Wait or go ahead?

[julon2000]

Hello e-books world,

I'm a complete newcomer to e-books, and after researching for a couple of weeks I'm about to get tempted and buy my first e-books reader.

I cornered the Sony PRS-505 as fitting my needs, but now after reading plenty of nice things about these new devices shown in CeBIT (namely the txtr and the Boox), I don't know whether I should get an existing, previous generation reader or wait some more for the newcomers, given that I'm in no particular hurry, except for a growing curiosity

So I'd love to hear what you seasoned e-readers have to say about it: give a try now or wait?

Maybe a word about my needs:

• ability to read pdf's would be fantastic (particularly containing math formulas)
• the computer hosting the ebooks is linux-based (but if I got it well it shouldn't be a problem with Calibre)
• ability to write notes could be handy, but not fundamental
• carriable in a pocket (no iRex 1000s)
• pricewise, about the price of a Sony PRS-505
• preferably e-ink
• no need for extras (wifi, web browser, nail cutter, what else) - I want it to be single-tasked, and to do it well

Thanks in advance!

p.s. I searched the forum for similar questions, but couldn't find a corresponding thread; sorry if I missed it.

[lilac_jive]

My personal opinion? Unless you know that the exact device you want is coming out in a known period of time that you don't mind waiting (like, a device coming out in May 09 and you can wait that long), I'd just get what you like out there now. It's a growing technology, and like every other technology there's always something newer and better coming out.

That being said, I love my 505 and haven't gotten jealous of other new ebook readers yet. But I know other 505 owners who have turned to the Dark Side

The 700 might be a better choice for you, FYI, since you want to read PDFs and annotate, and is about the same size as the 505. I know there is another device that reads PDFs and annotates, but I'm woefully uneducated on it, so I'm sure someone else will pipe in

[julon2000]

@lilac_jive
good point, indeed I could end up waiting forever for the promising new upcoming device. I'll have another look at the 700

@ichatfilipina
Just meaning that anoting is not a real need, but would be occasionaly practical instead of using a sheet of paper. I had math pdf's in mind, which often require to expand some equations for a better understanding.

[Over]

If you really want PDF, specially those that are not text only, the problem is the screen size. Usually those PDF are formated for A4 size paper. Right now, the DR1000S is the only one that can do the job very well. Unfortunately it's a flawed product and you already said you're not interested in it.

I would say the Sony 700 is the next good thing, although some people are complaining about the screen glare and lower contrast (it seems inevitable in devices with touchscreen).

Since it's not a necessity right now, and it's not mainly to read novels and such, I would wait a little bit longer.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by julon2000

So I'd love to hear what you seasoned e-readers have to say about it: give a try now or wait?

The Sony seems to meet your needs. The only thing I'd consider waiting for is a more robust screen, but there's no time-scale for that.

Personally, I prefer the CyBook to the Sony (I have both). It's lighter, it has better font support, and it works really well with Mobipocket, which is my current format of choice.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Personally, I prefer the CyBook to the Sony (I have both). It's lighter, it has better font support, and it works really well with Mobipocket, which is my current format of choice.

just for info, using epub allows you to specify the font of your choice for your books by adding it into the css, including true italics and bold. see this thread for instructions. you can use calibre to add these css rules by default on all the books you convert. this works for both the 505 and the 700.

[julon2000]

Thank you all for your helpful comments! I'll take the big step and buy my first ereader, and that will be the Sony PRS-505. The Cybook seems nice too, but I prefer the look of Sony's, and as an open source enthusiast I like it to support natively the epub format. I guess it won't be ideal for technical pdf's, but I forgot to mention the obvious in my original post: I want to read books with it

And well, if one these promising new devices is so good, I'll resell the Sony.

While I'm at it, 2 more questions:
1. it seems like there's no dealer in Switzerland yet, and after a quick look I thought about taking advantage of the low pound sterling and purchase in Waterstones.com : any objection?
2. Sony's lighted cover seems very nice too (thinking about reading in bed), and I found many positive feedbacks about it. Everybody agrees?

[pdurrant]

Oh, that's really neat.

I take it back. If you're converting to ePUB, it's possible to have really nice fonts on the Sony too.

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

just for info, using epub allows you to specify the font of your choice for your books by adding it into the css, including true italics and bold. see this thread for instructions. you can use calibre to add these css rules by default on all the books you convert. this works for both the 505 and the 700.

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by julon2000

Thank you all for your helpful comments! I'll take the big step and buy my first ereader, and that will be the Sony PRS-505. The Cybook seems nice too, but I prefer the look of Sony's, and as an open source enthusiast I like it to support natively the epub format. I guess it won't be ideal for technical pdf's, but I forgot to mention the obvious in my original post: I want to read books with it

And well, if one these promising new devices is so good, I'll resell the Sony.

While I'm at it, 2 more questions:
1. it seems like there's no dealer in Switzerland yet, and after a quick look I thought about taking advantage of the low pound sterling and purchase in Waterstones.com : any objection?
2. Sony's lighted cover seems very nice too (thinking about reading in bed), and I found many positive feedbacks about it. Everybody agrees?

I can't object to #1, since I don't know exchange rates. I think it is coming out in Germany very soon, you might want to check the price there as well.

As for #2, there were a few people who complained that the lighted cover scratched the screen. It seems some didn't fit correctly. You might want to look for those threads. It didn't seem to be the case with all of those covers.

[julon2000]

Hmm, I found these threads, the lighted cover doesn't seem so nice anymore... Thanks for the heads up lilac_jive

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by julon2000

Hmm, I found these threads, the lighted cover doesn't seem so nice anymore... Thanks for the heads up lilac_jive

I'm just putting it there for consideration. A lot of people are very happy with them.

I'd give you another recommendation for a booklight, but alas, I am still on the hunt for a good one.

[Hantra]

No need to wait. The devices don't depreciate that much, and there will be tons of developments in the next 5 years. Might as well jump in now. Also if you get a Kindle, you won't even have to do anything to upgrade. Your books will be all right there on Amazon's site, ready to download instantly over wireless!

[Ea]

If you wait a little and buy something comepletely new, you risk also getting a device with bugs that still needs fixing. If you buy something that has been out for a while, well, if the bugs haven't been fixed, you can at least find out what they are. It sounds as if a Sony or perpaps a Hanlin (you can take advantage of the cheap English pound and buy one from Pixelar in the UK) would be a good idea. And if you aren't especially interested in the 'extras', why wait? There's always something right around the corner.

You also have to consider what file formats you need - at least if you already have ebooks (beside the PDFs), if you need to change fonts and font sizes.


@Hantra: julon2000 is in Switzerland, so I don't think the Kindle is real option.

[emellaich]

Can you personally (given your reading habits, income, etcetera) justify the price? If so jump in now.

This is just like a personal computer. No matter what you buy, within a couple of months there will be a 'better' one out. Never be surprised to see better features or a better price. But if you wait for it to settle down, you might be waiting five years from now. All you can do is be happy with the price and features you get at the point in time that you make the purchase. None of the current devices are perfect, but they are generally 'good enough'.

Now if you rarely read, or if you were just layed off, I would wait a bit

Michael

[jj2me]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

I'd give you another recommendation for a booklight, but alas, I am still on the hunt for a good one.

I'm pretty happy with the Woot booklights you brought to our attention. I just clip one to the left cover and hold the cover so that it illuminates the page. The clip can be positioned so if you shut the cover it doesn't touch the screen. Better light spread than my other two cheap booklights. Nine lights for $11 shipped is hard to beat. Thanks.

P.S. this was just a "Thanks" post, as Woot is a one-day sale site, and those lights aren't for sale now.