new "alternative" firmware

DojoPat · 08-03-2010, 02:52 PM

Has anyone been able to successfully install and test the new "alternate"
firmware that is available on the Sony site:

http://ebookapplications.com/2010/07...sony-ereaders/

I have not yet been successful at getting the new firmware to boot up on my PRS-300 and was curious in case others have succeeded. I loaded the files onto the Reader and see the new Boot choices, but it will not load the new firmware.

matt314159 · 08-03-2010, 03:51 PM

yeah, I got it to work just fine. All I did was extract the folders from the zip file onto my hard drive, then drag and drop all the folders into the root of the sony reader, alongside the other folders that are already there. Then, when you unplug the reader from the PC, it gives you the option for the ebookapps firmware or the Sony. I actually chose sony the first time around, then went into the settings and shut down the device and then powered it back up. Seems like some of the time the boot menu shows right up with the ebookapps and sony choices, and then again sometimes it looks like the sony firmware, only on your first button press, it then gives you the boot menu. ebookapps looks like it is doing nothing but in 10-12 seconds, it loads into the new firmware.

Worldwalker · 08-03-2010, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DojoPat

Has anyone been able to successfully install and test the new "alternate"
firmware that is available on the Sony site:

That's not the Sony site; it's a third party.

jswinden · 08-03-2010, 04:35 PM

I installed that crap and then uninstalled. Now my PRS300 cannot be seen by the Sony Reader Library. That firmware is not even close to being in alpha much less beta.

luvshihtzu · 08-03-2010, 06:48 PM

I tried it twice yesterday and couldn't get it to work on my Sony 505. Will wait for further updates.

SkyDream · 08-04-2010, 02:12 AM

Tried on my 505 but didn't worked.
Endless firmware selection loop until Sony firmware was selected.

It's Crap

dolmen · 08-04-2010, 03:35 AM

Crap ?

Stop trolling , this firmware is quite usable, still a long way to go, but it formats books beautifully, including hyphenation,
a much more usable font size selection (up to 7 different sizes), dictionary, etc.
On my PRS300 brights. Also, it's an addition to the sony firmware, not a substitution. You can always choose which firmware you want to use when the device boots.

PS: For those who see the boot choices but the new firmware doesn't boot. It happened to me too, but in my case the problem was that the directories ebrmain, dictionary, Sony Reader, fonts etc. where not hanging from the root directory of the reader. They were all inside another directory, not hanging directly from the root. I moved them
and it worked fine.

fanoI · 08-04-2010, 03:50 AM

Yes please don't offend the works of others!

I've to admit the installation can give some problems (it's a little tricky) but at me personally worked like a charm...

The firmware is already quite usable and has - already - a lot of vantages respect the Sony one:

Clock
Font selection
Epub fully supported (full justification AND hypenation)
RTF fully supported (images works!)
PDF works better than in Sony firmware (Fit visible cut automatically the borders), a image PDF in the Sony when zoomed was destroyed, in Ebooks
app borders are cutted and it's quite readable (no more silly conversion!)
The ebook can be used in all 4 positon not only in portrait or landscape
More format supported (DOC, HTML...)
Folder support
Zipped file support (cbz partly works, too!)

This is the official thread, however:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87474

Loose_Appeal · 08-04-2010, 05:16 AM

This is pretty much the only thing that made me feel good about owning a PRS-300 and not the other ebook readers with better default firmware.

SkyDream · 08-04-2010, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dolmen

Crap ?

Stop trolling , this firmware is quite usable, still a long way to go,

Hmmm..it didn't even start on my PRS-505.
Firmware selection loop after installation.

jswinden · 08-04-2010, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkyDream

Hmmm..it didn't even start on my PRS-505.
Firmware selection loop after installation.

I'm not a troll. I guess these narrowminded individuals consider bearers of the truth to be trolls. I installed this CRAP and used it for a day on my PRS-300. It is terrible. ePubs are rendered like TXT files. Each paragraph started and ended with a box character, so it obviously cannot render standard text correctly. It was incredibly slow to open books (2+ minutes for average ePub), extremely sluggish using the menus, and to boot up takes a very long time. Now perhaps it works better on their readers, but on my reader it was CRAP! Oh and one more thing, it cannot find preloaded books. You have to load a second copy into a special folder before it can find it. Crap by any other name still smells like crap.

DojoPat · 08-04-2010, 02:45 PM

Well, after numerous tries, moving different folders into the root directory, I have still not been able to boot up the alternate software. I won't call it "crap" :-) but obviously I can't recommend it yet to anyone.

SkyDream · 08-04-2010, 04:13 PM

Ok, it may not be crap.
Basically i can't tell 'cause it doesn't run on my PRS-505.
Can't argue on software that don't run.

dolmen · 08-04-2010, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jswinden

I'm not a troll. I guess these narrowminded individuals consider bearers of the truth to be trolls. I installed this CRAP and used it for a day on my PRS-300. It is terrible. ePubs are rendered like TXT files. Each paragraph started and ended with a box character, so it obviously cannot render standard text correctly. It was incredibly slow to open books (2+ minutes for average ePub), extremely sluggish using the menus, and to boot up takes a very long time. Now perhaps it works better on their readers, but on my reader it was CRAP! Oh and one more thing, it cannot find preloaded books. You have to load a second copy into a special folder before it can find it. Crap by any other name still smells like crap.

