List Price: $299.99 Our Price: Too low to display You Save:

Product Description

Experience the joy of reading a variety of your favorite books all stored digitally in one compact device. The slimmer, redesigned Reader Digital Book lets you carry a stack of books in one hand. The Reader Digital Book holds about 160 eBooks or hundreds more with optional removable memory cards. Its portable size makes it the perfect travel companion, allowing you to read a variety of books whenever and wherever you want. With thousands of eBook titles available at The eBook Store from Sony, you can choose to download new releases, classics and popular book titles as well as view other document formats such as Adobe PDF10, RTF, TXT, BBeB and Microsoft Word. Its long battery life lasts up to 7,500 continuous page turns, and the amazing paper-like screen technology is easy on the eyes. Screen Size - Approx. 6 Measured Diagonally; Resolution - Approx. 170 Pixels Per Inch; Gray Scale - 8-Level Grey Scale Up to 7,500 page turns on full charge Audio and picture playback Dual SD Card and Memory Stick(R) Pro Duo Expansion Slot Mountable USB Drive Charges via USB Unit Dimensions (Approx.) - 6.9 x 4.8 x 0.3 (175 x 122 x 8mm) / Weighs 9 ounces Includes Tan Soft Case, USB Cable, Quick Start(TM) Guide, CD-ROM Limited Warranty - Labor- 90 days from the date of purchase; Parts- 1 Year from the date of purchase

Customer Reviews:

• Bets tech toy I've ever received... bar none
  This is wonderful, free book sources, use of local library and other state library resources, now working to obtain newspaper and magazines on the screen. One small unit and I've got everything to read. As a recruiter I get 30 to 50 resumes per day and I download them to the Sony to screen while at lunch. Buy one, I can't find anything wrong to speak of with this item....more info
• best buy in 2008
  I honestly believe this is the best thing I've bought in 2008. I always carry a few books with me in case I get bored (yes, I read pretty fast). You can imagine the weight of the books and they really cause me neck/back pain, no joke. This sony reader is the perfect thing for me. I can load so many books in it and no longer need to worry about "what books should I put in my bag today" that kind of thing. I did consider kindle because it allows me to browse internet at any time. Perhaps I would've got it if I didnt already have an iphone.
  
  My only requirement of an electronic reader is to read a few books without carrying them in my bag. The sony reader 505 nails it and it looks very good compare to the Kindle. The Kindle has its own advantage but it's just too ugly. Yes, people say you'll get used to its shape fairly quickly but being subjective person, I just say no to it. Moreover Kindle dosent support pdf directly anyways.
  
  The sony reader is slim and the ergonomic is very nice. You can flip pages using your left or right hand and it's light enough to hold with one hand only. The screen, IMO, is even better than real books. I normally read books on computer but I can't do it for long hours. Now I can read for a 5 hours straight without hurting my eyes on the sony reader!
  
  My advice: if you read fast, read all the time, don't care about Internet browsing and buying books on the fly, and want to get a 'pretty' book, get the Sony reader 505!...more info
• excellent, but.....
  This is a marvellous product and definitely to my mind indicates the way forward for readers and book publishers, and is the way of saving so many forests from needless destruction. it is lightweight, sturdy, well designed, easy on the eyes, easy to use and can carry many books, however it falls short of being THE product for inveterate readers like myself
  1. the text of the books on the reader itself is of only limited searchability
  2. its capacity for holding material is too small
  3. it has no web connect
  4. the range of text types it can handle is too limited
  
  that being said, I recommend it highly, and I use it all the time now......more info
• Lousy billing system!!!
  DON'T BUY IT, YOUR BOUND TO GET A DUPLICATE BILL 2YRS LATER!!UNBELIEVEVE!NEVER WILL I BUY ANYTHING FROM SONY AGAIN!...more info
• Boyfriend really enjoys it!
  I was torn between the Kindle and the Sony; but since i procrastinated too long (this was for this Christmas present) and found out the Kindle had a backorder of 11-13 weeks, i went with the Sony. i also have had good experiences with Sony products in the past. he really enjoys it. has purchased a really nice cover and 'skin' to jazz it up. ...more info
• Good Product!
  The book reader is light, easy to handle and convenient to use. I used to read for notepad, pdf files and docs. Very useful device....more info
• ereader to read
  sony prs-505 is a wonderful device to read. easy to the eyes, easy to use, perfect for what it was made: read books. if you are looking for a device that has all diffrent kind of functions and displays, this is not for you. my 12 years old dougther and a friend where very ecxited when they saw it, but when they new it does nothing but change pages, they where really desapointed... i am not a tecnology addict, i just want to have my books at hand. for music i have my ipod, for internet i have my laptop. for me is much better this way.
  just one little thing, when i stop reading for some minutes or i take the reader some where without turning it off, al the time i push the bottons and change things, it would be perfect if sony could put a loock on its next generation.
  i use to read at list one book per week, latelly i did not because i am an old man and my eyes are not as good as some years before. but now, with sony¡§s prs-505, i can get big letters display and read as long as i want without geting tierd. wonderfull. ...more info
• Outstanding Tool
  I purchased this reader for my wife. She isn't a gadget person, but the Sony PRS 505 changed her mind. The device is easy to get up and running and very easy to use. She figured out how to download books in no time and has built a small collection from the Sony library. I highly recommend this product....more info
• E-Book
  Although this E-Book purchase was a Xmas present for my Wife, It turned up in my hands because she is not electronic savy. I used it during an airline flight, and found it to be very easy to read and use. It is not clumsey like an ordinary book. It is easy to carry and handle. And it brought comments from fellow travelers who watch me use it while in flight. I never lost the page I was reading even when I forgot to mark it. It came back to the page I was reading after turning it back on. Downloading the books took a little lesson, but after that, it was simple.
  I highly recommend the product, especially with the 100 books that came with it. ...more info
• Good Product
  I would have like to have known that the product came with a cover so I wouldn't have had to purchase an extra one. Other than that it is a little slow when changing from screen to screen when either downloading from the web or reading a book. Overall its a good product....more info
• Great unit, but not perfect...
  I purchased this for my wife and it holds a lot of content. I opted to download Calibre for the library maintenance rather than using the included Sony software. The controls are intuitive, features are on par with competing units, and battery charge lasts days with constant reading. One major item of concern are the random reboots my wife experiences. I verified the firmware is up-to-date so I'm not sure what the issue is here - Overall, a great product that delivers what I expected....more info
• Converting / Reading PDF's and Exercising
  Below is an update to my original review on 1/3/09.
  
