Sony Reader PRS-505 – PRS505 Review
August 14, 2008 by Gadget
Filed under Electronics
The new eBook Reader from Sony, the Sony Reader PRS-505, is a big small handheld device that’s going to take the UK by storm. Why? Well, whichever way you look at, it has benefits to suit everyone.
Gadget enthusiasts will love its technology, environmentalists will love that it can store the equivalent of 160 books, commuters will love its compact nature and book lovers will enjoy the fact that they are unlikely to run out of reading material, even on the longest of trips! In addition, its £199 price point is around half that of its genuine rivals which makes it a great Christmas present too.
If you love books, you’ll love this new eBook Reader from Sony. Invented especially for book lovers, the Sony Reader is the best way to enjoy the new generation of electronic books (or ‘eBooks’). Slim and compact, it lets you store and take stacks of books with you wherever you go. With enough space for up to 160 e-Books, it has a long battery life and a genuinely amazing screen. It’s smaller than the average paper back and easy to use.
So how does the Sony Reader PRS-505 work?
The Sony Reader doesn’t have to mean that you need to throw all your paper books away. It’s simply an alternative way to read. Just like you didn’t throw away your PC when you got a laptop, the PRS-505 simply allows you a choice.
When you buy a Sony Reader, simply install the software that comes with it and manage your eBooks via your computer in the same way you’d manage your MP3 files for your iPod or your photographs for your digital camera.
Unlike a lot of new technology (the Sony PS4 included), the Sony Reader has a wealth of supporting applications – in this case, eBooks. Sony has teamed up with Waterstones to offer over 25,000 eBooks, enough to keep even the most dedicated reader busy! If 160 books isn’t enough, then the PRS-505 supports Sony Memory Stick Duo™ and SD memory cards.
The Sony PRS-505 fits neatly in the palm of your hand and is so light it can be carried with you at all times. There’s no need to worry about battery life as the PRS505 will allow you nearly 7000 page turns without recharging – that’s like reading War and Peace five times over, although I don’t know why you’d want to do that.
Sony PRS-505 Reader Key Features
- Stores approximately 160 electronic books (eBooks)
- Smaller than a typical paperback, 8mm thick and very light: it’s a stylish aluminium unit that fits in your coat pocket
- Easy to read 6″ eInk® screen. High resolution and multi-shade grey scale give fine detail on text or black-and-white photos
- Unlike a PC, the screen has no backlight or flicker to give the experience of reading a paper page
- Easy to use menu and simple, intuitive controls
- Add bookmarks, scroll smoothly down the page, read page-by-page or fast forward through the book
- Automatically find the page you were last reading, a bit like the start where you left off feature on a dvd
- Call up your stored books quickly: by Author, Title or Date
- MemoryStick™ DUO and SD Card slots allow you to optionally increase capacity up to around 13,000 titles
- Very low power consumption allows nearly 7000 page turns from a single battery charge
- Can be fully charged in only 4 hours from a laptop or PC via supplied USB cable
- Two hours charge time using optional UK/continental mains Adaptor (ACS-5220E)
- Uses the EPUB standard: the most widely used eBook type. But can also read other very common text documents.
- Can also display most common image and photo file types. Note: images are black and white, not colour.
- Use with headphones to listen to music while you read (mp3 or AAC files). Sony recommend the Sony MDR-NC22CX in-ear, noise cancelling headphones, but any Sony headphones are suitable.
- Supplied pre-loaded with sample new eBooks and all necessary software (eBook Library) plus quick start instructions supplied. Full user guide is included on PDF
- Comes with soft tan case. Other cases available as optional accessories (see box below)
Buy Sony Reader PRS-505 from Amazon
Buy Sony Reader PRS-505 from Sony
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That’s one of the nicest looking eBook readers I’ve seen. It’s nice and simple, which is exactly how they should be. With the additional memory cards you could load it up once and never run out of books to read!
Nice review, the prs-505 is slim and relatively light. The battery life is decent and the optional memory card is a pro. A con is the delay when turning a page. But overall a good competiter of the kindle.