to install the Sony software to read any eBooks that you purchased that are DRM (Digital Right Management...or something like that). I just purchased some books from eBooks.com and they were locked. I had to create an account at Adobe (software's called Adobe Digital Editions) in order to register both my computer and my Sony PRS-600 eBook reader so that the DRM content eBooks could be unlocked. I would have purchased the books cheaper at B&N, but they won't sell to the American military living overseas. So I'm' done with them!

I've had the Sony Reader 505 for 5 months and loved it, just upgraded to the Touch version. You are not forced to buy from Amazon, Sony eBook store has most everything Amazon does, and you can request if something is missing. Free books on Google, specially formatted for Sony reader, No ugly keyboard at the bottom, but a virtual keyboard and can use a stylus or fingers. Expandable memory slots, 2 of 'em! Can borrow books from library.
It looks much cooler than the Kindle and the note functions and editing a page is great.

When deciding to purchase an ereader, I did extensive research trying to decide between a Sony Reader Touch, the Amazon Kindle, and the Barnes and Noble Nook. I read the cnet reviews, I Googled comparison charts, I read everything I could get my hands on to figure out how to get the most bang for my buck. Originally I was most interested in the Nook. However, when I went into a B&N to give it a trial run I was very disappointed. I found the Nook to be slow, and only the bottom bar on the screen is touch activated. It's a nice looking machine but it is a bit heavy and didn't quite live up to what I was expecting. Next I tried a Kindle. Luckily I had a friend that already owned one and so I was able to test drive it. The Kindle was much faster than the Nook, but I really liked the idea of a touch screen and, let's be honest, the Kindle isn't all that attractive looking. Finally I went to Target to try out the Sony Touch.

The Touch's screen is easy to navigate and I have found all the controls pretty intuitive. It's easy to pick up where you left off in the book you're currently reading without having to search all over. The touch screen does take a bit of practice, as you do have to use some pressure to get it to acknowledge what you want it to do. I've found it's a little more responsive when I use my fingernail (rather than the pad of my finger) or the stylus. The screen does glare. It can be a little distracting, but it's easy enough to shift a bit to cut it down. Also, I understand there are screen protectors you can purchase that do help cut the glare down while protecting the touch screen from scratching. The 8 levels of gray scale could be a little sharper and have a better contrast (like the Kindle's 16) but it's not enough of an issue to cause problems for me.

Lots of reviews of the Touch have focused on its lack of wireless connectivity. Honestly, this was not even an issue for me. The machine holds around 300+ books and has the ability to expand the memory. I think I can wait till I get to a computer to download a new book and using a usb to load media isn't a hassle. You can either use the included software or just drag and drop. As to the lack of ability to connect to the internet for other things...I purchased a gadget to read books without the backlight issues and distractions (games, internet, etc) of a normal computer. That said, if the ability to subscribe to periodicals is something you're looking for this probably isn't the gadget for you...Kindle and Nook do support that more easily.

The main reasons I went with the Touch over the other options: 1) expandable memory. Using an SD card or Sony Memory Stick you can increase storage to 16gb. That's fantastic for listening to audiobooks or music while reading. Kindle doesn't have that ability. 2) epub compatibility. I can download ebooks from my library in that format. Kindle doesn't support it. 3) Full touch screen. This was a big one for me. I love the tactile nature of reading, the smell and feel of books. While no machine could truly duplicate that, having a touch screen gets pretty close. Brushing a finger across a screen feels more natural for me than clicking a button. Nook and Kindle don't even come close. 4) the Touch is a little smaller than either the Nook or Kindle while maintaining the same size screen. It weighs the same amount but the actual size is somewhere between mass market and trade paperback size. I can hold it in 1 hand easily. 5) This is a very nice looking gadget. That maybe a bit frivolous but I appreciate using something that is sharp looking and the option to get black, gray or red is nice. In contrast the Nook and Kindle are only available in white. The Nook is attractive, but I personally think the Kindle is funny looking at best.

I will say that the Touch probably is a little overpriced. At a suggested retail of $299 it is about $40 more than the Kindle and the Nook. Howevery, by looking around I was lucky enough to find a great deal through a electronics site which brought it down to around $250 even after expedited shipping. Books are roughly the same price through the Sony reader store as they are from B&N or Amazon. Plus, you can pick up books from most other ebook retailers if you enjoy comparison shopping. (note: I don't know about purchasing ebooks from Amazon for this reader as I don't think it will support the Amazon format. I am unsure if it will work with books ordered from B&N. )

I've only had my Touch for a couple weeks, but so far I love it. It is performing well, and I'm really glad that I ended up choosing it out of all the ereaders on the market.

Reader is wonderful, Sony support sucks. Spent over two hours waiting for a real person to speak to on an error message that is undefined.
When I finally spoke to Sony they told me I needed Adobe digital reader which is a free download just not easy to find. They finally sent me a link that worked. Their download site needs to state this and have a link I was very frustrated dealing with Sony!!!

