Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
281 of 289 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sony PRS-300 "Pocket Edition": A Truly Excellent, Portable eReader, September 20, 2009
This review is from: Sony Digital Reader Pocket Edition - Silver (PRS300SC)
I rarely, if ever, write reviews for products, simply because I rarely find a product that dramatically exceeds, or fails to meet, its published description. The PRS-300 "Pocket Edition" ereader is a device that did provide a far better than expected experience.
One device with which I was previously as impressed was the iPod Touch, which I've found to be simply one of the best consumer goods purchases that I've ever made. Funny enough, my principle use for the Touch was as an ebook reader, and it was the Touch's shortcomings as an ebook reader that eventually prompted me to purchase the Sony PRS-300 "Pocket Edition".
I read extensively, both on my work commute (1.5 hours each workday on public transit), and in the evenings and on weekends. Conservatively, I probably read upwards of 20 hours each week, both ebooks and downloaded news articles and the like. I previously purchased the Sony PRS-505, in late 2007, and found it to be a good ereader. The PRS-505 provided a sharp, glare-free page image that was easy and relaxing to read. Unfortunately, it was a bit delicate, and within a few weeks of purchasing I had managed to drop it (from only about 2.5 feet) and crush the upper corner, dislodging the power slider. After having it fixed under warranty, I held onto the PRS-505 until mid-2008, when I purchased an iPod Touch. I read on the Touch, and--briefly--on the Amazon Kindle 2, until I purchased the PRS-300.
The new PRS-300 "Pocket Edition" over-comes several of the short-comings of the Sony PRS-505 and Amazon Kindle 2:
1. Great form-factor: The PRS-300 really will fit in a pocket, either a jacket pocket or very comfortably in a pocket of my cargo shorts on the weekend. This is an improvement over the PRS-505, which always seemed either slightly too big (to fit in a jacket pocket, or anything short of backpack or my briefcase), or not quite large enough (to read work PDFs with charts and graphs, or more structured documents, like instruction manuals. The PRS-505 and the Kindle 2 were also awkward to tote by hand (which is why I dropped the PRS-505, while trying to get my mail). While the Pocket Edition won't display large, structured documents either, you recognize this as a trade-off for this model, in favor of its truly convenient size. It's perfect for books, news articles, blog posts and the like, and, not having to carry it by hand or in bag, I take it with me more often when I'm out, and use it more than either the PRS-505 or Kindle 2.
2. Excellent ergonomics: The PRS-300 simply feels great in the hand: it has excellent balance, and a really comforting heft that reminds me of the way a solid paperback book just rest in your hand without the need to consciously grasp it, or constantly adjust it. This is a true improvement over both the PRS-505 and the Kindle 2; both of these devices were very, very light, which in consumer electronics is usually the Holy Grail of product design, but neither was particularly well-balanced and I was always conscious of having to exercise control of the device, especially when clicking the page-turn buttons. The Pocket Edition isn't by any means heavy--it's actually a lighter than both the PRS-505 and the Kindle 2, at about 7.5 ounces--but the smaller form-factor, coupled with its superb balance, allows you to comfortably fade into your reading, without the physicality of the device intruding. While that kind of device transparency was a stated goal of the Kindle, I have to admit that I only rarely was able to read with the Kindle 2 without it intruding in some way (usually to re-balance it in my hand). The Pocket Edition has only one page-turn button--the large round navigation pad in the bottom-center--but the pad is in comfortable reach of your thumb while holding the Reader on the side. The button is firm without being obtrusively difficult to press (which was often a failing I noticed on both the PRS-505 and the Kindle 2). Of all the things that I enjoy about the Pocket Edition, its truly comfortable, unobtrusive physical design is probably the stand-out quality.
