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Sony PRS-505/LC Blue Digital Book Reader | 
 enlarge | Brand: Sony
Category: CE
List Price: $299.99
Buy New: $260.00
You Save: $39.99 (13%)
New (5) from $260.00
Rating:  60 reviews
Media: Electronics
Operating System: Windows XP Professional Edition
System Memory: 0
Memory Type: SDRAM
Native Resolution: 6"
Modem: None
Display Size: 6
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 0.3 x 4.8 x 6.9
Warranty: 1 year warranty
MPN: PRS-505/LC
Model: PRS-505/LC
UPC: 027242723658
EAN: 0027242723658
ASIN: B000WP2RC2
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: brand new - in box
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| Features:
| • | Easy to read display - e-paper display with quicker page turns | | • | Premium design - Simple, yet sophisticated with easier navigation | | • | Compact and lightweight | | • | Integrated eBookstore with 20K titles | | • | Up to 7,500 page turns on full charge |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Experience the joy of reading a variety of your favorite books?all stored digitally in one compact device. The slimmer, redesigned Reader Digital Book lets you carry a stack of books in one hand. The Reader Digital Book holds about 160 eBooks or hundreds more with optional removable memory cards. Its portable size makes it the perfect travel companion, allowing you to read a variety of books whenever and wherever you want. With thousands of eBook titles available at The eBook Store from Sony, you can choose to download new releases, classics and popular book titles as well as view other document formats such as Adobe PDF10, RTF, TXT, BBeB and Microsoft Word. Its long battery life lasts up to 7,500 continuous page turns, and the amazing paper-like screen technology is easy on the eyes. Screen Size - Approx. 6 Measured Diagonally; Resolution - Approx. 170 Pixels Per Inch; Gray Scale - 8-Level Grey Scale Up to 7,500 page turns on full charge Audio and picture playback Dual SD Card and Memory Stick(R) Pro Duo Expansion Slot Mountable USB Drive Charges via USB Unit Dimensions (Approx.) - 6.9 x 4.8 x 0.3 (175 x 122 x 8mm) / Weighs 9 ounces Includes Tan Soft Case, USB Cable, Quick Start(TM) Guide, CD-ROM Limited Warranty - Labor- 90 days from the date of purchase; Parts- 1 Year from the date of purchase
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| Customer Reviews: Read 55 more reviews...
a word for the supplier July 3, 2008
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
Excellent Product! July 1, 2008
I have had my PRS-505 for almost 2 months now and overall I love it. Although I have not used any other ereaders (e.g. Kindle) I can highly recommend the Sony PRS-505 with no reservations.
Pro's:
A) Display is very easy to read and easy on the eyes
B) Solid - case is made out of metal, not plastic
C) Virtually unlimited storage using memory card slots
D) An INCREDIBLE # of titles available. Just do a search on the web. Although I do NOT advocate pirating books, I have been able to find an ebook version of EVERY hardcopy book I own. There are also many free ebooks available.
E) Freeware programs available to convert other formats (lit, html, text, rtf, etc) into .lrf format - In particular I highly recommend Calibre
Cons:
A) A little awkward to hold compared to an actual paperback - page turning keys could have been located better. Hands can get tired after a couple hours of reading.
B) Despite what Sony says, actual battery life is around 2000 to 2500 page turns. In reality this is plenty, marketing lies just irritate me.
C) Limited warranty - the PRS-505 only comes with a 90 day labor/12 months parts warranty. The first PRS-505 I received died within one week. Sony promptly replaced it with a brand new (non-refurb) unit, but considering how much the unit costs, and the many negative reviews of Sony's support on the web, the limited warranty doesn't inspire me.
D) PDF support STINKS! Only works with the smallest PDF files. Basically unusable. This is a shame because a lot of my work manuals and books are in PDF format and it would be nice to be able to use the PRS-505 to get work done when I am traveling.
E) No option to turn pages automatically. I love this thing so much I use it at the gym. It would be nice (although I admit this is being picky) if I could set it to automatically turn the page after 5 or 10 seconds. Other e-readers have this functionality.
Other thoughts. Some people have complained about no internet access or wireless support. Personally I don't find the lack of either of these items a big deal. I already use my cell phone to get email or look up directions on the internet, and I always have my cell phone with me. Downloading books to my computer and then transferring them to the PRS-505 isn't a big deal either. Blue tooth support for headphones would be sweet - especially at the gym - but isn't a big deal either.
So to finish, if you are looking for an e-reader, I personally give the PRS-505 a big thumbs up. Although I have never used the Kindle, the PRS is quite a bit cheaper and there is a ton of books available for it without having to go through Amazon or for that matter the Sony ebook store.
 no shelf necessary June 30, 2008
I love this because I no longer need to find shelf space nor take up valuable storage areas for books. I have read approximately 12 books and have only charged once. I would recommend it to everyone.
Could have been perfect June 29, 2008
I wanted to have an eInk device for a long time. Mainly to read scientific articles and e-books.
With these ideas in mind I started to keep an eye on such devices. Basically, some time ago there were 3 decent devices: Amazon Kindle, Sony PRS-500 (previous model) and lBook eReader V3. Now, I live in Europe and I don't see any point in purchasing Kindle, but for US residents it is certainly an option lBook reader was my favorite, but at that time it was sold in Russia only and its price was about 450$ without shipping. Later in spring I read favorable reviews about Sony PRS-505. At that time I was visiting the US, so, i decided to get one.
The design and construction is nearly perfect. Unfortunately, the single minus is a major one for me - PDF handling. Nearly all PDF documents found on the web are formatted to be A4, but reader's screen is too small to display A4-sized page to be read comfortably. So, one has to convert every PDF either to fit on a smaller page (luckily Sony provides a special dimensions guide) or convert it into Sony's native LRF format (there is a free tool called pdflrfwin).
There are also some features I miss. First of all, I would really like to see a "Find ..." (though, I cant tell how often I would use it). Also, it would be great to be able to automatically sync/download RSS feeds into reader (there are some services, but these are not mature yet and again you have to perform some tasks manually - additional burden. at the same time sony could embed something similar to podcasts feature in iTunes to their syncing software).
To conclude, I really hope that software would be updated to handle PDF better. Other than that, the device is pretty solid, but of course there are ways to improve overall usage experience.
Great So Far! June 26, 2008
I received my reader a week ago and couldn't be happier!! Not only is it a great way to read books, but also, Sony is a very professional company to work with! There software for the reader is extremely easy to use and simplier than itunes!!
I purchased this to just read popular books and the Sony Ebook website has a great assortment of popular and best seller books. The price on new release books is a little high - but just wait and they become reduced to a price that doesn't hurt your wallet!
Of course this is perfect for me as I live on a sailboat in the Virgin Islands and room to store a ton of books is very limited.
Just to let every understand, if you don't want your battery to run down go into advanced settings and shut your reader down completely!!! This keeps the battery up and ready when you are!
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