Let me start by saying I really do love my Sony Touch. It's a gorgeous color and feels nice in my hands.

It is flawed, but no more so than all the other e-ink devices, in my opinion. The poor contrast of dark grey text on light grey background is hard on my aging eyes. The touch screen does have a bit of noticeable glare, but I wouldn't trade off the glare for lack of touch functionality. The pages don't turn as quickly as I'd like them to. But I did my research and went to considerable trouble to get hands-on time with as many options as I could find before settling on the Sony. None of them are terribly impressive, but this is the best of the bunch.

After reading some reviews for the B&N Nook, I was fairly sure that I was going to get one. But when I went to the store to try it out, I was extremely disappointed. It was heavy, clunky, slow... the flashy LCD screen at the bottom only made the e-ink screen look gloomy and depressing by contrast (no pun intended).

I was never the least bit interested in buying a Kindle, because I rarely purchase new books. My local library has amazing used book sales several times a year and an extensive collection of ebooks available, so the ability to read them on my device was pretty high up on the list of important features. If I do decide to buy extremely current books in the future, I've found that Sony's Reader Store prices are comparable to Amazon, and the same freebies are usually available on both sites. I also have the Kindle software for my iPod, in case I'm desperate to read a book that isn't available anywhere else.

All in all, I'm thrilled with my purchase, although I'm certain this won't be my last digital reader. But now that I have it, I can patiently wait for the technology to catch up to my hopes and expectations.

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.

First, the hardware: I had it side by side with a Kindle and can state objectively that the contrast and glare are noticeably worse on the Sony product. I was prepared to overlook that until I discovered the following bug, at which point I returned the reader (and the Kindle, but that's another story).

Here's the problem:

Let's say you have a public library that allows you to check out eBooks in both ePub and PDF format (mine does, so do most that I've checked). Most commonly they are protected by Adobe's DRM management, which is fortunate because that's exactly what the Sony readers claim to support: Adobe DRM-protected ePub and PDF.

So you get online and check out first a PDF, and then later an ePub. All appears well. Then you detach the reader from the computer and open the PDF. All is still well. Then you try to open the ePub. It fails to open. After chatting with Sony tech support and trolling the message boards, you discover that the reader will only allow you to open DRM-protected books in the first format you download to it. Since you first copied a PDF to the reader, you can only read PDFs. If you want to download an ePub, you will need to remove all DRM-protected documents from the reader and then copy the ePub. And of course, once you've done that you can no longer read any PDFs, until you go through the whole rigamarole in reverse.

This problem existed on the PRS-505, has been documented on various message boards for nearly a year, and is freely admitted to by Sony's tech support. I escalated with them to learn that no solution is in the pipeline. The problem makes the software they provide for your PC/Mac nearly unusable, because the system is designed to automatically synchronize your library between the desktop and the device. You have to disable that feature and manually copy books to the reader. In short, a royal pain in the backside, little better than dragging & dropping files in Explorer/Finder.

So that's the upshot. A pretty well-designed piece of hardware. The made the understandable tradeoff between the touch screen and the somewhat better glare/contrast the Kindle offers. But for us, they failed to provide adequate support for our most common use case: checking books out from the library.

I used one of the original Sony Reader's for a year or two and then decided to treat myself to an upgrade to the Touch Edition (PRS-600). I love the concept of the reader, but I have had very bad luck with getting a PRS-600 reader that will work. I purchased the Touch in late December 2009. It is now July 2010 and I have my third replacement. The new ones didn't work right, and now I am getting refurbished readers which is just getting someone else's problems. I got my most recent replacement in early June and immediately I discovered that I had to try to turn it on repeatedly before it would actually come to life. Then, early in July, in the middle of a book it just froze. I had to reset it and it came back on, but not to the book I was reading, let alone the proper page. I had to regroup to figure out where I was in the book. I have since had to reset it several times. I called Sony and told them that I didn't see any point in them continuing to replace this model because I don't think it is stable. The battery life is much shorter than my PRS-550 too and the touch screen doesn't work every time. Sometimes I have to slide my finger across the screen four or five times before it changes to the next page. I finally spoke to a supervisor who told me he was going to overnight me the Daily Edition as a replacement. Supposedly that works better. That was two weeks ago and I still don't have it. They didn't send the replacement out until after the deadline for overnight shipment, so two days later I got another PRS-600 -- not the PRS-900 that was promised. I called and I was assured that the 900 would go out that day and be delivered the next day. I never got an email with tracking information. So, the 900 didn't arrive the next day and of course, they are closed on the weekend. I called Monday and got a run around. Now I have no idea when the replacement will arrive. I can't get anyone I can understand on the phone. I reported this to the San Diego headquarters and was told someone at an escalated customer service department in FL would contact me within two days. I still have no reply. No functioning reader. I paid a huge amount of money for this ($300) and it is useless. It seems that Sony has abdicated responsibility for its products and customer service to foreign nationals and no one keeps their commitments. I have always had high regard for Sony products, by that is gone now.