Manage updates with the Download AppSony Reader Touch Edition PRS-600BC (black)
Manufacturer: Sony Part number: PRS-600BC
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- While it's an improvement to the company's previous touch-screen model, Sony's Reader Touch Edition PRS-600 is saddled with a screen that's short on contrast and prone to glare--and it lacks the wireless convenience of Amazon's identically priced Kindle.
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CNET editors' review
Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-600BC (black) price range: $119.00 - $307.72
- Reviewed by: David Carnoy
- Edited by: John Falcone
- Reviewed on: 09/11/2009
The good: The PRS-600 is sleeker than the Kindle; touch screen is more responsive than last year's Sony Reader; interface offers better ergonomics and is mostly easy to use; with the addition of an optional memory card (SD or Memory Stick Pro), it's capable of storing thousands of electronic books; five font sizes; decent battery life; displays Word and PDF files (with zoom), shows most image files, and plays MP3 and AAC audio; Sony's eBook Library software is now both Windows and Mac-compatible, with bestsellers costing $9.99 (just like Amazon); EPUB file compatibility lets you access thousands of free classic Google Books and loaner files from many local libraries; built-in dictionary now included.
The bad: Screen is still glare-prone; screen contrast (how dark the letters are) isn't as good as what you'll find on competing models; lack of wireless access means all files must be dragged and dropped from a PC; battery is sealed into unit; notation and markup functions can be cumbersome; USB charging only works from PCs.
The bottom line: While it's an improvement to the company's previous touch-screen model, Sony's Reader Touch Edition PRS-600 is saddled with a screen that's short on contrast and prone to glare--and it lacks the wireless convenience of Amazon's identically priced Kindle.
User reviews
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Shame on you Sony! You used to make quality products!
by WhskyJack on January 13, 2011
Pros: Compact, sleek design, easy to hold and convenient...ok, something else positive to say? no, actually.
Cons: Sony has completely dropped the ball with this one. The screen glare and the low contrast of the e-ink combine to make this product a truly dissappointing offer. Also, the battery has no staying power either. Needs constant recharging.
Summary: I really do enjoy the e-reading experience but am frustrated with my PRS 600.
The screen glare and the inability to set contrast levels for the e-ink display significantly degrade ...Summary: I really do enjoy the e-reading experience but am frustrated with my PRS 600.
The screen glare and the inability to set contrast levels for the e-ink display significantly degrade the reading experience. I actually find the touch screen function to be an unnecessary function.
I was in a Sony store just yesterday and discovered that the Sony has fixed these problems with the latest e-reader product and felt that we were totally misled by Sony when we bought this product last year.
You have to wonder why they rushed to market with this product and frankly misrepresented its features. -
does not charge reliably ...lots of glare.
by myevre on December 14, 2010
Pros: its accessibility to obtaining books from different sources
Cons: the print is too light......lots of glare.......difficult to charge.......I play with usb port in all our computers till one works
Summary: I would not buy it again, the glare is just too annoying and the charging issue a problem when away from a computer won't ac charge................I've notified ...
Summary: I would not buy it again, the glare is just too annoying and the charging issue a problem when away from a computer won't ac charge................I've notified sony of problem and they don't care to help so next time maybe a kindle
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Light and easy to use and holds a lot of books.
by kaw6065 on September 22, 2010
Pros: Can download to a computer and share the books with friends at no additional cost. . Can keep all the books on computer and reload them at any time. I have over 300. I like the ability to make the font bigger, have page numbers and bookmark page.
Cons: There is a glare on the screen that makes it hard to read. I would like to have color on the pages. And there is not a backlight.
Summary: I have had one for 5 years and I like it because my husband, my daughter and I can load the same book for just one price. I also like ...
Summary: I have had one for 5 years and I like it because my husband, my daughter and I can load the same book for just one price. I also like when the system tells me that I am buying the same book again. I don't want something that can only be downloaded to one persons book. And, this is great.
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A versatile open architecture eReader, but with a cost:
by bicarus on September 16, 2010
Pros: Does much more that the other EReaders. Downloadseverything you can ask of it. Word, PDF, Mobi, EPub. You can mark up the text. Adding content is easy through Calibre or the Sony software. The most versatile and flexible of all the readers.
