Posted 11/03/2009 at 12:13:02am

I may be different from other traditional book readers, but I don't really think so.  I am an avid reader and I tend to re-read my books every few years, so I have accumulated a small public library in books in the last 30 years.  In a 1,300sqft home, that takes up a ton of space. 

I recently bought a Sony 505 E-reader (on a 75% off sale price) and after trying a few books on it. I have to say that the reading experience is not that much different than reading a "real" book.  I can read in direct sunlight and there is no screen glare as the screen is made to mimic a printed page.  The background looks like that off white that a paperback page looks like and the black text stands out nicely on it. 

As for batteries and such, mine has a built in Lithium Ion battery (it is replaceable when the time comes), and is rated by Sony as being good for over 4,000 page turns.  I have not counted my page turns, but I can say that I only have to charge it about once a month.

Lastly, in regards to my earlier mention about the space my books are taking up; the Sony 505 has SD and Sony Memory stick card slots.   I imagine that if I bought either one at the largest size available and supported by the device, I could store most if not all my books on it in digital format.  To me this is the deciding factor.  Saving space at home, and if I travel.  No need to take up suitcase space with books and being able to have all my books at my fingertips anytime anywhere. 

I guess you can tell from my post that I am very happy with my choice to buy an E-reader, but each person will have to make that choice on their own.

Posted 09/06/2009 at 11:56:00pm

I prefer them over the hard copy versions now. I have an E-library of about 1500 books now, all on one device. Currently my Dell Axim X51V. For my upcoming birthday on the 12th of this month, I just purchased a Sony PRS-505 Ereader. This was after literally over 6 months of research.

Posted 08/18/2008 at 11:57:41pm

This looks like a really interesting rig.  I have been out of the hardware end of the market for too long so do not know how it compares to the older equipment I am familiar with (I know it is better).  For any of you that actually have bought this laptop, how well does it do on high end games?   I see the quake and fear scores, but I do not know how much those games challenge a system as comapred to some of the games that Max PC says "will bring your system to its knees".

I am looking to replace my 5yo desktop PC and I wonder if this is a good choice.

Posted 08/03/2008 at 01:55:27am

Even though I do not agree with their policy, I have to give them credit.  They came right out and said exactly what their stance is.  I live in a very rural area and I really only have three choices for net access, four if you count dial-up, satellite (hughes net), cable (charter), and wireless broadband (Verizon wireless).

I looked closely at each and noted that 1. hughes net is rather expensive and has had some bad reviews concerning overall speed.  2. Verizon states in their policy that excessive bandwidth usage can result in an account termination.  3.  Charter offered several speed/pricing plans giving me more choices and ability to keep in a budget.

I chose the service provider that best fit my needs, in this case, charter and I advise anyone else to do the same.  If ATT wireless does not meet your file sharing needs, go with a provider that does.  Just make sure to thoroughly read the contract conditions. Most providers have them online or will email them to you.