Sony Reader Touch Edition (PRS-600) – Review
As is known, Sony Reader Digital Book with touch screen - PRS700 was rather disappointing to a lot of users. (Obviously, I’m not going to speak for everyone, I’m just giving my own opinion and also the opinions of several hundred other users). Despite the advanced facilities of the e-Reader that came with the sensor display, the sensor film made the screen characteristics visibly worse: it reduced the contrast and the letters looked as if they were covered with an opaque film. Actually, it is quite literal – the text is covered with an opaque sensor film. This is why, despite various new features, the customers weren’t in any haste to move from Sony PRS-500 to PRS700.
Some time later Sony announced 2 other models. One of them is the 5-inch Sony PRS300 Pocket Edition which utilizes VizPlex paper of the 3rd generation, and also Sony PRS600 which became a successor to the PRS-700 and 500, since they were taken out of production.
The e-Reader kit is, as usual, not very extensive: the e-Reader itself, a case for it, a USB-cable and a couple of brochures. No cover, like with the PRS-500, but there are sockets for it, so you can buy it separately.
As the PRS-600came up to take the place of two models at once – the PRS-505 and 700 – Sony PRS-600 comprises the advantages of 505, while the mistakes of 700 were corrected.
Thankfully, the useless screen lighting, which makes your eyesight worse and uses up the battery charge, has been disposed off. The display is now almost up to the case brim, which is much more convenient than the counter-sunk screen of the 700.
There are fewer control buttons – just five of them: page-turning back and forward, main menu, font size change and settings.
To be honest, I still haven’t figured out who came up with the idea of putting the page-turning buttons in the bottom left side, so that only left-handed people can use them. Anyway, the pages are very easy turned by finger with the sensor display, so it doesn’t really matter where the buttons are.
The PRS-600 case is similar to the 700, made of plastic and metal, but it doesn’t have any ribbed parts and looks more stylish. The back of the device is now rubberized, which made holding the e-Reader much easier.
The sockets and side buttons are the same as on the PRS-700 though, obviously, the lighting off/on buttons don’t exist anymore.
Sony PRS-600 still has a stylus, just like the 700, - you’ll need it to write notes.
Something has been done to the display after all – it’s not as opaque as that of the 700, and the text is much more contrast. Although, as I understand, the sensor film is still over the screen, not under it, the display has definitely improved.
The kit doesn’t include the disk with the computer software (eBook Library), but the program is put into the internal memory of the device, and you can install it on the PC from there.
The software isn’t much different from the PRS-700.
There are 5 font sizes, XXL is especially spectacular.
Substrings for the search are set with the help of the on-screen keyboard, which is very easy to use on the sensor display.
Bookmarks and notes are opened through a menu item – you can mark a pictogram to bookmark a page and also write a note directly over the text of the book or document with a stylus.
You can also view notes and bookmarks in the general list where special pictograms show whether it is a note or a bookmark.
There’s a separate section of notes which are made via the on-screen keyboard. You can also make handwritten notes.
Just like in the PRS-700, you can turn pages with a touch of the finger, which is really convenient.
It looks like this: you hold the e-Reader with both hands and when you need to turn a page, you slide the right thumb horizontally for a couple of centimeters, and the page turns forward. You can go back a page by sliding the left thumb. After you’ve figured out the correct spot and got used to the force (which is, obviously, not very strong), page-turning won’t be a problem at all. When you are skilled enough, you can even hold the e-Reader in one hand and turn the pages with the thumb of the same hand – I do it quite easily. Besides, you can even go back to the previous page with the same finger, just glide it from right to left, rather than from left to right. If you glide your finger (it’s called “a gesture”) and quickly stop pressing the display, the page turns immediately. If you make a gesture and keep pressing the display, the page won’t turn, but once you lift your finger, you’ll instantly see the next page. You can also make a gesture from top to bottom or from bottom to top, if it’s more convenient for you: when you glide your finger down, the page will become smaller, when you glide it up - it becomes larger.
You can set the desired finger movements in the device settings.
There’s a Slideshow feature that allows using the e-Reader as a photo frame. Doesn’t make any sense at all, considering its characteristics.
Advanced settings allow you to add dictionaries (Oxford American English eDictionary is embedded). You can also choose different settings for the main display.
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Conclusions
In general, I quite liked Sony PRS-600. I’d give it a B. When I reviewed the PRS-700, I didn’t even think of buying it for myself, while with the 600 I’m still in doubt. The price is usual for Sony 6’’ devices.
Manuals
End very useful video:
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