Sony Portable Reader System PRS-500 vs Sony Reader PRS-505

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Portable Reader System PRS-500 compared with Reader PRS-505

	SonyPortable Reader System PRS-500	SonyReader PRS-505
Overview
Released
Released	October 2006	October 2007
Screen
Screen size
Screen size	6″	6″
Resolution
Resolution	–	800 × 600
Sharpness
Sharpness	–	167 pixels per inch (calculated)
Colour
Colour	No	No
Front light
Front light	No	No
Display detail
Display detail	E Ink electronic paper; approximately six-inch diagonal and four greyscale levels reported by The Gadgeteer	Electronic paper with eight greyscale levels; six-inch diagonal and 800 × 600 resolution reported by MobileTechReview
Front light
Front light	No integrated illumination	No integrated illumination
Page turns and refresh
Page turns and refresh	Physical page controls, three text sizes and portrait or landscape orientation; numbered menu selection buttons	Physical page-turn controls, three text sizes and landscape orientation
Reading and writing
Stylus
Stylus	No	No
Page-turn buttons
Page-turn buttons	Yes	Yes
Audiobooks
Audiobooks	Yes	Yes
Storage
Storage	64 MB	192 MB (better)
Software
Software	Other	Other
Formats
Formats	BBeB, PDF, TXT and RTF; Word converted to RTF; JPEG, GIF, PNG and BMP; EPUB and Adobe DRM supported with later firmware 2.0.00.09180 and compatible desktop software	BBeB, PDF, TXT and RTF; Word converted by desktop software; EPUB and Adobe DRM PDF/EPUB listed in the updated 2008 maker manual; JPEG, GIF, PNG and BMP
Book store
Book store	Computer-based CONNECT eBooks purchases offered at launch; memory-card file transfer also supported	Computer-based Sony eBook Store purchases offered at launch; USB mass-storage and memory-card transfer
Note taking
Note taking	Bookmarks; no touchscreen annotations	Bookmarks; no touchscreen or handwriting
Connections and battery
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Maker claims approximately 7,500 pages with a fully charged battery	Up to approximately 7,500 BBeB pages with a fully charged battery
Charging
Charging	Supplied 5.2 V mains adaptor or computer USB; fully depleted battery requires mains charging	USB charging; optional AC-S5220E mains adaptor
Connectivity
Connectivity	USB; shared Memory Stick/SD card slot; approximately 64 MB user-available storage	USB; separate Memory Stick Duo/PRO Duo and SD memory-card slots; approximately 192 MB user-available storage
Audio
Audio	Headphone output; unprotected MP3 and AAC audio only; playback while reading supported	3.5 mm headphone socket; unprotected MP3 and AAC audio only; playback while reading supported
Design
Size
Size	Maker maximum dimensions 6.9 × 4.9 × 0.5 inches without soft cover; approximately 8.8 oz without cover	Maximum 4.8 × 6.9 × 0.3 inches without soft cover; maker specifies approximately 9 oz without cover
In the box
In the box	Reader, protective cover, mains adaptor and cable, USB cable and Windows CONNECT Reader software	Reader, USB cable, protective soft cover and PC software