Sony PR-300 and PR-600 e-Book Readers
Posted on August 5th, 2009 by admin
There are reports that a couple of Sony’s e-book readers are slated to be released, the PR-300 and PR-600. The former will come with a 5″ LCD display sans audio output, and it will also lack any memory card slot of sorts. It will have a 440 MB memory and the weight of the entire reader will be around 220 grams. The PR-600 will be a 6-inch touchscreen display with audio output and an SD/MS memory card slot as well. It has 380 MB of space and weighs 286 grams. But it is yet to be known that whether this will come with Wi-Fi connectivity, so till then Amazon Kindle is the man!
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I hope I can add to the reviews already posted by discussing how Kindle
performs outside of the US. Specifically, I used it while deployed to
Baghdad, Iraq.
1) Overall cool factor: One thing that was striking was the sheer
number of books people have left behind in Iraq. At every Moral,
Welfare, and Recreation Center there was a shelf or more of free
books. At my residential area there were many shelves. Unfortunately,
finding a book suited to my own personal taste in a jumbled mass of
unorganized books was a challenge. Having the ability to pick something
I like was the main reason I bought Kindle, and it did not disappoint.
One anecdote. I joined our local Texas Hold ‘Em poker night, and I
quickly learned that I didn’t know what I was doing. I got a tip on
Phil Gordon’s Poker: The Real Deal , read the reviews, then downloadedand read it. Did it make me ready for the World Series of Poker? Hardly. However, I at least had a clue. Being able to get a book I wanted immediately while in Iraq was a great example of the technology at work.
2) Getting a Kindle overseas: You can’t, at least not directly. Not
even to an APO address. You can have it delivered to a US address, then
have that person ship it to you. Or you can carry it yourself. It’s
quite light and slim, making it perfect for a carry-on. Just be sure
that nothing presses too hard on the screen.
3) Getting books overseas: Not a problem. True, there is no
Whispernet, but the process of buying a book and downloading it to a PC
is not hard. (Although not totally transparent, either). Buy, then go
to “Your Media Library” to download. Books are not very large files, so
even with spotty overseas bandwidth you can get them quickly.
4) Shopping for books: This must be done using a PC, as noted above.
Since this is how I shop for books anyway, it has not been a concern.
5) Durability: Given the vagaries of travel, this was a concern. A
well-founded one, it turned out. The Kindle is supposedly drop tested
from 5 feet. However, the “drop things on it” test is a bit different.
I had mine resting on the floor and dropped a plastic bottle of vitamins
on it from about 3 feet. This caused no immediate effect, as the Kindle
was in sleep mode (in which it is like a resting etch-a-sketch - the
“ink” stays in place, usually displaying one of many file images of
famous authors, scenes, etc.). However, when I powered it up, the
screen was fractured. Take away message #1 - store Kindle on a shelf
like a book to turn the sensitive screen away from sources of damage.
6) Warranty: Take away message #2 - the warranty is a good idea for
overseas/travel use. I called customer service and had a
no-questions-asked replaced sent overnight. Again, this is only to a
stateside addressee who must then re-mail it to you (Thanks, Mom!). However, that replacement is a one-off. After using it once the warranty will only replace defects in the Kindle, not klutzy accidents or other
damage.
General observations:
Kindle starts conversations.
If I are not, like me, a happily married type, then taking Kindle to any
public place is an invitation for interested and literate persons to
start conversations with you. It’s rare enough and so visually striking
that people are bound to ask you about it. It’s like a cute dog that
you can take into the coffee shop. I don’t doubt that there will be
some couples who can say their romance began over a Kindle.
Kindle will probably not save you money.
At least not any time soon. True, you can save a few bucks on each
purchase, but we are talking single digit dollars per purchase. At that
rate, you are looking at 50-100 books before you break even.
Memory is…mehhh
The 1.4 GB of usable memory will hold over a thousand books. However,
if you plan to use Kindle for audiobooks, you will need to be a good
steward of your free space. More than one at a time may start to crowd
your library.
Competition:
A buddy who was deployed with me had the Sony Reader. It is more
compact and seems somewhat more versatile. The latest version has a
touch screen, but many reviewers say this reduced readability. If you
can find the older version, that would also be a good choice that is a
bit cheaper than Kindle.
Other features:
I have not used “read to me”. If I want to be read to, I’ll get an
audiobook.
A dictionary comes pre-loaded, and we used this to referee Scrabble.
Handy.
Overall:
I admit that the Kindle was a splurge, not a necessity. However, as far
as grownup toys go, it is one of my favorites. It is certainly not
perfect, but I can say that I do not regret my purchase.
4.5 stars