Of course, reviewing the Sony PRS-505 when you live in the UK is tremendously unfair. Denied the Kindle, the 505 is the only e-book reader that's easily available to us. So, if you're in the market for this sort of device, it's the 505 or struggling with eBay. And indeed, the 505 had... Read the full review →
I have enjoyed this device immensely. It is a little slow, especially when it has to index itself after syncing new content to it, but I've noticed that the kindle isn't much faster (haven't used a kindle 2 yet). It is much smaller and thinner than the Kindle, while keeping the exact... Read the full review →
I have always liked Sony simply because they know how to create a gadget that looks and feels right. And PRS-505 doesn't disappoint in this regard - it is beautifully designed, it's case is made from premium materials (mostly aluminium), it comes with an exquisite leather cover which makes... Read the full review →
great!
Store and selection of titles
great!
Ease of use
great!
Storage capacity
great!
Design and form factor
great!
Portability (size / weight)
so-so
Battery life
so-so
Durability
poor
Display / readability
poor
Document support
Digital ink display shows broken lines after a year of use. It doesn't support loading fonts, therefore any language other then common latin one's will fail. A grate product idea with a low level of design and integration. Read the full review →
Had this ereader for a few weeks and gave it up because it couldn't handle PDF documents. I read a lot of PDFs for work and was hoping to have a ereader that I could take out on a long flight and cruise through docs without having to pull out my laptop. It choked on a few of the PDFs that I... Read the full review →
great!
Storage capacity
great!
Durability
great!
Design and form factor
great!
Portability (size / weight)
good
Display / readability
good
Ease of use
good
Document support
so-so
Battery life
so-so
Store and selection of titles
The PRS-505 is the best for the money because of its free access to Google Books, the entire content of which is free. This reader is easy to use and battery life is excellent. It is also, in my opinion, the most attractive of currently available eBook readers. The fact that is does not download... Read the full review →
I've had my PRS-505 for about 2 weeks now, and am very pleased indeed. The main reason I bought it was to switch from a printed newspaper to something a bit more 21st century. I've bought The Guardian for 20 years, but it did seem a bit of an anachronism to have a teenager deliver the news... Read the full review →
great!
Storage capacity
great!
Durability
great!
Portability (size / weight)
good
Display / readability
good
Battery life
good
Ease of use
good
Design and form factor
This was my very first e-reader back when no one knew what an e-reader was. I used it for so long and never had any complaints. It wasn't until the Kindle2 came out that I opted to replace it. Oh how I missed my PRS 505! The Kindle had a huge library, but my Sony was so much easier to use and the... Read the full review →
Books and papers stored on the built-in storage (200MB) are never a problem. External Storage can put it into a never-ending refresh loop. I've also had bugs where the power button wouldn't put the device to sleep and I've had to hard reset it several times. I've read that these... Read the full review →
Hardware: The 505 looks stunning. It is very compact and stylish, and very well built. It makes the Kindles look like toys. The dedicated hardware buttons for menu options are elegant, multiple page turn controls mean that you can hold it any way that feels comfortable, the included leather case is... Read the full review →
great!
Display / readability
great!
Battery life
great!
Store and selection of titles
great!
Ease of use
great!
Document support
great!
Storage capacity
great!
Durability
great!
Design and form factor
great!
Portability (size / weight)
great!
Display / readability
great!
Battery life
good
Store and selection of titles
good
Document support
good
Storage capacity
good
Durability
good
Design and form factor
good
Portability (size / weight)
so-so
Ease of use
I bought the PRS-505 for casual ereading (both books and PDF papers) on a whim, and I have not been disappointed in the least. The screen, as you may be aware of from other reviews, was the best on the Sony Readers for a while (the touch model being too glossy due to the touchscreen tech), and may... Read the full review →
CNet Editors rating: 3.5 stars "Very Good"
"While the PRS-505 Reader Digital Book is not without flaws, Sony's improvements make this model easier to recommend."