The Sony Reader Pocket Edition PRS-350SC - Overview and Comments

The Sony reader pocket edition is, as you would expect, a pocket edition of the popular Sony e-reader, both ultra slim and lightweight with a 5" screen. The e-Ink pearl display offers a high degree of contrast and is very easy to read. It responds much quicker than the standard version, and is integrated with the Sony book store, allowing downloads of the ePub standard e-book format.

Available in silver and pink, it looks good and is nice to handle, while its battery will last for two weeks - you hardly need take the charger with you on vacation. It is a very good small e-reader for those that need a pocket version, although the small screen naturally has its disadvantages and you wouldn't choose this model unless you had a pressing need for it.

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Another disadvantage, which might be a serious one depending on how you access your eBooks, is a lack of connectivity. There is no 3G or Wi-Fi connectivity. So you need a direct connection with a computer. It also comes without any protective cover which is a bit thoughtless for a pocket e-reader, and is an added expense that you will definitely need.

The fact that it is more expensive than the Kindle or other e-readers of its size means that you are paying more for fewer features: both the cheaper Kindle and Nook offer wireless connectivity plus both Amazon and Barnes & Noble offer a more extensive library, so you may have to be a Sony fan to go for the PRS-350SC (the SC indicates a silver case, and the 350PC is pink).

However, in saying that, the touch screen is a bonus, since it is very clear and very easy to navigate. You can touch and swipe your way around very easily due to the excellent optical technology that Sony offers. By means of an infra-red sensor, the screen knows exactly where your fingers are, and by determining exactly where your fingers are tapping can determine exactly what you are trying to do and then executes that action. The results are very precise and very rapid. This is far better than the resistive overlay on the PRS-600.

It has both micro-USB and SC card slots, and charges through the micro USB connection. You can buy and download books from Sony's store or any other that offer eBooks in the ePub format, so you are not restricted to purchasing from just Sony. However, due to the lack of connectivity, you cannot download direct but must download to the PC or Mac desktop client and from there to the Sony Pocket Edition.

The Sony Pocket Edition PRS-350SC is a nice looking e-reader, but suffers weaknesses that may not be critical to most people. Whether you consider the purchase price worth it depends upon what price you can find online and whether or not you really need a Sony pocket e-reader. If you do, then it is excellent, but if not then you might be better with the Kindle unless you are a Sony person.

The Sony Reader Pocket Edition PRS-350SC - Overview and Comments

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Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-350 Review

The Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-350 is a good choice for the e-book user who's more concerned with portability and ease of use, rather than wireless connectivity and bookstore selection.

The first thing that you notice about the PRS-350 is how small it is. Its dimensions make it slightly larger than a smart phone in height and width, while it's one third inch thickness is much thinner than most smart phones. Because of the touchscreen technology, no frontal real estate is wasted in physical buttons.

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The touchscreen itself is excellent. It registers input very well. The whole experience feels very intuitive, and is much more inviting for someone new to e-books. The touchscreen even allows users to highlight text, scribble notes with their finger or the included stylus, and even double click on a word to draw up a dictionary definition.

The PRS-350 further set's itself apart by the wide variety of formats it reads. It will handle PDF, Word, and various other text formats. However, its support of ePub is its standout achievement in this category. By supporting ePub, the Sony PRS-350 allows the user to download ePub files that may be available for free from their local library's website.

The PRS-350 does have a few faults, none more glaring than the omission of any type of wireless connectivity for the device. No wi-fi, no cellular data connection. To load any new files into the device, the user must install Sony's desktop application onto their PC or Mac, connect the PRS-350 to the computer via USB, and then drag and drop the files into the reader. At the time of this writing, the best online price to be had for a Sony PRS-350 was 0, while the wi-fi only model of the Kindle goes for 0. This will be a deal-breaker for many people, as they want the ability to update and add content anytime, anywhere, without having to connect to a computer.

The other major shortcoming for the PRS-350 doesn't have anything to do with the reader itself, but rather the Sony online bookstore. While it does have a fairly good selection, Sony's store does not come close to rivaling the volume of available e-book titles that are available through Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. Further, Sony has yet to develop a promising app for iPhone or Android smart phones that would allow a user to read their purchases on those platforms. Both Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble have provided this feature for quite some time.

To sum it all up, buy the Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-350 if you need a the smallest e-book reader you can find that features a very simple to use, intuitive interface; and the ability to acquire more content without a computer is not necessary. If you do not like to be bound to your computer, and prefer to have the greatest selection of reading material, this is not the reader for you.

Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-350 Review

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