| Brand: | Sony | ||
| Average Rating |
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The Reader Touch Edition features a 6display with simple, easy-to-use touchscreen navigation. Turn pages with the swipe of a finger and enjoy fast and intuitive navigation of your favorite books. Take freehand notes and highlight sections of text you want to revisit later, just as you would in a real book, using the included stylus. If you prefer, a virtual keyboard is also available for entering quick notes or searching your eBooks. If you want, you can even export your notes to your computer using the eBook Library software. Enjoy access to a wider number of books from a wider number of places. By supporting both industry standard formats, ePub and PDF, you can access books at Sony’s eBookstore, check out books from public libraries, access over 500,000 free public domain titles from Google, as well as sharing sites, online aggregators and personal publishers (Internet access is required). Not sure which books to bring on your trip? With the Reader Touch Edition, you will never have to make that choice again. 512MB of onboard memory lets you carry up to 350 of your favorite books at a time. Whether you’re venturing across town or across the country, the Reader Touch Edition makes an ideal travelling companion. Measuring just 0.4 thin and weighing less than 9 ounces, the Reader Touch Edition is thinner and more lightweight than almost any book, and even many magazines. The Reader Touch Edition utilizes E-Ink screen technology to deliver an amazing, paper-like display that’s more like ink on paper and fully readable in direct sunlight. Enjoy up to two full weeks of reading (7,500 continuous page turns) on a single battery charge. Paper-like display for easy, natural reading Two full weeks of reading on a single battery charge; Built-in Oxford American English eDictionary; Intuitive eBook Library software for PC and Mac 5 adjustable font sizes to customize your more info
10 Comments
Upgrade from PRS-505 to PRS-600
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have been using a PRS-505 since Jan 09 and I loved it. My wife has wanted a reader as well so I figured I’d give her mine (mint condition) and upgrade. I really like the 600, it boasts a lot of new features that were missing from my 505. The built in dictionary is very handy and saves me time from having to look up words from time to time. Simply double tap a word and there’s your definition. The new design is very sexy and I like the feel of the matte finish on the back of the device.
Pros:
The touchscreen is pretty handy and rather responsive. A quick swipe to the left or right changes the page for you. I find it to be more convenient, but there is still a button page turn, if that’s what you prefer.
The interface is pretty nice. You can view your library by title or by cover art. Included in the right spine is a stylus. With this you can draw notes on pages or you can freehand drawings in a separate application (you can also use your finger for this).
The internal memory has been bumped up a 100mbs to 350, and I believe you now store 250 books internally. The device also has two slots for external memory (SD card and Sony’s Memory Stick Pro Duo).
There is a built in MP3 player, but I have yet to use this feature on my old 505 or my current 600
Added also is a search feature which you can use with the on-screen keyboard.
CONS:
Readability is slightly hindered due to the extra layer for the touchscreen. Its not dramatic, but my 505 is noticeably more legible in most lighting conditions. Also due to the touchscreen, the screen is much more reflective and gives off a glare when held in certain positions.
It’s bit heavier than my 505. But honestly I don’t consider this a con really. I like my devices to feel like they cost a bit of money. If it were too light I think it would feel cheap.
I have the black unit and its a slight fingerprint magnet on the front. Now some may disagree, but I like it to look flawless at all time and I can notice them. Nothing a soft cloth can’t fix.
All and all I’m glad I upgraded. It’s a lovely reader and I like having something different than all those Kindle users out there. I’m very pleased.
Glare
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is a pretty good device. Sony does not use a proprietary format for eBooks anymore, which made deciding between this and Kindle easy. Image quality is good enough that I could read using the smallest font without strain. The reader has a nice solid feel to it in your hands, but isn’t too heavy. I haven’t used the note taking feature so I can’t comment on that, but the other features work well. The one achilles heal for this device was the glare, which is a nuisance.
Very functional, user friendly, I really like the touchscreen feature
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I’m a first time buyer of e-readers. I hope my comments are helpful for other potential buyers.
Why Sony PRS-600?
1. Support of the PDF and EPUB open and international standards. Being in an IT oriented career, I have had enough headaches with proprietary formats to know to avoid them as much as possible.
2. I can buy books from multiple e-book stores. Suppliers with proprietary formats limit your choice of retailers (usually just to one). I believe the issue of available titles will balance itself out in the near future as the e-book market expands.