Narrowminded ? you being bearer of the truth ? you are not saying the truth, you're considering one exception as the rule...
Normal epubs are opened in 10 - 20 seconds, as I said, an illustrated one may take even up to 3 minutes, but that's not the normal case.
What you could consider a "crap" is the sony firmware, because even after almost one year they haven't even come out with an update.
Wait for one year an see what this firmware can provide us with. So far, most of my
ebooks are rendered in a beautiful way, a thing I cannot even dream of, by using the sony firmware.

pendragginp · 08-04-2010, 07:47 PM

Does it maybe only work on the newer Sony readers? I'd try it on my 505 but it looks like there's been no luck so far with them - ?

08-03-2010, 02:52 PM	#1
DojoPat literature lover Posts: 62 Karma: 82 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: New York Device: Sony Ereader PRS-505 & PRS-300	new "alternative" firmware Has anyone been able to successfully install and test the new "alternate" firmware that is available on the Sony site: http://ebookapplications.com/2010/07...sony-ereaders/ I have not yet been successful at getting the new firmware to boot up on my PRS-300 and was curious in case others have succeeded. I loaded the files onto the Reader and see the new Boot choices, but it will not load the new firmware.

08-04-2010, 03:35 AM	#7
dolmen Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Madrid (SPAIN) Device: SONY PRS-300	Crap ? Stop trolling , this firmware is quite usable, still a long way to go, but it formats books beautifully, including hyphenation, a much more usable font size selection (up to 7 different sizes), dictionary, etc. On my PRS300 brights. Also, it's an addition to the sony firmware, not a substitution. You can always choose which firmware you want to use when the device boots. PS: For those who see the boot choices but the new firmware doesn't boot. It happened to me too, but in my case the problem was that the directories ebrmain, dictionary, Sony Reader, fonts etc. where not hanging from the root directory of the reader. They were all inside another directory, not hanging directly from the root. I moved them and it worked fine. Last edited by dolmen; 08-04-2010 at 03:43 AM.

08-04-2010, 03:50 AM	#8
fanoI Connoisseur Posts: 83 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: Kobo Aura H20	*Yes please don't offend the works of others!* I've to admit the installation can give some problems (it's a little tricky) but at me personally worked like a charm... The firmware is already quite usable and has - already - a lot of vantages respect the Sony one: Clock Font selection Epub fully supported (full justification AND hypenation) RTF fully supported (images works!) PDF works better than in Sony firmware (Fit visible cut automatically the borders), a image PDF in the Sony when zoomed was destroyed, in Ebooks app borders are cutted and it's quite readable (no more silly conversion!) The ebook can be used in all 4 positon not only in portrait or landscape More format supported (DOC, HTML...) Folder support Zipped file support (cbz partly works, too!) This is the official thread, however: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87474

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08-03-2010, 03:51 PM	#2
matt314159 Groupie Posts: 198 Karma: 1000 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: High Desert, SoCal Device: KSO, NookColor (CM7.1), Samsung Mesmerize	yeah, I got it to work just fine. All I did was extract the folders from the zip file onto my hard drive, then drag and drop all the folders into the root of the sony reader, alongside the other folders that are already there. Then, when you unplug the reader from the PC, it gives you the option for the ebookapps firmware or the Sony. I actually chose sony the first time around, then went into the settings and shut down the device and then powered it back up. Seems like some of the time the boot menu shows right up with the ebookapps and sony choices, and then again sometimes it looks like the sony firmware, only on your first button press, it then gives you the boot menu. ebookapps looks like it is doing nothing but in 10-12 seconds, it loads into the new firmware.

08-03-2010, 04:35 PM	#4
jswinden Nameless Being	I installed that crap and then uninstalled. Now my PRS300 cannot be seen by the Sony Reader Library. That firmware is not even close to being in alpha much less beta.

08-03-2010, 06:48 PM	#5
luvshihtzu Groupie Posts: 194 Karma: 39390 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Tucson, Arizona Device: Kindle DX Graphite, Sony 950 and iPad	I tried it twice yesterday and couldn't get it to work on my Sony 505. Will wait for further updates.

08-04-2010, 02:12 AM	#6
SkyDream Wizard Posts: 1,377 Karma: 9400 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Europe Device: PRS-650, iPod touch 4G, iPad 3	Tried on my 505 but didn't worked. Endless firmware selection loop until Sony firmware was selected. It's Crap

08-04-2010, 05:16 AM	#9
Loose_Appeal Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiish? Posts: 85 Karma: 162 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: Current: PRS-650, Previous: Books	This is pretty much the only thing that made me feel good about owning a PRS-300 and not the other ebook readers with better default firmware.

08-04-2010, 02:45 PM	#12
DojoPat literature lover Posts: 62 Karma: 82 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: New York Device: Sony Ereader PRS-505 & PRS-300	Well, after numerous tries, moving different folders into the root directory, I have still not been able to boot up the alternate software. I won't call it "crap" :-) but obviously I can't recommend it yet to anyone.

08-04-2010, 04:13 PM	#13
SkyDream Wizard Posts: 1,377 Karma: 9400 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Europe Device: PRS-650, iPod touch 4G, iPad 3	Ok, it may not be crap. Basically i can't tell 'cause it doesn't run on my PRS-505. Can't argue on software that don't run.

08-04-2010, 07:47 PM	#15
pendragginp Guru Posts: 985 Karma: 4567263 Join Date: May 2009 Location: The End Of The Earth Device: Several	Does it maybe only work on the newer Sony readers? I'd try it on my 505 but it looks like there's been no luck so far with them - ?

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