I just bought a Sony PRS-505 used off craigslist

[Boston]

A year old for $150. Pick it up next week.

Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE my Kindle 1. I love the book availability and pricing...especially since I bought a Kindle for my non-tech mom and we share our purchases.

But I like the freedom of getting books from other sources...especially the public library. I toyed with the idea of buying a Sony when Borders had them for $199...but thought it was still a lot to pay simply to avoid the extra steps to convert for my Kindle. Then with Amazon deleting unauthorized books (albeit ones they sold), I decided I didn't like the Big Brother possibility and decided a second wireless reader wouldn't be a bad idea if I could find one at a reasonable price.

Now I am reading about the Adobe SDK versus ADE stuff, worries about firmware updates on discontinued models, etc...don't understand it but hoping it doesn't affect availability of pdf and epub books for the Sony PRS-505...which was my reason for buying. Hoping that between the PRS-505 and K1, I would have the best of both worlds.

I know technology changes and there's always something better coming but hoping what I have won't soon become obsolete. I didn't need a K2 because I don't need to latest.

I wish I had my Sony now, so I didn't have so much time to go back-and-forth on my decision

And I have to tell myself buying the Sony lightwedge cover defeats the purpose of an "inexpensive" supplemental reader

Sorry for the ramble...just hope this wasn't a frivolous purchase

[Journier]

Hey, Boston, I have a 505 and a 700. I use the 505 more often and love it. And, I may be wrong, but do you have to email your documents to yourself to post them on your Kindle? On the Sony devices you can simply bring up you doc list on your hard drive, plug in your Sony device and click on it. There are two library views available. One list is the one you have on line and if you click on the device the library on board it appears. You can drag and drop supported formats from your hard drive to your devices list. If you have an SD card on it documents have to be dragged from the devices library to the card, not straight across from the doc list on your drive. So... There you go. Probably everything you really didn't want to know. I really hope you enjoy your 505 as much as I do mine

[Boston]

Thanks Journier.

The Kindle allows me to drag and drop...so that's no different. But I had to remove drm so I could convert for the Kindle. I'm not against DRM so much as the limitations due to different standards. I'm just hoping the used Sony has a useful life of at least another year or two. (Likewise for my Kindle.)

New Ebook readers are still out of my price range to consider frequent upgrades. Between the Kindle and Sony, I hope that I won't need another reader for awhile.

[kelly1010]

I would think (and hope) that even though they are releasing new models, that the new models would be compatible with the same formats as the 505 and 700 were, thus being no reason for them to do away with those formats. AND this would allow people who have the 505 and/or 700 to keep books they've already bought and load them onto the new reader.

As far as the lightwedge.....I have one...the first month I had it, I thought it was the greatest thing in the world...NOW I have to say if I had to do it all over again, I probably wouldn't buy the lightwedge. It's do-able but the plastic takes away from the clearness of the 505 screen and it does NOT do well with fingerprints/specks of dust. I wish I would've researched more and gotten the mighty bright light. I still might get one of them. I've heard they're in the process of making their own lightwedge designed for the 505, so I'll use my lightwedge until that hits the stores.

[dordale]

Congrats on your new purchase! I'll be interested in how you like the 505 compared to the Kindle. I have a 505 and love it, but every once in a while I think about buying a Kindle.

dordale

[ruth1304]

Great new purchase. I'm sure you'll get lots of use out of it as there are a number of readers that can read epub books. I don't think epub will be going anywhere soon even if sony brings out new readers. In the UK it's more difficult to get the kindle, but if Amazon does start selling it here I'll have to consider whether to get one. I keep telling myself I don't need two readers, but they have different advantages and I do like to try different things. (It probably depends on the my work situation over the next few months and whether sony does bring out anything new.)

Anyway, the 505 is great, and I'm sure you'll enjoy using it whatever else happens to ereaders

[Boston]

Originally Posted by ruth1304

I keep telling myself I don't need two readers, but they have different advantages and I do like to try different things.

I've had the same conversation with myself (and still am, if you can't tell ). But after having a Kindle for a year, I think I better understand my use. However, I just had to decide how much the added functionality was worth. I think $150 was my limit for for a second reader. Hope the job situation works out.

kell1010 - thanks for the feedback on the lightwedge cover...I now feel the power to resist

dordale - I really love my Kindle..I don't see the Sony as a replacement at all..just a second reader to fill in the gaps.

[Boston]

First thoughts after reading with this for a week:

I immediately fell in love with its slim form factor. Holding the Sony, brought to life why others so harshly criticize the Kindle 1 as clunky and horrible (something I thought was exaggerated as it never bothered me). My Kindle 1 does look like a clunky toy next to the slim Sony.

