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SONY PRS-505 Reader
The Sony PRS-505 Reader is a quality eBook reader with more features than its predecessors like Sony PRS-300. This thin and sleek eBook reader aims in improving its facilities to match the tough competition with the Kindle.
Design and Features
Sony PRS-505 weighs about 9 ounces and its dimensions are 6.9 x 4.8 x 0.3 inches. We have a traditional 6 inch LCD screen with many supporting buttons around it. We have ten buttons on the right side. They help in navigating between the pages.
The controls assist us in browsing and searching the titles, turning the pages and toggling between various screens easily. We have two special keys next to them dedicated for turning the pages alone. We have another page turning button on the rear left and on the right hand side we have a four way control pad and a menu button.
We have a power button at the top end along with a SD/Memory Stick Pro slot. We have Volume controls on the rear side. We also have mini-USB port, DC charging port and a special 3.5mm headphone jack. We do not have physical keyboard as in Kindle and few other advanced eBook readers.
Screen
The traditional 6-inch screen displays 8 grey scale levels. It uses the usual e-ink technology to display the contents. We can enjoy clear text display over a dim background. However we cannot use the screen in dim light conditions. The e-ink technology gives minimum strain to our eyes and provides extended power support.
Storage
We have SD/Memory Stick Pro slot which can be extended up to 10 GB. We can store numerous pictures, novels and music files with this type of storage facility. The earlier version of Sony eBook reader did not even have an expandable slot. Users were left to depend upon the internal memory purely. Sony PRS-505 comes as an answer to that major complaint.
Support
All major text file formats like PDF , RTF , TXT , BBeB , EPUB , BBeB DRM are supported. Image file formats like BMP, GIF, PNG, JPEG and audio file formats like ACC and MP3 are supported. We cannot zoom into the PDF files properly. But apart from this small drawback, the other file formats work fine.
We get access to Sony's online book store which stores about 20,000 titles. We can purchase books from here, for nearly the same price as it is offered in Kindle. We can subscribe to blogs and access them wirelessly. We can use the internet on this eBook reader using the wireless facility for a small charge. Sony Reader's RSS feed option allow us to input the RSS feed from our computer.
Image and Music
We have extensive music and image support in Sony PRS-505. Images which are directly transferred from the camera also look quite fine with proper rendering. Numerous music files of all genres could be stored, sorted and searched easily. The sound quality is also very good.
Transferring Data
Transferring data from the computer to Sony PRS-505 is an easy process if we have the necessary software. We can simply do it by plugging in the USB cable, dragging and dropping the contents into the eBook reader.
Performance
The overall speed of Sony PRS-505 is fairly good. It takes long time to turn the pages and the page refreshing time is also very high. Text altering facilities like resizing and changing the fonts does not work impressively. We have good battery life withstanding more than 7500 page turns. The text look quite sharp in the 6-inch screen.
We can view the text clearly in all angles. We have all the basic annotation, bookmarking and note making facilities. However we do not have advanced dictionary support or other additional features. Reading using Sony PRS-505 is a pleasurable experience.
We get access to thousands of books and magazines, but still it is very less compared to the huge Kindle library. We do not get an AC charger with the package. We have to pay separately, to the already high price tag. We have too many buttons which is confusing to use at times.
Special Features
Good sharp E-ink Screen and enjoyable reading experience are the main highlights. Apart from this we can mention the great battery life and immense storage capacity as the reader's special feature. We get a leather case for free when we purchase the reader.
Verdict
Sony PRS-505 is a mediocre eBook reader with good storage capacity and extended battery life as its advantages. Apart from the good screen and crisp text display it is a very basic eBook reader. There are many more eBook readers in the market which give more facilities for this price tag. It is a product worth considering twice before buying.
Cost: $299
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