Electronics Sony PRS-505/LC Blue Digital Book Reader
Rating:  -
A few months back I started reading up on electronic ink devices, and since we funnel most of our weekly purchases (groceries, gas, etc.) through a Borders credit card before paying it off each month, I started saving up the reward points to get this device.
Having saved up enough cred, I bought the unit in late May (2 months before writing this review). I've absolutely loved it. I haven't purchased any books through the Sony store, but I have downloaded more than three hundred public domain books through feedbooks, manybooks, munseys, and mobileread. Since any book older than 100 years (in America) or 50 years past the author's death (in England) is free for reproduction, the selection of books on those sites is a liberal arts education ready to be plucked. For someone like me, who likes old books more than new, the greatest thing about this unit is being able to carry around Saint Thomas's entire Summa Theologica, Augustine's City of God, Spenser's Faerie Queene, all of Shakespeare's plays, the histories of Livy, the essays of Montaigne, the Federalist papers, the novels of Mark Twain, and all the dialogues of Plato in a unit that weighs less than one volume of any of those great works.
The display really is like reading from paper, and an automatic viewing history function makes the bookmark feature helpful but not necessary; if I get tired of reading Cicero, I can simply return to the main menu, read some Nietzsche, come back to Cicero, and pick up where I left off. I have not tried Calibre yet, but the Sony e-library program, while inelegant, does fine for organizing the titles into whatever categories suit me. (Right now I've got them sorted by historical and geographic categories--Greeks, Romans, medievals, Renaissance, Enlightenment, etc.)
I've recommended this unit to a number of friends, and I've taken it with me on the road, to doctors' offices, and just about anywhere I go. Great purchase.
Rating:  -
I currently own several (3) of the PRS-505 Ebooks by Sony, and am generally very pleased. I have purchased many ebooks in the last few months (love to read, any chance I get), and love to brag to others about my ebooks. The book is lightweight, about the same size as a regular (printed) book, and easy to transport in a pocket or backpack. The selection of book on the Sony ebook site is generally OK, with a few authors that are cutting edge, and many that were completely unknown to me before I took a chance on their books. The "Free" 100 classic ebooks is not very valuable, as all of these books are available for free on many internet sites, however you do save a small amount of money and help the environment by buying ebooks verses printed books.
I would love it if SONY had installed a backlight, but they didn't. I have had some issues with the Sony Ebook though. One of my books had a screen failure, so have had the unpleasant experience of dealing with their customer service department in Larado, Texas. They neither care to hear from you, want to talk with you, or care what your issue is. I sent the broken book to them June 8th ($29.00 + shipping), recieved a recycled ebook from them 2 weeks later that did not work (error 3-013), and sent it back for repair again. As of today, July 13th, the ebook replacement is still not back yet.
In summary, I love my Sony Ebooks, can't wait for the PRS-510 if it ever comes out (backlight, better book selection, improved customer interface), and personally believe their customer service department is poorly managed and run.
Rating: -
I really like this gadget. I can have hundereds of books at my fingertips without any cluttered shelves. It is very portable, light weight, and best of all...it reads just like a paper page. If you like to read, this may be just the ticket for you. After using this electronic reader for a couple of months now I can honestly say prefer it to a traditional book; so light and easy to handle, and very easy to carry around.
The Sony ebook store has a very large and good selection of books to choose from. The pricing seems reasonable to me.
The sony reader is not a PDA. It does one thing. It allows you to read elctronic books and does it well. the e-ink is just like reading a paper book. I highly recomend it.
Rating:  -
I bought the Sony Reader knowing full well that it was not supported in Germany. Still, first the horse, then the carriage. The Sony Book Store does not support purchases in Europe. Up to now, I have not found any
E-book stores with a good selection whose titles suppport the Sony Reader.
I would like to use the Reader to read German, but there are very few interesting legal E-books in German to support the Sony. For European use, which it was not made for, I would not recommend it.
The Reader itself is satisfactory, though page turning needs patience.
Rating:  -
I am writing primarily to praise the company that carries this product on the Amazon website. The company is DataVision.
I purchased the Sony 505 e-text reader from them. Unfortunately I suffer from a disease that renders my hands almost useless, so that I can no longer hold a book or turn a page. I'd hoped that the Sony would help eliminate these problems. Unfortunately I did not have the strength to activate the side tabs at all, and could use the wheel only with great difficulty. Reluctantly,I decided I had to return the reader. I contacted Amazon and was told I would have to go through the seller, DataVision. Since I had expected Amazon's easy return process, I was dismayed that I would have to deal with someone else.
My concerns were entirely unfounded. I cannot believe how gracious and understanding the DataVision representative was. The way he treated me, you would think I had called to purchase something rather than to return. He was sympathetic to my condition, and patient as I struggled to write down the return authorization number. He also made an exception that allowed me to save a few dollars on the return. I had expected a cold reception; instead, I got a warm response. So, for excellent customer service, I highly recommend DataVision [...]
Anthony Prete
Haddonfield, New Jersey
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