3. More durable design: The PRS-300 is, like the iPhone, or iPod Touch, or your laptop, a piece of consumer electronics that you simply don't want to drop. Electronics are delicate (unless you spend ungodly amounts of money on Toughbooks and the like), and not tolerant of abuse. That said, the casing and design of the Pocket Edition is a very large step up from the PRS-505, which as I mentioned I managed to grievously injure with one (not very far) drop. I have "Whoops"-ed the Pocket Edition a couple of times, and was impressed that the more solid aluminum casing, coupled with the plastic end-caps and power slider, made it a great deal more resilient than its predecessor. In terms of durability, it's probably about comparable to the Kindle 2; the Kindle 2, though, at least from Amazon's marketing materials, does seem designed to "bounce back" from drops and falls that the Sony Reader was not made to withstand. In comparison with other ereaders on the market, the Pocket Edition is far sturdier, in terms of its heft, the resilient aluminum front buttons, and the (very) slightly elastic plastic end-caps.
4. Excellent screen image: The screen image of the Pocket Edition is crisp, clear, and CONSISTENTLY easy to read in both high- and medium-light conditions. The screen is non-glare, and there has been only one occasion (under somewhat harsh artificial light) when I needed to shift position slightly to remove a light-diffraction effect from the screen. The screen quality is comparable to the PRS-505, and considerably better than that of the Kindle 2. I'm somewhat puzzled by this, because there's only one e-ink technology on the market right now, and the manufacturers of the screens all license the same process, with the same quality control parameters (the parameters are part of the license agreement), so I don't really understand why the Kindle 2 screens seem to perform a notch or two below their competitors. I did read that Amazon made a decision to lighten the font image on the Kindle 2 (which owners of the Kindle 1 noted and complained about), so perhaps it's simply a software issue. However, I finally decided to ditch the Kindle 2 when I noted the screen image literally fading away in direct sunlight; this issue has been commented on by a number of users, and Amazon will happily provide a replacement Kindle for units that experience this. The Sony Pocket Edition, though, has provided a much crisper screen image, with noticeably darker fonts, a whiter (lighter) screen background, almost no glare, and no funky fades, distortions, or other effects that inhibit reading. The clarity and comfort of reading the screen image is as good as (and sometimes better than) that of a physical book.
5. Very good on-device interface: The on-device interface of the PRS-300 is straight-forward, uncluttered, and relatively easy to navigate. Since the Pocket Edition (unlike the PRS-505, the Kindle 2, and the new Sony PRS-600 Touch Edition) does not include an MP3 player and image viewer, the Pocket Edition's interface is strictly for book navigation and the better for it. It does take a click or two more than it "seems" like it should to access a book, or navigate to a specific goal, but I've decided that this expectation is formed largely from our use of personal computers (and iPod Touches/iPhones), which provide an instantaneous response (unlike e-ink) and the possibility for much more flexible menu designs (a virtue that the PRS-600 Touch Edition captures to some extent with its touch-screen). In comparison with the PRS-505, or the Kindle 2, the on-device interface of the Pocket Edition is at least as simple/easy to use, and perhaps slightly better, since it doesn't have music, image, browser, text-to-speech, etc. options. The on-device interface is very good, and given the technology, it's only the adoption of the touch-screen that will likely improve on it.
6. Acceptable Sony Library software: The Sony Library software has always reminded me of Apple iTunes: It's slower than it should be, less intuitive than it could be, less flexible than its competition, and usually at least slightly frustrating. On the most basic level, as a tool for transferring content from your PC/Mac to the Reader, the Library software meets its goal; the software is, though, always slower than it "seems" like it should be. Like iTunes, it makes you wonder why it takes twice as long to transfer a file than it would through Windows Explorer/Mac Finder, and ask, "Why can't a large consumer electronics company like Sony (and Apple) do better?" The Library's short-comings are especially puzzling when you consider that there is a free software program, Calibre, designed by an ardent ebook enthusiast, that does more than the Sony Library, faster, more intuitively, less obtrusively, and without regularly freezing. I use the Sony Library for my Sony-purchased content, and Calibre for my personal content. If you have personal, non-DRM content, I can't recommend Calibre highly enough (did I mention it's free?); additionally, Calibre provides extensive, easy-to-use news media feeds, which it will painlessly transfer directly to your Reader, from both newspapers and news magazines. If you do decide to use Calibre, please consider making a donation; it's truly a masterful program that is continually up-dated and improved. The Sony Library itself, however frustrating it can sometimes be, isn't a reason to reject the PRS-300. The Library software does its job, and is reliable and improving. The local library finder is a great new feature, and one that--finally--has me using my local library for ebooks, rather than continually purchasing them. When I first read the press releases for the new Sony Readers, I discounted this feature, but quickly...
