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Old 09-26-2008, 09:08 AM   #1
tinybilbo
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Which One to get Sony 505 or Cybook Gen3?

Hi all,
Sorry to ask a question that has been answered many times before on these forums,
But I have been reading threads for a couple of days now, and I don't seem any closer to a decision.....

I have managed to narrow my choice down to 2 though.

The Sony 505 @ £200 delivered.
and the Cybook Gen3 £180 delivered.

The reason I have settled on these is simply availabilty and price (I live in the U.K).

They both appear to be roughly the same size and spec with some minor differences.

The main thing that I will use it for is probably novels (various different formats) Although I do have a few pdf's (none with drm) i.e Linux for Dummies (which is a mix of mostly text, but some pictures).
I know that niether of them display pdf's that well. But maybe one does better than the other?

I'm leaning towards the Cybook beacuase its slightly cheaper and has a few extra features over the sony.

Could anyone give me help in which way to go ?
Many thanks
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Old 09-26-2008, 10:04 AM   #2
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Welcome to the forum tinybilbo

As for which one to get it does really depend upon what features are important to you.

Sony

+ Great look
+ Sturdy
+ Easy to use interface
+ Best support for PDF in the 6" devices.
+ Supports Richtext (.rtf) natively so if you want to read your own documents, you can easily save them as RTF files in word.

- Limited book supply compared to Mobi
- Font size limited to three (S,M,L) so if the smallest size is set too low, your out of luck
- Requires you to have Sony Reader software and Adobe DE to buy DRm protected e-books. Software, which is Windows only.


Cybook Gen 3

+ Lightest Device in the market
+ Supports Features like dictionary lookup which are very useful, even if they don't look so at this time
+ Supports Basic HTML so you can load most html files directly on it
+ Can load any Font onto it, so is great if youwant to use a Foreign language.
+ Supports 12 Font levels so you have much more choice.
+ Can buy from multiple e-book stores, Especially for UK residents, buying from US based stores is much cheaper.
+ Don't require having software installed to buy a DRM protected e-book for it. Just enter the Device PID (which is easy to see) when you buy the book and download the file. Just drag and drop it onto the device.

- A bit more delicate then the Sony, but you should treat bot with care.
- PDF support is there and has improved from the past, but it is basic and does not reflow like the sony.
- Not as easy to manage large number (1-200 +) books, but then they all have this problem.


As you can see I'm more for the Gen 3. Also I paid full price for mine (£ 270) for it so I have to say that the price WH smith is great and well worth it.
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Old 09-26-2008, 10:35 AM   #3
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Many thanks bbusybookworm for the quick reply,

I just googled into the forum, and I'm glad I've joined - its seems a friendly place

Your quick breakdown has shown me the way to go, despite having been more in favour of the Cybook - the fact it can't reflow is unfortunate. My Palm T3 has this and it made Pdf's much easier to read.

So I will be choosing the Sony based on the extra sturdiness (whilst I treat my gadgets with respect - I do feel that they need to be able to survive the odd impact) and its ability to reflow pdf's.

It's almost a shame really because I do really like the Cybook due to its lightness, Html, and dictionary - in fact I would forgo the sturdiness factor if It displayed Pdf's better. Does the reflow work well on the sony or does the pdf reading on both suck so that I'm never going to use it?.....

thanks
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Old 09-26-2008, 10:49 AM   #4
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Welcome to the Forums. Well, I will add my cent or two. I have had the Cybook Gen3 for 3 months and love it. I have had the Sony 505 for 2 weeks and also love it. I think bbusybookworm broke it down quite well. Both of them have the same screen. I will add or repeat my bits about both:

Cybook pluses:

- Mobipocket support
- 12 Font sizes
- Dictionary Support
_ Unlimited fonts

Sony 505:

- Best Ergonomically(better turn page buttons)
- page numbers
- landscape and portrait mode


Both are great devices. I solved the problem by buying one of each. I use the Sony for reading on the go (I bike 10-15 kms a day it is sturdier) and keep the Cybook at home.






Quote:
Originally Posted by tinybilbo View Post
Many thanks bbusybookworm for the quick reply,

I just googled into the forum, and I'm glad I've joined - its seems a friendly place

Your quick breakdown has shown me the way to go, despite having been more in favour of the Cybook - the fact it can't reflow is unfortunate. My Palm T3 has this and it made Pdf's much easier to read.

