Overall impressions lead to the summary that this newer Sony Reader PRS-505 is excellent. The kit is a big leap forward for the ebook reader fan. Even the supporters of the PRS-500 would have to admit that they’re going to bed with an ancient artifact when laid up next to this beauty. Apart from the looks, the 2 main spec changes that Sony has scored on are what give this the gold star. The new button changes and vastly improved screen quality.

However, on the flip side, you’ll read a number of small gripes below but really there’s not that many of significance – the page turner button, that after some getting used to will probably will be forgotten about.

The Ups:

Usability

There’s a greatly significant improvement in usability for the reader with the PRS-505. The best of the previous version are retained along with a range of upgraded features. The newly organized controls have helped the menu setup work well with the selection buttons. This will be welcomed by those of us who have heaps of books and rely on an easy to navigate book list.

The Screen

A relatively small improvement in the contrast has made a world of difference to the reading experience. The screen is great. You don’t need direct bright light indoors anymore. The duller image found with the PRS-500 has gone so you’re experiencing something closer to that of a real paper book. Gone is the flickering and images are far better too with the PRS-505.

Page access

Just by pushing a number you can now easily access a page directly with this e-book reader. By simply pushing the 3-digit page number you can access any page quickly. If you hit the wrong page then you just keep on typing the 3-digit page number you want.

Saving power

With the Sony PPR-505 you can now save power by turning the reader off using the menus. This complete power off functionality means that you won’t be recharging much, especially if you aren’t reading for long periods of time. Previously, even in sleep mode the life of the battery would drain within a few weeks meaning frequent and inconvenient charge demands while away from home.

Storage

The USB mass storage of the Sony PPR-505 lets you access the internal memory like any other mass storage device. Apple Mac users can now have access to non-DRM books that they didn’t have before and could only access via external cards.

Looks and style

Compared to the previous PRS-500, you’ll see the difference. This newer model of the Sony Reader is so much more modern and contemporary. In terms of getting that new purchase high when you’ve taken your ebook reader out of its box, you’ll be happy with this little bit of gear.

The Downs

Page turn

Probably one of the only downsides to this newer Sony book reader model is the round page turn button. It just seems to require quite a bit of force to push down and change the page. There’s no slickness to it and it’s just not an effortless click that you’d expect from such a well-designed device. There’s no obvious confirmation that you’ve clicked the button until a short delay when the turn actually happens.

PDF book reading

The screen of the PRS-505, whilst great quality, is still not big enough to easily read full-page PDF books with comfort and ease. There are tools available that can improve rendering but generally these PDF books can only be read well on the larger screen models out there.

PRS-500 Accessories

If you have a PRS-500 and kitted yourself out with some accessories, such as the dock and a fancy cover, expect disappointment when you realise that they can’t be used with the PRS-505.  If you didn’t have these of course then you can skip ahead and ignore this whinge.

Customization

Again, if you’ve enjoyed some of the hacks available for the PRS-500, such as additional clock display, then you’ll be disappointed that you can’t migrate these over to your new Sony Reader PRS-505.  If you haven’t taken advantage of these or this is your first e-book reader then it’s no drama of course. No doubt there will be something done about this in the near future anyway.

Price

Most will say that the price tag is well worth it for what you’re getting. It’s a lot of cool kit for the money. But for those who take 6 months to get through the average paper back book it could be seen as just an expensive gimmick that looks good next to the pool on holidays. However, the e-book reader is a lot more convenient, and reading is more fun so you could find yourself reading a lot more, especially with the new Sony Reader PRS-505.

Manufacturer: Sony

Release Date: October 2007

RRP:

Screen size: 6”

Editors’ rating:

Members’ rating:

Sony Book Reader PRS-505 Specifications:

•    Weight: 9 oz
•    Screen: 6″ diagonal 800 x 600 167 ppi display with 8 level gray scale Vizplex
•    Dimensions: 6.9″ x 4.8″ x 0.3″ (175 x 122 x 8mm)
•    Power: 3.7V Lithium Ion battery
•    AC Power (optional): 5.2V
•    Battery life: about 7500 page turns (approximately 2 to 3 weeks)
•    Recharge time: 4 hours on USB, 2 hours on AC adapter.
•    Connections: USB 2.0 (1.1 compatible), 3.5mm audio jack.
•    RAM – 192 MB available for the user equals 160 averaged sized eBooks
•    Operating temperature: 5 to 35C (41 to 95F)
•    Memory expansion: SDHC (tested to 16GB) card slot and Sony Memory stick Duo slot (tested to 8GB).
•    CPU: Freescale i.MXL, ARM920T core, 150-200 MHz
•    EPD controller: Metronome (E-Ink 8T125100A)
•    USB: Epson S1R72V17 USB OTG High Speed Controller
•    Sound: Asahi Kasei AK4356 DAC
•    Flash card interface: Ricoh R5C807 SDHC/MemoryStick controller
•    RAM: 64MB
•    Linux kernel: 2.4.17 (compiled with gcc 2.95.3)
•    Flash: 256M NAND + 2MB NOR

Other info:

Sony launched its first e-book reader called the Sony Librie in 2003. It was the first E-Ink reading device of it’s kind. However, it was only available in Japan and did not take off as planned, mainly due to the small number of e-books available at the time. Since then Sony have launched the PRS-500 and more lately the PRS-550 (reviewed here). The PRS-700, a touch screen launched in October 2008, is he latest but by no means supercedes the PRS-505