E Book Reader

Sony PRS-505 LC Blue Digital Book Reader

Having had my Sony Reader for almost 2 years now, I still continue to use and love this device. I've seen other readers come and go and even with the introduction of the iPad, none of them have compelled me enough to give up my trusty PRS-505.

I originally chose this device over the Kindle because the Sony Reader had a sharper display than the Kindle (don't know about the Kindle 2's display) and because it wasn't locked to a proprietary eBook format. My eBooks come from a number sources including my local library, PDFs documents, webpages converted to eBooks, Internet downloads, etc so it was important that my reader be able to handle all of them. Using the free e-book management software Calibre, I'm able to easily convert and view these disparate formats on my Sony Reader. There are also a number of other free tools including online utilities for eBook conversion.

In my opinion, the most important feature of any eBook reader is the display. Even though its an older device, the PRS-505 display is brighter and more crisp than the later iterations of the Reader, namely the PRS600 and PRS700BC. Admittedly the iPad has a beautiful display however the backlit screen gives me eye fatigue if I stare too long at it. I can read on the Sony for hours without any problems at all. The screen looks just like the pages of a paperback book. Its light weight and small size make it an ideal travel companion. The expansion card slot gives you the ability to expand and hold additional content. It doesn't have wireless download ability like the Kindle but that's not a deal breaker for me. I use a computer daily and downloading books to the Reader is a piece of cake.

The battery life of the Reader is great. It will run on a single charge for days. While it doesn't come with an AC charger, I do recommend purchasing one as USB charging can be slow. Skip the expensive charger Sony sells for this device and instead use a PSP charger. This is is cheaper and works just fine.

As to the cons of the device, the interface can seem a little less than intuitive at first but it's simple once you get used to it. The page turn buttons could have been a little larger and placed in a more ergonomic location. While Sony claims you can read PDFs on this device, every PDF I've loaded on it is unreadable with small, blurry print. If you plan to read PDFs on the Reader, you'll definitely need 3rd party tools to convert them to the native format. Luckily, a multitude of such tools exist for free on the web. Also, ditch the ebook management software that Sony ships with the reader and use Calibre.

I recommend the Sony PRS-505 if you're looking for a solid, no-frills reader. I think that this is a good eReader for someone that doesn't mind tinkering with their device. It's not 100% ready to go out of the box, but with some 3rd party software and little bit of effort, this eReader really shines. -- Sony's best reader yet

I've used this on several trips, reading on airplanes, trains and our sailboat. I've had no trouble reading outside in bright sunlight and battery life has been sufficient. The only downside has been compatibility with PDF file. Loading a PDF is very slow and reading a PDF book is not practically possible. Changing a page takes too long to really enjoy reading. For regular eBooks this is perfect. I've compared this to some of the more recent versions with a touchscreen, and this has a much clearer screen. -- Excellent for text based books! PDF's cause problems.

My wife is an avid reader, and initially I did not pay attention to any of these devices because of all the different formats that are out there.

While the Kindle seems like a fantastic device, my concerns are about being forced to buy only content from Amazon (even though I do love shopping on Amazon).

I looked into the new generation Sony readers. Many seem to like the touch screen features, but looking at the device in person, the screen does have a glare that seems troublesome, a negative effect of having a touch screen. And while Sony offers a non-touch screen pocket edition, I don't like the smaller screen, and it has no expansion slots.

Looking at the older reviews of the Sony PRS 505, it seems people love this device, and now I know why. It has the larger screen of the current Sony Touch. It accepts SD memory and Sony Duo memory. The screen is just as nice as the smaller Sony pocket edition, but larger.

After using the device for a few days I love the portability. I can easily get lost into the book, just as if it were real print, which is the real test. I have no eye fatique looking at the digital e-ink.

And can I say open format? I discovered I can "check out" digital books for free from my local library website. I can't confirm for sure, but I believe the Kindle is not able to do this. This reader is capable of reading a variety of formats and allows me flexibility on where I purchase.

I've downloaded dozens of free e-books. I even like the Sony store interface for purchasing e-books.

The worst thing I can say about this reader is if you want internet, or the convience of buying directly from the device, then this reader isn't for you. I have several computers at my disposal including a netbook, so that feature is of no concern to me.

These readers are commanding a premium price even used and it is for a good reason. I think if you give this reader a try you'll fall in love with it too.

-- Last generation reader may be better than the current ones