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Rating:

Why Sony PRS-600?

1. Support of the PDF and EPUB open and international standards. Being in an IT oriented career, I have had enough headaches with proprietary formats to know to avoid them as much as possible.

2. I can buy books from multiple e-book stores. Suppliers with proprietary formats limit your choice of retailers (usually just to one). I believe the issue of available titles will balance itself out in the near future as the e-book market expands.

3. I must clarify that the wireless download, though nice, was not a big issue for me. I usually research and plan my reading material in my computer and with the internet. Also, for the moment I `m not interested in the magazine and periodical subscription services.

What I like:

1. The touch screen: It really facilitates and enhances your reading. Lookup of words in the dictionary, references to footnotes, highlighting and writing notes are quite easy with the touch screen. (** Note: Yes, there is a glare, but I have always been able to effortlessly find an angle where this is non-issue.)

2. The dictionary: English is not my first language and I have found out this tool to be very useful, particularly with the classics which usually have non-frequently used or outdated words.

3. The free book libraries: Yes, there are multiple sites with free books. I’m amazed at the quantity of free e-books available. Most of them in PDF and EPUB format. No problem so far downloading and reading these e-books in the PRS-600.

4. The font sizes: My eyes are not young. I really appreciate being able to increase the font size as needed.

What I don’t like:

1. Sony PC software is not user friendly. I’m using Calibre as a primary library management tool, and it’s pretty cool. With Calibre this has become a non-issue.

What I would like to see:

2. Full support (books and dictionary) for e-books in Spanish.

3. A lot of competition so that the devices get better, cheaper and the number of titles expands dramatically.

Some additional comments:

1. The screen glare: Again, I must stress that this is really a non-issue for me. My suggestion to potential buyers is to compare and balance the flexibility you get with the touch screen vs. the glare and clarity. After using the device I think it is a nice tradeoff.

In summary, I’m very satisfied with this device and look forward to the future developments in the e-reader market. My final suggestion to potential buyers is to go and test the devices and buy what fits your needs and preferences.

Rating:

As far as the different file formats go, I found that besides Sony’s .epub format, the Word Docs come out pretty nice. The PDFs look good as well, but if you adjust the font size it can adjust a little strange, but not enough that it bothered me. I’ve heard people complain about the cost of the Sony ebooks, it seems reasonable for a $7-15 price range. I’ve been reading The Lost Symbol and its been worth $9.99 to me.

One of the great features is double clicking with the stylus on a word and then a dictionary pops up with the definition. Great handy tool there. Also, I like the option of highlighting and writing on the pages and then those notes getting exported in an easily accessible way. I do own an iPhone, but reading on these is much better. You can’t really compare the two, because they serve two different purposes. The eReader is meant for reading and even listening to music. I have hard time when people try to compare both of them. The eReader has a long battery life, I don’t have to worry about it turning off or dimming if I’ve been reading the same page for a while. With the touch screen I still like swiping my finger across it to change the page. The design is very slick and a very convenient reader.

Because of the touch screen there is a little bit of a reflection, but I hardly notice it now. It comes with a USB cable to charge through your computer, a neoprene sleeve and a tiny instruction booklet. I love that Sony has two options of expanding the 512mb internal memory with Memory Stick Pro Duo slot and an SD Slot– with books being 2mb or less, there is room to grow!

I seriously recommend this device above all others. I travel for long periods of time and this fits my needs very well. I’ve caught myself pulling it out and reading in my spare time or when I have a few minutes here or there– so it’s not always for traveling. Certainly a great purchase.

Rating:

Cons

Compare to Kindle 2 that my friend has at work it has more glare, because of the touch screen. Is it a showstopper? Not sure as adjusting the angle resolves the issue, but you do have to adjust the angle. Also, I find that contrast is not as good as a real book, but it is comparable to Kindle 2.

Verdict, I am keeping it for another 3-4 days to see if the glare gets to me, I will post an update if it does. Also, I think I do like it better than Kindle 2, because of the open format and expandable memory.

Update: Decided to keep it. It really grew on me. Surprisingly the glare is less of an issue outside and inside slight adjustments to the angle resolves it. Also, I like how it’s built like a tank. I am really not afraid of breaking it.

Rating:

I have been following the e-book readers for some time, and I wanted several things for me to “jump on the bandwagon.”

1) I have a number of PDF reference books, so a Reader needs to handle these well. Since my books are text, these reflow well on the Sony.

2) Because I will use (and now am using) the Reader for reference books, it was important that I be able to access my notes directly from my computer to use in other documents. I actually began using the software on my desktop several months before I purchased the 600, and was pleased with its capabilities.

3) I enjoy the free epub books from my library. The Sony accesses these easily. There are also a number of locations besides Sony selling the epub or Adobe digital books (usable by the Sony Touch) giving me more choice in my decision.

4) The Touch handles my regular documents well – as a public speaker, I love having my speeches available to study on the reader, without having to print them out!

But for those looking for the points I already love (thus the 5 stars)

1) I love having the touch turn capability, just a brush of my thumb!

2) I enjoy the sideways and zoom features for PDFs that you want to keep “standard”

3) After only a couple of minutes, I forgot I was even using a reader and I got involved in the book.

*** I live in an isolated area – so neither Whispernet for the Kindle nor the upcoming 3G connection on the more expensive Daily model would be helpful – I’m just as happy to order my books “in advance” and carry them with me.

Some people have mentioned the glare – since my previous reading was on my laptop – this isn’t an issue for me. I keep my lighting at my side, and it is not a problem at all. It is more noticeable in a dark room with a single light source. My favorite reading location is outdoors.

Another issue I have encountered isn’t with the reader – but with the interaction between Windows and the software. It is pretty touchy, and I have had to use Sony Support to adjust settings on Windows to make it work correctly.

*** Edited after 2 months –

A recent update in the software has removed some of the software connection problems I originally experienced. So, that’s a plus!

However, I have recently added some PDF files that did NOT flow the same way as my original “professional” files reflowed. After checking with those more knowledgeable, I have been told that the problem is not with the Sony, but with the way the PDF files have been set up. The PDF is supposed to include “tags” that will help the pages to reflow correctly. My recommendation is that anyone with PDFs they need to carry on the reader download the free computer software and attempt to read them using this software. If it works on your computer, it will reflow correctly on the Sony. If it does not – then it will not do so on the Reader either.