I used the 500 for a couple of years to read my technical books printed on pdf. The convenience of a reader allows me to pack it easily and pull it out for a few minutes to do readings.
When I looked into printing each reference for about $80/each, I considered and purchased the 500 reader for cost reasons. That easily paid for itself, and justified the cost to convince me to upgrade to the newer 505 or 700. Not to mention the knowledge out of the technical reference makes the cost more trivial.
I did not realize how much faster the 505 and 700 are compared to my previous model. Page turns are at least 2x faster than the 500 which makes an impact when reading very large pdf's--more useful when you have to go backwards or page through.
I realized recently that the screens on the 505 and 700 are more crisp (and higher resolution) than my previous model. That was not a big deal with my ebooks, however, it was a world of improvement on pdf's. I can read a full page clearly where I had to use the split landscape screen on the 500 in order to make any clear readings. (However, I may return to the split screen to reduce eye strain). One thing to note, the 505 is much clearer without the touch screen layer; however, the key reason for my purchase was the touch screen.
The page movement gestures anywhere on the screen makes it easy for me to turn pages when I switch hands, or when I hold the reader in different positions. (My wrists gets bored after 20-30 minutes, and I usually have to change positions.)
Some of the technical references that I have in pdf are for certification testing. It is often helpful to keep track of minor notes for later review. The touchscreen with minor note taking features was a perfect solution. I do not take much notes with it, but it is nice to be able to book mark a page and have some minor description of it. (of course, in the past I had a paper and pencil tucked away somewhere; however, it is nice to not have to bother anymore.)
I was surprised to read the poor reviews on the light. In my 505, I had a make shift flexible, battery-powered, led light. It worked well on some late night bus rides. The 700 lighting is bright enough where I do not need to use my custom light. I do not think it is a great reading light; however, I do not feel much of an eye strain with it at the low setting. It definately provides more lighting than most of the booklights out there--my make shift light was done with a coast-amplified led flashlights. I think my light provided more lighting directed at one spot--the 700 has more led lamps along the side of the unit that gave it a more uniform lighting (although the center could be brighter). For me, I think it is great. Like the pen and paper, I no longer have to carry my custom booklight (less encumberance).
The last few things that made me purchase this was an incredible offer by sony credit card. They offered a $200. gift card when purchased $349+ from the sony store. If the promotion was not there, I may have have purchased the 505.
Additional Pros: actually charges by usb now--I have some battery usb chargers that I can now use for road trips. I also noted that it *seems* to be the same charger that the psp uses (use at your own risk)--such that I have been using my psp car charger on my 500 for the last few months.
Cons (made it 4 stars instead of 5): Does not come with a wall charger, uses usb and your computer for charging. Cost is $$$. Lacks a wireless solution to compete against the Kindle. Slightly larger than the 500 (about 0.5 - 1cm). 505 is crisper / clearer.
Buy Sony Reader Digital Book W Touch Screen!
