PRS-650RC
4.2
5
65
65
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant
First, a little background. I previously owned the 900 model, which I bought in March and was very happy with. Sadly (and stupidly) I list that one when I left it on a plane. (FYI, Sony customer service were happy to de-authorize that old machine, so the e-books I had purchased are now working on my new 650, and are invalid for the old machine.) The good news is that in the meantime, Sony introduced these new models. I considered both the 650 and 950, and eventually decided on the 650, for several reasons. Although the new 950 has better WiFi/wireless connection capabilities than the old 900, I hardly ever used the 900 for wireless access anyway. I am quite happy to buy and download books using my laptop. An e-reader isn't really designed for browsing the net. I would much rather use a laptop or smart phone for that. Although I travel constantly for business, I am almost never without internet access. For me, an e-reader with internet access is literally a waste of money. So I went for the 650, partly for price, partly for its smaller size. And what a beauty it is. The screen is an absolute joy to read. Much, much better than the 900. Partly due to the new Pearl screen technology, partly also due to Sony inventing a new touch technology, which is IR-based on doesn't interfere with the screen at all (it is not overlaid on top of the screen, as with previous models). The device is thin and light yet feels solid and "real". No cheap plastic feel here! After using the larger 900 for six months, the smaller screen size of the 650 takes some getting used to. But I am getting used to it. One thing that helps is that the new model is significantly faster than the older 900, and so page turns are much faster. At a guess, maybe half as long; so although the screen is much smaller (and therefore you have to turn pages much more frequently), it really isn't much of an issue. Also, with the new touch-screen technology, turning the page requires only the lightest of finger swipes. Two nights ago, I read several hundred pages of a novel and it was no trouble at all -- in fact, it was a sheer delight, because the whole "device experience" faded right into the background. Which, with an e-reader, is exactly what it should do. I don't really have any cons. Sony's decision to cease supplying cases as standard equipment is regrettable. But having said that, the "opposition" don't provide these anyway, and it seems clear that Sony has taken this decision to keep costs down without sacrificing the quality of the device's own build and materials. That's a good trade, in my view. The new devices are still more expensive than the "opposition", of course, but for me, the extra quality is worth it. The 650 is not only beautiful to read, it is lovely to hold in your hand too. And with an e-reader, those two activities (reading, and holding the device in your hand) are what you do most of all, often for hours at a time. So build quality does make a big difference. The lack of an AC adapter doesn't worry me. Just one less thing to carry around. There have been some software improvements. Joy of joys, it is now possible to manage collections directly on the device! Wow! Couldn't do that before. Either in one of the reviews here, or on a different site, one user commented that the on-screen keyboard for typing notes has gone away. Not so. (If you're having trouble finding it, refer to the user manual installed on your device. But it is definitely there.) I am not overjoyed with the power switch. It is now dual-function. If the book is on, sliding the switch no longer turns it off. Instead, a regular slide puts the device into sleep mode (a screen saver shows). To turn the device off, you have to slide and hold for 3 seconds, then touch "yes" at an on-screen prompt. Suggestions: drop the sleep mode (or just allow it to kick in automatically after a settable period of time); or, allow a single-slide of the switch to offer a prompt that allows you to choose Sleep or Power Off. Or just use the switch to power down only. The way it works now just seems a nuisance. Another suggestion: I really wish Sony would provide an Owner's Information screen, where you could provide information for someone to contact if you lose the device. I realize most people won't bother anyway, but even an honest person right now would not know how to get in touch. (I suppose I could make a screen saver with my info and use that.) Even better would be some way for Sony to do something clever when a lost/stolen machine is detected online. The new stylus is much better than the old one on the 900. I was always the old one would scratch the screen. The new one has a more rounded point. (As an amateur writer, one of the big attractions of the Sony was the ability to upload my own documents directly to the machine, and annotate them there. Wonderful.) My last suggestion has to do with fonts. I have read several books on the new 650 and it just seems to me that the ideal size for me would be somewhere between Small and Medium. Small is a bit too small for me to read comfortably (though it is not impossible; I can use it, unlike on the 900; which may be further evidence of the improved screen quality). Medium seems a little too large. OK, so this is highly subjective, but I'm just telling it the way I see it. Also, I don't know why the headphone plug is on the bottom edge of the device. Surely, the top would have been superior (sorry for the pun). I don't actually use the device for listening to music, so it doesn't worry me; but if I did, it would. All in all, I am delighted with the new device. Although I am still smarting over losing the old 900, there's no doubt the new models are a vast improvement over the old devices, which were already leading the pack.
November 14, 2010
I sold my new Kindle 3 so I could buy the 650
I bought a brand new Kindle 3 WiFi and have returned it because I like the Sony 650 Touch so much better. After spending some time with both devices, I have to say that Sony wins, hands down. Of course, I might be a bit biased since my previous reader was a PRS 505.
The touch screen is very responsive, the menus and submenus very easy to navigate. I love that you can use custom screensavers natively without first jailbreaking then hacking the device (like you must do on the Kindle).
