Register Guidelines E-Books Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book Readers > Which one should I buy?

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 11-14-2007, 11:01 PM   #1
dyerfr
Junior Member
dyerfr began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 4
Karma: 10
Join Date: Nov 2007
Device: N/A
Another one of those d*mned 'which one' questions from a newbie...

OK - I have read most of the threads on this forum on 'which one' is best for me...

If I am looking at 1) reading only (no graphics needed), 2) primarily current best seller type titles, and 3) least fun/frustration with conversions, what would you recommend?

Leaning towards Sony at this point, but that's kind of the default knee-jerk reaction when looking at high brand image vs. one I'm not familiar with ...

Many Thanks,
Frank
dyerfr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-14-2007, 11:16 PM   #2
JSWolf
Resident Curmudgeon
JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
JSWolf's Avatar
 
Posts: 73,510
Karma: 126422064
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
Where do you live? If you live in the USA, the 505 is going to cost a lot less then the Gen3. $350+$23 shipping + the cost of the case. if you go for the deluxe edition, $450+$23 shipping. The Sony is $299.99 + shipping. Or less if you look on the forum for some other websites. Conversion is very easy for the 505 given the very nice tools available on this forum.
JSWolf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-14-2007, 11:54 PM   #3
NatCh
Gizmologist
NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
NatCh's Avatar
 
Posts: 11,615
Karma: 929550
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN
Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3
JSWolf makes good price related points. Another thing to look at is availability of titles for tje device. Have a look at Sony's store and www.fictionwise.com to see if the have the sorts of titles you're looking for. For the Cybook, look at www.mobipocket.com and also fictionwise to see how you like what's available in mobi format. If you like Baen books, they'll work fine on either device since the Sony takes RTF files unconverted. You'd of course want to use Baen's Mobi version on the Cybook, though it takes RTF just fine too, so far as I know.
NatCh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2007, 02:34 AM   #4
HarryT
eBook Enthusiast
HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
HarryT's Avatar
 
Posts: 85,544
Karma: 93383043
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: UK
Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6
If "best sellers" and "no conversions" are important factors for you, the CyBook Gen3 would probably be your best bet, since it supports MobiPocket, which has a vastly wider range of commercial sellers (and books) than any other eBook format. Other formats can be converted, of course, but for hassle-free buying, I'd go for the Gen3.
HarryT is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2007, 02:37 AM   #5
HarryT
eBook Enthusiast
HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
HarryT's Avatar
 
Posts: 85,544
Karma: 93383043
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: UK
Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6
Quote:
Originally Posted by NatCh View Post
You'd of course want to use Baen's Mobi version on the Cybook, though it takes RTF just fine too, so far as I know.
No, the Gen3 doesn't currently support RTF. It's a format they've promised to add in the future. The formats it currently supports are:

- Text
- HTML (subset only)
- PalmDoc
- MobiPocket
- PDF (sort of, as you know!)
HarryT is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2007, 08:54 AM   #6
nekokami
fruminous edugeek
nekokami ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.nekokami ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.nekokami ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.nekokami ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.nekokami ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.nekokami ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.nekokami ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.nekokami ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.nekokami ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.nekokami ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.nekokami ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
nekokami's Avatar
 
Posts: 6,745
Karma: 551260
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Northeast US
Device: iPad, eBw 1150
If Fictionwise has the books you want, you might want to consider the eBookwise 1150. It's much less expensive than the e ink devices and is still well-supported. Otherwise, I'd agree with HarryT that the Gen3 looks like a good bet, because of the strength of the Mobipocket catalog and the (relative) portability of Mobipocket as a "bestseller" format.
nekokami is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2007, 10:45 AM   #7
NatCh
Gizmologist
NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
NatCh's Avatar
 
Posts: 11,615
Karma: 929550
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN
Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3
Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT View Post
No, the Gen3 doesn't currently support RTF. It's a format they've promised to add in the future.
I stand corrected. Well ... sit corrected, anyway. Thanks, HarryT.
NatCh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2007, 12:45 PM   #8
HarryT
eBook Enthusiast
HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
HarryT's Avatar
 
Posts: 85,544
Karma: 93383043
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: UK
Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6
No problem. The original spec for the Gen3 did include RTF, so that's probably what you're thinking of.
HarryT is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2007, 01:17 PM   #9
NatCh
Gizmologist
NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
NatCh's Avatar
 
