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  • Introduction

  • Front

  • Back

  • Sides

  • Size Comparisons

  • In the Box

  • Handling

  • Screen

  • Indoor & Outdoor Use

  • Controls

  • Connectivity

  • Battery Life

  • Reading Books

  • Buying Books

  • eBook Formats

  • Newspapers & Magazines

  • eBook Battery Life

  • Device & Specs

  • Screen

  • Battery

  • eReader

  • Internet

  • Device & Specs

  • Screen

  • Battery

  • eReader

  • Internet

  • Device & Specs

  • Screen

  • Battery

  • eReader

  • Internet

  • Conclusion

  • Introduction
  • Front
  • Back
  • Sides
  • Size Comparisons
  • In the Box
  • Handling
  • Screen
  • Indoor & Outdoor Use
  • Controls
  • Connectivity
  • Battery Life
  • Reading Books
  • Buying Books
  • eBook Formats
  • Newspapers & Magazines
  • eBook Battery Life
  • Device & Specs
  • Screen
  • Battery
  • eReader
  • Internet
  • Device & Specs
  • Screen
  • Battery
  • eReader
  • Internet
  • Device & Specs
  • Screen
  • Battery
  • eReader
  • Internet
  • Conclusion

Introduction

Front

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Back

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Sides

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Size Comparisons

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In the Box

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The Pocket Reader PRS-350 doesn't come with much in its box. Aside from the device itself and its manuals, you'll get a USB cable for data transfers and battery recharging and a power adapter to hook the device up to a wall socket.

Handling

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The Sony Reader Pocket PRS-350's dimensions are similar to a small paperback novel, which make it very easy to hold with a single hand. The touch screen seemed responsive, and we were able to turn pages with just a short flick. The bezel provides an adequate handhold, but those with big hands are probably better off palming the device: holding it with both hands might feel a bit cramped.

Screen

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The Sony Reader Pocket PRS-350 has a 5-inch eInk touchscreen. Like other eInk screens we've seen, the Pocket's display closely resembled print and displayed sharp letters. Changing between any two screens, however, will require the screen to cycle: its colors will invert, causing the screen to flash. This process takes about as long as it would take to manually turn a page in a paper book. Like the Sony Reader Daily, the Pocket's screen cycling won't entirely erase the previous image. The residual shapes will be very, very faint, however, and we don't suspect the average user would care.

Indoor & Outdoor Use

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The Sony Reader Pocket PRS-350's eInk screen isn't affected much by external light. The only area you'd run into trouble is in a particularly dark environment: since the Pocket doesn't have a backlit screen, you'll only be able to read it in lighting where you'd be able to read a paper book.

Controls

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Like the Kindle, the Pocket has both a touch screen and physical buttons. Underneath the screen are buttons for the previous page, next page, home screen, zoom feature, and options menu. Keep in mind that the options menu isn't the same as the settings menu, which is only available from the home screen.

The controls on the top right side of the iPad body: volume, lock and power.

Connectivity

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The Sony Reader Pocket PRS-350 doesn't feature any online connectivity.

Here we see a Lightning dock in its natural habitat.

Battery Life

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The Sony Reader Pocket PRS-350, like most eInk screens we've seen so far, has great battery life. Assuming average reading speed, a full 24 hour book session will only drain about a quarter of the device's battery life. We'd estimate the battery could hold out for a little over four days straight of constant reading. On our audio playback test, we found the device could output sound constantly for about 19 and a half hours before it drained the battery.

While you probably couldn't get away with only charging your device once a week, you could probably get away with a few days use before you had to plug it in.

Reading Books

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The Sony Reader Pocket PRS-350 provided a pretty good reading experience. The eInk screen provides sharp text in various lighting conditions. The matte screen cuts down on reflections doesn't have the backlight that induces eye-strain in some users. Technically the Pocket should have the same screen as the Kindle—they're both E Ink® Pearl displays—but we didn't think the image quality was quite as good. Realistically, the average user wouldn't notice the difference, but when you put the two side by side you can really see a higher level of clarity and smoothness on the Kindle. Additionally, the Pocket doesn't cycle the screen particularly fast: it takes over a second and a half before a new image can appear.

The iBooks program offers a range of controls for font and text size

There are a few ways to get to your book on the Sony Reader Pocket PRS-350. The top item on the home screen is the last book you read, along with a large image of its cover art, which makes it easy to pick up where you left off. Underneath that section is a box labeled Books that provides links to the latest three books put on the device: each one contains a thumbnail of the cover art, the title, and the author. The final row contains links to all the periodicals you're subscribed to, collections (separates books unto unread, purchased, or by genre—with the ability to create your own collection), and all the notes you've made so far.

While the Pocket offers a lot of venues to find what you're looking for, there isn't an actual search feature. This is particularly unfortunate since the device does employ an onscreen keyboard for naming custom categories or typing notes.

Buying Books

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The Pocket makes buying books fairly easy. Just hit the home button and you should see a link to the store at the bottom of the screen. Once you click it, you just need to sign in to your account and you're on your way. Of course, much like using the Pocket's browser, buying a book on the device feels clunky and slow.