  UPDATE: If your pdf has tables, you'll only be able to view the tables in their original format in (very) small text, which is virtually impossible to read. Any pdf document without tables is not an issue. It even handled a pdf with two columns on one page properly. It shows the left column first, then the right column. Another downside is the title of the pdf document. It keeps the Title of the document used by the creator which, in many cases, is random or does not match the subject matter. This title cannot be modified, so you'll just need to memorize the random title for what you are uploading to the ebook.
  
  ORIGINAL REVIEW:
  Most of the material I read for work and pleasure comes in pdf format from various web sites.
  
  I reviewed the Kindle and decided to go with the Sony because of its ability to handle pdf's. It's not perfect because pdf's come formatted in many different ways, but the Sony definitely meets my requirements.
  
  In addition to uploading pdf's directly into the eBook, another option, is to save the document as a text file (.txt) before uploading. Adobe Reader gives you this option on the File menu to "Save as Text". You lose all formatting, but if you're reading just for content, it's not an issue.
  
  I also like to read while exercising. Another reader stated she removes the cover and puts their Sony in a zip lock bag to read in the bath tub. To take that a step further, I place mine in a larger zip lock bag and keep the cover on. I take mine to the gym and read it on a exercise bike to keep the sweat off.
  
  Although the Sony eBook and Amazon Kindle are not cheap, I view them as an investment and not an expense in today's information age....more info
• Key Features win over the Kindle
  After my first PRS-505/LC broke (dropped and hit a table corner at just the wrong place), I considered the new Kindle. Two features prevented the switch. (1) I could still read the eBooks on my computer while the PRS-505 was broken (I was overseas at the time) - you can't do this with a Kindle, and (2) you can set up categories for books (called Collections) - I read many series of books that I like to keep in order - you can't do that with the Kindle....more info
• Great Product With a Few Kinks to Work Out
  I'm really happy with my Sony e-reader. Most of the e-books I get are PDFs and it handles those with no problem. I don't notice the slight blink when I 'turn pages'. I get a lot of questions about it, too, when I take it out in public.
  
  A few small issues: I don't really care much for the software that comes with the Reader, but I can just drag-and-drop the books into the right folder on the book and it's all good. It doesn't handle all the formats I'd like it to; .LIT files, for instance. Also, it seems to lag a bit more with a lot of books (like, I threw fifty on there just to see if I could) loaded onto memory.
  
  Overall, It's a good buy, well-worth the money (especially if it's tax-deductable for work like mine is) and should give you lots of reading pleasure....more info
• Has changed the way I study completely!
  As a surgery resident, I find that fitting in time to read can be extremely difficult. Carrying a heavy textbook around is impossible. With the Sony PRS-505, however, I can upload my textbook and take it with me wherever I go. My quality study time is amazing!
  
  The down side? It can be a little slow to load between menus. Also, I've had trouble finding the ideal software to reformat my PDF files into a well-defined book with multiple chapters. I'm sure these are fixable problems, and I anticipate that they will improve with subsequent models.
  
  I purposely bought the older 505 model because I read several reviews saying it had a lower-glare screen than the newer 700 series. I will say that the 505 screen is amazing. The battery life is outstanding as well. I've recommended this product to my attendings as well as to my fellow residents multiple times already, and it's not even a month old.
  
