MPN: PRS500U2 See Product Details
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$133.49 | Free Shipping! | Tech for Less, Inc. |
1432 Reviews
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Description
The Portable Reader offers a new and convenient digital reading experience. It boasts an amazing screen with technology that rivals text on paper. Weighing less than 9 ounces and at only 1/2" thin, it's more compact than many paperbacks. Plus, it comes with a soft, black cover and software that seamlessly allows you to search and browse thousands of electronic book titles from the Connect eBookstore and then easily transfer from your PC to your Sony Reader with built-in memory and multi-format support, you can take many of your favorite titles and documents with you. So compact and convenient, you'll want to take it everywhere.
Quick Glance
Installed Memory: 64 MB
Interface Connection: Audio - Headphone Out (1/8" Mini)
Expansion Slot: Memory Stick PRO, Secure Digital (SD) Slot, Sony Memory Stick
Summary
Product Title: Sony PRS-500 Portable Reader System
Manufacturer: Sony
Lowest Price: $133.49
Power Score: 3.5 | 13 Reviews
System
Interface Connection: Audio - Headphone Out (1/8" Mini)
Slots: Memory Stick PRO, Secure Digital (SD) Slot, Sony Memory Stick
Memory
Installed Memory: 64 MB
Display
Display Size: 6 in
Dimensions
Weight: 9 oz
Warranty
Warranty Information: 1 Year Limited Warranty
More Info
URL: Manufacturer Link
Additional Specifications
Frequency Band: Technology: E-Ink "Electronic Paper" Screen Size: 6" Measured Diagonally (Approximate) Resolution: 170 Pixels Per Inch (Approximate) Gray Scale: 4-Level Grey Scale Unsecured Text: BBeB Book, Adobe PDF, TXT, RTF, Microsoft Word (Conversion to the Reader-requires Word installed on your PC) DRM Text: BBeB Book (Marlin) Unsecured Audio: MP3 and AAC Image: JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP Battery Type: Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery Life: Up to 7,500 page turns (Approximate) Recharging Time: 4 Hours when using AC wall charger or Approximate (6 Hours with USB charging from powered Computer Approximate) AC Power: AC Charger requires 120 Volts - 60Hz Operating System: Windows XP (Home Edition,Professional, Media Center Edition, Media Center Edition 2004, Media Center Edition 2005)& Windows Vista (Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Ultimate) Processor: 800MHz Celeron class or better RAM: 128MB Minimum Hard Drive: 20MB Minimum availible space Optical Drive: Drive Capable of reading CD-ROM USB Port: USB 1.1 or faster port Internet Connection: Broadband suggested
Strengths: Good screen that is readable in both bright sunlight and moderately lit rooms. Good battery life. Compact and easy to carry on trips.
Weakness: Small, inconvenient controls. Slow processor. No easy way way to make notes, etc in text. First of its kind that will likely be superseded by later versions. Odd digital rights limits.
My principal problem with the Sony reader, aside form the relatively minor nuisances of a slow processor and somewhat inconvenient controls, is Connect eBook's odd digital rights rules. They advertise being able to read books you buy on up to 6 different devices so you can share your books with friends, family, .... What they don't tell you is that all books that you want to read on your reader...
Strengths: see below
Weakness: see below
Though it's a nice toy, man would be crazy to pay close to $300 for it at retail. Pros: - light weight - long battery life (if you are only reading) - somewhat better contrast then LCD (though do not kid yourself thinking this is book quality) Cons: - slow. This may be a technology limitation but in 21st century I can be a little more demanding to the responsiveness of the gadgets. - ghosting is...
Strengths: Easy to read, upside is enormous, vocal community support
Weakness: Connect store pricing, battery life, bulky, pdf formatting an issue
The Sony Reader with it's E-ink technology establishes a unique foothold in a mass market device. It is simple to read, bereft of the eye fatigue problems of past devices. While it delivers readability in spades, the rest of the device leaves much room for refinement--typical for a first generation device. A e-reader has to make it easy to read for ALL users. Sony does that beautifully. On a...
Strengths: Small, light, very easy on the eyes, comparable to a paperback
Weakness: sony connect software and pdf scaling
I've owned my sony reader for 2 months now, and its one of the best gadget buys I've ever mad. The machine itself is very well-made and polished, and the eink technology is just amazing. The display is completely unlike an lcd, and is incredibly easy on the eyes. I have found that the amount of reading I've done, especially on trips, has increased dramatically, and the weight of my bags has...
Strengths: Easy to read. Small and light for the form.
Weakness: Slow display. Joy stick is not well, just pressing the numbers.
Sony eReader PRS 500 is one of the excellent gadget. Lukily,I bought it for $100 at TigerDirect. I go to Manybooks.net and download hundreds of ebooks (you must select format:Sony (.lrf/lrx files). They display excellent in small/medium/large size (by pressing Size button) on the Sony eReader! With 512MB card you can have thousands of books with you on the small and light ebook reader. With a 2GB...
Strengths: If you are willing to pay Sony to read their selected books, you will be in great shape.
Weakness: They advertise that you can download PDF and Word files. Forget about it. Again, the only thing that you can do is pay Sony to download pre selected books.
I was the first person in the State of Ohio to purchase this product. I waited for over a year after I first read about this product for Sony to release it. They had to keep moving and moving the release date back. The final product is not ready for consumer use. Support is virtually non existent. I will be taking mine back, for a full refund, very soon.
Strengths: Ease of downloading from e.books
Weakness: Backlighting could be brighter Menue button very small
This is a great gadget for avid book readers. I so far have downloaded three best sellers without any snags. I like the compact design and the print clarity is good to very good. I like being able to download itunes on a 2GB sd card which I added and listen to my albums while reading using headphones.. The pictures look OK, but only in black & white, I don't think I'll bother with that feature.
Strengths: Small, lightweight (comparable to an average book), read just like a normal book with little/no eye strain, great battery life if reading only (as opposed to listening to music)
Weakness: mild/moderate transient ghosting that was noticeable but not particularly bothersome, page turning and startup is a bit slow, limited format support (does not support html, pdf support is rudimentary)
This little gadget might actually revolutionize the way people read once it (or one of its descendants) becomes mass-adopted. I've read about this gadget online prior to purchasing one and found the idea of "e-ink" intriguing. But only when I received my reader and actually started to read a book on it did I realize how truly amazing this device is. It certainly has some drawbacks, however the...
Strengths: Small, portable, easy on the eyes, reads many different formats
Weakness: Ghosting, no backlight, expensive.
This is a very neat gadget. I have been playing with it for the last month and have to admit that it serves its purpose. Even though this E-reader is not perfect, I still like it. However, I would not pay retail price for it ($300).
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Sony PRS 505
Strengths: Easy to read Can have numerous books
Weakness: LCD died 6 weeks after I bought it, Sony refused to cover under warranty.
The product was fantastic, but the LCD screen became faulty 6 weeks after I bought it, and Sony claimed it had been physically damaged, despite the fact it had never been dropped and had always been stored in a protective case I bought off Ebay and kept in a drawer. They refused to repair it under warranty and wanted $258 to fix it (I declined). Please see eservice.sony.com/webr... - work order...
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