Cons: Screen is definitely harder to read than the others. Easy to navigate. There is no WiFi/3G for the Touch.
Battery life is not as robust as a Kindle(wireless off) but is fine for for 5-6 days.Summary: If you want the most versatile eReader which can adroitly handle most of the e formats then the SONY is the one for you. The screen will be a disappointment (...
Summary: If you want the most versatile eReader which can adroitly handle most of the e formats then the SONY is the one for you. The screen will be a disappointment (touch screen resolution and glare). The other eReaders have better screens and are easier to read but you are not tethered to any particular bookstore and have the choice of what and where you get your content with the SONY.. Furthermore, if you can live without having a wireless connection this is a good choice. The touch screen allows easy navigation through Word documents, EPub, and PDFs. The mark up function works well enough to grade papers when you are on the road. When SONY figures out how to improve the screen quality with the touch function they will have a formidable product.
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piece of junk compared to other readers.
by ang-ilaw on June 14, 2010
Pros: The size of the reader.
Cons: Strange lines began to appear on the screen preventing me from reading the text.
Summary: Wish I had never bought it. It is in Sony repair and I mailed it to them 5 days after I purchased it brand new.
Summary: Wish I had never bought it. It is in Sony repair and I mailed it to them 5 days after I purchased it brand new.
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Dependable and convenient to use.
by Keenergap on May 20, 2010
Pros: I love the touch screen ease of use.
Cons: The screen is not very bright and the charge doesn't last quite as long as my other Sony ereader. The charge stays longer if you use the AC/DC wall charge every few days.
Summary: I would buy this all over again if given the choice. Its just easy to use, but I will be watching for improvements to be made with regard to anti-glare ...
Summary: I would buy this all over again if given the choice. Its just easy to use, but I will be watching for improvements to be made with regard to anti-glare and battery charge times.
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Really solid reader
by DAardvark on May 15, 2010
Pros: I really love this reader overall. I use is primarily as a book reader so all my content is ePub and for that the device is perfect. I take limited notes on it and it is my car MP3 Audio Book player. Takes SD & MemStick. Just a great tool.
Cons: Text needs to be a little sharper and glair is a challenge if a light is right over your soulder. Audio interface portion has real usability challenges.
Summary: It isn't perfect and I would make changes. Calibre is a better manager than the Sony Reader tool. And the MP3 interface needs a rewrite but audio quality is ...
Summary: It isn't perfect and I would make changes. Calibre is a better manager than the Sony Reader tool. And the MP3 interface needs a rewrite but audio quality is fine. The device just has such a great feel and the touch screen has has good responsiveness. With only minor improvements to the screen and software needed, I think this is the best reader on the market.
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Turns out I am very happy with my Sony Reader.
by dak111 on March 16, 2010
Pros: Perfect size. Long battery life. Easy to use. Can add a SD card or Sony Memory stick for huge storage.
Cons: To me the only con is getting some content into epub format. I read several computer networking pdf documents that I convert into epub to read on the Reader, it is a chore to convert these and some won't convert well at all.
Summary: I think this thing is great, I really do. My friend has the Kindle and I liked it, but I really like my Sony Touch Reader. Its the perfect size. ...
Summary: I think this thing is great, I really do. My friend has the Kindle and I liked it, but I really like my Sony Touch Reader. Its the perfect size. Its big enough that I can read from it well and its small enough to fit easily in my bag and even my jacket. Also, I like the touch screen. I really didn't think I would like the touch screen but its very useful. And the glare issue? It hasn't been much an issue at all. Its very easily tilted to reduce glare to be insignificant. Not sure what all the fuss is about.
Since this and all readers aren't backlit - you have to have good lighting to read by. A book light is something that is rather necessary as you need a little more light than you would reading a book with white pages.
I primarily use Calibre to manage my books. I also have several computer technical type of pdf docs that I've converted into epub and that is a chore. One trick is to break up large pdf's by using Adobe Acrobat and converting them in sections. But can't do on protected pdf files. The problem with PDF's natively is the type comes out to small on the screen and by enlarging, I lose any graphs or tables in the content so thats why the need to convert.
