Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I got this a few days ago after seeing the high cost to get a physical paper print of a PDF book from an online publisher.
I have many technical computer documents in PDF format that I like to read. Most of them range from 200-1500 pages; having a print copy has always been more convenient to read a few pages here and there (especially on long road trips and while on the bus / subway).
I decided to get this item as used from a seller. Overall I really like my Sony Reader. If it was not for the cost I would have given 5 stars. In addition, the following are my personal scale from 1-3 (3 being the highest):
Reading clarity 2.8: Very sharp, but the brighter the surrounding light the better the contrast. I am thinking of getting a clip-on booklight so I can read in the dark (late bus rides home). When changing pages, you can see a slight "ghost" print in 15-30% of the previous imprint. However, it is very faint, and may be the limitation of the eInk technology. Ghost images do not seem to go past 3-4 page turns, however, imprints can linger in 5-10% for up to 3-4 page turns. (It seem that the screen does a single refresh when you turn the page.)
Battery Life 3.0: I've had it for the last 4 days, reading about 3 hrs / day, and it is still has 50% battery bars from the original charge.
Portability 3.0: Lighter and thinner than most of my books.
Size 2.2: The regular screen may be too small for my PDF manuals. I use the landscape and larger font for viewing. This is perfect for a novel / story book with "medium" font setting; however, most computer books and manuals are intended to be printed much larger. The size is comparable to most story book, but since there is an option for a larger font and landscape mode, I do not mind turning more pages so that I do not have to strain my eyes.
Readability Convenience 2.5: There are only 2 font settings (small and medium). The medium size is easier for me to read, but I find myself pressing the next page button rather often. However, I can take this more conveniently than a full book (lighter, smaller), so I get more reading done. (after reading other's comment, I may need to take better care not to crack the screen, though.).
Performance 2.5: It does take time to go to the next page (about 1-3 seconds delay depending on the complexity of the next page). I find myself pressing the next button ahead of time to keep a fast reading pace.
PDF 1.9: PDF seems a little slow to go to the next page when there is a picture, image, or diagram. Also, setting it on Medium font size does seem to be consistent in PDF. The font size seems to stay at small, when you change back to small then medium again you see a larger version. Also, diagrams, drawings, pictures are very difficult and next-to-impossible to read. I look on the computer to review diagrams.
Expandability 3.0: I have a 2 gig SD memory card in mine, and I still have 95%+ free memory with over 30 books.
In addition, the following deficiencies may be important to some (mostly, not a big deal to me, but I would consider a competing product):
-No way to zoom, or apply custom zooming from 0-200% or 0-x%.
-No light source or backlit (It would be nice if they could embedd led's for night reading.)
-Has Mp3 player, but no built-in speakers. (they could have taken small speakers out their palm or phone products)
-No search feature. Sometimes when I want to recall a topic or sentence, It would be easier to run a search instead of scrolling through the pages. (makes sense, since it does not have a keyboard. when frustrated, I just use the computer).
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