So I will be choosing the Sony based on the extra sturdiness (whilst I treat my gadgets with respect - I do feel that they need to be able to survive the odd impact) and its ability to reflow pdf's.

It's almost a shame really because I do really like the Cybook due to its lightness, Html, and dictionary - in fact I would forgo the sturdiness factor if It displayed Pdf's better. Does the reflow work well on the sony or does the pdf reading on both suck so that I'm never going to use it?.....

thanks

Last edited by hidari; 09-26-2008 at 10:56 AM.
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Old 09-26-2008, 11:06 AM   #5
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While I get the impression that the Sony feels sturdier than the Cybook, (and the metal casing does mean that the Sony doesn't feel too light, which sometimes things do,) I'd hesitate to suggest that it's a good idea to expect either to survive much of an impact, as basically, both share a display that's in part, a very thin piece of glass.

I'd suggest that you try & evaluate how much the PDF capabilities mean to you, but be aware that there are software packages available that mean that a significant amount of format conversion is possible for each, if you see what I mean.

As far as the Sony goes, it's also able to read ePub, which hasn't been mentioned but may be useful, but as far as PDF goes it can read normal (A4) PDFs marginally (which is down to the nature of the 6" screens rather than anything else), although it can rotate 90 degrees to display them landscape, which is sometime useful. As for the reflow, it will resize & reflow the text such that it can be easily read, although you then miss out on any diagrams or pictures.

I don't think there's anything that strongly suggests one or the other - ePub, PDF & 'feel' for the Sony vs dictionaries & multiple fonts for the Cybook... Either way, don't do anything for a few days as Sony has got some sort of announcent due next week.

Last edited by gwynevans; 09-26-2008 at 02:58 PM. Reason: fix formatting typo
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Old 09-26-2008, 12:15 PM   #6
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Another plus on the Sony side is the existence of calibre, for me that makes a big difference
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Old 09-26-2008, 12:17 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by simond View Post
Another plus on the Sony side is the existence of calibre, for me that makes a big difference
You can use calibre with mobi books, as long as they are DRM free. Of course it doesn't convert "to" mobi format.

You can of course use Mobipocket Reader software with the CyBook, if you have a Windows PC of course.

BOb
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Old 09-26-2008, 12:25 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tinybilbo View Post
Many thanks bbusybookworm for the quick reply,

I just googled into the forum, and I'm glad I've joined - its seems a friendly place

Your quick breakdown has shown me the way to go, despite having been more in favour of the Cybook - the fact it can't reflow is unfortunate. My Palm T3 has this and it made Pdf's much easier to read.

So I will be choosing the Sony based on the extra sturdiness (whilst I treat my gadgets with respect - I do feel that they need to be able to survive the odd impact) and its ability to reflow pdf's.

It's almost a shame really because I do really like the Cybook due to its lightness, Html, and dictionary - in fact I would forgo the sturdiness factor if It displayed Pdf's better. Does the reflow work well on the sony or does the pdf reading on both suck so that I'm never going to use it?.....

thanks
Glad I could Help, but i'll like to add a qualifier to the sturdyness of the Sony. The main benefit is that the all metal case prevents flex, which has been an issue for some users of the Gen3.

I've personally never had this problem, but its something to think about. The screen as mentioned by others is the same, so be careful of putting any weight or stress directly on either of them.

As for PDF, while the Gen 3 does not reflow the document like the Sony, it does allow you to rotate, zoom in and out.

If you have a lot of PDF's which are mainly text, its pretty easy to convert them for the Gen 3 with Mobipocket creator. Its literally a matter of minutes. And if the PDF has links inside, its usually able to convert them as well.

I usually convert any PDF's I need except for those which have images or non standard layout in them. Those the Gen 3 handles reasonably.

