Sony PRS-505 Portable Digital e-Reader System (Silver)

Product Description

The new Reader (model PRS-505) features a svelte body design. Re-styled controls more closely mimic paper page turns and allow for quick, intuitive navigation.A next-generation electronic paper display delivers faster response and a higher contrast ratio for easy reading even in bright sunshine. Eight levels of gray scale provide for crisp and clear text, images, and graphics.This device is designed for people on the go, this device is compelling because it allows them to carry a wide variety of reading materials whether they are on a cross-country flight, in a doctor's office waiting room, or at a beach resort. The Reader can handle a stack of books and other documents that people would rather not carry, yet offers a 'book-like' reading experience unavailable with other electronic devices.With the capacity to store up to 160 typical eBooks, the Reader can act as a mobile library. Expansion slots for Memory Stick Duo media or SD memory cards make the device's library potential practically limitless.More advanced users will appreciate the USB-based mass storage capability that allows them to use the device as a portable drive for the direct transfer of documents, images and other files to the Reader. A new auto sync feature also lets users set up folders with books and documents that can be automatically synchronized when the device is connected to a PC.

I love my ereader. I've had it for over a year now. It came with a free 100 classics coupon that I used on the estore to choose 100 classics to download to my computer and ereader.

It's a thin, silver, sturdy-feeling gadget. It comes with a strong sandy-brown cover that protects the ereader when it's in transit. I don't use the cover when I'm reading at home. It's easy to hold and the screen is very easy on the eyes. It's easy to disinfect with alcohol and a cotton pad, similar to a cellphone or iphone, so I find it fairly hygienic.

I have over 400 books on my ereader now. I have a 8 GB SD card that I inserted into my ereader for additional memory. Almost all of the books are from the Sony ebookstore. If I ever lose my ereader, I can re-download all the ebooks from the Sony ebookstore. My ebooks are also all on my computer.

The computer software (free download from Sony ebookstore) is similar to an older version of itunes. All of my 400+ my books are in the "library", and I can drag and drop them into "collections". I'm a huge fantasy and romance fan, so I've got collections titled, "Charlaine Harris", "Patricia Briggs", "Mercedes Lackey", "Classics Shakespeare", and "LKH - Merry Gentry". I have the software set up to auto-synch the collections on my computer to my ereader.

Word and PDF documents can be viewed on the ereader too. There are 3 font sizes on the ereader, but for PDFs, the original formatting (the full-page view is what you get on the screen) is the smallest size, and when you increase the font size, you lose the formatting and sentences are broken up onto different lines. I have work documents on my ereader.

I am a huge reader and used to read 3-4 books a day. I had many bookcases in my house. I downsized to a smaller home and got the ereader. I found that I enjoy reading on the ereader more than on the regular books now. Regular books are bulky (try reading a big book without breaking the spine), stuck with only one font size, and take up room (if I was finishing book 2 of a series, I used to have book 2 and book 3 in my purse, which took up a lot of room). In comparison, each ebook takes no additional space than the ereader itself, I can change the font size to please my eyes, and I only have 1 bookshelf of rare and non-ebooks in my home. The ereading experience was so enjoyable for me that I purchased my favourite books as ebooks and donated the paper versions to the local library for other readers to enjoy.

For convenience, the ebook is amazing. It's small enough I barely notice it in my purse. When I'm on the subway, lying in bed reading, at my in-law's or at camp, I can scroll through all of my hundreds of books to see what I'm in the mood to read. My roomate doesn't complain about how many books I have (because I have fewer paper books and he can't see how many I have), people on transit can't tell what I'm reading, and the expandable SD card memory means all my ebooks are with me when I'm travelling. On a recent trip to Asia, I read 4 full-length new books on my ereader on one flight.

I have favourite authors and when their newest release comes out in hardcover (usually $24), I used to run out to get it. But then I always found that reading the hardcover was hard, because the book was heavy and bulky (and I tend to also read lying down and sideways). So when the mass market paperback would come out a year later, I would get that too (additional $10). In contrast, when a new release comes out for the ereader, I can download it from the Sony estore for $18 (discounted from the full hardcover price), have it to read on my light and thin ereader, be able to modify the font for my eyes, and not have to repurchase it later in a light format. So I really enjoy that.

The selection of ebooks for the Sony ereader is good. They have every book that I want except for Harry Potter (which apparently the author won't allow) and some older books. However, more and more older books are coming out, so I have the older Dragons of Pern, Valdemar, Lord of the Rings, type fantasy novels. Google books are also available from the Sony store.

I'm not tech-proficient, but it does not appear that other types of ebooks are supported on the Sony ereader, so you need to either have books in Word/PDF/Sony DRM format or something like that. I think I read that epub is available too.

What would I improve on the Sony ereader 505? Better PDF display including zooming options, some sort of light to read by at nighttime, better organizing ability for the software, and an AC adaptor to be included. The Sony ereader comes with a micro USB wire to connect to the computer. This is how it charges. The AC adaptor is sold separately.

