Well here in the UK we may have only just got the Sony PRS-505 Reader (myself included), but yesterday came the announcement that a new model – the PRS-700 is being added to the Sony Reader range.
E-Ink technology, ebook formats and long battery life remain the norm but the PRS-700 incorporates additional features:
- Touchscreen which allows for page turning by touch, notetaking, annotation and text search (this is the biggest ‘improvement’ by far. I CRAVE e-annotation)
- Built-in LED lighting for low-light reading (a very much needed feature but it’s sure to decrease battery life)
- 5 scalable text (PRS-505 only has 3)
- Removal of navigational buttons (touchscreen makes them obsolete I guess)
- Expanded internal memory which holds around 350 books (PRS-505 holds 170)
Warning: Rant ahead!
So only a month into Sony Reader ownership and already my PRS-505 is technically antiquated. I know we probably won’t see the new reader in the UK for some time (it’s released in the US next month for $400) and Sony are ‘plugging’ the new reader as an additional ‘choice’ to the existing PRS-505 and not a replacement, but as a customer I’m actually quite chessed off at Sony right now. I scrimped and saved, and begged and borrowed in order to buy something I’ve craved for years now, and here’s Sony announcing a new model less than a month after the UK release of the 505 model.
Did I expect it? Absolutely – I once heard a quote stating the best time to buy any piece of technology is tomorrow, but Sony’s timing on this SUCKS, big time!! They could have announced the PRS-700 before the release of the PRS-505 in the UK, but it seems to me that they’ve purposely deferred announcement so the initial wave of UK 505′s can sell through.
Great to see a new Sony reader with touch capabilities being released but boy am I fuming at Sony right now!!!!!
About Rob
Rob,
You are better off to avoid buying a technology product hot out of the oven. Odds are, if you waited for the PRS-700 to be released and its bugs discovered and fixed, you would have missed a year of e-reading.
I would be interested to now how the Sony PRS-700 compares to the Ipod Touch.
Steve Brannon
says:
Steve – I wholeheartedly agree. Early adopters often find themselves on the bleeding edge. That’s not the issue for me though. My gripe is at Sony’s apparent underhandedness towards their UK customers, especially the poor ones like me
).
That’s a good point on the PRS-700 vs iPod Touch comparison. I’ve heard a lot of good things said about ‘ereading’ on the iPod/iPhone (including our very own Austruck) so I’d like to see that too.
Robert, it wasn’t me who mentioned e-reading on the iTouch or iPod. Must’ve been someone else. However, my 24-yr-old son just bought an iTouch last week and he’s bringing it over here this weekend for me to see and play with. I’ll let you know how it looks/feels with e-books. (I did see a Kindle this summer, so I’ll have a comparison.)
I’m guessing that since the iTouch doesn’t use e-ink, that the glare would eventually bother me. Plus, knowing Apple’s propensity for exclusivity, I anticipate there being issues with loading “regular” e-books onto the thing easily.
The $400 price tag seemed high to me for any device but now that the Kindle’s dropped to $359, I’m HIGHLY tempted. Highly. I just got back from an overseas trip where paperback books and magazines took up too much room in my suitcase. A Kindle would have been great. I’m starting to travel more so the use for something like this seems more obvious in my life…
Still … which one to choose? Will I feel like Robert when Amazon comes out with Kindle 2 in 2010?
says:
Linda – “propensity” Good word
) Sorry about the ‘misquote’ on ereading on the iPhone. I could have sworn it was you. Anyway I’d love to hear what you thought after checking it out on your son’s one.
Being able to carry countless books is a big draw for getting an ereader. That was one of the major pluses for me of being paperless at university over the past 2 years. With the travelling going up, I’d say there’s never been a bigger reason. It looks like you’re getting closer to adopting as well because your train of thought seems to be evolving from ‘will I?” to ‘which one?’ I’m getting excited for you!
)
Keep getting excited, Robert. My Kindle arrives tomorrow.
My son suggested we “swap tech toys” while he’s here so we can just be all nerdy and geeky together. LOL… I should take pictures of us ….
