Need Help Deciding- doc & rtf files

eSheri · 01-12-2011, 12:23 AM

Hello all,
I've spent many hours investigating readers and am still confused!
1. More than anything I want to be able to carry my MS docs and/or rtf files.
2. Touch screen would be great
3. The ability to check my email via 3g is not mandatory but would be great
4. Must be thin
5. E-Ink
So I was set to go with Sony's PRS-650, when someone showed me their kindle 3g!
I had no idea it was so thin! the screen was great also, though it didn't seem as crisp as the 650. (Thank you ProfCrash for clearing up the 3g question on the kindle.)
So now I'm REALLY confused about which to get. Can someone help, please!
thank you

eerok · 01-12-2011, 03:26 AM

There's no single answer for everyone. You have to decide what's important to you. I chose a Sony because I wanted to standardize on EPub, I liked the hardware, and I liked the touchscreen. For others, the store is the important thing, or they want a bigger screen like the DX, and then the Kindle is the way to go. There are other considerations as well -- I'm just offering examples.

As for using Doc or RTF, I'd recommend that you convert to an appropriate ebook format anyway, so this doesn't bear upon the choice of a reader.

boxcorner · 01-12-2011, 04:06 AM

The Sony PRS-650 supports the following formats:

Book

EPUB file (.epub file extension); EPUB (OPS version 2.0) supported
PDF file (.pdf file extension); Support is based on the PDF 1.6 specification
BBeB (.lrf or .lrx file extension)
Text file (.txt file extension)
RTF file (.rtf file extension)
Word file (.doc or .docx file extension); If Microsoft Word is installed on your computer, Word files will be automatically converted to RTF files by Reader Library during transfer to your Reader or a compatible memory card

Audio

MP3 file (.mp3 file extension); The following specifications should be met in order to import an MP3 file (Bit rate: 32 to 320 kbps; Sampling frequency: 22.05, 44.1 kHz; File must be unsecured)
AAC file (.mp4, mp4a, .mov, or .qt file extension); The following specifications should be met in order to import an AAC file (Bit rate: 40 to 320 kbps; Sampling frequency: 24.0, 44.1, 48.0 kHz; File must be unsecured)

Picture

JPEG file (.jpg or .jpeg file extension)
GIF file (.gif file extension); For an animation GIF only the first frame will be shown
PNG file (.png file extension)
BMP file (.bmp file extension)

2 x English dictionaries (Oxford American & Oxford English), plus 10 x bilingual dictionaries (E-F/F-E, E-G/G-E, E-S/S-E, E-I/I-E & E-D/D-E); double-tap on a word to look it up using the touch-screen
Highlighting, notes, bookmarks, search - all via touch-screen
To view all notes: OPTIONS -> Notes -> List
Page scrolling via touch-screen, or buttons
Page modes: Original, Margin Cut, 2-Column Split, 3-Column Split, Full Page
Zoom in and lock pages
Font sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL & XXL
Non-backlit B&W display: E Ink Vizplex Pearl

ProfCrash · 01-12-2011, 09:38 AM

The Kindle supports

Kindle (AZW)
TXT
PDF
Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX))
MP3
unprotected MOBI
PRC natively
HTML
DOC
JPEG
GIF
PNG
BMP through conversion.

Your best bet is to go to Best Buy and see what reader you feel most comfortable with.

If you are comfortable technilogically and ethically with stripping DRM and converting documents the format that a bookstore sells is not a problem.

I have had a Kindle for 2 1/2 years and have not had to leave Amazon's bookstore so the format has not been an issue for me. There are Nook and Sony owners who have picked up a Kindle or downloaded a Kindle App because they can find the books that they want at Amazon but not at the stores that sell EPub and they did not feel comfortable stripping DRM in order to put books from Amazon on their device.

Check the bookstores and see which bookstores sell the books that you want. Compare the stores by picking 20 titles that you want to read or have in paperback and might want to read again and see what store has the most books. Sony can read non-DRMed EPub and books from the Kobo bookstore. Amazon can read non-DRMed Mobi and books from Amazon.

You are going to have to balance your desire for a touchscreen with your desire for 3G connectivity and price.

Sony 950

6 inch screen
Touchscreen
3G
More expensive then the 650 or Kindle.

Sony 650

6 inch screen
Touchscreen
No wireless connectivity
More expensive then the Kindle.

Kindle 3

6 inch screen
No touchscreen
3G/WiFI or WiFi only connectivity
Less expensive than the Sony 950 and 650

Sony 350

Touchscreen (I know the 300 did not but I think the 350 does)
5 inch screen
No wireless connectivity
Priced less then Kindle 3G/Wifi but higher then the Kindle WiFi.