When I first started reading on the Sony, three things bothered me enormously:
- Page turning - while the K1 was often criticized for the ease of accidental page turns, I never found this to be a real problem. I found that the small page turn keys on the Sony limited how I could hold the device and often hard to press because I have longer fingernails). I was able to adjust when reading in an upright position but still find reading while laying in bed awkward. Page refreshes also seem much more noticeable (but I think its because I am not firmly depressing the buttons).
- Fonts - With only 3 font sizes available, I found it harder to adjust to the Sony. Again, I was able to adjust although none of the font sizes reflect my natural preference. My Kindle has been instrumental in my ability to deny the need for reading glasses.
- PDF rendering was more distracting than I thought (I bought the Sony primarily so I could read ePub and pdf books without converting).

At first, I thought that getting the Sony was a big mistake but as I am getting used to it, so I decided to give it a fair shake by putting my Kindle aside for a week.

Happily, I find it will work fine for my intended purpose - a second reader to supplement my Kindle. I do love having page numbers and the idea of folders (although I haven't used it yet). The biggest reasons for staying with the Kindle as my primary reader are Whispernet (I like the NY Times News Updates and samples), ease of buying from Amazon and the ability to share books with my mom. But I can see why each reader has its own fans and why some think one is clearly is better than the other. For me, each has its benefits and I'm glad to have both until the perfect reader for me comes out.

Questions for other Sony owners:

Since I don't plan to buy from the Sony store and have Calibre, is there any reason I need to install the library software and/or register the unit with Sony?

I was going to stick with the original cover but have read warnings here not to. How much bulk does the M-Edge cover add? Since one of the things I love most is the slim form factor so I'm hesitant to add a cover that will make it more like a Kindle.

What do you press to <escape> when you press a function accidentally? I find the Page __ prompt occasionally pops up and I lose my place.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Boston

Questions for other Sony owners:

Since I don't plan to buy from the Sony store and have Calibre, is there any reason I need to install the library software and/or register the unit with Sony?

I was going to stick with the original cover but have read warnings here not to. How much bulk does the M-Edge cover add? Since one of the things I love most is the slim form factor so I'm hesitant to add a cover that will make it more like a Kindle.

What do you press to <escape> when you press a function accidentally? I find the Page __ prompt occasionally pops up and I lose my place.

As for the cover, you can stick with the original cover. I use it and it's just fine for me. I have never broken it and it is in good condition.

Yes, you do want to install eBook Library. Easier (IMHO) to manage collections and if you load any LRF format eBooks, eBook Library will paginate them for you so the reader does not have to do it. You save time and battery that way.

[ruth1304]

Originally Posted by Boston

What do you press to <escape> when you press a function accidentally? I find the Page __ prompt occasionally pops up and I lose my place.

In this situation press the menu button to return to the page you were reading! (I discovered this through trial and error )

[Boston]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Yes, you do want to install eBook Library. Easier (IMHO) to manage collections and if you load any LRF format eBooks, eBook Library will paginate them for you so the reader does not have to do it. You save time and battery that way.

But I only plan to use it to read EPUB and PDF...isn't LRF the Sony format?

I seldom keep books and thus don't manage collections on my reader...once I read a book, I usually just remove it since its not like I can pass it on to someone else (like I did with paper) The exception is technical books and cookbooks which I still prefer to have in paper.

[Boston]

Originally Posted by ruth1304

In this situation press the menu button to return to the page you were reading! (I discovered this through trial and error )

Thank you..but I tried this but when that happens, it brings me to the book's menu and when I select "Continued Reading", it brings me back to the cover..not to where I was

I downloaded the user guide...but I don't have the attention span to go through it

[Elsi]

Originally Posted by Boston

Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE my Kindle 1. I love the book availability and pricing...especially since I bought a Kindle for my non-tech mom and we share our purchases.

But I like the freedom of getting books from other sources...especially the public library. I toyed with the idea of buying a Sony when Borders had them for $199...but thought it was still a lot to pay simply to avoid the extra steps to convert for my Kindle. Then with Amazon deleting unauthorized books (albeit ones they sold), I decided I didn't like the Big Brother possibility and decided a second wireless reader wouldn't be a bad idea if I could find one at a reasonable price.
...
And I have to tell myself buying the Sony lightwedge cover defeats the purpose of an "inexpensive" supplemental reader

I'm one who also owns a K1 and a Sony 505. I do prefer reading with the Kindle, but have found the Sony handy to have because of its support for other formats. So far, I've read two PDFs on the Sony -- not a *good* experience, but acceptable enough -- and non-DRMed .lrf and .epub books. I don't plan to buy any DRMed .epub books as I'm boycotting ADE. I want a way of buying .epub without having to install ADE onto my computer.

