Newbie question, what formats can my Sony PRS 505 read?

[Kieron]

I have a Sony PRS 505 eBook reader and I love it. However I am disappointed with the limited amount of eBooks available from Waterstones.com here in the UK.

So my question is, what other online sellers offer eBooks for sale that I can download into my Sony PRS 505? Please note I do not want to mess around converting files and all that sort of thing. I just want to log onto a website, purchase and download and eBook and then I'm away.

As I need to use Adobe Digital Editions am I correct in thinking that I can download "Adobe EPUB eBook" format eBooks as a starter? WHSmith online seem to offer these.

many thanks,

Kieron

[Patricia]

See the wiki for a list of supported formats:
https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/PRS505
These include Epub.

The wiki also has a list of bookstores:
https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_stores

You can find a link to the wiki at the very top left of this page.

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by Kieron

As I need to use Adobe Digital Editions am I correct in thinking that I can download "Adobe EPUB eBook" format eBooks as a starter?

Yes, but there are not yet many Adobe ePubs available. There are many Adobe Secure PDF ebooks, and if you see an Adobe ebook the odds are that it is a PDF (they will probably just be called Adobe ebooks). Adobe Digital Editions and the PRS-505 reads both kinds of Adobe ebooks. A downside of PDFs on the 505 is that each page of the original document is "reflowed" to the screen size, but the text is not reflowed across the original page boundaries. If you can live with this, then buying Adobe ebooks (ePub if available, otherwise PDF) is your best bet. Any ebook vendor selling multiple ebook formats is likely to offer Adobe. The two most often recommended here are FictionWise and BooksOnBoard.

[Catire]

If you want to download a book that is not available in a format you can use on the Reader you can try downloading the book in Microsoft's Lit format which can be easily stripped of its DRM and converted to a Reader format


Most books in PDF format aren't really readable on the Reader in my opinion, either the text is too small or the books lose their formatting when you change the font size.

[thfc2008]

Originally Posted by Catire

Most books in PDF format aren't really readable on the Reader in my opinion, either the text is too small or the books lose their formatting when you change the font size.

I would disagree with that.

I've synched a few pdf books and can read them with no problems, usually with text size set to Medium.

Sure the formatting isn't perfect and you do get gaps between some pages, but its certainly readable.

[Kieron]

Thanks for all your help guys. I have to say I'm massively unimpressed with the selection of eBooks available from Waterstones, here in the UK. WHSmith too.

I've just checked out the Sony Ebook Store in the USA and it has a much better range of new releases especially. However, as I live in the UK I can't download from it.

Not impressed!

[pilotbob]

You can buy ebooks from fictionwise.com or booksonboard.com... but you will have to learn to strip DRM and convert. Not hard really.

BOb

[Kieron]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

You can buy ebooks from fictionwise.com or booksonboard.com... but you will have to learn to strip DRM and convert. Not hard really.

BOb

I hear what you are saying Bob but really why should I? I spend £200 on a Sony eBook reader and all I ask is that there is a reasonable selection of eBooks available to download at a reasonable price? I really don't want to be messing about stripping or converting files etc. I bought the eBook reader for convenience. Not much to ask is it?

[cjp]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

You can buy ebooks from fictionwise.com or booksonboard.com... but you will have to learn to strip DRM and convert. Not hard really.

BOb

When you can, could you tell me the steps to do this?

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Kieron

I bought the eBook reader for convenience. Not much to ask is it?

I don't think so.

But I was just trying to help. Now that you have the device you have to be realistic. Also, as HarryT and others in the UK have said. Buying ebooks from US stores is not only fairly simple but will also save you money due to the exchange rate and lack of VAT.

BOb

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by cjp

When you can, could you tell me the steps to do this?

The basics are find with google and download...

(If you have Windows)

convertLIT
calibre
MS Reader (install and register)

Once you have done that go to fictionwise.com and get the free LIT ebook and make sure you can read it with MS Reader. After than read the readme file that comes with convert lit, follow those directions to make your key file. After that downconvert the LIT file. (Some people prefer to get the ConvertLIT GUI, me the command line works fine). Finally, add the book to clibre and press the convert button.

If you need any help with the above steps just PM me... or search around. There are many threads on these forums on how to use these tools.

BOb

[Patricia]

Some forum member, Leaping Gnome in particular, will buy Sony Store Gift vouchers so that non-USA members can buy from the Sony Ebook Store. He takes PayPal.

I like to have my books in a format that I can shift (I may not always own a Sony), so I prefer to spend a little time converting books and saving a copy in html, lit, or doc, just in case.

[Kieron]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I don't think so.

But I was just trying to help. Now that you have the device you have to be realistic. Also, as HarryT and others in the UK have said. Buying ebooks from US stores is not only fairly simple but will also save you money due to the exchange rate and lack of VAT.

BOb

Sure Bob, wasn't criticising you at all, I appreciate your input. How can I buy ebooks from the US? I did try the Sony eBook store today but it wasn't letting me

[ShellShock]

I'm in the UK too. So far I have bought all my books from Fictionwise and BooksOnBoard, both in the US. I have bought from Fictionwise in the formats: Secure Microsoft Reader (LIT), Secure Mobipocket (PRC) and Multiformat (which you can choose to download in LRF format - the native PR505 format.

The Secure Microsoft Reader (LIT) and Secure Mobipocket (PRC) are copy protected, so to convert them to LRF you first have to remove the copy protection (see other posts on how to do this), and then you can convert them (using Calibre) to LRF.

I would only remove copy protection to format shift purchased books, to make sure I have a file that I can reformat at a later date to some unknown format - who knows what formats future devices will support? I plan on keeping my purchased eBooks forever, and not have to buy them again just because I have upgraded to a new device.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Kieron

Thanks for all your help guys. I have to say I'm massively unimpressed with the selection of eBooks available from Waterstones, here in the UK. WHSmith too.

I've just checked out the Sony Ebook Store in the USA and it has a much better range of new releases especially. However, as I live in the UK I can't download from it.

Not impressed!

Kieron,

This is why I always advise people who are considering buying an eBook reader to look first, not at the device, but the range of eBooks available where they live, and then, once they've done that, to look at devices which support the formats with the best availability.

This process led me to conclude that devices with MobiPocket support are the most useful, hence my choice of a CyBook Gen3.