A Good Start: The Sony Pocket Edition Reader
The Sony Reader Pocket Edition (PRS-300) is about as inexpensive as e-book readers currently get: $199 for a slim gadget with a 5-inch, 8-grayscale E Ink screen. It lacks extras that some competitors (most notably the similarly priced Astak EZ Reader offer, and it's surprisingly heavy (7.75 ounces) for its petite dimensions (6.25 by 4.25 by 0.4 inches), but its top-flight design and usability compensate for the missing features.
Controls are simple and intuitive, starting with a big four-way navigation and selection wheel located in the center of the case, below the screen. The up and down buttons move a heavy black arrow through menus; the left (backward) and right (forward) buttons initiate page turns. You can easily jump to a specific page number by employing a vertical column of numeric buttons to the right of the screen, and then clicking the selection button on the navigation wheel. The number keys also offer an alternative way to the nav wheel for selecting menu options.
Out of the box, the device feels sturdy and has a nice weight to it. The screen is smaller (5″) than my PRS-500 (6″) but that doesn’t bother me. I was also happy that it came pre-charged, so I was able to turn it on right away without having to plug it in and wait for it to charge.
the device itself feels sturdy when held in the hands. It’s obviously not made of cheap plastic. The design is sleek and I love the light silver color. Yes, the screen is smaller but Sony makes up for it with a crisp display and plenty of contrast between the words and background (more on that later).
On feature I like is the arrow buttons to turn the pages are located in the middle of the device. So whether your left-handed or right-handed you can turn the pages with ease. However, when turning the device on, the PRS-300 turns on a lot faster than its predecessor.
Reading on the Pocket Edition is about like I suspected, great! The improved display contrast makes for a pleasant reading experience. I will only have to get used to reading off of a slightly smaller screen than my older Reader, which is no big deal considering I read a lot of digital content on my iPhone.
Another part of the PRS-300 I like is the simple controls. There’s a button for all the functions you will need with numbered buttons down the right-hand side for selecting menu options. This device is made for just reading, so Sony has minimized the distractions on the user interface.
My only disappointment in this regard is the fact that the device does not come with a power adapter. If you want one of those, you have to buy it separately. The Reader will charge when plugged into a computer via the USB cable that comes with it. Luckily I have a power adapter from my PRS-500 that should work fine.
When the Reader is turned on for the first time it takes you through a short and simple set-up. You are asked to select your preferred language. And then it asks your preference for the date/time format. In all, the set-up takes less than a minute.
Now that Sony has finally decided to offer it’s software for the Mac, I downloaded the 3.0 version. The download itself is fast and only took a few minutes. Once downloaded and installed you are ready to go. If you already have an eBook Library account with Sony, you can sign in with your old username and password. This is great because it means you can still access all the ebooks you have purchased in the past.
When the Reader is turned on for the first time it takes you through a short and simple set-up. You are asked to select your preferred language. And then it asks your preference for the date/time format. In all, the set-up takes less than a minute.
Now that Sony has finally decided to offer it’s software for the Mac, I downloaded the 3.0 version. The download itself is fast and only took a few minutes. Once downloaded and installed you are ready to go. If you already have an eBook Library account with Sony, you can sign in with your old username and password. This is great because it means you can still access all the ebooks you have purchased in the past.
Final Thoughts:
For $100.00 US more you could get the Touch Edition, which comes with the ability for expanded memory, a touch screen, the ability to write notes and annotate the text, as well as audio feature. But do you really need these features? If I want to listen to music, I have my iPhone. If I need to take notes, I always carry a notebook and pen around with me. The Pocket Reader is simple and I am fine with that.
The only plus to the Touch Edition in my mind is the larger screen size. The Touch Edition has a 6″ screen and the Pocket Edition has a 5" screen but seeing them side by side, 1" was not going to convince me to go bigger. Overall I’m very pleased with the Pocket Edition.
Yes, I am recommending the Pocket Edition to anyone who is in the market for a good, solid ebook reading device.