All in all this is a great product. Perfect size and huge storage makes it easy to bring along and read anywhere. -
Overall, not very impressed.
by jbrookd on March 2, 2010
Pros: Like that you can read pdf's easily.
Cons: Poor screen contrast. Advertises that you can read it in full sunlight. Great, but you practically have to be in full sunlight to read the screen.
Summary: I do not recommend this e-reader. I'm glad I bought a cheaper refurbished one, as I am very disappointed.
Summary: I do not recommend this e-reader. I'm glad I bought a cheaper refurbished one, as I am very disappointed.
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This has been a disappointment
by jmlarsen1 on February 28, 2010
Pros: Attractive, nice size, more memory than the PRS-550, touch screen
Cons: Battery life is very short compared to PRS-550; doesn't work very well. Have had it replaced already, but battery life still short and the touch screen frequently doesn't work. It has required resetting at least twice in the last month.
Summary: I was hoping this would be an improvement on the PRS-550. It is nice that it holds more books (not that I will ever have 300 books on it) but ...
Summary: I was hoping this would be an improvement on the PRS-550. It is nice that it holds more books (not that I will ever have 300 books on it) but the battery is very poor. I just took a short trip and the battery was fine when I left, but after a day, it was totally dead. The PRS-550 would last several weeks. After I recharged the battery and used the mechanical page turner (rather than touch), it started jumping forward forcing me to reset it. I did have the PRS-550 replaced right after I purchased it, but after that it has always worked well. Still does. I am wondering why I wasted the money because I am worse off than I was with the PRS-550.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Sony
- Part number: PRS-600BC
- Description: Take your favorite books to go with the Reader Touch Edition by Sony. Touch navigation allows you to turn pages, take notes and highlight text. Tap a word and the built-in dictionary will instantly reveal the meaning. Build your library today at the Reader Store, where you can access new releases or choose from over one million free public domain titles from Google Books , or you can visit public libraries to borrow eBooks.
General
- Packaged Quantity 1
- Product Type eBook reader
- Dimensions (W x D x H) 4.8 in x 0.4 in x 6.9 in
- Weight 10.1 oz
- Color Black
Display
- Type 6 in Monochrome E Ink
- Display Resolution 800 x 600
- Touchscreen Yes
- Display type 6 in E Ink
- Color Depth 3-bit (8 gray levels)
- Max resolution 800 x 600
Processor
- Processor Freescale i.MX31L
EBook Reader
- Supported Text Formats EPUB ,
PDF ,
BBeB,
DOC ,
RTF ,
TXT ,
BBeB DRM - Supported Still Image Formats PNG,
JPEG,
BMP,
GIF - Features Touch screen
Location
- GPS Navigation None
Multimedia
- Supported Digital Audio Formats AAC ,
MP3 Input Device
- Type Touch-screen
Power
- Battery installed (max) Lithium ion
Expansion and Connectivity
- Interfaces 1 x USB
Battery
- Technology / Form Factor Lithium ion
- Run Time 14
- Battery Life (pages) 7500 pages
Miscellaneous
- Cables Included 1 x USB cable
Dimensions & Weight
- Width 4.8 in
- Depth 0.4 in
- Height 6.9 in
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 41 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 95 °F
Product series
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Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-600BC (black)
Manufacturer: Sony
Specs: Freescale i.MX31L,
6 in Monochrome E Ink,
4.8 in x 0.4 in x 6.9 in,
10.1 oz -
Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-600RC (red)
Manufacturer: Sony
Specs: i.MX31L,
6 in Monochrome E Ink,
4.8 in x 0.4 in x 6.9 in,
10.1 oz -
Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-600SC (silver)
Manufacturer: Sony
Specs: 6 in Monochrome E Ink,
4.8 in x 0.4 in x 6.9 in,
10.1 oz
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Sony products on Shopper.com
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- Manufacturer:Sony
- Address:
16765 W. Bernardo Dr., San Diego, CA 92127 - Phone: 1-877-865-SONY
- Email: contact@sel.sony.com
- Fax: 941-768-7790
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