PRS-505 spotted in the UK wild

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by astra

Lrf, rtf, txt and pdf - however, you will not be able to read your A4 collection of PDFs. Sony makes this type of pdf unreadable, because it shows your A4 text on 6" screen. Impossible to read. Be prepared to convert PDFs but it is an arduous task, sometimes next to impossible. You might read comfortable only PDFs created by following special instructions.
Yes, this is the right answer. I am talking about time before pdflrf existed. I remember quite well that many people gave the former answer....

Perhaps, but many of us also gave the latter. Personally, I've given that answer so many times I actually feel my stomach drop at the thought of retyping it all each time the question comes up yet again.

However, your point is well taken that when folks get excited about something, they tend to focus mostly on the happy, shiny parts of it, and not so much on the not so much. It's not necessarily dishonesty, per se, just a natural tendency to get excited about the things that get us excited, and some folks are more scrupulous than others about pointing out the not-so-good features than others.

On the whole, though, I do think this community does a relatively good job of making sure that folks are aware of downsides, we get to many folks who come through upset about things they didn't know before they made their choice to do anything else. Of course, most of those folks are also just finding us when they go looking for information about the thing that's upset them. I think that's the biggest evidence that we make an unusual effort to show both sides around here: the folks who find us before they buy are mostly happy, and the folks who are unhappy mostly find us after they've already bought: we must be doing sumthin' right.

[astra]

Originally Posted by NatCh

we must be doing sumthin' right.

Definitely, NatCh.
Otherwise, it would be a waste of time to be here.
This forum has became one of the most interesting places for me in the last year.

I believe you are being very PC

I disagree with you about some people forgetting about bad things and remembering only good ones. Yes, sure there are members who are just like that, however, there is another kind who believe in: we bought it, it is ....(I am going to be very PC as well) lousy, but I am going to suggest it to others anyway because what I have absolutely must be better than what I didn't buy and I want others to have the same reader as I have even though it is shi..lousy.

So, I advice people to read the forum quite well, not superficially.

some folks are more scrupulous than others about pointing out the not-so-good features than others

I probably belong to this cathegory, although I point both sides, good and bad.
When I showed my reader to a friend(speaking about positive sides of the reader) and she got really exited about it and said her husband would be very interested, I immediately, said: Well...I am not sure Sony Reader would be the best choice for him. There is another reader that supports dictionaries. Why did I say it? Because he is linguist and he teaches different languages and would like to have a dictionary on the reader.

I disagree with you that by applying a knowledge I have gathered here and attempting to give the best advice to her, I was a pessimist who concentrate only on negatives sides. I believe it is a honest approach.

[Taylor514ce]

I couldn't help wondering... why are all these devices "spotted"? The Sony Readers in the US are only silver or blue. I think a reticulated reader would be rather dashing.

[lvyelion]

Originally Posted by Taylor514ce

I couldn't help wondering... why are all these devices "spotted"? The Sony Readers in the US are only silver or blue. I think a reticulated reader would be rather dashing.

LOL, thats a good one

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by astra

Definitely, NatCh.
Otherwise, it would be a waste of time to be here.
This forum has became one of the most interesting places for me in the last year.

I wouldn't have stayed around for two years myself if it weren't so.

Originally Posted by astra

I believe you are being very PC

Well, I like to think of it as recognizing merit where I find it, whether I find it compelling or not, but you could call it PC if you want, I guess, I just really dislike that particular term.

Originally Posted by astra

I disagree with you about some people forgetting about bad things and remembering only good ones. Yes, sure there are members who are just like that, however, there is another kind who believe in: we bought it, it is ....(I am going to be very PC as well) lousy, but I am going to suggest it to others anyway because what I have absolutely must be better than what I didn't buy and I want others to have the same reader as I have even though it is shi..lousy.