I have a feeling that you will be happy with either device. Go to Best Buy and hold them and play with them. Check the bookstores. You can't really go wrong.

eSheri · 01-12-2011, 11:51 AM

Thank you allk so much! I am a gadget geek. My co-workers use me as their tech support, but this ereader area is new to me. Years back I did some reading on my palm device but only for a season.
Truthfully I don't think i'll be buying a lot off books, only a few bibles and bible reference books. i really just want a reader because I thought it would be a great way to carry my tons of notes that I type for classes that I teach.
I just saw that the kindle has text to speech! Awesome!!
How easy is it to highlight text using the kindle as well as page scrolling? it would be great is I could use a reader instead of paper as I teach.

ProfCrash · 01-12-2011, 12:06 PM

Highlighting is easy. You use the directional pad to get to the point you want and highlight. Adding a note works the same way. I have a DXG so I use a little joystick and not a D Pad but it works the same way. Setting a bookmark requires pressing the menu button and adding the bookmark. The dictionary requires you use the DPad to scroll to the word.

On the Sony you double tap to use the dictionary and I think highlighting works similarly. It is a bit easier since it is one step and not two.

Page scrolling on the Kindle is easy. You press a button. On the Sony you use the touchscreen but I think there are buttons that you can use if you prefer.

One of the nice things about the Kindle and Sony is that they have a way of reading the notes and highlights you make online. For Kindle this only works on books purchased from Amazon, I don't know about the Sony.

=X= · 01-12-2011, 12:37 PM

Just a note, both devices support RTF naively, neither of them support doc/docx naively. The RTF support on both devices is horrible, they don't support links, pictures, tables, etc.

They both convert the documents(DOC/DOCX) to a format they support. SONY uses their software to convert DOCS to RTF. The Kindle uses their email service to convert the doc/docx to a MOBI/AZW/PRC(their all the same formats).

The result is that you will be able to highlight and annotate the converted doc. Where as in the RTF you will not.

I don't know if the SONY 650 now supports annotating RTF, but their older models did not.

As for highlighting and annotation it's easy to do on both devices, but slightly quicker on the Kindle, on the SONY you have to go through a few menu clicks. The next question you should have asked is how hard is it to view the annotations

.

With the Kindle it's slighly easier with wysper sync stuff syncs up fine and you don't have to connect your kindle. With personal files there is no wysper sync so you have to manually retreive your comments if you want to view them on the PC. There are some scripts on the net that extract the notes to a document file.

The SONY automatically syncs the notes to the PC when it is connected. But it is very difficult to extract the notes. I suppose somebody could write a script to extract the XML file, but nobody has done that yet.
Also the SONY notation system is very flaky. When I had their product I lost several of my notes and bookmarks because the XML file that stores all the book data got corrupted. With the kindle each book has it's own database with that tracks all annotations.

=X=

ProfCrash · 01-12-2011, 12:39 PM

I have just learned that there is a way to autosync non-Kibdle materials using Mobi2mobi. There is even a wiki entry that walks yo through the process step by step. I am not certain if this process means that you can then access notes in Non-Amazon purchased books on the website.

=X= · 01-12-2011, 02:08 PM

I read the wiki, it only syncs the last page, not the notes and annotations. And it only works for Books in the Amazon database, not personal material.

Also mobi2mobi only works on windows.

I've been using sugarsync to sync Kindle books between my phone and nook color but it is not as nice as a full working sync. If I can find a way to auto sync the MPD files across devices I'd be a happy camper

=X=

eSheri · 01-12-2011, 10:18 PM

Wow! Sorry for all of the typos in the previous post! I was typing from my cell phone which has a very cramped keyboard!
I wanted to say thanks for everyone's help!
And guess what I picked up today.... a Literati! ROFL! OMG! I never would have imagined! But, it was only $69 from Khols. Its just for fun & will hold me until i make up my mind which one I really want!
I went to B&N & played with the Nook. Color was way too heavy & I wasn't quite feeling the classic. So, I will play with the Literati until for now. It looks much better than expected! Its white but the buttons the back are bronze! Very attractive! And it can read TXT so it will be somewhat helpful.
I look forward to chatting with you all again!

boxcorner · 01-13-2011, 04:28 AM

I hope you enjoy using your new reader. Let us know how you get on with it.

