PRS-350 PRS-350SC Impression, upgrading from 505

[jakeluck]

After the recent 505 battery replacment saga(got it working at last via a custom kartu firmware to reassign the dead menu button), I went got the 30$ off and picked up a 350SC yesterday. When I was at the store I also looked at the 650(sold out everywhere including the SonyStyle store) and 950. IMO the 950 is a good and useful form factor. They also had the 300 and 600 on display.

The Pearl display of the 350 is much nicer than the Viziplex on the 505. The updated software with 6 different page mode makes reading PDFs a much more pleasant experience. The improved screen technology and adjustable brightness/contrast makes direct pdf rendering comparable to that of using Rasterfarian https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9173
The flexibility to zoom/lock added to the convenience. In particular the 4 pages mode makes reading 2 column research papers a cinch.

The 350 is noticably smaller and lighter in compare to the 505 and the 600/650. It is also lighter and feels more solid than the 300.

One thing to note is that the 350 no longer has a headphone port(no mp3/aac playback) or AC adaptor jack. That means charging is done through the only port on the device, MicroUSB.

Now the package did not include a protective case. I didn't like the $25 Sony case in the store. Itt is heavy and feels coarsely made, similar to the cheapo case that came with the Kindle 1. To this day out of all the cases that I have seen, I still like the original 500's nylon case the best.

Another thing, the aluminum finish on the 350 is more "brushed" than the smooth matte polish that the 505 has. The 350 is more coarsely polished on the left hand side's round bevel, looks almost like the side of an aluminum sheet pan. One nice touch is the rubberdized back(ala Newton 2000), which makes holding more assuring.

The touch screen is intuitive and non-obtrusive and I find the note taking ability very useful. Upgrading from the 505, the page turning is much faster, though I do miss the screen rotation by holding down the Resize button feature in the older reader.

Sony's own comparision chart is an accurate assessment:
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...dle_comparison

I hope some of you find this useful.

Jake

[sherbearjt08]

I have a 300 and am looking to upgrade (just sold my 300 on ebay so that I could). Can you tell me why you chose the 350 over the 650 (or if the reason was just availability)?

[jakeluck]

Good question, actually I was on the fence before I visited the SonyStyle store. It could have been either a 350, 650 or 950 that day.

For me, higher DPI is the major selling point. I did the side-by-side screen comparison of the 350, 600, 650 and the 950. The 350 is noticeably sharper as people had commented on the forum. For example, the pages numbers at the bottom of the screen (10 of 324), on the 650, when looking closely, the aliasing on the curves of the number "3" is still quite visible; where as they look smooth on the 350.

Both the 650 and the 350 has good solid construction, and much easier to disassemble(2 screws). The weight difference is significant. In the past, every time leaving the house, it was a decision of whether to bring the 505. Now the 350 is always in the pocket.

Coming from a 300, should be a nice stylistic and functional upgrade.
Go see it for yourself in person and post some of your impressions
when you get yours. I hope this helps. Have fun.

[jakeluck]

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