3. I must clarify that the wireless download, though nice, was not a big issue for me. I usually research and plan my reading material in my computer and with the internet. Also, for the moment I `m not interested in the magazine and periodical subscription services.
What I like:
1. The touch screen: It really facilitates and enhances your reading. Lookup of words in the dictionary, references to footnotes, highlighting and writing notes are quite easy with the touch screen. (** Note: Yes, there is a glare, but I have always been able to effortlessly find an angle where this is non-issue.)
2. The dictionary: English is not my first language and I have found out this tool to be very useful, particularly with the classics which usually have non-frequently used or outdated words.
3. The free book libraries: Yes, there are multiple sites with free books. I’m amazed at the quantity of free e-books available. Most of them in PDF and EPUB format. No problem so far downloading and reading these e-books in the PRS-600.
4. The font sizes: My eyes are not young. I really appreciate being able to increase the font size as needed.
What I don’t like:
1. Sony PC software is not user friendly. I’m using Calibre as a primary library management tool, and it’s pretty cool. With Calibre this has become a non-issue.
What I would like to see:
2. Full support (books and dictionary) for e-books in Spanish.
3. A lot of competition so that the devices get better, cheaper and the number of titles expands dramatically.
Some additional comments:
1. The screen glare: Again, I must stress that this is really a non-issue for me. My suggestion to potential buyers is to compare and balance the flexibility you get with the touch screen vs. the glare and clarity. After using the device I think it is a nice tradeoff.
In summary, I’m very satisfied with this device and look forward to the future developments in the e-reader market. My final suggestion to potential buyers is to go and test the devices and buy what fits your needs and preferences.
Do NOT install the Sony software!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This neat little device with absolutely horrid Sony software was frustrating to use until from other reviewers I heard of the freeware “Calibre” program. A night & day difference. Both eBooks and even MP3 music tracks will re-start where you left off… great if you listen to long opera or audiobook tracks from your SD card. I had first bought the smaller PRS-300 but was shocked it could not search text, but the $100 upgrade to the PRS-600 adds music and a host of useful “human-friendly” functions such as writing a comment or note on a book page… doodlers will love that.
The only real plus for the smaller PRS-300 is that it has slightly better contrast, thanks to lacking a touch screen.
Though you can store photos on the Touch model, you can only view them in very dull B&W… there simply isn’t enough contrast, unless you photoshop the photo to look less bad on the Sony screen. I do feel, though, that the picture capability could come in handy if you only store contrasty maps, diagrams, or other NON-photographic images or scans.
Disclaimer: I bought the Sony knowing I’d never pay to download an eBook. Instead, thanks to Gutenberg and Calibre I can build a portable library of time-tested classics for free. That’s priceless!
Two steps forward one step back
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Really good reader but two problems:
1. The screen is still not as clear as on old 505 and have some reflections.
2. The Page turn buttons are still located in a wrong place, touch is nice but for everyday use I prefer to have buttons I can use holding the device in one hand and not touching the screen. Like it was on 505 or at least on 500.
Highly Disappointed
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I just bought the reader yesterday and it’s already back in the box, ready to be returned. I was so excited for this product but was very let down.
What I didn’t like:
- SLOW! Maybe this is a feature of all e-ink devices, but the delay between clicking and the action happening is so very noticeable. This isn’t 1995 and I expect things to be responsive.
- Screen flashing. Every time the screen updates, it flashes all black a few times. It’s quick but gets to you fast.
- Glare. I was inside, at night with a normal lamp on. I kept having to tilt the display to get a good viewing angle. The glass/plastic screen cover creates a very annoying glare.
- No display options. I couldn’t find a setting to change the contrast or brightness. I found it very difficult to read.
- Zooming. This again may be a problem with all readers but… a full page is almost unreadable it’s so small. When you zoom in, you lose the original layout and the text data is used to fill up the screen. This got really messed up on a few pdf’s…
- UNRESPONSIVE!! Again… having to way a second for any action becomes real noticeable real fast.
- Doesn’t come with a charger. You can probably charge it via USB, but the rep who sold me this didn’t mention this and I didn’t think about it at the time.
This product feels like what the first Palm Pilot felt like compared with a modern Smart Phone. It feels like an infant product.
Sony Touch PRS-600
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Superb ereader.
