Sony Reader Pocket Edition Silver PRS-300SC

I'm a very happy Kindle owner, but when my local library began offering ebooks I wanted to be able to take advantage. I bought the 300 because it was the least expensive way to get a reader that could handle the epub format. Also, one of my friends has one of these, and I'd seen it "in person".Some things I like about the reader, some I don't -Like:--It will handle the epub format, so I am able to take advantage of my library's offerings.The Sony shows what page of the book you're on; I'm kind of surprised at how much I like to see "page 28 of 350"--While reading a book I can go to a different page in the book by simply inputting the page number using the number keys at the side of the unit.--The unit is very small, but also feels substantial, not cheap at all.--I don't know for sure just how long the battery will go on a charge, but it has been acceptable to me so far.Don't Like:--In order to access the library books I had to download and install both Adobe Digital Editions software, and the Sony Library software. I really dislike things that insist you download some proprietary software in order to run.--The Sony comes only with a cable to connect the reader to a USB port on my computer. This is to be used to load books onto the reader, and to charge the reader's battery.--While the reader is being charged through the computer, it is totally unusable. There's a red light that lights up while it's charging, and when the light goes out supposedly it's fully charged. This was a major issue for me, and I've wound up buying a separate charger that plugs into the wall. Using the wall charger, the reader can be read while charging. I just think it's too bad that Sony doesn't include that with the reader, especially when you consider they do charge a pretty fair amount for the unit. I was able to buy a charger here on Amazon for .88 (with 2.98 shipping) that does a fine job.--In order to get books on the reader they must first be downloaded to my computer, and then loaded from there.--There are only 3 (yes, THREE) font sizes! Each book opens in the smallest font size, which is truly "mice type", and you must then press a little button to cycle from small to medium to large. And believe me, large is not very large at all. So if I open a book and change the font to a readable size, the unit does not remember that choice for the next book.--At the bottom center of the reader is a 4way directional button that you use to navigate through selections, and on the right side of this button is the only place to page forward in your book. I'm finding this to make this unit not much of a one-handed reading experience, because if I hold the book with my left hand my thumb is not long enough to reach across to the right side of the button; I've paged backwards a few times trying to do this. So what I wind up doing is holding with my left hand and using my right hand to turn pages. Holding with my right hand only is not really that comfortable to me.--Contrast on the type is very washed out, I find myself really not wanting to read on this one very much, but for the reason I bought it, it's doing what I wanted.

I did a lot of research before I decided to buy the PRS-300. Initially I was set on the PRS-600 due to the extra features, including the touchscreen. After reading lots of reviews and doing some soul searching, I realized that the smaller brother, the PRS-300 is actually the perfect ebook reader for me. I will also mention that this is my first such device and I've been wanting one for a long time.What drove me away from the PRS-600 (which otherwise has a whole bunch of useful extra features) is the fact that the screen isn't as clear as the PRS-300 due to the extra layer for the touchscreen. In fact, the PRS-300 supposedly has the best and most contrasty screen of any reader currently in production. And this is the main reason that finally decided it for me. I want my reading experience to be as close to reading a book as possible.To those who complain that this reader is missing a wireless connection I will say this: you are a bit misguided my friends. In fact, I wouldn't have bought this reader if it had a wireless connection (like the Kindle). A book doesn't have wireless and it works just fine. I don't want to have the surprise to find my books deleted remotely. In fact I love the fact that I can connect my reader to my computer with a cable whenever I want to. Once I load my books on it, a long time will pass before I wish to fiddle with them again. And no, I don't read news on the device. Strictly books.The device itself is very elegant and well built. Even though the back is not metal (only the front is), the construction feels very sturdy and solid. It's a little bit weighty in your hand, but just enough to not feel flimsy. The first time you lay your eyes on it might be a surprise because the PRS-300 is smaller in person than in pictures. Just so you can get an idea, it has the same width as a classic paperback but it is about 1 inch shorter. I find it very easy to hold in one or two hands.The buttons are very satisfying to click and I realized that I prefer to use them rather than a touchscreen that can get grimy from all the touching.The lack of a expansion (SD) slot is not an issue. I've loaded over 22 books on it and I still have over 300 MB left. Those 22 books will probably require 2 years to finish since some of them are over 1000 pages in length. Space is really not an issue here.The screen is very good but it could have been better. More contrast would be nice but the e-ink technology is still young. I don't mind the fact that it is only 5" instead of 6" because the resolution is the same as for the bigger model.One other thing that could have been better is the speed of operation. Page turning is reasonably quick, and even though it's not instant, you will get used to the speed after a while. These days I don't even notice it. What would have been nice though is a slightly speedier processor. Some large books (1000+ pages) take a long time to load the first time but I assume that's because the device is trying to format the book for its screen.Battery life seems adequate, although I haven't reached the claimed 7000-8000 pages with one charge. I've only fully charged the battery once though but on the first charge I must have read about 1000 pages before it gave out. I'm sure battery life will improve after a few charge/discharge cycles.Another big issue with this reader is that the battery is not user-replaceable. Some people have stayed away from this reader due to this particular reason but I decided that the battery won't lose more than half its capacity in the next 2 years, by which time the device will probably be replaced by something modern anyway so it's really not such a big issue for me.All these apparent negatives aren't enough for me to give it less than 5 stars because as I said at the beginning, I had researched the PRS-300 thoroughly before I took the plunge and I knew exactly what its limitations were.2 more things I want to mention before ending this.1. I didn't use Sony's software. I used the freeware Calibre instead. It's an awesome piece of software although it seems to have some bugs and it is a bit slow in operation.2. Although Sony doesn't supply the PRS-300 with a wall charger, you can check around your home for a compatible one with a mini-USB plug. I found out that the charger for my Garmin Nuvi 350 GPS works just fine since it has a compatible voltage which is about 5V. A word of warning here: do this at your discretion; I will not be held responsible if you damage your reader by using a 3rd party charger. What worked for me might not necessarily work for you.