December 2007
Sony Reader: First Look
For 2007, Sony updates the electronic book it introduced last year
Price we paid: $299
Date of ConsumerReports.org update: December 2007
What it is: Digital music has become mainstream, thanks to MP3 players, but the search continues for an e-book—a handheld electronic device that displays text on a small screen—that people want to curl up with. In addition to the new Amazon Kindle, Sony has updated and improved its first-generation Sony Reader with a new model, the PRS-505. The lightweight device (about 12 ounces including its cover) can hold up to 160 or so books, and it’s about the size of a typical trade paperback (5x7 inches and half an inch thick in its leatherette cover), Sony says. The device also accepts memory cards, so it provides virtually unlimited storage not only for books but also for black-and-white photos, music, and more.
Here’s our take on the new Reader’s strengths and weaknesses:
HIGHS
Decent legibility. The Reader’s screen is about 6 inches diagonally, and it has a resolution that’s comparable to that of a typical laptop. While the screen looks somewhat like an LCD screen, it isn’t. Like the Kindle, the Reader uses a technology called e Ink, which is designed to offer high-contrast text that can be seen in all lighting, even direct sunlight. That’s a bit of a stretch. The screen displays blackish text on a grayish background, so the contrast is closer to that of an aging paperback than a brand-new hardcover book. Still, it was readable from almost any angle, and overall it’s as good as we’ve seen from any e-book, including the Amazon Kindle. You can switch among three type sizes by pushing a button. The smallest will strain many eyes, the medium type resembles mass-market (smaller) paperback size type, and the large type is similar to that of trade paperbacks or some hardcovers. There’s no size that corresponds to large-print books, so the Reader isn’t a good choice for anyone who’s visually impaired.
Easy downloads. To buy new books, you load the Sony Connect software onto your computer, open an account with Sony’s Connect eBooks store, and select the book you want to buy. In our tests, we were able to download a full-length novel to our computer within 15 seconds or so, less time than it usually takes to buy a song from an online music store. To transfer a book to the Reader (or to delete one when you’re done with it), you connect the device to the computer using a supplied mini USB cord and drag and drop titles into its storage folders. The transfer takes only 10 to 15 seconds. (There’s no wireless connectivity as with the Kindle.)
The Reader accepts standard plain-text files and Word documents, which means that you can help yourself to the 19,000 free, out-of-copyright books at Project Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.org), as well as other formats. We downloaded Adobe PDF files—page images—of our December 2006 issue and found the drag-and-drop process straightforward. But the text on the pages was so small that it was virtually unreadable.
Better controls. The navigation controls are easier to use than on the older Reader. The row of numbered buttons has been moved to the right-hand edge of the display, making them more convenient, at least for right-handers. And you can now punch in a page number to jump to it. There’s also a pair of page-turn buttons on the right-hand edge, along with the pair on the lower left.
Multimedia capability. The Reader can store and play music through headphones (not included), even while you’re reading a book. It can also handle unencrypted MP3 and AAC files, which sounded quite good when played through good headphones. And it can display black-and-white photos, but those we viewed were of rather low quality.
Ample storage. The ability to store 160 or so books on the Reader, plus music and documents, is a huge benefit for anyone who likes to travel light. If you use a removable Memory Stick or SD memory cards, there’s no limit to the storage capacity.
Long battery life. Sony says the Reader consumes power only when you “turn” the page (as in refresh the screen with new content), which reduces energy consumption. You can reportedly browse through 7,500 pages on each battery charge. Our informal testing suggests that the estimate might be an overstatement, particularly if you also use the MP3 player. The battery was running low on juice even though we turned through far fewer pages than that. And be prepared for lots of page turning. The Reader’s “pages” are smaller than those of an actual book, and thus hold a lot less text. When it comes time to charge the included lithium-ion battery, you attach the Reader to an optional AC adapter or to the included USB cable. A full recharge takes about 2 hours using AC or about 4 hours using USB, and you can’t read books while it’s charging via USB.
LOWS
Disconcerting delay. When you move from one page to another, the screen doesn’t refresh instantly. Instead, the old page disappears and is momentarily, and distractingly, replaced by a negative image of the next page (that is, white print on a black background) before the new page settles in. The process takes about a second—not fatally long, but hardly ideal.
Display quirks. While you can view PDF files, you can’t zoom in on them, so the contents of the page are virtually unreadable. The display can show only a few shades of gray, so photos have a grainy, dithered look, albeit a better one than on the first-generation Reader.
Missing features. There’s no built-in light, which could come in handy when there’s not much ambient light. We didn’t have enough light to read in a dimly lighted commuter van, for example. A search function to enable you to find a specific passage or phrase would be useful as well.
Minimal Mac compatibility. Downloading purchased books to the reader still requires Sony’s software, which only works in Windows. The reader’s storage system shows up as a USB memory device on whatever computer you plug it into, so Mac users might be able to transfer unprotected files (such as PDF and Word documents) to their Reader.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The Reader is better than earlier e-books we’ve tested and costs less than current rivals, notably the Amazon Kindle. But the Kindle is easier to use overall, in part because it is wireless. And while you can only buys books for the Reader, the Kindle allows you to subscribe to newspapers and magazines, which download wirelessly to the device, and, for now at least, to browse news Web sites.
In short, we don’t believe this second-generation Reader is quite ready to be a mainstream bestseller. We see it as more of a niche product if you:
If that describes you, the Sony Reader might be worthwhile. It’s especially suitable if you want to carry a lot of books and
music but still travel light, say, for a backpacking vacation.
