Not asking for the earth

[Liz S]

Originally Posted by valb2953

if you can afford,buy an ipad.it's the coolest gadget i've ever seen.ipad is a tablet pc,so it can emulate any ereader with the right software. as far as i know,there are ipad apps for kindle,nook,and very likely for any other ereader on the market (now or soon)
valentin bazavan

Hi

No, I really, really don't want an iPad!
Not sure if you read my OP but I don't want backlit screen, I want/need e-ink, and it is too big. Also, I already have a tablet PC (Viliv X70 EX).

Thanks anyway.
Liz

[Liz S]

Originally Posted by Logseman

Pocketbook readers are probably the best choice. They can even open both unprotected Mobi (PRC) and ePub.

The following document will be of interest with you (User Manual for the PB 602).

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/att...1&d=1289067186

Hi
I did find that but it doesn't seem to go into enough detail on the functions such as the persistent zoom mentioned. The user manual also says:
"A detailed user manual is also available on the PocketBook official website: http://pocketbook-int.com/support/pocketbook-Pro 602/"
When I go to the link there is no detailed user manual available.

I would love to see a screenshot of of an image PDF in lanscape on the 602.

Cheers
Liz

[Liz S]

Originally Posted by polly

I've heard good things about the PocketBooks and really like my Sony 650. Right now, the Pearl screens, used by the Kindle 3 and the Sony 350/650/950, are the best screens on the market.

PDF is a horrible format for readers, especially if they are images instead of text. The format is designed to render a 8.5x11 page exactly as it was created. Those images aren't going to work well on any of the 6" readers out there. Since these are free and out of copyright books, I'd recommend looking at the 18,000 books posted here at Mobilread. You'll find that they are very well formatted and already in formats, like ePub and mobi, that do well on readers. People like HarryT take books from places like Google books and Project Gutenberg, clean them up, create tables of contents, rework the images, and format them to look good on ereaders.

Hi Polly

Thanks for your reply.
I think you're probably right. In the longer term I think I'm going to have to work on the PDFs myself. I just don't have the time at the moment. I don't mind using landscape and zoom but would love to see an screenshot example on a 6 inch screen such as the 602. I don't expect it to be perfect and am prepared to live with some of the downfalls of viewing PDFs that I haven't got the equivalent mobi/epub of. Any bigger screens I think would mean less portability which is one of my main requirements.

Cheers
Liz

[dwig]

Originally Posted by polly

...
PDF is a horrible format for readers, especially if they are images instead of text. The format is designed to render a 8.5x11 page exactly as it was created. Those images aren't going to work well on any of the 6" readers out there. ...

While its true that the average PDF book "found in the wild" is a horrible option for the average ereader device, it is totally false that it is universally a poor choice and that it the format is designed to render any particular page size. Any one PDF is specific for one display/print size, but that size and be any size within a rather wide range. The fact that most PDFs "in the wild" are generated with a letter sized page (either 8-1/2x11" or A4) results from the person generating the PDF either actively choosing that size on the assumption that the reader will print the file or failing to choose a size and accepting the default size chosen by the PDF generation program.

PDFs can work very well on small screens, though if an only if they are generated with the small screen in mind. When dealing with PDFs created from images of scanned book pages, they will display well on small ereaders if, and only if, the original book page is about the same size as the ereader screen. The reason so many of these scanned book PDFs render poorly on ereaders is that most printed books have a page size larger than the common ereader's screen.

[Liz S]

I know it's bad form to follow up my own post but I've just had a look at the spec for the Sony PRS950. This is looking like a likely contender - larger screen than the 602 and reviews look good. Still fairly portable. Just a pity it's not available in the UK. Why is the UK always so far behind?!

Liz

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Liz S

I know it's bad form to follow up my own post but I've just had a look at the spec for the Sony PRS950. This is looking like a likely contender - larger screen than the 602 and reviews look good. Still fairly portable. Just a pity it's not available in the UK. Why is the UK always so far behind?!

Liz

It's not that the UK is "behind"; the 900 series has never been available outside the US because its wireless connectivity only connects to the Sony store, and that's not available outside the US. You can always buy one from a US company which exports, such as http://bhphotovideo.com

[Liz S]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It's not that the UK is "behind"; the 900 series has never been available outside the US because its wireless connectivity only connects to the Sony store, and that's not available outside the US. You can always buy one from a US company which exports, such as http://bhphotovideo.com

When I say behind I suppose what I was really trying to say is that the UK always seems be the poor relative when it comes to large companies making technology available in the UK, either through lack of perceived (or actual) customer base, making tweaks to the product to make it more widely available, or even co-operation with providers etc so the product can work in other countries. I experienced this trying to get hold of my Viliv.

I would quite happily go to B&H or Adorama but getting warranty cover would probably not be possible, though it might be worth asking if warranties could be covered within the UK.

Liz

[Liz S]

Just a quick follow-up.
A package arrived this morning. Inside was a Sony PRS-650.
I had a long chat with a nice chap at the local Sony Centre and discussed options for getting a 950. Bottom line is the warranty wouldn't transfer to the UK if I bought from the US and it would go back to where you purchased the item rather than direct to Sony. After recent nightmares with online purchases I didn't want to risk having a warranty issue so ended up going for the 650.

So it is now on AC charge. It wouldn't charge with the USB attached to a front panel USB port on the computer - no red light, and a error on screen saying "Charging Stopped. The Reader is unable to charge as no power supply is being detected" I used the cable into my 5v HTC Touch Pro2 plug which has a standard USB female and the light's on and it's charging.
All I now have to do is fire up Calibre and convert about 550 mobi files to ePub
I'm so looking forward to getting going and thank you everyone who responded to my OP.

Cheers
Liz

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Liz S

Just a quick follow-up.
A package arrived this morning. Inside was a Sony PRS-650.
...

Cheers
Liz

We expect a follow up with your impressions, particularly wrt your original requirements.

and welcome to MR!

[FF2]

Liz S:

Re: charging from usb ports. In many cases, the front usb on computers appears to be more like a hub and some devices will not charge (or even communicate) from a hub. The rear usb ports generally work better/consistently. What I've done is get a usb-"extension cord" that I've run from the back to a convenient location. I can plug in usb-drives or any other device and have not run into any issues. It makes it much more convenient than fishing around the back of my computer.

Enjoy your new reader.

[Liz S]

Originally Posted by FF2

Liz S:

Re: charging from usb ports. In many cases, the front usb on computers appears to be more like a hub and some devices will not charge (or even communicate) from a hub. The rear usb ports generally work better/consistently. What I've done is get a usb-"extension cord" that I've run from the back to a convenient location. I can plug in usb-drives or any other device and have not run into any issues. It makes it much more convenient than fishing around the back of my computer.

Enjoy your new reader.

Hi.
The front ports are part of a separate panel I installed into a bay. It also has card reader, audio in/out/, firewire and sata. I have a USB 4xAA battery charger in one of the USB ports which may have been the problem with it drawing power. If I ever get my work finished today, I'll unplug the charger and try the reader again and see what happens.
Still haven't had time to play with my new toy!

[Liz S]

Originally Posted by kennyc

We expect a follow up with your impressions, particularly wrt your original requirements.

and welcome to MR!

Hi Kenny

I will certainly get back with my impressions. This being my first reader I have nothing to compare with apart from trying to read on my phone and Viliv tablet. Initial impressions are that it is well, made and surprisingly light. I was expecting a more vivid, brighter/whiter screen but this is probably due to me using lcd screens in the past. Tinkered with settings but it still seems somewhat "grey" It's probably something I need to get used to.

I must get a cover and light for it ASAP

Thanks for the welcome.