Sony Digital Reader Pocket Edition - Silver (PRS300SC)
The Reader Pocket Edition features a 5" display and an elegant, lightweight design that's easy to slip into a purse or jacket pocket for convenient, on-the-go reading. Not sure which books to bring on your trip? With the Reader Pocket Edition, you will never have to make that choice again. 512MB of onboard memory lets you carry up to 350 of your favorite books3 at a time. 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. The Reader Pocket Edition utilizes EInk screen technology to deliver an amazing, paper-like display that's more like ink on paper and fully readable in direct sunlight. Intuitive eBook Library software makes it easy to download eBooks, manage your collection, and transfer titles to your Reader Pocket Edition. eBook Library software works with both PC and Mac. Enjoy up to two full weeks of reading (7,500 continuous page turns) on a single battery charge. The Reader Pocket Edition offers you the ability to resize text. Choose from three adjustable font sizes to improve readability. Two full weeks of reading on a single battery charge 3 adjustable font sizes to customize your reading experience USB 2.0 data and power connection Read in multiple formats, including ePub and PDF Quick page turns and high contrast ratio Display - Screen Size - Vizplex 5 inches Resolution - 800 x 600 pixels Gray Scale - 8-levels gray scale Power - Battery Type - Rechargeable Lithium-Ion (battery - DC 3.7 V) AC Power - DC 5.2 V Battery Life (Approx) - 7,500 (BBeB Book) Media Formats Supported - Unsecured Text - EPUB file (Non DRM/ Adobe DRM protecte
Sony Digital Reader Pocket Edition - Silver (PRS300SC) Features
- 512MB internal memory holds approximately 350 eBooks
- displays Adobe® PDFs, plus TXT, RTF, and Microsoft® Word files
- displays eBooks purchased from the CONNECT eBook online store
I've owned this device for about a week and I absolutely love it. I am an avid reader and love to bounce back and forth between books and articles in a given day, and I find that the reader is very idea for doing so. I love the ability to change font sizes when you need to, and the fact that the e-Ink process doesn't burn your eyes makes for hours of reading. I have yet to run the battery down, which is also fantastic. The size and weight of device are ideal for carrying and holding (it feels about the same weight as a 400-page hardback book). I recommend this unit to everyone that asks about it or is interested in getting one (a recent visit to the local ER saw me showing the device to a nurse there and recommendit it to her). -- A Fantastic Idea in a Great Package
Fair disclosure: I also own a Kindle.
I bought the PRS-300 as a second e-reader because (1) sometimes both myself and my wife find ourselves reading at the same time, and (2) often the Kindle is just slightly too large to fit into my plans for the day, while the PRS-300 is considerably smaller and fits almost anywhere.
No, the two can't share file formats, but we use Calibre to convert many of our eBooks between the two and the two devices share a kind of queasy overlap in our reading database. It will be nice the day the government regulates this medium and forces all manufacturers to allow you to read any books you've already purchased on any device.
But in the meantime, the PRS-300 is our second e-reader. First, the good. In relation to the Kindle: better menus, better navigation, faster speed, a better size, better formatting on some books that Kindle doesn't get right, and folders (collections) which is so amazingly cool it makes the Kindle seem downright creaky by comparison.
But then, the bad:
Manufacturing tolerances are questionable at best. We've been through three stores and four units trying to get a good one. First one had a slightly rotated/crooked screen relative to the device's frame. Returned it. Second one was rotated even worse. Third one had an iffy next page button. Fourth one (hopefully) is the charm.
If the battery goes dead, you can't charge it via USB any more because it requires host-mode communication with the computer in order to charge via USB... so if you allow it to go entirely flat, you need to buy an AC adapter in order to charge it ever again.
Every time you unplug the USB, it rescans and indexes all books in memory. Great if you have 10 books, but it takes half an hours to do this if you have a few hundred. So if you're charging via USB and have lots of books, every time you unplug the unit you're waiting for half an hour before you can read.
Don't get the silver version; get one of the colors. If you get the silver version, the frame/case will be the brightest, most reflective, lightest part of the unit in ANY lighting conditions. The glare from the silver case causes your pupils to dilate, which makes the screen very difficult to see. This problem doesn't exist for the other colors.
Overall, 2.5 out of 5 stars. It would earn 3-3.5 if it retailed at $149 instead of $199. It would earn 4-5 stars if it was $99-129 at this feature and quality level.
The sad thing is, despite these drawbacks and the lack of wireless, it's still a better device than Kindle simply because of the ability to file books into folders. Are you listening, Amazon? -- Poor manufacturing tolerances, good form factor.
I picked this up for myself after buying one for my stepdad. I love it. It is easy to read on. I have very little time for manuals or complicated instructions. I got this set up and was reading in very little time. I bought a wall charger with it and a lighted cover.
I did 4 out of 5 since this version does not allow as much zoom as the previous addition that I bought for my stepdad and you have to buy a separate wall charger that is a little pricey. My only dislike is how much the "add on's" are. However for a true book worm it is a dream come true. -- Sony Pocket E Reader
I don't know what I can add to previous reviews. I love the size (since I wanted something portable) and can easily put it in my backpack or pocket. One surprising thing that I like is the side navigation. It is so quick to use the numerical buttons for menu options. Also, they can be used to navigate to a specific page once you are inside the book. The battery lasts a long time (I have read 6 books and have only charged it once, when the battery indicator showed 2 out of four bars). Everything else I like about it has already been reviewed. -- Great Reader
I have several Sony products and most exceed above and beyond my expectations. However, I would not count my Sony Reader among them. I purchased my Reader about a month ago in Las Vegas from a Kiosk. The guy was fairly rude and obviously in a rush to buy the product but I was looking to get a reader so on a whim I decided to try out the Sony Reader. I have learned my lesson. While the product itself is fairly good, it fails in a few aspects:
The loading time of the pages and on/off is ridiculously slow for a 2009 product. I swear my cell phone must have more RAM than this (Sony Ericsson btw haha). Second, the online store is absoutely terrible and the selection is poor and hypocrtical. What do I mean? You can buy Tom Sawyer or get it for free depending on how you search for it. This plus countless spelling and grammar errors plague the entire store. Shameful for a Fortune 500 company. Next, the actual iTunes like configuration of the Reader itself is awful. Synching takes forever and constantly freezes and fails. Loading purchased books for the first time takes a ridiculously long time and I have no idea why an update hasn't been established by this point. I have yet to sample someone else's Kindle or Nook I can't imagine them being worse than this. My girlfriend is looking to buy a reader for school I definitely did NOT recommend this product. -- A Disappointment That Could of Been Avoided
