PRS-650 File navigation on the device

Panta rhei · 10-13-2010, 08:36 AM

Hello!
I'm thinking about buying a Sony PRS-650 mainly because of its good (touch-)screen and the PDF capabilities.
Here's a question about how to navigate books (files):

There are many old free books available on the internet, so I already have a good number on my harddrive, organized in directories, like this:
\author\Homer\Iliad.txt
or
\scripture\hindu\Bhagavad_Gita.pdf

Most are PDF and TXT. I'd like to keep the directory structure as it is, cause I know where everything is, and would like to navigate down the directories. I read the Sony uses collections but I didn't really understand how they work. ePub has metadata which can somehow be used to organize the files for instance by author, right? But TXT doesn't have metadata (and I don't know about PDF), so how do the collections work here? Can I instead switch to navigating directories and filenames?
And is there a "recently read books" list on the device where you can go straight back to the page where you stopped reading?
Another question: after you load some new files to the device (I plan to use Calibre) or insert a card with new files, does the reader then start straight away or will it take a while? (maybe create some kind of internal index?) Can a big number of files be an issue/ is there a limit?

Thanks for your help,
Andre.

zmix · 10-13-2010, 11:26 AM

Collections are created manually. Select the "Create New Collection" menu option, name it, and then press the "OPTION" key and select the "Add Content" option. When you have addd all the content for that collection, press the "DONE" screen button in the upper right corner.

Good Luck!

ShellShock · 10-13-2010, 12:35 PM

You can't switch to navigating directories and file names.

Collections are not part of the books meta-data, but sit above it, therefore any kind of book can be within a collection.

For each book the device remembers the page you were last reading, so when you open the book it will open on the same page.

I have not tried it but other people report that it only takes a few seconds for the device to index/scan newly added books, or when you insert a memory card with a lot of books on it.

sbtx99 · 10-13-2010, 01:44 PM

I'm using a Sony Memory Stick with my prs-650 and currently have about 110 books and 10 pictures on the card. I had used the same card with my last Sony reader, so most of the books were already on the card before I got the prs-650.

To add new books to the card, I insert the card into my computer's card reader, and the Sony library software on my computer detects the card. Then I drag & drop the books from a Windows Explorer window onto the card icon in the Sony software. I have a few collections set up on the card, so I add the books to the appropriate collection(s) at the same time.

When re-inserting the card back into the prs-650, it usually takes 5 to 7 seconds to load.

10-13-2010, 08:36 AM	#1
Panta rhei Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: none	File navigation on the device Hello! I'm thinking about buying a Sony PRS-650 mainly because of its good (touch-)screen and the PDF capabilities. Here's a question about how to navigate books (files): There are many old free books available on the internet, so I already have a good number on my harddrive, organized in directories, like this: \author\Homer\Iliad.txt or \scripture\hindu\Bhagavad_Gita.pdf Most are PDF and TXT. I'd like to keep the directory structure as it is, cause I know where everything is, and would like to navigate down the directories. I read the Sony uses collections but I didn't really understand how they work. ePub has metadata which can somehow be used to organize the files for instance by author, right? But TXT doesn't have metadata (and I don't know about PDF), so how do the collections work here? Can I instead switch to navigating directories and filenames? And is there a "recently read books" list on the device where you can go straight back to the page where you stopped reading? Another question: after you load some new files to the device (I plan to use Calibre) or insert a card with new files, does the reader then start straight away or will it take a while? (maybe create some kind of internal index?) Can a big number of files be an issue/ is there a limit? Thanks for your help, Andre.

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10-13-2010, 11:26 AM	#2
zmix Connoisseur Posts: 52 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: none	Collections are created manually. Select the "Create New Collection" menu option, name it, and then press the "OPTION" key and select the "Add Content" option. When you have addd all the content for that collection, press the "DONE" screen button in the upper right corner. Good Luck!

10-13-2010, 12:35 PM	#3
ShellShock Wizard Posts: 1,176 Karma: 2431850 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: IPad Mini 2 Retina	You can't switch to navigating directories and file names. Collections are not part of the books meta-data, but sit above it, therefore any kind of book can be within a collection. For each book the device remembers the page you were last reading, so when you open the book it will open on the same page. I have not tried it but other people report that it only takes a few seconds for the device to index/scan newly added books, or when you insert a memory card with a lot of books on it.

10-13-2010, 01:44 PM	#4
sbtx99 Zealot Posts: 137 Karma: 1826 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Texas Device: Kindle 3 Wifi; Red PRS-650; iPod Touch; Android phone	I'm using a Sony Memory Stick with my prs-650 and currently have about 110 books and 10 pictures on the card. I had used the same card with my last Sony reader, so most of the books were already on the card before I got the prs-650. To add new books to the card, I insert the card into my computer's card reader, and the Sony library software on my computer detects the card. Then I drag & drop the books from a Windows Explorer window onto the card icon in the Sony software. I have a few collections set up on the card, so I add the books to the appropriate collection(s) at the same time. When re-inserting the card back into the prs-650, it usually takes 5 to 7 seconds to load.

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