Anyway, I’ve already joined user groups and forums and I’m maxed out on reading reviews of all the readers I was interested in. So, I’m relieved to be past that point in the process….
says:
Linda – You rock!!! I knew it was just a matter of time…[evil grin]. I’ll be following your ‘journey’ closely for when the Kindle does finally reach British shores….I won’t hold my breath then
)
Well, a similar irksome thing has happened to me, Robert. This morning, while reading through Kindle user forum posts, I discovered that Oprah Winfrey was doing a segment on the Kindle on her show today. And on her web site, she divulged that there is currently (until Nov 1) a promo code to use to get an additional $50 off the purchase of a Kindle.
I found all this out BEFORE my Kindle showed up this afternoon — and only two days after ordering it. Now, around here, if a store puts a product on sale not long after you buy it (within a week, usually), you can ask them to retroactively apply the sale price. They’ll usually do this because otherwise, customers would return the item they just bought and re-buy the very same item at the sale price. It’s a hassle for everyone involved, and so they simply recharge you for the lower price and you needn’t bring the item back.
I wrote to Amazon’s customer service this morning, laying out this very scenario and asking about the discount. I just got an answer back saying, in effect, Nope. So I wrote again (they have a place to write a second time if you are not satisfied) and am waiting on their reply.
I reminded them in this second email that their return policy on this item means I could pack up the Kindle I just got, return it, and simply reorder it with the promo code. That would mean a hassle for me, for them, added expenses for them and me, and is just plain stupid.
We’ll see if it works out.
IN OTHER NEWS, the Kindle is absolutely amazing. I’d already read up on where to download Kindle-compatible free e-books in the public domain and I’ve already got a ton of books on the thing. And I did order ONE book using the WiFi feature, which is very cool. The Lookup feature of the dictionary is spiffy. And you can directly access Wikipedia too. And there is something called NowNow — you can ask a question via the Kindle (“When do the leaves turn colors in South Carolina?”) and a real live rep person will send the answer back via the Kindle within a few minutes.
Very cool so far. And like you, I am wowed by the display, which is just lovely. I like that I can adjust the text size too. Can’t do that with a physical book….
More later….busy reading!
Linda
They still refuse to allow the discount … so I am forced with the decision of whether to send back the Kindle I have and reorder one at the discount price. Net savings after shipping it back would be about $40….but I’d be without the Kindle for at least a week, and my credit card would hold a double charge for a while till it got straightened out. (Right at a time when that’s not a great thing to do to my credit card.)
(sigh)
I hate decisions like this.
says:
Linda – I’d heard that Oprah was setting America on fire with her Kindle evangalising. Talk about bad timing – for you!
As ‘bad timing’ as it is though, Amazon are being pretty shoddy with their customer service. Thy could at least offer you a $50 voucher, that would be a satisfactory gesture of goodwill, which you’d probably accept. But lo and behold profit is triumphing over customer relations and that’s a sorry thing to see; but oh so common.
What would I do? Well faced with missing something that I’d been really looking forward to I’d probably keep the Kindle and take the hit of losing out on the discount. Then I’d spend the next year+ bemoaning the loss, feeling bitter towards Amazon, and shaking my fist at Oprah for being so damn generous
) Like you say it’s a difficult decision but that’s the one I’d go for.
Anyway casting aside the whole sorry incident – I’m glad you’re so impressed with the reader. Free e-books are the only way I’ve gone so far and there’s an almost endless supply of them. I hate you both for the WIFI and ‘look-up’ features of the Kindle. These are something I very much crave on my Sony (the search feature is coming on the PRS700 but not the WIFI)
The screen is the same in both readers – no difference, so I know exactly what you mean about it’s quality. The crispness and clarity almost blew me away at first, and it looks like it’s done the same for you!
The text resize feature is awesome isn’t it? I find myself using small or medium sizes fonts normally but when the light is a bit dimmer I tend to go to the large sized font. Definitely an invaluable feature.
Anyway keep me posted on how things progress Linda; hopefully in a positive forward direction!
Warmest
Kindle Update: Today while showing a friend the Kindle, the screen suddenly went weird, then very very dark. No amount of coaxing brought it back — not there, not at home later with the wall charger. Nothing. (You can barely see text on the screen — it’s functioning as a unit but the screen is just bad.)
So, I’ve already gotten permission (and a free shipping label that I printed out) to send it back, and it’s already on its way. (The faster I send it back, the fast I’ll get my refund.)
And I did request a refund instead of a replacement — since Oprah’s discount is in its last day today. I immediately ordered a new Kindle instead of asking for the replacement. I got the $50 discount on the new one — although there is a few-day delay due to a backlog. (Curse you, Oprah! Ha ha.)