Read more ›
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
68 of 69 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great For Recreational Readers, Students / Researchers Should Get the 600, October 9, 2009
This review is from: Sony Digital Reader Pocket Edition - Silver (PRS300SC)
I never thought I would ever embrace digital books, but I think this reader has forever changed that. Every concern I had about an eReader was addressed.
Readability: It's 'just' like reading on paper. In fact it took me all of about 20 minutes to realize that I actually prefer it to paper. With paper books you get shadows, you have to angle the book depending on which side of the pages you're reading on, etc. Here, the ambient light is distributed evenly by the material on the screen so the text is easy to read. And there is little, if any, noticeable glare or reflection. Some people dislike the lack of a backlight, but I actually prefer it because its much less stressful on the eyes. The background is a soft white color thats very easy on the eyes. You can resize font to your preference. The 3 sizes available here are plenty. Its especially great for incredibly nearsighted people like me who like to take their glasses off when they read and not have to squint. between all of this, it makes for a very comfortable reading experience. I can read much faster on this device than on paper. I guess if I had to nitpick, the only thing thats distracting is the silver finish of the device itself, which actually reflects more light than the screen. If you think this could be an issue for you, I'd recommend a darker color.
Usability: Its a breeze. Its incredibly easy to use, and everything is very plainly labeled. Turning pages, bookmarks, and zooming are all performed with single button presses. Your library is organized alphabetically of course, so just navigate ansd click. It also remembers your place for you, and in addition you can create your own bookmarks. While in a book you can use the numbers on the side of the screen to key in a specific page number. Its just the right weight, and it feels just right when you're using it. The software is very iTunes like in both appearance and function. It generally works as it should, though I find it a bit slower than I'd prefer when performing functions of browsing the Sony eBook store. One function I was surprised was missing was the lack of ability to edit file info in the software; if you get an eBook thats incorrectly labeled there's really no way to fix it in the software.
What I've found is that its best to bypass the software entirely...Windows (and probably Mac as well) recognizes this as a mass storage device so you can put all your content on the reader using Windows Explorer or Mac Finder. MUCH faster. You can transfer books via drag n drop in seconds as opposed to minutes using the software. You can download Google books directly from Google (easier to browse) and drag them to the 'books' folder.
Content: a TON of it. I find the Sony store to be a bit too pricey though. The bestsellers are pretty reasonably priced but everything else costs just as much as its paper counterpart, so if you're looking to save money on paperbacks and such buying this...hold off for now until the prices drop, if indeed they ever do. The best thing is the integration with Google Books. Granted, its all 'older' stuff but there's a lot of great classics on there that should be in everyone's library. It also dispays .txt .doc and .pdf files, so you can make your own content. For example, if you use the Firefox browser and have the PrintPDF add-on installed, you can literally print any page to a pdf and transfer it to the Sony for much for comfortable reading. For example...your local news website or magazines? :) It also supports the epub format and allows digital library checkouts. Unfortunately no library in my area supports this as of yet, but I'm hoping they do soon. This could revolutionize the concept of the library...for better or for worse. As far as storage, again some have griped about there being 'only' 512 mb of storage (only 440 mb is usable). When you consider most ebooks are 1 or 2 mb in size, this allows you carry 300 - 400 books around. I dont know about you, but ive never needed access to that many books at once in my life. But if thats an issue, look elsewhere.
