Sony Reader Digital Book PRS-505
Additional Model Numbers: PRS-505/LC, PRS-505/RC, PRS-505/SC, PRS-505/SC/007

The Sony PRS-505 "Reader Digital Book" retails for around $300 and is priced comparable to other eBook readers available today. The Sony Reader Digital Book is a slimmer Reader than its predecessor (PRS-500) by about 0.2 inch, but the weight is still around 9 ounces. At 6.9 inches by 4.9 inches, the Reader is about the size of a 5 X 7 picture frame or a paperback novel. This Reader comes with a leather cover available in silver and metallic blue.

The screen of the PRS-505 didn't change much from the PRS-500 model. Still sporting the monochromatic “E Ink” technology for an easy read. The quality of the screen is excellent and the high-contrast makes page reading as easy as that of printed pages. Font size adjusts at the touch of a button. This unit still does not utilize a backlight so users must work the device in a well-lit environment. There is an optional attachable nightlight available called the Flex-Neck LED Reading Light PRS-LIGHT01 for $15.

The top-level menu allows you to select books, audio, pictures, and easily make setting adjustments. You can select books by author or date and the Reader allows you to organize your books into collections. Very important is the ability to bookmark pages so as not to lose your place. Also new to this model is the ability to read a book and listen to MP3s at the same time.

Oddly enough, if you own a Sony PSP, the charger from that device works with this one. Sony says that with a fully charged battery, you can turn 7,500 pages. The unit is chargeable through the USB port on your computer or you can purchase an AC adapter as an optional accessory.

This electronic book holds thousands of titles. Users can import a variety of content, even free content, from a Windows computer to the device (via USB). Users do however have to use Sony's desktop software to move content to the device's 128MB of internal memory (more memory is available via SD and Memory Stick Pro). You can find some free full-length books online in the form of PDF or Word files, otherwise you have to visit Sony's Connect eBooks online store. For simplicity, this is integrated into the desktop software. Sony does offer a number of classic titles for $1.99 and there is the “reader-sharing” program that allows users to share books with up to five other people. The Reader is capable of displaying Text, RTF, Word and BBeB Book files, as well as PDF files (although often the text is skewed and hard to read). The Sony Digital Reader PRS-505 does not support the Audible file format.

Sony's second-generation device, PRS-505 is zippier than its predecessor, but there are still some lag issues when flipping pages. The small changes to the navigation and interface are negligible, but the advances with the Connect eBooks store are to be commended. The PRS-505 Reader Digital Book is not without blemishes, but the overall improvements from the previous model make the PRS-505 the better recommendation.