It's lightweight, but feels very solid and well-made. It's much smaller than the Kindle because there isn't a keyboard in the way at the bottom of the device. Because of the plasticy feel of the Kindle, I always felt I was going to break the keyboard buttons if I typed too hard or fast. I do wish the Sony had an option to use the digital keyboard for note-taking like you can use it for searching, etc, though. That would be nice (and more legible, as my touchscreen handwriting is atrocious!).
The Sony 650 doesn't have wireless or 3G connectivity like some of the other devices out there now. This isn't an issue for me because I browse the internet more on my laptop or phone so it would be pretty redundant for me to have it on my reader as well.
When put side by side, the font used on the Kindle seems to be darker with more contrast than the one used on the Sony 650. This seems like it's merely due to the choice of font style, not due to the Sony's screen being inferior in any way.
As one reviewer has already mentioned, the sync software available for the reader is terrible. It crashes often and it makes browsing the Sony store very slow and cumbersome. I don't use it if I can possibly help it, not even when I had my 505. I use Calibre for my syncing needs. It syncs beautifully with the Sony reader, especially for tags and collections - all with a few clicks of a button. You can manage your ebook library, convert ebooks, download rss feeds so you can read blogs and news on your reader - it's just an amazingly useful program.
One of the main reasons that I sent my Kindle back was because it was nearly impossible to make collections on it in any sensible way. Using Calibre to sync your collections saves time and a lot of headaches (not to mention your reader, should you ever lose your temper enough to actually thow it across the room hehe).
For the first few days I did have a problem with my Sony 650 freezing at random times. It would always come back again when I did a reset, but it was happening quite a lot. I found out that it was due to a large PDF file on my SD card. I used Calibre to convert my PDFs to ePub format and reloaded everything onto my SD card again. Since then, I haven't had a single frozen screen, no matter how fast I try to flick the pages or access the menus. I'm assuming that one of the PDFs was just too large for the reader to handle as-is.
Overall, I am very happy with my purchase. Even though it's more expensive than the Kindle 3 I bought, I don't feel bad about that at all. As I said, I've returned the Kindle to Amazon for a refund and think it has been totally worth it.
September 28, 2010
WOW - what a change from the 505!
I've had a PRS505 since they first came out. I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced break (I read a LOT). I got my 650 last week. What an AMAZING improvement.
The page turn performance is so much faster than the 505. I used to click the page turn button when I still had a sentence or two left to read at the bottom of the page. Can't do that anymore! :-)
The new ink display is very crisp and has great contrast. Its definitely better than the 505.
The touch interface has been very well implemented by Sony. For the vast majority of things you can do by touch, you don't have to read the manual - it's very intuitive. There are a few things that are not obvious, such as creating and removing bookmarks via double-tap. However, that's not a negative - you can't make everything intuitive.
Having 2GB of memory Vs the 256MB in the 505 is wonderful.
The battery life seems very good (this was also very good on the 505).
I also got the Sony cover, mainly for protection but also for reading in dark places. This cover is also much improved from the 505 cover. I like the adjustable light better than the wedge. This cover feels considerably lighter than the 505 cover - which is good. The light does a good job.
The only negative is the Sony Reader software interface. Its lacking many features that would make it considerable easier and more flexible for the user. It also crashes frequently when it has to deal with a large library (in my case, 600+ books). The sync feature could be nice. However, it is too inflexible. For example, any collection set up to sync can ONLY be changed from the software, not from the reader. If you sync all your collections to the device, you cannot move a book from one collection to another on the device - you must do it from the software. Sony - take a look at Calibre (I'm sure you've heard this comment many times before). Pay more attention to what would make the software easier and more functional for the user.
Bottom line - this is a GREAT product. It's my 2nd Sony reader and I'm definitely very happy with it. Now, if I can just fight the urge to upgrade to the 950 as soon as it comes out... :-)))
September 26, 2010
650 Touch is a very solid choice
I've had my 650 for several days, and its a very solid device. Its fast and easy to use. But first the drawbacks. The slider switch to put it into sleep mode doesn't feel like it will hold up long term. The computer side software for the Macintosh is poor.
A major plus is the lack of wifi/3g. Those had no benefit to reader devices.
The touch screen works very well. You don't need the stylus to use this device.
One drawback to all ereaders, not just this one, is a lack of "poetry mode". You can easily size the font up to the point where is wraps the lines at points other than what the poet intends. This isn't a problem for prose, but its a major problem for verse.
The battery life appears to be adequate. 2 full days of reading, and its still got 75% of a charge left. The battery is not user changeable - I realize thats all the rage these days, but its poor choice.
Finally, the price is far too high, but it is the only reader to offer a good touch screen (More important than you think) and to offer solid note taking capabilities. If more textbooks were available in electronic format, this would be the reader for them.
PDF support is excellent. While I still wouldn't want to read a full sized PDF in its entirety on one of these, you could to it. There is a present zoom, 2 column page, which quarters the page. A page turn will take you from upper left, to bottom left, to top right, to bottom right. For single column full page pdf's, landscape mode is better. Reflowing works reasonably well on most pdfs, and not very well at all on a few.
September 26, 2010
