PRS-600 Where does a newbie go to learn?

dear dogma · 01-06-2010, 01:15 PM

I'm so old... I've honestly never owned a cel phone.

Very exited about aquiring my first e-book reader, tentative about which books to download first and from where

. Which formats are best for my reader etc.

Theology and philosophy are my passions,

so having volumous texts combined in an editable/portable format makes me feel like a kid again

Can you recommend a link to a site which explains (for dummies) the terminologies??? or should I just keep asking

dumb questions here?

Elfwreck · 01-06-2010, 01:38 PM

There are no dumb questions here! We are happy to answer anything, no matter how basic; our only real frustration is the mass of sloppy terminology used by mainstream media. (For example, "ereader" is a specific file format, but it's also widely used to refer to ebook readers. Someone might think an "ereader"-type ebook was usable on their recently purchased "ereader," and be upset to find out it doesn't work.)

You can click around in the Mobileread Wiki, looking for info, or just ask questions here.

(Oh, and the words "copyright" and "public domain" and "file sharing" and "best filetype" are potential triggers for huge long arguments. If you get caught in one of those, don't worry about it; it's nothing personal, and the debates have been going on for years. Grab the info that's useful to you, then back away slowly and let the nice fanatics continue their wars.)

omk3 · 01-06-2010, 02:02 PM

Ask away, dear dogma!

Some questions from me to get you started:

Would you need to be able to search inside a book?

Would you like the ability to annotate, keep notes, hightlight text on your reader?

Will you be buying new books or mostly loading your own? If so, is the layout of the text important to you?

If you are going to buy books, would you like to be able to do it directly from your reader, or is it okay to download the books from your computer and then transfer them by cable?

Will you want to have a dictionary on your reader? If so, is english enough or would you need more languages?

dear dogma · 01-06-2010, 02:31 PM

Thanks for the wiki link Elfwreck. How about I answer some of omk3's questions and I take your recomendations.

"Would you need to be able to search inside a book?" Yes

"Would you like the ability to annotate, keep notes, hightlight text on your reader?" Yes

"Will you be buying new books or mostly loading your own? If so, is the layout of the text important to you?" I have never purchased an e-book or downloaded one to my computer. Text is important in that as much as possible I would like it to look like the original hard copy I am familiar with.

"If you are going to buy books, would you like to be able to do it directly from your reader, or is it okay to download the books from your computer and then transfer them by cable?" What ever is easiest I suppose. I don't mind paying for good usable copies of important texts but if they are just as readily available for free why not? My first look at the Sony library site listed the five volumes of Aquinas' Summa theologica at about $25ea totaling over $100. the download is available free through guttenberg, but in about 5 different formats not sure which one would be best for me. The site also offers a free download of the Catholic Dhuey-Rhems Bible but as yet I've yet to find any download free or not for the Catechism of the Catholic church.

"Will you want to have a dictionary on your reader? If so, is english enough or would you need more languages?" I thought my new prs600 had an english dictionary included though I've yet to use it. I suppose an English/Greek or English/Hebrew dictionary may be of use but not a priority right now.

Thanks for any direction you can offer. Peace; DD

Bremen Cole · 01-06-2010, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dear dogma

Theology and philosophy are my passions,

so having volumous texts combined in an editable/portable format makes me feel like a kid again

Actually most of the "classics" of theology and philosophy are available in the public domain and therefore free, and can be read right from your computer. You could build a library before even buying a dedicated reader. If you need help finding them, just let me know.

omk3 · 01-06-2010, 02:38 PM

Sorry, it seems you already have a reader and are asking about formats.
I thought you were asking about which device to choose.
My misunderstanding.
If you have a prs-600, the formats it reads are epub, pdf and lrf. Epub is the most commonly sold right now. Pdf is the truest to the "original" layout, but if you need to enlarge the letters this layout will be lost and the result is not always good. So I suggest you go with epub or lrf if you can.

dear dogma · 01-06-2010, 02:43 PM

Thanks Bremen... LULZ Perhaps one day, like you.... I may be considered a "Zealot" religious or otherwise...

any links you can provide will be greatly appreciated.... Peace; DD

Elfwreck · 01-06-2010, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dear dogma

I don't mind paying for good usable copies of important texts but if they are just as readily available for free why not? My first look at the Sony library site listed the five volumes of Aquinas' Summa theologica at about $25ea totaling over $100. the download is available free through guttenberg, but in about 5 different formats not sure which one would be best for me. The site also offers a free download of the Catholic Dhuey-Rhems Bible but as yet I've yet to find any download free or not for the Catechism of the Catholic church.

In many cases, the free versions are as good or better than the for-pay ones. Especially look here at Mobileread first--the ebooks uploaded here are hand-formatted by people who know what looks good in an ebook reader. You can read any of the Spirituality books in LRF or EPUB format. (And if there's one in another format that you'd like, that's not in LRF or EPUB, ask about it; someone is probably willing to convert it.)