I miss it already. The only real up side besides the discount is that at least I now don’t have the Kindle here to distract me when NaNoWriMo starts in six hours. Still … it hurts so bad….
Linda
says:
Linda I don’t know whether to cheer or to cry. It’s disheartening to hear that your Kindle went down (hopefully an isolated one-off), but it’s also kind of uplifting to hear you’re able to take advantage of that rebate now. Thankfully with NaNo kicking off you shouldn’t miss the absence of the Kindle too much, but hopefully Amazon will speed one along to you ASAP.
As ever – thanks for the continuing updates. Finger crossed!
Got the new Kindle today — so I was without it for only five days. Happy about that, since yes, NaNoWriMo had my attention anyway. Now the issue will be not letting the Kindle hog the attention … again.
I’d forgotten just how lovely the screen/e-ink really is. I’ve got my horde of free public domain books reloaded onto this new Kindle (on the SD card) and am back to reading the book I was in the middle of. (Amazon automatically redownloads all your purchased books onto the new Kindle as soon as you turn the Whispernet (cell phone wifi) on. So, it’s like the first Kindle never left.
And yes, apparently some of the Kindles do go kaflooey and are defective. Amazon doesn’t even blink when you want to replace them, of course. They pay shipping, etc. etc. I’m just relieved now that the screen didn’t blow on me even a single day later or I would have missed the discount.
I’m happy again — and the pile of four “real” books that had already reaccumulated on my side table near the chair is now going back upstairs. Again.
says:
Yippee!! Glad to hear you and the new love in your life weren’t parted for too long. My theory on your old Kindle breaking down? Karma giving you a gift for being such a nice person
Got to love that wireless ‘auto download’ feature , something the Sony is sorely missing!
Anyway thanks for the updates. You’ve written more in two weeks on your reader than I’ve promised to write since the beginning of September. You’re a S T A R !
Fingers crossed this Kindle keeps the pace (I’m sure it will)
Warmest
Rob
I will patiently await your in-depth discussion of your own e-reader whenever you have time, Robert. Real life tends to have a way of, well, being real life.
Hi I’ve just had a quick read of your blog post, how are you getting on with the sony ebook reader? I use an iPhone at the moment but after about half an hour (at night) the glare gets annoying.
says:
Alex – Nice to hear from you. I’m getting on great with my Sony Reader (you know I only have the older PRS-505 model though? The 700 isn’t available in the UK yet..[rolls eyes]). It’s definitely offers a sublime reading experience and the screen technology (E-ink) definitely facilitates a comfortable reading experience.
That said I’ve also heard (and partly know because I’ve tried it out on my daughter’s iPod Touch) that the reading experience on the iPhone is more than acceptable. You also get the advantage (although not in your case it would seem
)) of being able to read in complete darkness; something which you can’t do with the Sony Reader (although the 700 has a viewing light built into the case, and you can buy a similar solution for the 505). Putting this aside though the dedicated readers are more comfortable on your eyes (provided you can get used to a limitation in the technology which causes the screen to blink for a second while changing page – no big deal but something that causes mild irriation with some users).
Hope that helps
Warmest
Rob
Thanks for the swift response.
I’ve been reading ebooks for years on phones and PDAs as I enjoy having a book with me all the time. The iPhone works as a reader and turning the screen to white text on a black background helps with low light reading (but the iPhone automatic brightness function does not go dark enough so you have to tweak manually). I’d recommend the eReader software as it allows over the air purchases and you can configure the page turn control to be a tap or swipe in different directions.
As an alternative to trying to mimic a paper book, on my old windows phone, for those times when I was a little behind with my book club reading, I tried out rapid serialisation software (speed reader) that flashes single words in rapid succession. Great, but any more than a third of a standard paperback in a single session and I’d have to take a nap as my brain seemed full. I’m sure this was just my imagination but reading in this way was rather tiring.
Suggestions for our next book club book are always welcome. See Annabel’s site at gaskella.blogspot.com
rgds/alex
says:
Seems you’re a seasoned veteran when it comes to ‘ereading’ Alex. Your mention of the ‘speed reading’ software reminds me that I tried it a couple of years ago, and I hated it to the core. I found it so difficult to engage with what I was reading.
Warmest
Rob
I love the Kindle and the wireless is the biggest plus of it over other readers in my opinion.