Sony PRS-505 Reader is in the house
September 4, 2008 by Rob
Filed under Uncategorized
Today begins the dawn of a new day for me, and for many other UK book readers. Why? Because today was the day that the long awaited Sony Reader (PRS-505) was released in the UK and thanks to Waterstones being on the ball with their pre-orders, I finally got my eager little hands on it. I’ve strived for the past 2+ years as a paperless operative at university, and I’ve coveted a wholly portable and practical solution for reading my ebooks every day during that time (my Tablet PC served me well but it’s not exactly light). Now I’ve finally got that solution and I couldn’t be happier.
I’ve not a great deal of time with the new reading love in my life yet but first impressions are as such:
* I love its small size!
* I love its lightness!
* I love how it can accommodate SD media (so you’re mobile library can potentially be limitless)!
*…but most of all I love the display! OMG! It’s breathtakingly amazing. So crisp and clear, almost surreal looking, but oh so jaw-dropping
Once I’ve had the chance to use my Sony Reader a bit more you can expect a full review from me, and not surprisingly I’ll be giving plenty of ‘talk time’ on the Sony Reader in the coming weeks.
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Rob, a self-confessed bibliophile, is without any hope of rehabilitation. He gets unnaturally excited over anything book-shaped, and if book sniffing were a crime then he would have been locked up years ago (which wouldn't bother him in the slightest provided his cell were lined with books)
Hi Rob – love the new site – I think it’s good to have separate blogs especially if you find you start posting a lot about one niche. Welcome to the word of WP too – personally I think its the best blogging platform there is.
I’m looking forward to your review of the sony – I bought myself an iPhone a couple of weeks back and have downloaded a couple of ereader apps. I’m sure it’s not quite the same as a dedicated book reader but I have a few classics at my disposal for those times when I’m stuck without a ‘real’ book :0
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Mrs. S,
)) that comes from using WordPress. To be honest I can’t see me dropping WordPress now in favour of anything else. I love it and have only just scratched the surface.
How nice of you to drop by and thank you for the kind words. Yep the transition to a dedicated book blog was becoming more and more necessary and now that I have, I’m delighted I did. I’ve also been keen to move over to the greater flexibility (and headaches
Absolutely nothing wrong with using an iPhone as a pseudo ereader (and I envy you greatly for having an iPhone..[pokes out tongue]..:o)). I’ve heard many good things about it being used as such. For me though I’ve craved a dedicated ereader for a couple of years now, so it’s so good to finally get my hands on one. I will post a full review as soon as I think I’ve explored it enough but so far I’m blown away with and love it to death!!
Speak soon
Rob
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Robert, it’s been a few more weeks since this initial post. Further thoughts on the Sony? Six months ago I would never have given an e-reader a second thought but lately my thoughts have warmed up to the idea….Having seen a Kindle up close in July, I think I can see how it’d be a lot of fun to have one of these things. But I’m the type to wait till they iron out a few more bugs and bring the price down a bit….
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To be honest with you Linda, I’ve barely had the chance to *really* use it yet. Most of my reading has been for my 50 Novels challenge and they’ve all been physical books. That’s set to change soon though when I read Hamsun’s Growth of the Soil. It’s 100% ebook!!
Incidentally I’ve just started on one of your favs – Water for Elephants. One chapter down (+the prologue) and I’m already enjoying it immensely
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Water for Elephants is a fun, wild ride. You’ll continue to enjoy it, I’m sure.
I’m not ready to plunk down any serious money for an e-reader just yet, so I’ll keep picking the brains of folks like you who’ve forged ahead of me and bought one already. Thanks for the update, though. Do check back in once you’ve read a whole book on the thing!
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I am trying very hard to keep myself from buying a Kindle. Having just traveled with about five paperback books in my suitcase, I’m beginning to see a use for such a device. They’ve dropped the price a tiny bit (by about fifty dollars), and I’m taking another trip in early December….
Oh dear. Stop me, please! Tell me your e-reader is a waste of money, quick!
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That would be Amazon dropping the price of the Kindle in preparation of the announcement for Kindle 2?
I’m loving the PRS-505 but only last week (less than a month after the 505 hit the UK) Sony announced the US launch of the PRS700:
http://robaroundbooks.com/2008/10/sony-adds-the-prs-700-to-its-reader-range/
You can imagine I’m not too happy
)
Like I say – I’m loving the reader but I’m used to reading via ebook. It may be great for the utilitarian reader but for the bookish connoisseur? Emmm…..maybe not!
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Well, last I read from Amazon sources, they are not committing to a new Kindle even in 2009…plus, the rumors are that the improvements are fairly minor.
I need to find a place that compares the Sony and the Kindle, I think.
As for bookish types not liking an e-reader, please do elaborate. I’m not used to e-readers yet (I’ve done minimal e-reading on my Tungsten but not much — screen too small), but I am a techno-gadget lover and adapt easily to technology once I’m sure I’ll like it. (I don’t buy gadgets for their own sake — I just got my first camera phone, for instance — but once I see a good use for something, I embrace it heartily.)
How do you get books onto the Sony? I assume it’s a more traditional approach of using a computer to “buy” e-books and then some sort of cable transfer to get them onto the Sony, yes? In other words, it’s also less proprietary or exclusive than the Kindle…?
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Linda – What I mean by ‘bookish types perhaps not liking an e-reader’ is more directed at the connoisseur of book reading i.e. those who also gain pleasure from the aesthetics of a REAL book – smell, touch and look.
Getting the books onto the Sony is simplicity personified. It doesn’t have a wireless connection so everything is done via USB lead. This is perhaps where the Kindle has one up on the Sony, but it’s not a big issue, at least for me.
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Well, I’ve succumbed. My Kindle arrives tomorrow. News updates as I figure the thing out and have opinions…..
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