01-12-2011, 12:23 AM	#1
eSheri Addict Posts: 323 Karma: 1015098 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Middle of the US Device: K3+3G, Sony 350, Kindle Fire HD, iPad Mini	Need Help Deciding- doc & rtf files Hello all, I've spent many hours investigating readers and am still confused! 1. More than anything I want to be able to carry my MS docs and/or rtf files. 2. Touch screen would be great 3. The ability to check my email via 3g is not mandatory but would be great 4. Must be thin 5. E-Ink So I was set to go with Sony's PRS-650, when someone showed me their kindle 3g! I had no idea it was so thin! the screen was great also, though it didn't seem as crisp as the 650. (Thank you ProfCrash for clearing up the 3g question on the kindle.) So now I'm REALLY confused about which to get. Can someone help, please! thank you

01-12-2011, 04:06 AM	#3
boxcorner »(°±°)« Posts: 826 Karma: 775629 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: divisive reader	The Sony PRS-650 supports the following formats: Book EPUB file (.epub file extension); EPUB (OPS version 2.0) supported PDF file (.pdf file extension); Support is based on the PDF 1.6 specification BBeB (.lrf or .lrx file extension) Text file (.txt file extension) RTF file (.rtf file extension) Word file (.doc or .docx file extension); If Microsoft Word is installed on your computer, Word files will be automatically converted to RTF files by Reader Library during transfer to your Reader or a compatible memory card Audio MP3 file (.mp3 file extension); The following specifications should be met in order to import an MP3 file (Bit rate: 32 to 320 kbps; Sampling frequency: 22.05, 44.1 kHz; File must be unsecured) AAC file (.mp4, mp4a, .mov, or .qt file extension); The following specifications should be met in order to import an AAC file (Bit rate: 40 to 320 kbps; Sampling frequency: 24.0, 44.1, 48.0 kHz; File must be unsecured) Picture JPEG file (.jpg or .jpeg file extension) GIF file (.gif file extension); For an animation GIF only the first frame will be shown PNG file (.png file extension) BMP file (.bmp file extension) 2 x English dictionaries (Oxford American & Oxford English), plus 10 x bilingual dictionaries (E-F/F-E, E-G/G-E, E-S/S-E, E-I/I-E & E-D/D-E); double-tap on a word to look it up using the touch-screen Highlighting, notes, bookmarks, search - all via touch-screen To view all notes: OPTIONS -> Notes -> List Page scrolling via touch-screen, or buttons Page modes: Original, Margin Cut, 2-Column Split, 3-Column Split, Full Page Zoom in and lock pages Font sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL & XXL Non-backlit B&W display: E Ink Vizplex Pearl Last edited by boxcorner; 01-13-2011 at 04:24 AM.

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01-12-2011, 03:26 AM	#2
eerok noobus perpetuus Posts: 13 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Sony PRS-650	There's no single answer for everyone. You have to decide what's important to you. I chose a Sony because I wanted to standardize on EPub, I liked the hardware, and I liked the touchscreen. For others, the store is the important thing, or they want a bigger screen like the DX, and then the Kindle is the way to go. There are other considerations as well -- I'm just offering examples. As for using Doc or RTF, I'd recommend that you convert to an appropriate ebook format anyway, so this doesn't bear upon the choice of a reader.

01-12-2011, 09:38 AM	#4
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	The Kindle supports Kindle (AZW) TXT PDF Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)) MP3 unprotected MOBI PRC natively HTML DOC JPEG GIF PNG BMP through conversion. Your best bet is to go to Best Buy and see what reader you feel most comfortable with. If you are comfortable technilogically and ethically with stripping DRM and converting documents the format that a bookstore sells is not a problem. I have had a Kindle for 2 1/2 years and have not had to leave Amazon's bookstore so the format has not been an issue for me. There are Nook and Sony owners who have picked up a Kindle or downloaded a Kindle App because they can find the books that they want at Amazon but not at the stores that sell EPub and they did not feel comfortable stripping DRM in order to put books from Amazon on their device. Check the bookstores and see which bookstores sell the books that you want. Compare the stores by picking 20 titles that you want to read or have in paperback and might want to read again and see what store has the most books. Sony can read non-DRMed EPub and books from the Kobo bookstore. Amazon can read non-DRMed Mobi and books from Amazon. You are going to have to balance your desire for a touchscreen with your desire for 3G connectivity and price. Sony 950 6 inch screen Touchscreen 3G More expensive then the 650 or Kindle. Sony 650 6 inch screen Touchscreen No wireless connectivity More expensive then the Kindle. Kindle 3 6 inch screen No touchscreen 3G/WiFI or WiFi only connectivity Less expensive than the Sony 950 and 650 Sony 350 Touchscreen (I know the 300 did not but I think the 350 does) 5 inch screen No wireless connectivity Priced less then Kindle 3G/Wifi but higher then the Kindle WiFi. I have a feeling that you will be happy with either device. Go to Best Buy and hold them and play with them. Check the bookstores. You can't really go wrong.

