Sony Reader refresh: nice, but still not for me
Sony announced an update to its electronic book device this morning; the PRS 505 will retail for around $300 and be available in silver or dark blue. Improvements over the prior version include a faster response time and higher contrast ratio, which should aid outdoor readers. Also new is the native ability to use the PRS 505 as a USB storage drive with the included USB cable. Sounds like Sony has worked on improving the content sychronization; you can use the auto-sync function to move books and folders automatically when connecting the PRS 505 to a host PC.
I still think $300 is relatively expensive for a nearly single use device, but over time, we’ve seen additional features added in to eBook readers. It’s not unheard of to listen to music or browse the web on some models and the eBook communities are often working on ways to tweak their devices. I’m still in the camp of using a UMPC or handheld device to read my eBooks, however. I’m already carrying a device capable of reading books, so I’ll stick with that for now. How about you?
Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.
The HTC Advantage has become my ebook reader of choice. The 5″ screen, eReader Pro and the ability to rotate to portrait for reading make this decision easy.
As somebody who hates DRM in any form I buy my books and then scan them in. My OQO 02 is ideal for reading and editing them on afterwards. Plus I still have the dead-tree version.
The only reason I’d have to give up my current VGA Pocket PC as a reader would be if it (heaven forfend) should break on me. I spend far too much of my time reading on it as it is, but with a little font smoothing on a 3.5 inch VGA screen you get incredibly sharp and easy to read text. Well, as long as you stay away from MS Reader, anyway, and stick to µBook or Mobipocket.
And as you say, it’s no one trick pony, I do mail, calendar, to-do and even GPS on it as well.
I understand that many find their PDAs to be suitable ebook readers. And if such technology works for you and saves you money by removing the desire to purchase a new product, then all the better.
However, as an owner of the original Sony Reader, I must say that it is heads and shoulders above reading on any PDA. The very absence of a backlit VGA screen, a larger screen, and e-ink technology are among the biggest benefits.
I have never listened to music on the Reader, though it has that capability. But I take full advantage of the ability to read other documents (professional documents; articles published on the web) on the reader. For example, I no longer have to lug thick dissertations around when I want to read them outside the office. Instead I put them on my Reader. There is no way I would read a dissertation or other professional documents on my PDA or even my tablet PC.
I think the biggest obstacle to people moving to this better ebook reader is its price. Perhaps at $200, more people would be willing to give it a try. It was well worth it to me, even at $300.
Is it still impossible to read microsoft reader files?
I hate DRM and would never buy books that I expect to need in 1+ years in a crippled electronic format (same for music, by the way).
That said, I got tired of seeing my wife fill up our suitcase with paperbook books on vacation trips that then would be abandoned in hotels (“book exchange” library). So, being a geek, I bought her a Sony eReader, and she loves it. A UMPC or other handheld device would not have worked for her due to the size, battery life limitations, and screen quality.
On a recent short weekend trip to Europe, I borrowed her eReader, and I have to admit I enjoyed reading one of her books in that format. I would have never been able to read 9-10 hrs on the flight/train using my X60 tablet, and certainly I wouldn’t have enjoyed reading an ebook on my Treo’s tiny screen.
One downside of my wife now using an eReader is that I cannot easily read her books. In general, I’d only be reading a small subset of hers anyway, but even those would now either require me to use my Thinkpad or to pry the eReader from her hands. Maybe if I had more time to read trashy novels, I would buy my own eReader (I think Sony allows up to two plus a few PCs to share an account).
I use my p1610 with ereader. Rocks!