If you find one at Gutenberg (or archive.org or googlebooks) that you like, but the formatting is awful enough that you can't enjoy reading it, you can visit the eBook Requests and Begging thread and ask for it. A lot of the ebook conversion & formatting people here love new projects and don't mind picking their next one based on what some random person would like.

rlparker · 01-06-2010, 05:28 PM

Hi dear dogma, welcome to MR!

Do you know about the karma system here? Make sure that our karma doesn't run over your dogma!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

...based on what some random person would like.

Not that you are a random person of course DD!

I second Elfwreck's recommendation of the books that you get here on MR. Probably 80% of the books I've read on my Kindle have come from here, and almost without exception, they are really fine!

dear dogma · 01-06-2010, 05:36 PM

Thanks again Elfwreck. Your link to the spirituality books section was just what the doctor ordered.

by clicking on the link provided by deputy dawg here;

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19167

I am able to read the summa on my reader library page on my computer, now how do I go about moving it from there to my new prs600?

Elfwreck · 01-06-2010, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dear dogma

I am able to read the summa on my reader library page on my computer, now how do I go about moving it from there to my new prs600?

I only sort-of know. I don't use the Sony library software; I use Calibre when I need to convert ebooks, and when I need to get them onto my PRS-505, I mostly drag-and-drop in Windows.

How I would get those books onto my reader:
I'd connect the reader to the computer with a cord, then click on each of them to download, then save them into the drive that's the Sony reader.

When you plug your 600 into the computer, the library program should recognize it, might offer to synch everything for you (I have no idea how that would work, although I'm sure it's not a bad thing to do). There should be some kind of "upload to device" button that lets you put a selected book or books onto the reader.

RonF · 01-06-2010, 06:01 PM

I also use Calibre and highly recommend it. I have also done a direct drag and drop into the "folder" on the reader itself. When you plug in the usb cord it creates another hard drive.

For me it shows up as: F:\database\media\books - as the place to put the books.

Calibre creates folders for each of the books, I do not think the Sony Reader Library does as I have some .epub from the store in the root folder.

Bremen Cole · 01-06-2010, 07:29 PM

+1 for Calibre....

I have all volumes of Summa in "lrf" format, which is native to the Sony....

I also thought you did not have a reader yet in my first post. I didn't see it on your side thing.... but it's there now.

Bremen Cole · 01-06-2010, 07:33 PM

This link will give you tons of free philosophy books http://inkmesh.com/search/?qs=philos...nd+Free+Ebooks

Look for lrf, epub, pdf files and they will work fine as is on your reader.

If they are only in lit, mobipocket you will have to convert with Calibre.... but most should be ready to go..... I would say get lrf as your first choice....

Also, the site in the link above is a gold mine. Just type in an author, title, part of a title and click free books and it will give you a list of available......for example, type in 'kant' and fit free..... see what I mean

Stitchawl · 01-06-2010, 08:17 PM

As you can plainly see, Dear Dogma, THIS is the place for you to find all your answers to technical questions, location of down-loadable books, 'how-to's' for getting books into your reader, and where to find someone who can convert a format for you if you need help. The people here are really THAT helpful and friendly. They thrive on questions. They have been there already and had the same difficulties at the beginning that you will face, and they are right here waiting with the answers you need. DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK A QUESTION!!!

I have a question for you; can you really read Hebrew and Greek?!? That is soooo cool! I had a girlfriend a long time ago who learned to read Hebrew just so she could read earlier translations of the Bible. She was pretty cool too!

Stitchawl

01-06-2010, 01:15 PM	#1
dear dogma Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: sony prs600	Where does a newbie go to learn? I'm so old... I've honestly never owned a cel phone. Very exited about aquiring my first e-book reader, tentative about which books to download first and from where. Which formats are best for my reader etc. Theology and philosophy are my passions, so having volumous texts combined in an editable/portable format makes me feel like a kid again Can you recommend a link to a site which explains (for dummies) the terminologies??? or should I just keep asking dumb questions here?

01-06-2010, 07:33 PM	#14
Bremen Cole Wizard Posts: 1,115 Karma: 2718 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Texas Device: iPad	This link will give you tons of free philosophy books http://inkmesh.com/search/?qs=philos...nd+Free+Ebooks Look for lrf, epub, pdf files and they will work fine as is on your reader. If they are only in lit, mobipocket you will have to convert with Calibre.... but most should be ready to go..... I would say get lrf as your first choice.... Also, the site in the link above is a gold mine. Just type in an author, title, part of a title and click free books and it will give you a list of available......for example, type in 'kant' and fit free..... see what I mean Last edited by Bremen Cole; 01-06-2010 at 07:36 PM.

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01-06-2010, 01:38 PM	#2
Elfwreck Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,185 Karma: 25133758 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: SF Bay Area, California, USA Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3 (Past: Kobo Mini, PEZ, PRS-505, Clié)	There are no dumb questions here! We are happy to answer anything, no matter how basic; our only real frustration is the mass of sloppy terminology used by mainstream media. (For example, "ereader" is a specific file format, but it's also widely used to refer to ebook readers. Someone might think an "ereader"-type ebook was usable on their recently purchased "ereader," and be upset to find out it doesn't work.) You can click around in the Mobileread Wiki, looking for info, or just ask questions here. (Oh, and the words "copyright" and "public domain" and "file sharing" and "best filetype" are potential triggers for huge long arguments. If you get caught in one of those, don't worry about it; it's nothing personal, and the debates have been going on for years. Grab the info that's useful to you, then back away slowly and let the nice fanatics continue their wars.)

