Comments on: Get a Sony Reader PRS-505 for $199.99

Usually priced closer to $300, the Sony Reader is finally available at a discount. It's not on par with the Kindle, but it does offer a terrific screen and some unmatched features.

[birdshake]

Says $280 for me.

[rickbroida]

Did you get to the third sentence, the one about the coupon code? :)

[gbelk08]

I still don't see the real advantage of ereaders yet, since I'd have to re-buy my entire library, you can't mark all over your book, and you can't sell it back. This isn't at all like music where you can rip your old cds, so I can't really take my entire library everywhere.

A drop in price is nice, but that is far from the only thing keeping me away from ebook readers.

[MakaiOokami]

These are the benefits...

1. Reading device manuals (if the PDF is readable on it)
2. Reading documents (especially things like legal documents and laws/bills)
3. you can use torrent sites or download sites to download the books. Someone is going to say "But that's illegal" well yes and no. It's illegal to upload the file, not illegal to download the file, and owning the file is 100 percent legal if it is a back up copy of something else that you already own. Example by law I'm allowed to own a back up Rom of any NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, or any other video game I own. This is the same reason why you're allowed to copy a cd to your computer. It's a backup copy. A lot of computer books even have text and PDF files.

If I had a girlfriend I'd buy this ereader in a nanosecond. Why do I need a girlfriend? Well I need a justification for buying the device, and I'd need someone to remind me to read books, or use the device instead so that I don't waste the money, or just to enjoy reading next to when I'm laying in bed next to her...

So... Without someone important to share this with... I'll just try to remember to read crap on my PSP. I never do... Which further illustrates the "don't want to waste the money" aspect of it. I probably would never use it in the long run.

[GrahamNY]

I'm a big fan of the 505 and take it with me on vacations when I know I'll have dedicated time to sit and read.
For having books always with me, without having to remember a separate device, I'm quite happy with iPhone books.

[NG_Dissonance]

"I still don't see the real advantage of ereaders yet, since I'd have to re-buy my entire library"

No...just buy the books you want. It's stupid to buy an entire library over again, particularly if you can just pick up the physical book and read it if desired.

"you can't mark all over your book, and you can't sell it back"

There is an annotation feature with the Kindle and presumably the Sony e-readers. As for selling it back, boo hoo. How do you sell back any software you downloaded digitally?

"This isn't at all like music where you can rip your old cds, so I can't really take my entire library everywhere."

Yeah, you actually have to pay for the books. Sucks. Pirate Bay won't necessarily work for you in the e-book world. You can't download a physical book either.

"A drop in price is nice, but that is far from the only thing keeping me away from ebook readers."

Apparently you're not a college student.

[MakaiOokami]

I commented on the ability to download the books. It's surprisingly easy to get a bunch of the books you may already have on Isohunt. Isohunt also aggregates from Piratebay which makes it a much more functional site. I rarely can't find something on isohunt. Since he owns the books it isn't illegal to have a back up copy of it. There are a lot of sites that probably have some of his books in word, text, or pdf format. Question is whether or not they'll work properly. I downloaded all of the Douglas Adams books that I own to read on my PSP at work, but... I never get around to reading on that device.

[NG_Dissonance]

The biggest complaints I've seen with the Kindle are from people too stupid to keep their pets or children (or themselves) from stepping on them and kids who don't get the concept they can't get everything they want for free. Grow up...

[MakaiOokami]

Well they do need to lower the price of books, ebooks, and the reader devices. The reader devices will come down in price as the market place becomes more saturated.

The major thing is that no ebook should be more than like 10 dollars. There's no print cost, there's no ink cost, there's no distrobution cost (as the files are so infinitesimal by comparison of anything else. Even on the PS3 it only costs a company 9c per gig for people downloading) so... there's no reason these books should be more than that. I'd say they should be selling books for like 5-10 dollars and the ereaders for about 150. Making this stuff mainstream will make everything so much easier.

For now it's a luxury item for those with plenty of extra cash. We need it mainstream affordable overall for it to catch on and at 5-10 dollars trading it in isn't even an issue.

[IDSmoker]

"We're sorry. The page you are looking for does not exist on our site. Please visit the Borders homepage"

Even searching the Borders site doesn't turn up the PRS-505, only the newer (more expensive) PRS-700.

[rickbroida]

Looks like they burned through their supply. Not all stores show items as "out of stock" -- some just pull them from their catalogs altogether.

[IDSmoker]

I managed to get the last one my local Borders had in stock using the printable version of the coupon! (found at: http://tinyurl.com/nw5b9z )

Thanks for another great deal Rick!

[Smathleen]

I purchased the Sony PRS 505 through this limited time offer at Borders and have been thouroughly pleased.

It is important to me to be able to read and upload .pdf files and documents with out having to pay a fee. Also the Sony PRS 505 syncs with Adobe Reader allowing me to check out books online from my local library.

As a member of the New York Public Library I have instant access to a variety of titles that I can check out for up to 3 weeks at a time. The Kindle cannot offer me that.