Bitchin' Blog Posts
Sony 505 Review: A Report from Randi
by SB Sarah | by SB Sarah | September 16, 2009 | Wednesday at 11:37 am | 6 Comments
I don’t know where to start about my 505. I am of two completely different minds about it. One is about the experience of reading on it, the other is about the experience of trying to own it. This will be about the former.
I read somewhere that the ancient Greeks had dozens of different words for types of love. There was brotherly love, romantic love, the love one feels for a battlefield comrade, etc. I’m not sure what the word is for the love one feels for an electronic reading device – but I’d bet it has ‘kos’ in it somewhere.
The reader does what it says on the box, and it does it (almost) perfectly. It’s easy to use, mostly intuitive, and very sleek and very very pretty. Actually, after the chorus of angels finished their refrain of ‘ah-ah-ah-ah-ah’ when the box was opened one alighted on my shoulder to mutter a cooing ‘aww…’. I’ve found I can read about a thousand pages worth of text before I lose the first bar. The final bar lasts right around that, maybe 850 pages. This is an easier way for me to gauge the battery than time as I tend to read during breaks, only 15-20 minutes at a time. The only reason it gets an (almost) perfect, rather than a perfect is that there is sometimes a significant lag when you ask it to turn a page. If I own a device that is meant to perform only one function, I want it to perform that function in a timely manner.
The Sony e-store software is very slow, but the interface is easy to use. It could be much better, and I look forward to a revamp when they release the new line of readers. However, if you are not running Windows, you are SOL in regards to your reader.
I made the switch back in July to Ubuntu which is a Linux based OS. Also, it’s awesome
. The Sony e-library software is worse than useless on it however. The recommended alternative, Calibre, was supposed to be the best program for your reader evah! Instead, I got an obsessive, controlling, and manipulative program who wanted oversight over my every reading need. Not cool, Calibre, not cool.
I kind of wish there were a way to just go to a bookstore and wave my 505 in front of the book I wanted and voilà! It will be on it. That may take out some of the ‘convenience’ of it though. I don’t know. If I were smart enough to solve these problems I’d be a whole lot richer than I am.
The thing is… when I’m not trying to put books on it, buy ebooks, or deal with my 505 in relation to another piece of hardware – it’s the most amazing gadget I’ve ever had the pleasure to use. It’s so convenient and I cannot tell you how great it is to be able to change books in the middle of a workday because the first lost my attention. The reader just lives in my purse, holding all the wonders of the world.
If all of the problems I have with the actual ownership of the reader were overcome (starting with the price, good god!) I would gladly purchase three of these. I’d be the coolest nerd in the archaeology department, not a difficult title to hold actually. As it is, I shall yearn for the days I can justify owning one as it is still definitely a luxury good and my student loans think I’m an idiot for even considering shelling out the moolah for something I don’t really need.
But man oh man, I want.
Carla said on 09.16.09 at 05:40 PM • [link]
The new Sony eBookstore software is out and it is compatible with Macs now. I often skip the software and just drag and drop the books onto my reader.
Zita Hildebrandt said on 09.16.09 at 05:43 PM • [link]
I hear you about the software. I loaded VMWare Fusion onto my Mac and can run Windows through it. I use Windows only for my Reader and so far it’s not bad. I do hope Sony comes up with a Mac software version one day, though. Every time I log into Windows I remember why I switched to a Mac :-)
De said on 09.16.09 at 09:36 PM • [link]
Calibre on my Windows computer is a dream. Calibre on my eeebuntu computer is a serious pita. I’ll agree that some of that annoyance is because of the 7 inch screen on my old eee pc, but most of it is just Calibre for Linux isn’t as good. That said, if I’m out and about and desperate I can use Calibre on the eee pc to convert whatever needs converting, and then just drag and drop to get the files on the Reader. It works, but it’s not great.
spam word: reading47 I’m not going be reading 47 books this month. My best month this year was Feb with 32 books in 28 days. 47 is a little too much.
Jessica G. said on 09.17.09 at 02:25 AM • [link]
On a completely unrelated note, there were quite a few geeks in my archaeology groups, but especially during dig season we were pretty damn good at hiding the geekiness by smothering ourselves with alcohol. Ahhh those were the days.
Suze said on 09.17.09 at 04:05 AM • [link]
That would be AWESOME!
You know that app where you take a shot of a book’s bar code with your built-in camera and it builds a library for you? Wouldn’t it be cool if you could do that with your e-reader?
Take a shot of the book you want (in the store) and be able to just download it. Cooool.
(Of course, you’d still need people buying paper books so that they’ll keep the stores stocked…)
ev said on 09.18.09 at 10:01 PM • [link]
If you have a Sony store anywhere near you, keep an eye on change outs of window displays. I got our daughter a red 505 that had done nothing but sit in a window for less than $150, and a discount off of the lighted book cover.
Also, keep an eye on B&H photo video (where we get all of our electronics). They have an awesome used shop- much of the stuff is not “used”, but older models that have never even had the tags off them, returned items, refurbished stuff. They have a great warranty program right through the store that is worth it.
However, their website is closed from 2 pm on Fridays until Sunday mornings. And they are open Thanksgiving. So while the turkey cooks and the parade is on, I go to the adult toy store in Manhatten. Can’t have more fun than that.
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