And while the Sony does reflow most PDF's quiet well,it does have it quirks, and if I understand correctly there is no way to switch that feature off which coulde be a pain in some cases.
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Old 09-26-2008, 07:43 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tinybilbo View Post
Does the reflow work well on the sony or does the pdf reading on both suck so that I'm never going to use it?
You can try out the Sony's capabilities on a Windows PC, see Sony's Windows ebook Reader. This thread also links to one with photo's of PDFs on an actual PRS-505.
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Old 09-26-2008, 11:40 PM   #10
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I have a Cybook & A Sony and the SONY is more sturdy . Its 3 ounces heavier. But I read both in cases. I bought a leather case for the Cybook from the Bookeen site. Very nice. With a case for the Cybook and the SONY case being very light , personally they feel to me like they weigh the same, maybe a little lighter for the Cybook.

The Sony's buttons are nicer. They are on both sides depending on what hand you would like to use. Since you are in the UK, and depending on what you would like to buy for it, I would recommend the Cybook over the SONY because unlike the US you wouldn't have acccess to the SONY bookstore and Waterstones is just selling Adobe ebooks for it. Thats fine for books you get free at the library, but I can't imagine buying books in that format. But that's me and maybe its not a problem for you. Having a device that gives you access to all the mobi drm books seems like a better deal. I don't know if Waterstones will have SONY formatted books down the road or not. Its a good format and adobe just seems a pain to me.
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Old 09-27-2008, 04:32 AM   #11
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For me, the software benefits of the Gen3 outweigh any perceived shortcomings in its "sturdiness" (and note that "Tribble", our long-time member and German seller of the Gen3, reports that he's seeing failure rates of well under 1% for the Gen3's that he's sold).

The key thing for me is that the Gen3 supports MobiPocket format, which is very much a de facto standard, with numerous eBook stores selling the format. The Mobi format supports dictionary lookup - another (for me) essential feature; the Sony does not.

Other useful features of the Gen3 are:

- The ability to load any TrueType or OpenType font onto the machine, and view any book in any font at any of 12 different sizes (the Sony only has three font sizes).
- Proper support for bold and italic fonts (the Sony synthesises them).
- A user-replaceable battery (the battery in the Sony isn't user-replaceable).
- Completely operating system independent (Sony's "eBook Library" software only runs under Windows).

These factors made me decide to replace my Sony by a Gen3, a decision which I've not regretted.
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Old 09-27-2008, 08:27 AM   #12
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If you've decided on the Sony I would suggest that you wait for their Oct 2nd announcement. I doubt that they're replacing the PRS505 but if they introduce a deluxe version with wireless there might be a price adjustment. Pure speculation on my part.

I tend to recommend the Sony to people and if I was purchasing my first e-ink reader today it would probably have been the Sony.

If my Cybook broke today I would buy another one though. Primarily for the Mobipocket support and the font flexibility. The ability to download and scale fonts has become a base expectation for me and I wish it were available on all the readers.
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Old 09-27-2008, 03:54 PM   #13
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Lol,

So many good points made in favour of each machine!!!
I think I'm just as confused when I first started this thread!...

Well I'll definately wait until the sony announcement.

But I'm now swinging back to the Cybook because of the glowing reccomendations...
Especially since it seems to have more features as well as better ebook support.
I've also poked around the forums now and seen that there seems to be different ways to convert pdf's which might help compensate for the lack of reflow.

Maybe I should just bite the bullet and get one of each (I was going to get one for the wife anyway - once I had testdriven one).

Anyway thanks everyone for their input - I'm gonna hang on a few days for the sony announcement and then make a decision.
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Old 09-27-2008, 06:33 PM   #14
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Actually, I find the 505 to be quite nice. And converting is a breeze. And I end up with DRM free eBooks that I can keep if I ever get some other device that has a different format.
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Old 09-28-2008, 12:50 AM   #15
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Well hear is my point (sorry the bad english).
As a manager I wouldn't tell you to see many features before buing a reader.
You should first think:
Wish features are the importants for you, wish uses will you give to the reader this is the key point.
If for example you will buy many books online, sony wouldn't be a good choose because of the DRM thing, and the sony store is available only for US people (Altghou you can try to beat them, as I did).
I have a sony reader and as far as I can tell you the only thing it doesn't do well is reading A4 pdf with pictures (I guess every 6" reader can't do it well).
So if it is not problem for you I would recomend sony (But don't buy anything in sonystore, you would be atack to use it on sony reader only).
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