Sony Portable Reader System PRS-500 vs Sony Reader PRS-700

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Portable Reader System PRS-500 compared with Reader PRS-700
SonyPortable Reader System PRS-500SonyReader PRS-700
Overview
ReleasedOctober 2006November 2008
Screen
Screen size6″6″
Resolution–800 × 600
Sharpness–167 pixels per inch (calculated)
ColourNoNo
Front lightNoYes
Display detailE Ink electronic paper; approximately six-inch diagonal and four greyscale levels reported by The GadgeteerElectronic paper with touch overlay; 800 × 600 resolution and eight greyscale levels reported by MobileTechReview
Front lightNo integrated illuminationBuilt-in LED reading lights; Standard and Bright settings
Page turns and refreshPhysical page controls, three text sizes and portrait or landscape orientation; numbered menu selection buttonsSwipe, hold-to-turn continuously or physical page buttons; five text sizes and page zoom
Reading and writing
StylusNoYes
Page-turn buttonsYesYes
AudiobooksYesYes
Storage64 MB420 MB (better)
SoftwareOtherOther
FormatsBBeB, 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 softwareEPUB and PDF including Adobe DRM; BBeB, TXT and RTF; Word converted to RTF; JPEG, GIF, PNG and BMP
Book storeComputer-based CONNECT eBooks purchases offered at launch; memory-card file transfer also supportedComputer-based Sony eBook Store purchases offered at launch; USB or memory-card transfer
Stylus–Included stylus with body storage slot
Note takingBookmarks; no touchscreen annotationsHighlights and annotations entered using the on-screen keyboard; searchable terms
Connections and battery
Battery life detailMaker claims approximately 7,500 pages with a fully charged batteryUp to 7,500 continuous BBeB page turns at approximately one page per second; light-only claims of 8 hours Standard or 4 hours Bright with no operations
ChargingSupplied 5.2 V mains adaptor or computer USB; fully depleted battery requires mains chargingComputer USB; optional AC-S5220E mains adaptor
ConnectivityUSB; shared Memory Stick/SD card slot; approximately 64 MB user-available storageUSB; separate Memory Stick Duo/PRO Duo and SD/SDHC slots; maker operation checks up to 16 GB for each card family; approximately 420 MB available for user content
AudioHeadphone output; unprotected MP3 and AAC audio only; playback while reading supported3.5 mm headphone socket; unprotected MP3 and AAC only; playback while reading supported
Design
Weight–280 g
SizeMaker maximum dimensions 6.9 × 4.9 × 0.5 inches without soft cover; approximately 8.8 oz without cover127.6 × 174.3 × 9.7 mm without soft cover; 280 g also excludes cover
Colours–Black
In the boxReader, protective cover, mains adaptor and cable, USB cable and Windows CONNECT Reader softwareReader, stylus, USB cable, protective soft cover and eBook Library PC software

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