Posts: 11,615
Karma: 929550
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN
Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3
Or I could just have too many factoids bouncing around my skull to keep them all straight. It was easier when there were only three.
NatCh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2007, 02:09 PM   #10
DaleDe
Grand Sorcerer
DaleDe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DaleDe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DaleDe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DaleDe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DaleDe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DaleDe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DaleDe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DaleDe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DaleDe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DaleDe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DaleDe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
DaleDe's Avatar
 
Posts: 11,470
Karma: 13095790
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Grass Valley, CA
Device: EB 1150, EZ Reader, Literati, iPad 2 & Air 2, iPhone 7
Quote:
Originally Posted by NatCh View Post
Or I could just have too many factoids bouncing around my skull to keep them all straight. It was easier when there were only three.
Three factoids?
DaleDe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2007, 02:32 PM   #11
NatCh
Gizmologist
NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
NatCh's Avatar
 
Posts: 11,615
Karma: 929550
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN
Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaleDe View Post
Three factoids?
I meant three devices, I think I had more than three factoids at birth.
NatCh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-16-2007, 10:50 AM   #12
dyerfr
Junior Member
dyerfr began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 4
Karma: 10
Join Date: Nov 2007
Device: N/A
Many thanks! and a follow up...

I appreciate the replies... Since there's a cost difference between the Sony device (which I have been leaning towards) and the CyBook, which may meet my stated need of least fun/frustration with conversion, let me ask the following as well (note that I am new to the ebook world...):

- if I purchase a book in Mobi format (or any other not supported by the Sony device), what kind of experience would I have porting the book over to one that Sony does support? For example, would I download to my computer, then port the book, then load onto device? Or some other method? Is it a 10 minute process? Longer? What software is good for this? Is there a potential for formatting issues or other things that I need to be aware of that would negatively impact my enjoyment of the book once it is ported?

I do like playing around with stuff like this in general, but with a tough job, long commute, and a three year old, the actual reading time is paramount!

Thanks again,
Frank
dyerfr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-16-2007, 11:22 AM   #13
NatCh
Gizmologist
NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.NatCh ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
NatCh's Avatar
 
Posts: 11,615
Karma: 929550
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN
Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3
Quote:
Originally Posted by dyerfr View Post
- if I purchase a book in Mobi format (or any other not supported by the Sony device), what kind of experience would I have porting the book over to one that Sony does support? For example, would I download to my computer, then port the book, then load onto device? Or some other method? Is it a 10 minute process? Longer? What software is good for this? Is there a potential for formatting issues or other things that I need to be aware of that would negatively impact my enjoyment of the book once it is ported?
As far as I know, there's no way to get a book out of mobi at all. Probably the best format choice for what you're asking about would be .LIT (microsoft reader format). With a non-DRMed .LIT file, you can pretty much drop it into any of three or four apps found on this site and get an LRF out of it in a few minutes without much finagling at all. Then it's just load and go. So 10 minutes of mostly waiting on the computer to do stuff is probably a rather long estimate ... more like 5~7, I'd guess. Unless you want to do fancy stuff like Tables of Contents and illustrations. Stuff like that can take hours to set up.
NatCh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-16-2007, 12:00 PM   #14
dyerfr
Junior Member
dyerfr began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 4
Karma: 10
Join Date: Nov 2007
Device: N/A
Good to know that about Mobi... but that brings up another question. Can you buy current titles in .lit format? Again - I want to read mainly the newer stuff...
dyerfr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-16-2007, 12:05 PM   #15
DaleDe
Grand Sorcerer
DaleDe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DaleDe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DaleDe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DaleDe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DaleDe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DaleDe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DaleDe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DaleDe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DaleDe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DaleDe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DaleDe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
DaleDe's Avatar
 
Posts: 11,470
Karma: 13095790
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Grass Valley, CA
Device: EB 1150, EZ Reader, Literati, iPad 2 & Air 2, iPhone 7
Quote:
Originally Posted by dyerfr View Post
Good to know that about Mobi... but that brings up another question. Can you buy current titles in .lit format? Again - I want to read mainly the newer stuff...
Lit is backed by Microsoft and is a major format. Probably more stuff in lit than it almost any other format.

Book Designer can, I believe, import mobi files but only if they use the original mobi compression and are not DRM.

Dale
DaleDe is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Questions of a newbie Voyager-Reader Which one should I buy? 15 09-25-2010 02:36 PM
Newbie with questions 1Bookworm Introduce Yourself 12 06-29-2010 11:54 AM
Newbie Questions dar72 Workshop 2 03-03-2010 11:52 AM
Newbie with a few questions... tabbycat Sony Reader 6 03-28-2009 02:07 PM
questions from a newbie bugsbunny14 Sony Reader 4 09-13-2006 05:41 PM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 03:43 AM.


MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.