I chose not to upgrade to the newer PRS-700 because I read that the screen is not as clear (due to the touch screen), and in store, the PRS-700 is thicker than my ebook because of the built in lighting system.

I'm from Canada, so the kindle is not an option for me. I've read that the kindle books are cheaper than the sony ereader books, but like I said, the kindle is not an option for me.

The Sony ereader 505 and the paid ebooks you can purchase are not for the frugal. If you want something to read for cheap, I'd suggest going to the library. If you're only partially frugal, you can get the Sony ereader 505 and then read the free public domain books out there.


When i read a novel on the Sony eReader, it's fine. It's another story when reading nonfiction. If you want to check out the footnotes, it's not clear how to do that. The photographs don't reproduce well. It's not easy to move back and forth between pages when you want to recall something you read before. I wouldn't buy an e-version of a nonfiction book again. I suspect the Kindle has similar limitations.


The Sony eBook Reader is omnivorous; It will use any of the most popular file formats. (With Kindle you must go through a translation process to read what you need.) The eBook Reader will save you lots of time because many of the books you want will not be purchased. You will collect them for free in the form of Adobe Acrobat files, RTF files and MS Word files. As a scientist, these formats are most important to me as they allow me to review my own work as others will see it.

Perhaps you will also want black & white photographs. This eBook feature allows you to see technical drawings (within reason).

I use the free Open Office word processor and it seamlessly creates all of these. I don't have to pay Microsoft or Adobe anything!

True, the eBook Reader comes with a nervous little program that allows you to purchase books in the proprietary format. This exists so that writers may be paid and encouraged in their work. Good for them but you and I need to get on with our work. We'll starve otherwise.

Here is what you do; Rather than put your Reader files into that program, merely put your memory card in your computer and load that in whatever format works. Reinstall in the Reader and be done with it!

Simple, no?

Sony neglects to tell you that an eight-gigabyte memory card won't work. That can be forgiven. Use a four-gigabyte card. That's plenty big.

Sometimes the cover with light flies apart. With dry hands, it is sometimes difficult to hold on to your reader. These things can be forgiven.

In the meantime, the industry is slow to establish appropriate mechanisms for authors to profit by their work through both Kindle and the Sony eBook Reader. Do us all a favor and use your Reader to learn how to write and publish for the new Reader industry. This is the modern life and it's good.


Wanting to get back into reading but not wanting a large pile used books to accumulate, I decided to look into digital readers. After comparing the PRS-505 to the Kindle 2, I decided on the Sony. The main selling point was the Sony digital reader's larger storage capacity with the addition of a SD card and/or memory duo pro and the ability for this reader to access and display .pdf. The later being extremely helpful for some of my college texts are provided as .pdf.

I am not certain if I would use the .pdf features for more complicated .pdf files but for textbooks/documents converted to .pdf it worked great.

As far as features, the PRS-505 has done everything I expected it would and more. The screen is very clear and easy to read; the system is a bit quirky but you can learn to navigate through its controls very quickly. Battery life is good; the buttons are easy to push. I don't have any issues with the sluggishness of the page turn as it doesn't bother me.

The problem I have experienced is within the hardware itself. The unit that I had purchased came with a faulty power button. Even though I slide it, the unit will not turn on. The only way I can get it to boot is to plug it into a computer using the usb cable. Once on, the unit work normally.

If I took the unit with me and I allowed it to enter sleep mode, unless I brought an usb cable and had a computer to access, the unit will not power on. I learned to deal with it by disabling the sleep feature.

The second problem I have come across was after shutting the unit down manually. The first time I had done it; the unit would not power on nor would the red charge light remain lit. I thought I had bricked the system but it ended up powering on after remaining plugged into the computer for about an hour.

The second time I powered the system down was to recreate the issue above. I wanted to know if it was a fluke. It was not. The system once again remained unresponsive for a LONG time after being manually shut down--serious brick mode.

I've learned that as long as I never shut down my PRS-505, allow it to go into sleep mode and make sure the battery remains charged, the unit works as it should. However, this laundry list of things to do to ensure it doesn't go into brick mode negates its portability which makes the situation ironic.

It now commonly resides on next to its authorized computer. Why do I even need the reader if I could just turn on my comp and read my files from there?

I am sure I will need to send it to Sony for repair/replacement and will do so eventually when something else fails.

Perhaps in a few months I will try the Kindle DX or wait to see if there's a Kindle 3 on the way with similar .pdf file capability. Until such time, I can make do with this reader so long as it is never turned off.