Books can be purchased on the iPad through the iTunes store

eBook retailer guide.

eBook Formats

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Calibre software can.

Unsecured Text : ePub, PDF, BBeB Book, PDF, TXT, RTF

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Newspapers & Magazines

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The Pocket doesn't support newspaper or magazine subscriptions.

The New York Times is available on the iPad through their own app

eBook Battery Life

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Device & Specs

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Both devices are easy to hold with either both hands or just one. The Kindle keeps its page turning buttons on its right side, within easy reach. The Pocket tucks its page navigation buttons under the screen, which makes them hard to reach with a natural-feeling hand position. Both devices support touch controls as well.

Screen

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Both devices have the same eInk screen, the E Ink® Pearl. In general, they performed almost identically on our tests. The big difference between the two is the Pocket's smaller screen size. Other than that we saw a bit of a residual image on the Pocket after the screen cycled. It was a very slight effect, though, and you'd really have to look for it.

Battery

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Neither product had an issue with battery life, but the Kindle performed slightly better than the Pocket. The Pocket couldn't last a full day on our music playback test, but the Kindle lasted three.

eReader

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Both of the devices are eInk readers with touchscreens and, as a result, approximately the same reading experience. We liked the Kindle's button placement a bit more than the Pocket's, as it was easier to access the page navigation when it was already under our thumb, rather than attempt to stretch to buttons that were out of our reach. The touchscreen controls basically nullifies the need to use the Pocket's buttons, however.

Internet

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The Kindle does have some internet features, such as the ability to download books on the go, an internet browser, and meager app support. The Pocket doesn't support any of these features.

Device & Specs

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The Pocket is the David to the iPad's goliath—just be sure to stop at the size discrepancy, or else the analogy really breaks down. The iPad is huge and unwieldy compared to the Pocket. You really need to use the iPad in your lap or on a table, otherwise you're compromising your grip each time you swipe the screen.

Screen

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The iPad's and Pocket's screens are very different: the former is an LCD and the latter is an eInk screen. if you're in the market for one or the other, this is an easy choice. If you're don't mind the LCD, it's hard to make a case for eInk. The iPad's screen is large, crisp, color, and supports video.

Battery

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The Pocket really beats the iPad in terms of battery life—at least in terms of reading. The iPad could only last for about 5 1/2 hours of reading, while we estimate the Pocket will last for 96. In terms of battery life, however, the iPad really, really outlasts the Pocket: the iPad can last for over 16 days of audio playback, while the Pocket can't even last one.

eReader

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While the iPad is a competent eReader, many people prefer an eInk screen to an LCD. While the Pocket definitely looks better under bright light, you'll need the backlit iPad to read in a very dark environment.

Internet

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This isn't really a contest. The iPad's app store and browsing experience totally blow the Pocket out of the water. Apple's app store contains millions and millions of apps, while the Pocket doesn't have any apps or online capabilities.

Device & Specs

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The devices themselves aren't remarkably different from an eReader perspective. Both devices require a flick of the thumb to turn pages (or, for the Pocket, you can opt to press a slightly out of the way button). Of course, the Pocket is significantly smaller than the NOOKcolor.

Screen

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Of course, the two devices have very different screens. The NOOKcolor has an LCD that supports video playback, color, and has a backlight, which allows you to read it in the dark. If you'd prefer the more natural reading experience of an eInk screen, the Daily is probably more for you. Chances are you already know which screen you prefer, and if you don't, we'd recommend checking out eInk: many people find they like it much better than an LCD.

Battery

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eReader

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Both devices function very similarly as an eReader. Both let you take notes and highlight text. The NOOKcolor has a search feature that the Pocket does not, however, and can look through books, articles—basically anything on the device—to find your query. The pocket lets you scribble on your eBooks, but that doesn't seem as impressive by comparison.

Internet

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The NOOKcolor's online experience isn't the best we've seen, but at least it's something: the Pocket doesn't offer any internet features.

Conclusion

Performance

The Sony Reader Pocket PSR-350 put up a decent performance for an eInk reader, but unless you value the look of an eInk display, it won't seem very impressive compared to a color LCD.

Screen Performance

While small, the Pocket's screen gets the job done. It's eInk screen allows for a natural reading experience in just any lighting condition from dim to sunny.

Battery Life

The Pocket's battey life was pretty good for an eReader its size, allowing for over 24 hours of nonstop reading.

Ereader:

As an eReader, the Pocket is pretty good. The touchscreen allows for smooth page turning and the eInk screen itself is enough to be a selling point for some people. Additionally, the small size and simple functionality lend itself to an eReader: everyone already has an iPhone or Android phone, why do they need an eReader that can browse the web?

Audio & Video:

The Pocket doesn't feature audio or video playback.

Email & Web Browsing:

The Pocket doesn't have online connectivity.

Meet the tester

Mark Brezinski

Mark Brezinski

Senior Writer

@markbrezinski

Mark Brezinski works on the Home Team, reviewing refrigerators, minifridges, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, air conditioners, air purifiers, and fans.

See all of Mark Brezinski's reviews

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