This was my first foray into the ebook world and after researching the subject before looking on Ebay this Sony seemed to tick all the boxes that I was after. Extremely neat and stylish and very easy to use as you would expect from a Sony.
It’s dimensions are that of what would be most recognisable as a medium size paperback only extremely slim. It is able to utilise the following formats of publications for reading: EPUB eBook, Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word, TXT, RTF, BBeB.
It has a touch sensitive screen which is great allowing you to turn the pages by swiping your finger in the manner of turning a page in a regular book, and a stylus is also provided should you wish to use that instead of your finger for a more defined usage of the touch screen as it can record your stylus movements and handwriting in the form of notes something which maybe useful to some people particularly if studying a book.
There are also buttons that allow you to turn the pages that way should you not wish to touch the screen at all. It has a good built in memory enough for around 350 eBooks and also two different expansion slots for SD and Memory Stick Duo cards so you are able to expand your library as you need to.
It has a very useful instant bookmark allowing you to continue reading from the last page of the last book you were last reading. It also allows the user to store and play music (through headphones) or other popular media files including MP3 and AAC audio.
There is a built in dictionary allowing you to tap a word on screen bringing up a dictionary definition. The screen itself and quality of the display is superb and allows you to change between five different font sizes for easier reading and can be read from almost any angle in sunlight in a very easy on the eye 8 level grey scale.
It also displays book covers extremely well and can store image files in various formats (JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP). It comes with a neat neoprene protective case which is basic but does the job. The only disapppointing thing I have found is that there is no backlight to the screen so a separate light source is definitely required for any late night reading.
Battery use is extremely low witha four hour charge lasting for approximately 7500 page turns. The unit comes with a USB cable that charges and syncs the reader at the same time utilising the built in eBook library software.
It would be useful at times to have a separate AC adapter but it doesn’t come equipped with one, although they are readily available accessories. All in all I have been extremely impressed since I have had my PRS-600 and cannot recommend it highly enough for ease of use and features and most importantly the price.
It has a great battery length and the built in memory is more than enough for all my needs.