01-12-2011, 11:51 AM	#5
eSheri Addict Posts: 323 Karma: 1015098 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Middle of the US Device: K3+3G, Sony 350, Kindle Fire HD, iPad Mini	Thank you allk so much! I am a gadget geek. My co-workers use me as their tech support, but this ereader area is new to me. Years back I did some reading on my palm device but only for a season. Truthfully I don't think i'll be buying a lot off books, only a few bibles and bible reference books. i really just want a reader because I thought it would be a great way to carry my tons of notes that I type for classes that I teach. I just saw that the kindle has text to speech! Awesome!! How easy is it to highlight text using the kindle as well as page scrolling? it would be great is I could use a reader instead of paper as I teach.

01-12-2011, 12:06 PM	#6
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	Highlighting is easy. You use the directional pad to get to the point you want and highlight. Adding a note works the same way. I have a DXG so I use a little joystick and not a D Pad but it works the same way. Setting a bookmark requires pressing the menu button and adding the bookmark. The dictionary requires you use the DPad to scroll to the word. On the Sony you double tap to use the dictionary and I think highlighting works similarly. It is a bit easier since it is one step and not two. Page scrolling on the Kindle is easy. You press a button. On the Sony you use the touchscreen but I think there are buttons that you can use if you prefer. One of the nice things about the Kindle and Sony is that they have a way of reading the notes and highlights you make online. For Kindle this only works on books purchased from Amazon, I don't know about the Sony.

01-12-2011, 12:37 PM	#7
=X= Wizard Posts: 3,671 Karma: 12205348 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: Galaxy S, Nook w/CM7	Just a note, both devices support RTF naively, neither of them support doc/docx naively. The RTF support on both devices is horrible, they don't support links, pictures, tables, etc. They both convert the documents(DOC/DOCX) to a format they support. SONY uses their software to convert DOCS to RTF. The Kindle uses their email service to convert the doc/docx to a MOBI/AZW/PRC(their all the same formats). The result is that you will be able to highlight and annotate the converted doc. Where as in the RTF you will not. I don't know if the SONY 650 now supports annotating RTF, but their older models did not. As for highlighting and annotation it's easy to do on both devices, but slightly quicker on the Kindle, on the SONY you have to go through a few menu clicks. The next question you should have asked is how hard is it to view the annotations . With the Kindle it's slighly easier with wysper sync stuff syncs up fine and you don't have to connect your kindle. With personal files there is no wysper sync so you have to manually retreive your comments if you want to view them on the PC. There are some scripts on the net that extract the notes to a document file. The SONY automatically syncs the notes to the PC when it is connected. But it is very difficult to extract the notes. I suppose somebody could write a script to extract the XML file, but nobody has done that yet. Also the SONY notation system is very flaky. When I had their product I lost several of my notes and bookmarks because the XML file that stores all the book data got corrupted. With the kindle each book has it's own database with that tracks all annotations. =X=

01-12-2011, 12:39 PM	#8
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	I have just learned that there is a way to autosync non-Kibdle materials using Mobi2mobi. There is even a wiki entry that walks yo through the process step by step. I am not certain if this process means that you can then access notes in Non-Amazon purchased books on the website.

01-12-2011, 02:08 PM	#9
=X= Wizard Posts: 3,671 Karma: 12205348 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: Galaxy S, Nook w/CM7	I read the wiki, it only syncs the last page, not the notes and annotations. And it only works for Books in the Amazon database, not personal material. Also mobi2mobi only works on windows. I've been using sugarsync to sync Kindle books between my phone and nook color but it is not as nice as a full working sync. If I can find a way to auto sync the MPD files across devices I'd be a happy camper =X=

01-12-2011, 10:18 PM	#10
eSheri Addict Posts: 323 Karma: 1015098 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Middle of the US Device: K3+3G, Sony 350, Kindle Fire HD, iPad Mini	Wow! Sorry for all of the typos in the previous post! I was typing from my cell phone which has a very cramped keyboard! I wanted to say thanks for everyone's help! And guess what I picked up today.... a Literati! ROFL! OMG! I never would have imagined! But, it was only $69 from Khols. Its just for fun & will hold me until i make up my mind which one I really want! I went to B&N & played with the Nook. Color was way too heavy & I wasn't quite feeling the classic. So, I will play with the Literati until for now. It looks much better than expected! Its white but the buttons the back are bronze! Very attractive! And it can read TXT so it will be somewhat helpful. I look forward to chatting with you all again!

01-13-2011, 04:28 AM	#11
boxcorner »(°±°)« Posts: 826 Karma: 775629 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: divisive reader	I hope you enjoy using your new reader. Let us know how you get on with it.