Very flexible, you are not tied to buying books from one source. No 3rd party translation required to read pdf’s.
Touch screen is fantastic, particularly for making notes, selecting words to look up in the inbuilt dictionary, page turning, etc…!
Very well built, metal cast feels extremely durable, and really like the non slip coting on the back of the reader.
Sony software is not bad, but Calibre is better for managing your non DRM books.
Memory is expandable through various types of memory cards, offeing even more flexibility.
Overall, another Great Sony product.
Would I recommend to a friend? Absolutely, bought my wife the PRS-300 for early Xmas present and she loves the clarity of the screen.
Crap
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
stay away. I bought this and now use it as a door stop. Not even good at that. screen is hard to read with any glare.
Returned this and bought a kindle and very happy
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I bought Sony PRS 600 because I had lot of PDF documents technical ebooks, papers etc that I would be able to read and take with me anywhere. 2 days later I returned it because although the device is fairly polished, more or less I found it useless. I bought a kindle 2 instead, and let me say that I’m very happy with the kindle. Here’s why:
1. Very Poor Software
The Ebook software from sony is rubbish. It is very sluggish. Mind you it does work, but it is such a drag, that I couldn’t see myself using that thing in the long run. It has lot of quirks and is in early stages of development. I would call it beta rather than full. I came across 1 or 2 errors in the 2 days that I used it, for which I had to google and find a solution.
2. Not so impressive Contrast
When I first started reading on the PRS-600, I thought it looked okay, but nothing to brag about. I couldn’t quite understand what the fuzz is all about with ebook readers. The text was not dark black, it was grayish. I have to say that after using the kindle, I can’t even understand why I bought PRS-600 in the first place. I could have exchanged it for PRS-300 due to better contrast, but then the PRS-300 is even more limited than this device, no memory card, and no other features and it still has all the other quirks of 600 i.e bad software, limited content etc.
3. Limited content
No matter what people tell you about free ebooks from blah blah sites, my experience has been that if you try buying/downloading digital version of a real book, there’s a good chance that you may be able to find a kindle version, especially newer books or classic/famous books. But, you probably won’t be able to find either a free version or a version that works on the PRS-600. I have searched thro’ the Sony book store, and found it really really limited collection of titles.
4. Limited Functionality
Although I was impressed by touch screen and hand writing notes capability, all in all its just an ebook reader not much else. Touch screen is nice for navigating but feels a little unresponsive due to the delays of eink and no audio feedback (like old iPods used to have). Hand writing feature is good but of not much use because it also feels unresponsive, due to the delays of eink. And you can only write like 10-15 words on the screen of that size. So, its just an ebook reader and nothing else.
Combine this with 1, 2 and 3, what you get is an ebook reader which is bad, really realy bad. So, the touch screen is a good cherry to go on the cake, but where’s the cake? Kindle on the other hand, is cheaper ($259 as of now vs $299 for PRS600), and comes with Wi-fi, you can read blogs, news and weather on it, and receive updates over the air. These features make kindle really useful and are important features for me.
Overall, I found this a very clumsy device. We live in the world of bluetooth and wi-fi and Over-the-air sync, putting up with rubbish softwares and lousy USB sync is not something I want to do. I found it really hard to find books to read on this. And then if I was fortunate enough to get one, the contrast was pretty bad, I could always see a reflection of my face in the reader. It would render PDFs well. But I would gladly convert my PDFs to limited text ebooks and read it on kindle, because it looks so much better and darker on kindle. There’s very little content available on this device (at least the content that I care about mainly famous books, blogs, news).
You may say that I’m obviously biased about the kindle and against the PRS 600, but mind you I have used both devices and I returned one, for the other.
Screen and sofrtware problem
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
In addition to glaring problem of the screen that have already been mentioned by many reviewers, I’m really dissatisfied with the software provided for the Reader as well as eBook Library. I bought this product because I trusted a big name of Sony, but I’m really disappointed with this product. Basically you can only read e-books already uploaded and make notes on them with this Reader. That’s all. The e-Book library software through which you have to manage files of the Reader is also dumb. If you import files from external hard disk, you’ll get problem when you unplug the disk. When you arrange files into the collection, you’ll have double files, while you can not import directly the files into the collection. You can not also rename the files. Synchronizing is also problematic as no choice how to synchronize. It’s really dumb software. Sony should have prepared a more friendly user software before it launched this product.