You're right, of course, some folks just feel that everyone else has to do the same thing they did so they feel validated (I have an uncle that's pretty bad about that, but that's another story). However, I find my blood-pressure stays lower if I "assume" the absence of malice. I know it's not always absent, but that assumption allows me to deal with things more constructively. There's always time to deal with things destructively when it becomes clear that malice isn't absent. That's the way I look at it, anyway.

Originally Posted by astra

So, I advice people to read the forum quite well, not superficially.

And it's very good advice. Everyone has biases, no matter how objective they try to be. I don't see how those who won't admit this can be doing much to counteract their own biases.

Originally Posted by astra

I probably belong to this cathegory, although I point both sides, good and bad.

I'd agree that you do. Your posts come across to my readings as being particularly concerned about giving as accurate a picture as you can. That's something I appreciate and applaud. It's very good for this community, and for life in general, I think.

Originally Posted by astra

When I showed my reader to a friend(speaking about positive sides of the reader) and she got really exited about it and said her husband would be very interested, I immediately, said: Well...I am not sure Sony Reader would be the best choice for him. There is another reader that supports dictionaries. Why did I say it? Because he is linguist and he teaches different languages and would like to have a dictionary on the reader.

That's an excellent example. Over Christmas, I recommended that my step-mother would probably be happier with a Kindle, because what she wants out of a reading device best matches (so far) the features of the Kindle. Obviously I like the Sony better, but I realize not everyone wants/needs the same things I want/need so it's not the best match for everyone. I like to think I have a solid enough self-concept that it's not bothered by that.

Originally Posted by astra

I disagree with you that by applying a knowledge I have gathered here and attempting to give the best advice to her, I was a pessimist who concentrate only on negatives sides. I believe it is a honest approach.

Well, you can't disagree with me that way, actually, because I don't think that you were being pessimistic either. I probably should have said that some folks are more scrupulous than others about pointing out the not-so-good features, along with the good ones than others. I blame bronchitis and antibiotics that are making me just a bit loopy for being imprecise.

Everything is a trade-off, reading devices no less than anything else, and I very much think that the more folks know about all the features (good and bad), and the practical effects of them, the better off they are, because they are more likely to make a choices they can be happy with. And as I frequently say (though it's been a while), that's the important bit.

[astra]

Originally Posted by NatCh

I blame bronchitis and antibiotics that are making me just a bit loopy for being imprecise.

Ah, well. Then we are in the same boat.
(Just made another cup of tea for myself - fighting a cold for 2 days )
Get well soon!

However, I find my blood-pressure stays lower if I "assume" the absence of malice. I know it's not always absent, but that assumption allows me to deal with things more constructively. There's always time to deal with things destructively when it becomes clear that malice isn't absent. That's the way I look at it, anyway

I think it is a very wise approach. I have to/will learn it one day.

[Taylor514ce]

Assuming the absence of malice is very similar to passive emotifaction. To emotifactor a post is "to assume the presence of smileys".

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by astra

I think it is a very wise approach. I have to/will learn it one day.

I think you're coming along nicely, as it happens.

Originally Posted by Taylor514ce

Assuming the absence of malice is very similar to passive emotifaction. To emotifactor a post is "to assume the presence of smileys".

Hey, Taylor:

I'm blaming that on the antibiotics too!

[Veejyburger]

I don't want to get anyones hopes up. I received an email from Sony yesterday advertising the Grand Designs Live exhibition at London's ExCel centre 3-11 May. Within the email was several images of what i assume are Sony products, one of which was the Sony reader.

What are the odds on them announcing a UK release at the exhibition, or have i got more chance of seeing a squadron of flying pigs circle over London in a holding pattern before landing at Heathrow Terminal 5?

[Patricia]

Originally Posted by Veejyburger

What are the odds on them announcing a UK release at the exhibition, or have i got more chance of seeing a squadron of flying pigs circle over London in a holding pattern before landing at Heathrow Terminal 5?

I don't know about the reader launch, but there's more chance of flying pigs than of ever seeing your luggage again at T5.