Date of ConsumerReports.org update: December 2007
What it is: Digital music has become mainstream, thanks to MP3 players, but the search continues for an e-book—a handheld electronic device that displays text on a small screen—that people want to curl up with. In addition to the new Amazon Kindle, Sony has updated and improved its first-generation Sony Reader with a new model, the PRS-505. The lightweight device (about 12 ounces including its cover) can hold up to 160 or so books, and it’s about the size of a typical trade paperback (5x7 inches and half an inch thick in its leatherette cover), Sony says. The device also accepts memory cards, so it provides virtually unlimited storage not only for books but also for black-and-white photos, music, and more.
Here’s our take on the new Reader’s strengths and weaknesses:
HIGHS
Decent legibility. The Reader’s screen is about 6 inches diagonally, and it has a resolution that’s comparable to that of a typical laptop. While the screen looks somewhat like an LCD screen, it isn’t. Like the Kindle, the Reader uses a technology called e Ink, which is designed to offer high-contrast text that can be seen in all lighting, even direct sunlight. That’s a bit of a stretch. The screen displays blackish text on a grayish background, so the contrast is closer to that of an aging paperback than a brand-new hardcover book. Still, it was readable from almost any angle, and overall it’s as good as we’ve seen from any e-book, including the Amazon Kindle. You can switch among three type sizes by pushing a button. The smallest will strain many eyes, the medium type resembles mass-market (smaller) paperback size type, and the large type is similar to that of trade paperbacks or some hardcovers. There’s no size that corresponds to large-print books, so the Reader isn’t a good choice for anyone who’s visually impaired.
Easy downloads. To buy new books, you load the Sony Connect software onto your computer, open an account with Sony’s Connect eBooks store, and select the book you want to buy. In our tests, we were able to download a full-length novel to our computer within 15 seconds or so, less time than it usually takes to buy a song from an online music store. To transfer a book to the Reader (or to delete one when you’re done with it), you connect the device to the computer using a supplied mini USB cord and drag and drop titles into its storage folders. The transfer takes only 10 to 15 seconds. (There’s no wireless connectivity as with the Kindle.)
The Reader accepts standard plain-text files and Word documents, which means that you can help yourself to the 19,000 free, out-of-copyright books at Project Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.org), as well as other formats. We downloaded Adobe PDF files—page images—of our December 2006 issue and found the drag-and-drop process straightforward. But the text on the pages was so small that it was virtually unreadable.
Better controls. The navigation controls are easier to use than on the older Reader. The row of numbered buttons has been moved to the right-hand edge of the display, making them more convenient, at least for right-handers. And you can now punch in a page number to jump to it. There’s also a pair of page-turn buttons on the right-hand edge, along with the pair on the lower left.
Multimedia capability. The Reader can store and play music through headphones (not included), even while you’re reading a book. It can also handle unencrypted MP3 and AAC files, which sounded quite good when played through good headphones. And it can display black-and-white photos, but those we viewed were of rather low quality.
Ample storage. The ability to store 160 or so books on the Reader, plus music and documents, is a huge benefit for anyone who likes to travel light. If you use a removable Memory Stick or SD memory cards, there’s no limit to the storage capacity.
Long battery life. Sony says the Reader consumes power only when you “turn” the page (as in refresh the screen with new content), which reduces energy consumption. You can reportedly browse through 7,500 pages on each battery charge. Our informal testing suggests that the estimate might be an overstatement, particularly if you also use the MP3 player. The battery was running low on juice even though we turned through far fewer pages than that. And be prepared for lots of page turning. The Reader’s “pages” are smaller than those of an actual book, and thus hold a lot less text. When it comes time to charge the included lithium-ion battery, you attach the Reader to an optional AC adapter or to the included USB cable. A full recharge takes about 2 hours using AC or about 4 hours using USB, and you can’t read books while it’s charging via USB.
LOWS
Disconcerting delay. When you move from one page to another, the screen doesn’t refresh instantly. Instead, the old page disappears and is momentarily, and distractingly, replaced by a negative image of the next page (that is, white print on a black background) before the new page settles in. The process takes about a second—not fatally long, but hardly ideal.
Display quirks. While you can view PDF files, you can’t zoom in on them, so the contents of the page are virtually unreadable. The display can show only a few shades of gray, so photos have a grainy, dithered look, albeit a better one than on the first-generation Reader.
Missing features. There’s no built-in light, which could come in handy when there’s not much ambient light. We didn’t have enough light to read in a dimly lighted commuter van, for example. A search function to enable you to find a specific passage or phrase would be useful as well.
Minimal Mac compatibility. Downloading purchased books to the reader still requires Sony’s software, which only works in Windows. The reader’s storage system shows up as a USB memory device on whatever computer you plug it into, so Mac users might be able to transfer unprotected files (such as PDF and Word documents) to their Reader.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The Reader is better than earlier e-books we’ve tested and costs less than current rivals, notably the Amazon Kindle. But the Kindle is easier to use overall, in part because it is wireless. And while you can only buys books for the Reader, the Kindle allows you to subscribe to newspapers and magazines, which download wirelessly to the device, and, for now at least, to browse news Web sites.
In short, we don’t believe this second-generation Reader is quite ready to be a mainstream bestseller. We see it as more of a niche product if you:
- Often take many books with you when you travel
- Read mostly bestsellers and familiar classics
- Are willing to give up the tactile experience of reading a "real" book
- Are comfortable with technology that isn’t yet mature and polished