My hubby bought me the lightwedge cover for the Sony. Yes, I have booklights, but they reflect off of the Kindle and Sony screens and cast light around in the car at night. The lightwedge keeps things nice and dark except for the screen I'm reading. If you do get it, you might want to (1) keep the thin plastic sleeve and slip it back onto the lightwedge when it's not in use and (2) buy or make an elastic band to hold the cover shut when you're transporting the Sony. These two tricks will help keep you from getting scratches on the lightwedge -- which are more annoying that dust.

I buy a decent number of multi-format books from Fictionwise and Webscriptions, so I will queue up the same book on both readers and shift from the Kindle to the Sony when it gets dark.

Originally Posted by Boston

I immediately fell in love with its slim form factor. Holding the Sony, brought to life why others so harshly criticize the Kindle 1 as clunky and horrible (something I thought was exaggerated as it never bothered me). My Kindle 1 does look like a clunky toy next to the slim Sony.

When I first started reading on the Sony, three things bothered me enormously:
- Page turning - while the K1 was often criticized for the ease of accidental page turns, I never found this to be a real problem. I found that the small page turn keys on the Sony limited how I could hold the device and often hard to press because I have longer fingernails). I was able to adjust when reading in an upright position but still find reading while laying in bed awkward. Page refreshes also seem much more noticeable (but I think its because I am not firmly depressing the buttons).
- Fonts - With only 3 font sizes available, I found it harder to adjust to the Sony. Again, I was able to adjust although none of the font sizes reflect my natural preference. My Kindle has been instrumental in my ability to deny the need for reading glasses.
- PDF rendering was more distracting than I thought (I bought the Sony primarily so I could read ePub and pdf books without converting).

At first, I thought that getting the Sony was a big mistake but as I am getting used to it, so I decided to give it a fair shake by putting my Kindle aside for a week.

Happily, I find it will work fine for my intended purpose - a second reader to supplement my Kindle. I do love having page numbers and the idea of folders (although I haven't used it yet). The biggest reasons for staying with the Kindle as my primary reader are Whispernet (I like the NY Times News Updates and samples), ease of buying from Amazon and the ability to share books with my mom. But I can see why each reader has its own fans and why some think one is clearly is better than the other. For me, each has its benefits and I'm glad to have both until the perfect reader for me comes out.

I do like the thinness and sleek metal appearance of the Sony reader, but I find it isn't quite as comfortable in my hand as the Kindle. Like you, I view it as a back-up reader. Since there are some books in the MobileRead library that are not yet available in every format, I find it handy to have a reader that understands the .lrf format. Yes, I know how to make books, but sometimes I just want to be lazy and read one that someone else has already made (Dr. Drib, are you listening?)

The PDF function is not one that I'd promote for the Sony. Yes, you can read PDFs on it, and for simple fiction books, the reflowing makes the font large enough to read, but results in very messy paragraphs.

Originally Posted by Boston

I seldom keep books and thus don't manage collections on my reader...once I read a book, I usually just remove it since its not like I can pass it on to someone else (like I did with paper) The exception is technical books and cookbooks which I still prefer to have in paper.

I keep all the electronic books that I buy -- but I copy them off of the readers onto my hard drive. The only DRM-laden books I've gotten in the Sony format are freebies from the Sony store. This is a major consideration for me as no one has {yet} released a routine to remove the DRM. While I don't tend to re-read books very much, I do buy books faster than I can read them. So, in anticipation of a hardware failure and subsequent replacement, I want to have *some* hope of being able to read the books I've already paid for.



Congratulations on your purchase of the Sony reader. I can't say that I *need* to have more than one, but I do find it fun to have both. And, I'm planning on getting another -- probably one of the new 5-inch devices that are just coming to the market.

[Boston]

Elsi -

Glad I'm not alone.

Originally Posted by Elsi

I'm one who also owns a K1 and a Sony 505. I do prefer reading with the Kindle, but have found the Sony handy to have because of its support for other formats.

I bought the Sony for the exact same reasons.

Originally Posted by Elsi

I do like the thinness and sleek metal appearance of the Sony reader, but I find it isn't quite as comfortable in my hand as the Kindle.

Originally Posted by Elsi

for simple fiction books, the reflowing makes the font large enough to read, but results in very messy paragraphs.

I agree and these are my major disappointments with the Sony that I didn't expect.

Although the new 5 inch readers interest me, it would only be if it also addressed these other issues.

[richman]

some of the hacks for the 505 I find useful. I like the center button turn off. I like the joypad turn page and I also changed the font to one that was bolder and recommended as best from the forum rooms. Easy to do and gives more options to making the 505 easier to use. I now have 3 ways to turn the pages and could have more if I wanted too and it allows me to hold the 505 in more comfortable ways. I can now hold the ereader in left or right hand and turning pages feels so much more natural. So maybe check them out and experiment with them.

If I'm not gonna use the sony for 1/2 day or a day , the center button turn off is quick and easy.

Good luck with your 505.