PRS-T2 Region Choice

[melmac]

Hi

Anyone notice that they seem to be restricting the region choices on the T2?

When I got my brothers T1 last year we set the region to US(even though we are in Aust.) and then we opened him up a US Sony account and he's been happily purchasing from the US store ever since. I tried to do the same thing on my Dads new T2 and ran into a problem the region choices list off a dozen or so countries and the US is not one of them Has anyone downunder found a way round this

Thanks
Mel

[sabredog]

Crikey, region locking on an ereader?

Sony tried that caper with DVD players here several years ago, until they were told not to by the Federal Court and the ACCC..

[melmac]

I had been planing on installing the reader software on Dads laptop setting the region to USA logging in with my mums US account and then connecting the reader for the first time for authorisation sync. Now however I'm unsure of what will happen if I do that, currently his reader is unauthorised and set to region other while I have a think *sigh* Geo lock sucks and DRM is not much better

[sabredog]

Might be worth a call to the ACCC

[MattW]

Originally Posted by melmac

Anyone notice that they seem to be restricting the region choices on the T2?

When I got my brothers T1 last year we set the region to US(even though we are in Aust.) and then we opened him up a US Sony account and he's been happily purchasing from the US store ever since. I tried to do the same thing on my Dads new T2 and ran into a problem the region choices list off a dozen or so countries and the US is not one of them Has anyone downunder found a way round this

I ran into the same problem here. It's really annoying - it'll let me set up the UK Store, but not the US one. Maybe it's hard-wired into the firmware -- how else would the reader know? I will try to buy books through the browser of the T1 (a work-around if it works), but maybe someone is willing to try flashing a US BIOS onto an international model?

Matt

[melmac]

I tried going through the browser, it let me purchase the book from the US store but showed up a download error when it tried to put it on the reader
I figure its hardcoded into the firmware and they've done it so they can use different dictionary sets in different regions. It's kind of annoying though especially as I don't even use the dictionary's

[MattW]

Originally Posted by melmac

I tried going through the browser, it let me purchase the book from the US store but showed up a download error when it tried to put it on the reader
I figure its hardcoded into the firmware and they've done it so they can use different dictionary sets in different regions. It's kind of annoying though especially as I don't even use the dictionary's

I just spoke to a Sony rep from the US and after a while he confirmed that part of the region settings cannot be changed in international models. I asked him to pass along my wish to fix this in a firmware release and he said he would.

Not that I'm holding my breath.

Well, that sucks. This is the last Sony Reader I bought. It's (at least in my case) a huge step back from the T1: the contrast is worse, I can no longer buy books on the device and the display glass shows fingerprints a little more prominent than the T1.

[melmac]

Originally Posted by MattW

I just spoke to a Sony rep from the US and after a while he confirmed that part of the region settings cannot be changed in international models. I asked him to pass along my wish to fix this in a firmware release and he said he would.

Not that I'm holding my breath.

It's pretty short sighted of them to hard code it what happens when someone holidaying buys a reader and then returns home and finds they can't use the bloody thing

[filmo]

Content providers are who requires region lock. Sony is also a content provider making large part of profit from that. It is in their interest to maintain regional pricing regardless of consumer wishes.

[melmac]

Originally Posted by filmo

Content providers are who requires region lock. Sony is also a content provider making large part of profit from that. It is in their interest to maintain regional pricing regardless of consumer wishes.

If they want to attempt to region lock their Stores then fine and well while I don't agree I can accept but to do it at a hardware level is going a step too far.

[wings99]

Hmmmm, strange. It let me do it, however I initially set it to Australia then went in & changed it just to see what would happen. Although I was only able to purchase books from the UK store. I haven't pushed it as there's a book that's being released in the UK & I don't want Sony to wise up to what I'm doing until after I've downloaded the book

[MattW]

Originally Posted by wings99

Hmmmm, strange. It let me do it, however I initially set it to Australia then went in & changed it just to see what would happen. Although I was only able to purchase books from the UK store.

Let you do what? I can access the Australian and UK Store just fine, it's the US Store I'm having trouble with.

Matt

[wings99]

It let me access the US store.

[MattW]

Originally Posted by wings99

It let me access the US store.

That's interesting. Where did you buy your T2 (in which country)?

Matt

[redneck eyeball]

So now that I went through all the trouble to get a US library card number, I won't be able to use it ?