01-06-2010, 02:02 PM	#3
omk3 Wizard Posts: 1,454 Karma: 37243 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Europe Device: pocketbook 360, kindle 4	Ask away, dear dogma! Some questions from me to get you started: Would you need to be able to search inside a book? Would you like the ability to annotate, keep notes, hightlight text on your reader? Will you be buying new books or mostly loading your own? If so, is the layout of the text important to you? If you are going to buy books, would you like to be able to do it directly from your reader, or is it okay to download the books from your computer and then transfer them by cable? Will you want to have a dictionary on your reader? If so, is english enough or would you need more languages?

01-06-2010, 02:31 PM	#4
dear dogma Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: sony prs600	Thanks for the wiki link Elfwreck. How about I answer some of omk3's questions and I take your recomendations. "Would you need to be able to search inside a book?" Yes "Would you like the ability to annotate, keep notes, hightlight text on your reader?" Yes "Will you be buying new books or mostly loading your own? If so, is the layout of the text important to you?" I have never purchased an e-book or downloaded one to my computer. Text is important in that as much as possible I would like it to look like the original hard copy I am familiar with. "If you are going to buy books, would you like to be able to do it directly from your reader, or is it okay to download the books from your computer and then transfer them by cable?" What ever is easiest I suppose. I don't mind paying for good usable copies of important texts but if they are just as readily available for free why not? My first look at the Sony library site listed the five volumes of Aquinas' Summa theologica at about $25ea totaling over $100. the download is available free through guttenberg, but in about 5 different formats not sure which one would be best for me. The site also offers a free download of the Catholic Dhuey-Rhems Bible but as yet I've yet to find any download free or not for the Catechism of the Catholic church. "Will you want to have a dictionary on your reader? If so, is english enough or would you need more languages?" I thought my new prs600 had an english dictionary included though I've yet to use it. I suppose an English/Greek or English/Hebrew dictionary may be of use but not a priority right now. Thanks for any direction you can offer. Peace; DD

01-06-2010, 02:38 PM	#6
omk3 Wizard Posts: 1,454 Karma: 37243 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Europe Device: pocketbook 360, kindle 4	Sorry, it seems you already have a reader and are asking about formats. I thought you were asking about which device to choose. My misunderstanding. If you have a prs-600, the formats it reads are epub, pdf and lrf. Epub is the most commonly sold right now. Pdf is the truest to the "original" layout, but if you need to enlarge the letters this layout will be lost and the result is not always good. So I suggest you go with epub or lrf if you can.

01-06-2010, 02:43 PM	#7
dear dogma Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: sony prs600	Thanks Bremen... LULZ Perhaps one day, like you.... I may be considered a "Zealot" religious or otherwise... any links you can provide will be greatly appreciated.... Peace; DD

01-06-2010, 05:36 PM	#10
dear dogma Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: sony prs600	Thanks again Elfwreck. Your link to the spirituality books section was just what the doctor ordered. by clicking on the link provided by deputy dawg here; https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19167 I am able to read the summa on my reader library page on my computer, now how do I go about moving it from there to my new prs600?

01-06-2010, 06:01 PM	#12
RonF Zealot Posts: 139 Karma: 306 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: NY Device: Sony PRS-300, K3 WiFi, K4 NT, PW2	I also use Calibre and highly recommend it. I have also done a direct drag and drop into the "folder" on the reader itself. When you plug in the usb cord it creates another hard drive. For me it shows up as: F:\database\media\books - as the place to put the books. Calibre creates folders for each of the books, I do not think the Sony Reader Library does as I have some .epub from the store in the root folder.

01-06-2010, 07:29 PM	#13
Bremen Cole Wizard Posts: 1,115 Karma: 2718 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Texas Device: iPad	+1 for Calibre.... I have all volumes of Summa in "lrf" format, which is native to the Sony.... I also thought you did not have a reader yet in my first post. I didn't see it on your side thing.... but it's there now.

01-06-2010, 08:17 PM	#15
Stitchawl Opsimath Posts: 12,344 Karma: 187123287 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand Device: Sony PRS-650, iPhone 5, Kobo Glo, Sony PRS-350, iPad, Samsung Galaxy	As you can plainly see, Dear Dogma, *THIS* is the place for you to find all your answers to technical questions, location of down-loadable books, 'how-to's' for getting books into your reader, and where to find someone who can convert a format for you if you need help. The people here are really THAT helpful and friendly. They thrive on questions. They have been there already and had the same difficulties at the beginning that you will face, and they are right here waiting with the answers you need. DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK A QUESTION!!! I have a question for you; can you really read Hebrew and Greek?!? That is soooo cool! I had a girlfriend a long time ago who learned to read Hebrew just so she could read earlier translations of the Bible. She was pretty cool too! Stitchawl

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