  ...more info
• Assisted reading for the impaired.. Cool Tool!
  Seems to function well, took a bit to figure it out. The only irk so far is safely removing hardware, it doesn't want to. Keeps prompting to try later as if it is doing something in background without being evident.
  Reads clearly and without strain to hands or eyes. Picked up the illuminated cover to go with it and it is very sound and functional. Transfer of downloaded files from Sony to computer is easy and transfer to device is fluid.
  PDF file transfer from Adobe went well. Music on SD card works.
  Should be no problem adding photos or music to Reader.
  Device is a pleasure to hold and is visually appealing unlke some other oddball devices out there which shall go unnamed....more info
• We're getting really close...
  We're getting really close to something that can replace paper books most of the time, though I think they will never go away altogether. I was happy to receive this as a gift several months ago though I would hesitate to buy for myself.
  
  Pros
  -Re-sizable font. Oh yeah. This is huge for old folks and myopes like me.
  -Lighter than many paperbacks
  -Easier to hold than most paperbacks and nearly all hardback books. Kind of follows from the bit about being lighter, but in addition, you don't have to do any fancy finger gymnastics to keep the book open.
  -Somewhat easier to get books that are out of print.
  -Baen (the science fiction book publisher. Tons of appropriately formatted e-books, many of them for free.)
  -Takes up MUCH less space than the hundreds of paper books I will be not buying, or will be giving away.
  
  Cons
  -Less contrast than a paper book.
  -Less content available than with paper, or Kindle for that matter I believe.
  -My battery is flawed. Lasts fewer than 1000 page turns. I will eventually get it replaced, but it's a pain to have to do so. Better QC needed.
  -eBooks are actually MORE expensive than paper books (after typical discounts). Will somebody PLEASE tell me what THAT is all about?
  -PDFs are painful. Font is tiny and page turns are s l o w.
  -Sony Store, though improved, is still ridiculously unintuitive to use.
  -100 "free" books were an unfunny joke. Mostly available from Project Gutenberg or the like, almost all of them are only free because they were free to Sony, and they are poorly organized. ...more info
• I go to turn a page and am reminded it's not a real book.
  It's true. I'll be so into what I'm reading that my hand goes up to turn a page and I realize it's not a book. True there is a little bit of double image when it changes from one page to another, but unless you have a really short attention span, it's not going to matter to you. I've tried reading off the computer and I have a PMP that scrolls text to read and by far I prefer the Sony PRS. It's far from difficult to find reading matter online too. There are sites where you download ebooks and text or pdf files for free to read. I do recommend it to anyone who doesn't want to find more shelf space just to set the books they are going to read or have read and don't want to give up....more info
• A Great Purchase
  The ability to buy e-books from various sites makes this product better than the Kindle. One may also take out e-books from a public library. Great product!...more info
• Great product
  I have only had mine a short time, but so far I love it. It is slim and sleek with good software design. It holds tons of books and is expandable via memory card. There is a great selection of ebooks out there (both at Sony's store and other stores) and so far I've found everything I was looking for....more info
• Amost perfect
  I was familiar with the Sony 505 before I purchased this unit. Both my son and daughter-in-law have them. He uses his while traveling. She uses hers at home.
  
  I read reviews of the newer Sony reader (700) and decided to buy the 505 instead because it provides better contrast. You can do a web search and find photo comparisons if you are interested.
  
  I bought the unit for my wife, an avid reader, for the following reasons: (1) You can increse the font size. Her corrected vision is such that reading paperbacks is difficult due to the font size. (2) You don't have to hold the book open. She has arthritis and holding hardbacks and paperbacks open agravates it. (3) Add to that the ability to store hundreds of books in such a small lightweight package and it was almost a no brainer.
  
  The only issue is that it would be nice to be able to flag read books and have them appear on a submenu so that she can easily see the books she has not read and yet be able to look at all the titles by an author so she doesn't forget and order the same book again.
  
  Other than that ... perfect....more info
• Really great but not yet perfect
  I read a lot of "real" books and as I also have a lot of ebooks, a e-reader was a must have. Living in France, I could'nt get the Kindle so I tried this one. And it's really great. Compared to the silver version, it seems there is more contrast (only visual but I felt it).
  Reading with it is really like a "real" book, only that it has only one page :) Technically, it is a good thing because I sometimes read laid on my side and with a real book, there is always a problem every 2 pages. With the reader, you always have the good setting to read :D
  
  Also, a very important point. I have a lot of pdf files that I wanted to read on the reader, and after having read all the comment on the web stating how poorly the reader show these files, I was afraid to have to reformat all my pdf files to text files to be able to read them.
  And the thing is... there was a new firmware, which was already included in my reader, that correct this matter. So reading a pdf file is now very easy and you need no additionnal software to convert your ebooks. The only bad thing is that there is only 3 text size setting on this one and I would have prefered 5 as on the 700 because on the book I read last week, I would have really appreciated a setting between normal and big.
  
  Except that, the only bad point is the fact that you need a light to read in the dark, but after all, as a real book :) But I think the 700 is better on this point.
  
  So, to conclude, I'm really satisfied with this reader, but I think the next versions with more contrast (8 shades of gray is sufficient, 16 or more is perfect), reading light and 5 sizes of text.
  Concerning the fact that this one is not tactil, it doesn't matter. Technically, I don't see the use of it. To read, it's sufficient and I'll have more books with me everywhere now :)...more info