Sony Reader Pocket Edition PRS-300 user reviews (silver)

Pros Solid feel, long battery life, text clarity

Cons button for page change, page flip time

Summary I travel frequently and finally got tired of carrying around a book or even two when I knew I would finish the first. I decided to jump on the opportunity to purchase one when I found a great deal. I didn't need any sort of fancy 3g internet connection, nor did I need an MP3 player so I decided to go with the PRS-300. The size was welcoming as the price was one to beat, even at retail price compared to the other options out there. I have had this product for over a month now and have found that it does what it needs to and I have not run into any issues as of yet. The PRS-300 has a 5" reading screen. There are three different text sizes and I have found that the 2nd or middle text size is best suited for my eyes. it will take approximately 30 seconds for me to read an average page before I have to flip to the next page. I have found that the page flip will take about 1 second to refresh. For me this was a little slow but I've got used to it now. The reader feels solid in my hand while reading. Does not have a plastic cheap feel like a few other out there. I wish Sony would have place a button on the side to flip the page so you do not have to keep your thumb positioned over the center circle button, but once again, I have gotten used to it. I download books off of the internet and use Google's free listings for all of the book I upload. I always download several books to my computer which takes a matter of seconds and then sync them to my reader using Calibre. Therefore, I have found no need for an internet connection to download books. I have an iPod and hate to listen to music while I read, so I never found the need for MP3 play option. I read only for pleasure now and have no need to annotate text either. I also believe I have an extensive vocabulary, so no need for a dictionary. So, if you do not require any of these features, this is the reader for you. It is also small in size and thin, i can pack it away in my brief case without even noticing I have it on me. Sony includes a neoprene sleeve for the reader. Although it is a nicely constructed sleeve, I would prefer to have a leather book style case. For some reason, they are very expensive and I have waited to dive into that purchase. For the time being, the provided sleeve will do just fine. All in all, I consider to be a good product and does what it needs to do. Basically eliminate the need for thick books to be carting around while traveling and allow yourself to have hundreds of books just a few clicks away.

Pros ts 5" screen seems a nicer viewing size than the more common 6" ones.

Cons Menu's don't change text size. Packaging is the kind we all dread to open.

Summary "I've only had it a few hours but its readability is unmatched. I sat in a coffee shoppe this morning as the sun beamed onto the device. My eyes were in the shade yet it remained very easy and comfortable to read!

The packaging is terrible. It is that bubble sealed kind that requires a knife or scissors and, after returning from overseas, I've yet to put my pocket knife back in my pocket. So it was most difficult to open.

The software is downloadable from Sony and I prepared about a 100 ePub books so when I got the unit I could quickly add content ( it comes pre-charged ). Well, it froze on the first attempt. Apparently one of the files is corrupt. Once I trimmed the list of books down to about 10 books, it worked.

The software does not provide a "print list" as I wanted to share my reading list with others. It does have a "print book" option. And the ePub file names are very cryptic so I could not use a simple list of those names to share either.

On the unit, you can adjust the text size to three sizes. This change does not change the menu text.

Overall, a great unit and it may help me to read more. It seems the PRS-300 is the very first affordable eBook reader. It claims to hold about 350 books. I don't need "always connected" eReader as the Kindle. I just want to read books. The text is so crisp and clear. Page turning is easy. I even think I like landscape better ( a button adjust this option ).

With the optional cover, it is a little big. It won't fit in a shirt pocket like the iPhone does. Actually, without the optional cover it would not fit there either but that is ok. It is much smaller that most all other eReaders.

I paid just under $250 with tax for the reader and the cover. All the books I put on it were the ePub format and were free. Best selection seems to be http://feedbooks.com but it appears you can buy books at the Sony store ( the software, like iTunes will take you to the store ). Feedbooks offers download in many formats but I chose the ePub to begin with.

The big difference in this eBook reader is the ePub software. This sets it apart from the Kindle which cannot read this standard. ePub can be open ( see http://feedbooks.com/ ) or DRM'd for sale." Also see Google Books at http://books.google.com

Pros Abilility to digitally borrow books from my public Library!
Excellent Quality (metal front), built to last.
Nice Sony library as well as free Google public domain book downloads.

Cons Maybe another page turning button on the side of the device would be nice, but the device is compact enough that the 4 way rocker is easy to reach.

Summary I have owned a PRS500, PRS505 and now this PRS300. I alos have an Amazon Kindle. I love the quality that goes into the sony, the attention to detail and its very sleek design. Wireless downloads are nice, but not a dealbreaker. I mean, how many books does this device hold? At least a couple of hundred. You can certainly wait to synch it to your PC without having a crisis! Personally, I have about 350 digital books in my library and I would have run out of space a long time ago if these were print edition books. Now Sony lets me borrow books digitally from my public library...I am simply blown away. It works flawlessly and adds another dimension of usefulness to this already necessary device. Yes, I said necessary (to me, an avid reader and gadget lover...I am in Nirvana.

Pros Compact
Multi-format

Cons Font sizes could use some tweeking
Page turner could be on the sides for easy page turning.

Summary The Sony EReader was great while it worked but now the turn on/off button is broke. I called their help desk and we did a soft reset, which didn't work. I couldn't turn it on to do a hard reset. I was told that I had to contact the repair dept., but because of the model it says to return it and if they can fix it they will. If not, then I'll get a "refurbished" one. The eReader is less than 6 mths old...... If they can't fix it they should send a new one not a refurbished one!