UK User - is it really this complicated?!

[twisticles]

I've been waiting for a decent reader offering in the UK for a while, so when I passed through Heathrow yesterday, the £160 offering in duty-free was too good to refuse.

I travel a lot and tend to pick up three or four latest releases every time I pass thought an airport - the reader seems like a godsend in terms of weight and size

However, I wanted to buy some ebooks. The Sony software "ebook library" has a link to the estore. Great! Except, it doesn't take you to the integrated sony ebookstore like the US version apparently does. It just offers a web link to a UK bookstore (waterstones) that sells ADE books. And not very many at that.

I was browsing the USA Sony ebookstore and saw Robert Crais' "Chasing Darkness" I quite fancied it. But I can't buy as it I need version 2.2 of the software...despite the PRS-505 shipping with Version 2.3! Seems us Brits are barred from the US Sony ebookstore?

After a quick look on here, I find Fictionwise. They can sell me the book too - in Secure eReader format, or mobi, or MS Reader. But then I have to convert it...I am wondering if this great looking device is as conveniant as I first thought

Seems I am going to have to do some serious digging to get the reading material I want.

[daffy4u]

Since no Sony owners have replied yet, I'll share the teeny teeny tiny bit I've gleaned from my time here. I'm sure once I've posted someone will come along to correct and/or expand.

There is a wiki page dedicated to the PRS-505 here, which will give you tons of information on supported formats and conversions.

The two top software conversion programs that I am aware of are (from the MobileRead Wiki):

Calibre - by Kovid Goyal, utility for working with ebooks including file transfer to the SONY Reader. Uses Python. For Windows/Linux/OSX. Can convert HTML, TXT, RTF, LIT and PDF files to LRF. Also has utilities to download websites and automatically convert them to LRF. You can visit the Calibre section of MobileRead here.

Stanza - eBook reader and converter. Supports reading from Plain text, HTML, PDF, ePUB/OEB, Mobipocket, Amazon Kindle, MS LIT, MS Word, RTF, PalmDOC, and RAR compressed books. Can export to iPhone bookmarklets, Kindle, Mobipocket, HTML, epub, and PDF.

If you're ever traveling in the U.S. you might want to pick up some gift cards from a Borders book store which will allow you to buy from the U.S. Sony Store. If you have friends in the U.S., maybe they can pick some up for you.

I hope you enjoy your Sony as much as I enjoy my Kindle. E-Ink is fun!

[beatonl]

Well - yes, you'll have to convert it. But FWIW - I buy all my books in the MS Reader format - use ConvertLit to "downconvert" them (which removes the DRM) and then use Calibre to convert them to LRF and send to the Reader.

I know it sounds complicated but it takes me about 2 minutes a book - tops, and it really is very simple.

[RWood]

Since he has version 2.3 of the Sony Library software, he cannot use the gift cards in the US store. He would need version 2.2 which points to the US.

[GingerTez]

Originally Posted by beatonl

Well - yes, you'll have to convert it. But FWIW - I buy all my books in the MS Reader format - use ConvertLit to "downconvert" them (which removes the DRM) and then use Calibre to convert them to LRF and send to the Reader.

I know it sounds complicated but it takes me about 2 minutes a book - tops, and it really is very simple.

Most "secure" books on Fictionwise seem to be sold in Adobe Secure Reader 7 format (or some variation of those words in a different order) as well as the Microsoft, etc formats.

I've downloaded Stephen King's Riding the Bullet as a test purchase from there and it worked fine with no conversion.

I think that Adobe Secure Reader 7 format is just an earlier version of Adobe Digital Editions which is compatible with UK PRS-505 units (or earlier US units with a July firmware update).

Cheers,
Terry.

[igorsk]

If you need the US version of the program, you can download it here. Please note that you need a US credit card to buy books there.

[steverose798]

Originally Posted by GingerTez

Most "secure" books on Fictionwise seem to be sold in Adobe Secure Reader 7 format (or some variation of those words in a different order) as well as the Microsoft, etc formats.

I've downloaded Stephen King's Riding the Bullet as a test purchase from there and it worked fine with no conversion.

I think that Adobe Secure Reader 7 format is just an earlier version of Adobe Digital Editions which is compatible with UK PRS-505 units (or earlier US units with a July firmware update).

Cheers,
Terry.

I have also downloaded a number of Adobe Reader 7 books from Fictionwise and they open in Adobe DE and then I can copy them to my UK PSR 505. I then use the Sony eReader software to add them to my collections.

The only problem with them (and to me it's minor) is that I have to change the zoom level when reading these books as the default is too small and, when doing this the formatting goes out (each page in the book is a page and a half on the reader so every other page stops half way down the screen).

Does anyone know if it is possible to reflow the text?

Steve

[Catire]

Originally Posted by steverose798

I have also downloaded a number of Adobe Reader 7 books from Fictionwise and they open in Adobe DE and then I can copy them to my UK PSR 505. I then use the Sony eReader software to add them to my collections.

The only problem with them (and to me it's minor) is that I have to change the zoom level when reading these books as the default is too small and, when doing this the formatting goes out (each page in the book is a page and a half on the reader so every other page stops half way down the screen).

Does anyone know if it is possible to reflow the text?

Steve

If you have the latest firmware it should be reflowing the text

[dordale]

Steve--The new firmware allows the text to reflow--but not across "pages". So anywhere there's a page break in the PDF document, there will be a page break on the reader. This makes for quite a few odd page breaks in documents.

dordale

[BlackVoid]

I would look for online bookstores which sell DRM free books in a format that the Reader can handle: epub, LRF.
There are also plenty of free books, look around this site.

[skokomish]

I have just got a sony prs 505 and im sick of it allready...!!!!!!
Can anyone just tell me how to download a book (dean koontz) without any converting ?
I just want to buy a bloody book and read it...is that too much to ask ?
I tried waterstones and they are crap..sony ebook store wont let me in ?

HELP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by skokomish

I have just got a sony prs 505 and im sick of it allready...!!!!!!
Can anyone just tell me how to download a book (dean koontz) without any converting ?
I just want to buy a bloody book and read it...is that too much to ask ?
I tried waterstones and they are crap..sony ebook store wont let me in ?

HELP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ebooks.com seems to have alot of Koontz books in Adobe format.

http://www.ebooks.com/SearchApp/Sear...koontz&x=0&y=0

You will need a copy of Adobe Digital Editions installed and an AdobeID registered. You will also need to connect your Sony to DE and authorize it.

BOb

[abradburne]

I just had a rather poor first purchasing attempt at panmacmillan.com. Bought an epub book. DRM'd, naturally. Works fine on the Mac DE, Windows DE, but 'Page Error' on the 505 (yup, it's authorised). Pretty poor first-purchase experience. Mailed panmac, but they state no refunds on ebooks. I sometimes wonder if we're going backwards, not forwards...

[abradburne]

bingo. Thanks to these forums, I discovered the 300k per html file inside an epub limit on the 505. Bit of cut and pasting later, I can read it. Thankfully panmac is selling without DRM!

[wallcraft]

Only some of panmac's ebooks are DRM-free.

An ePub with Adobe DRM that does not run on a PRS-505 is not of merchandisable quality, so either they should fix it or give you a refund.