I had a Kindle 1st gen and decided I wanted to try the Sony Reader. It was a different experience from the kindle, mostly good, but some bad. Reading on the Sony was easier and more relaxed than kindle, but has limitations on Font size and consistency of text compared to kindle. Easier to hold and positive page turns as well as a better menu/navigation system made it my preferred reader. BUT the availability and loading of books was dismal in comparison to the kindle. The Sony E-Book site and the loading of books onto the Sony is not an easily understood process, nor is it as easy to use as kindle's interface. I tried also to convert some of my kindle books to Sony format and that was a difficult and frustrating process. I decided I did not want to bother with the process. Sony's price on books is almost always higher than Amazon's price, average of $3 to $4 per book. I'm giving the Sony to my Daughter and getting a Kindle 2. If you can stand the few downsides the Sony is a very pleasant reading experience ... if you can master the book load interface.


I bought this reader for my wife's birthday but I haven't given her a chance to use it yet! I bought the Sony rather than the Kindle because we live overseas and the wireless connection is useless to us, so why pay extra for it. The Sony fits our needs perfectly. The menus are easy to navigate and the text is plenty big for us... I don't bother with the zoom feature, but it works if you need it. There are some free books on the Sony book store and tons of free books available from Google... sure they are old any many are things you would never even consider reading, but hey, free is free. The ability to listen to MP3 music while you are reading is also a nice feature, although you'll probably need to buy a few SD cards (2 GB max) to store your music on. Overall this seems like a great, quality product... of course I've only had it for a few days so I don't know how reliable it will be yet.


I work in a college library which is considering making the Sony PRS-505 available to patrons. In the meantime, staff members, including myself, get to try them out. I've now had it for about three weeks and I have mixed feelings.

First some pros:

- The screen is surprisingly glare-free and easy on the eyes.
- It's easy enough to work out how to use it if you're the sort of person (like, er, um, well, like me) who would rather play with a piece of technology than read its instructions.
- It's certainly portable, which is why e-readers exist in the first place.
- The book-style case is a nice touch.
- It's nice being able to simply drag-and-drop items onto the book through Windows Explorer.

Now some cons:

- Its response time is very, very sluggish. I wouldn't call it unacceptably slow, but it definitely tries my patience.
- It requires a computer.
- There are eighteen buttons (or twenty-four, depending on how you count the d-pads). Near as I can tell, all but three of them--zoom, bookmark, and menu--only do one of two things: 'next' or 'select'; all others are redundant. It seems to me that the interface could be greatly simplified, which might also make room for a bigger screen.
- When it's plugged into the computer, you can't do anything with it until it's done charging.
- The menus are counter-intuitive and a bit weird to navigate.
- The lazy part of me says that the buttons are too hard to push.
- Let's face it: this thing is *ugly*.

Lastly, a quick disclaimer:

- I have only had this thing for three weeks. I do not know what it is like to actually live with it.
- This is the only e-reader I have had any experience with. At all.
- I do not read nearly enough to justify the cost of *any* e-reader.


I own this Ereader and I love the size of it and its idiot-proof design. However the Sony Ebook store can be quite frustrating because of the current lack of selection outside of recent/ current bestsellers. Also, the prices are on average higher than the ebooks for the Kindle, which all adds up. Overall, I still can't grasp why the ebooks, both Amazon and Sony, are so expensive. Considering we're saving the publishers costs which would have gone into printing and shipping, you would think the prices would be about half of the printed versions. Is it that costly to support the ebook store, especially for Amazon which already has online purchasing facilities for books?

I think the perfect ereader situation would be having the Sony EReader hardware, purchasing from the Amazon online bookstore and more competitive pricing.


I bought this in hopes for a decent, cheap alternative to the Kindle. So far, there's only one complaint I have: it's a bit slow. I haven't had the issues some of the one star reviews have had with it taking several minutes to an hour to load text. Also, I've found the software isn't necessary to load books onto the PRS-505, if you have basic knowledge of how to use a computer.
I'm very satisfied with the PRS-505, it's easy to use and doesn't strain my eyes any more than a regular book.


I have owned a Sony Reader 505 for a year now and I love it. I have many gadgets and this is one of the best. It is so much better than reading on a laptop or a palm. I don't know how people can read on a tiny palm screen. It never gets warm, it fits perfectly in my hands and the battery last for weeks...what more can you ask for. There is only one problem, I let my sister borrow it and I have not been able to get it back from her. I guess I will be going out to get the new Sony Reader 700. :) It is the easiest way to carry a whole library with you. For book lovers this is a must.

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About Sony PRS-505 Portable Digital e-Reader System (Silver) detail

• Amazon Sales Rank: #402 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Sony
• Model: PRS505SC
• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Dimensions: .30" h x 6.90" w x 4.80" l, .56 pounds
• CPU: PowerPC G4 2.1 GHz
• Memory: 192MB SDRAM
• Hard Disk: 1GB
• Processors: 1
• Native resolution: 6"
• Display size: 6

Features

• displays eBooks purchased from the CONNECT eBook online store
• displays Adobe® PDFs, plus TXT, RTF, BMP, JPEG, GIF, PNG and Microsoft® Word files
• plays MP3 and AAC files (protected files not supported)
• internal 192MB memory
• memory slot holds an SD Memory Card (up to 2GB capacity) and Memory Stick® Duo media (up to 8GB capacity)

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