So that's my breakdown of the device itself.
Backing up a bit...the big decision I had to make was whether which model to get; Kindle, the Sony 300 or the 600. The big drawback with Kindle is DRM. It seems like a very controlled and locked down system. Sony supports many more open formats. Plus I don't care about wireless...it drains the battery quicker and I want to spend as little time charging a reading device as possible. Plus, as I said, 300 - 400 books are plenty for me to carry around. As far as readability, the Kindle screen looks bigger, but the amount of reading space is almost identical between this and the Kindle 2. Kindle uses more screen space for displaying battery life, etc...where as the Sony uses literally the entire screen. I also found the Kindle's font looked more thin and 'computer' like, whereas on the Sony, the font is nice and thick...looks almost identical to the fonts you'd see on paper.
So then the decision was between the touch screen 600 and this model. Without getting too much into it, I'll simply put it like this: If you are a student or researcher, get the 600. It has a built-in dictionary (the 300 does not), a word search function, the ability to make notes, scribble on pages, and it has greater (upgradeable) storage. The 600 also has mp3 support. While these features are neat, for someone like me who reads for entertainment, I found them kind of pointless or unnecessary. Also, the touch screen model has more glare than the 300, and the screen seems dimmer, probably due to the touch layer. For what I want to use it for, the 300 gives me a better experience and the contrast is much better for easier reading.
I don't think I will ever give up paper books, but from now on most of my recreational reading will be done on this device. Sony did a fantastic job of blending old with new, and once you start using one yourself you too will be hooked. A fantastic, and revolutionary electronic device!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Using it only for Library Books, September 12, 2009
This review is from: Sony Digital Reader Pocket Edition - Silver (PRS300SC)
I bought the Sony Reader Pocket Edition to use for my public library's downloads. I already own and LOVE my K2, but as a Librarian I just couldn't pass up using my public library's resources. Since I have the K2 buying the cheapest Sony Reader made sense since I just wanted to use it for borrowed books.
I do enjoy the navigation buttons and the layout. The reader keeps track of how long you have until your book expires, and counts down the days for you - I love that. I am assuming all Sony Reader's have this function. The problem comes from the font sizes. With just three choices S,M,L and you use PDFs the Small gives the most accurate rendering of the page but then you really can't read it. Medium is better, but then since the screen is so small you are flipping pretty fast and it gets to be annoying, especially if you read fast. The Large? Well lets just say it only seems like there are a few words on the screen at a time. I currently use the Medium mode, and am just dealing with the constant flipping (the speed of the screen updating is similar to the K2).
EPUBs are different. The rendering is just plain weird in anything above using the small font. The margins on the sides of the page are HUGE in Medium and Large and you wonder what is the point if the text to read in an EPUB is smooshed to the center? Half is wasted space. Then, I discovered with the EPUB, the way to read it in larger font is to open the settings and change the orientation to "horizontal" which only works for me when using EPUBs and not the PDFs. In summary of the EPUBs - it is great if you like the small font in the vertical position, anything larger it is best to change the setting to the horizontal.
Once last thing I just discovered which is strange. Maybe it is just user error that I need to work on. I legally belong to two libraries. I work in a different area which allows me to use and register a card at their library in addition to my home library. After downloading two books from one library's website which opened fine and I could read before, I downloaded an EPUB from the different library. Now I can not access the original two files. Either it doesn't allow you to download from different libraries with their software OR the little stinker is hosed and I have to figure out a way to fix this.
Overall it is a decent reader if you don't mind small font and you have never touched a Kindle before. I love the idea that you can use it with libraries but since so much screen space is wasted on just blank space, eh... I just don't know. I guess I am just going to have to try the Plastic Logic reader next and see what happens. I can keep hoping though, that one day I can happily use my public library!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
Saving...
