Ereader Vs. iLiad... - Page 2

Larry Z. · 10-17-2006, 08:47 PM

Okay, let's see if this works...

There should be four pictures...
Let me know what you think!
Larry Z.

tcv · 10-17-2006, 09:03 PM

Thanks for the last pics of them in your hand. That helps a lot!

I think I like the contrast on the Sony a bit more....

Is that contrast between background and text that different between the two?

m

Larry Z. · 10-17-2006, 09:08 PM

Ooops - forgot one. The infamous "key comparison..."

I think for size (my hands are pretty big) you should think "Comic Book" for the iLiad and "paperback book" for the Sony Reader.

The iLiad does have a better image - 16 level greyscale vs. 4 - but for regular text (not photos) they are identical, at least to my bloodshot eyes.

Cheers!

Bob Russell · 10-17-2006, 09:11 PM

Very nice. Thanks!
What can you tell us about the difference in screens other than size. Is there a different tint, texture, surface feel, brightness or contrast?

Larry Z. · 10-17-2006, 09:30 PM

Hmm -

Good question, Bob. I'm staring at them right now, and id' have to say that the iLiad has a "matte" feeling screen while the Reader feels more "glossy."

Tint-wise, they both look grayish with black text. However, the iLiad is slightly lighter gray, lending a slight better image. We're mincing hairs here, however, as both really look good - particularly with text.

Brightness and contrast are a wash. I have loaded my kung fu manual into the iLiad, and the photos display very nicely. I haven't gotten the PDF into the Reader, however, so I can't really compare the two there. At least, not yet.

It's important to note that the Reader is WAY easier to operate. You can bookmark, change books, and move around with ease. When you turn the Reader on, it comes up on the last page you read. The iLiad take a couple of minutes to start up, and then you have to re-open the book you're reading. I think that, plus the lack of available commercial content, is what prompted me to buy the Sony...

Bob Russell · 10-17-2006, 09:42 PM

Thanks! Great descriptions.

I'd ask you about what screen surface seems sturdier, but I'm afraid you'd push on them and do damage. But can you tell from normal gentle handling which screen seems sturdier? (I'm guessing the Sony just by virtue of its smaller size, but am wondering if you observed any other difference in how sturdy they are.)

Come to think of it, how about the feeling of a GENTLE touch on the screen? Does one seem more slippery, or seem more likely to collect grease and dirt, or seem harder to wipe off. I know, I'm getting really nitpicky here, but I'm just very intrigued at the screen comparison. The same company makes them and they are supposed to be identical except for the size, but surely the surface or other qualities will vary with the model and/or the reader components that go over or around the screen. (For example the touchscreen surface is probably on top of the e-ink screen, isn't it? Or is it part of what e-ink delivers as part of the screen component?)

Larry Z. · 10-17-2006, 10:10 PM

Offhand, I'd say both screens feel pretty solid. The iLiad seems thinner and bigger, hence the comparison to a comic book. The stylus is not really useful, and the response of pen to screen is pretty poor - you can't even set up the stylus to your writing style. I'm not a big Wacom fan anyway.

The Sony feels more substantial. The screen does seem slippery (the "glossy" description applies here) where the iLiad is a little more textured. Maybe that's the touchscreen component you referred to...

I am pretty nitpicky visually, and I still think that both screens look fairly even. Part of the problem in comparing is that Sony allows me to resize the fonts and I can't do it on the iLiad. So the text on the iLiad is tiny and on the Sony I can make it large, medium or small. The iLiad might have that function, but it doesn't work on my Gutenberg collection of Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie books.

If I had it to do over again, I would surely get the Sony and spare myself the expense and hassle of the iLiad - which comes off as an interesting prototype, but not ready for prime-time.

NatCh · 10-18-2006, 12:27 AM

I think the wacom digitizer is RF based (?) rather than touch based, and probably behind the whole display ... isn't it?

Bob Russell · 10-18-2006, 01:23 AM

Yep, you're right. It uses an active pen. Don't know what that means about the location of the digitizer or whether it's part of the e-ink supplied component.

Larry Z. · 10-18-2006, 02:53 AM

Tonight I was able to get my class manual on the Sony, and...it doesn't look great. However, I scaled it so that fonts were bigger, so maybe that has something to do with the text looking washed out.

I haven't tried to put the scaled version on the iLiad yet to see if it looks equally bad. I suspect it will.

Also, the page turns are a little slower with the PDF file, but from reading other threads this is well-covered ground.

Cheers -
Larry Z.

Leaping Gnome · 10-18-2006, 11:24 AM

What format is your class manual in? Is it pictures or text?

Tommy · 10-18-2006, 02:57 PM

Hi All,
Currently I'm still reading on/with the good old GEB2200, but I'm really tempted to go for one of the E-ink thingies, but I'm not yet decided whether it should be the Sony or my Dutch neighbour.

From the photos Larry kindly provided I'd think the Ereadier is quite handy and better to my gusto (I still have an even older rocket ebook, ahh how perfectly that widget fit my hand... and you could even rotate the text.... maybe it's worth having a look at it once again :-)

So, one of the things I'd like to know is whether anyone has heard anything from sony when/if they will ship their reader to Europe? (My last glance didn't reveal anything in that direction)

And further, is there anyone who plugged his reader (Ereader vs Iliad) to a Linux box? And how? What are the experiences?
For the GEB I need to start Gemstar's converter(using wine under Linux) in order to get my source file into that imp-format of theirs... and in the long run it's just a pain in the a*, as compared with the prospect to simply copy any HTML or PDF to the device.

Best Regards and happy reading (and be it on paper),
Tommy

NatCh · 10-18-2006, 03:08 PM

Welcome to MobileRead, Tommy!

The short answers to your questions are that Sony hasn't really said anything about shipping outside the U.S. except that they're not doing it presently, and that the Sony PC side software will only run in WinXP at present, but I don't think the iLiad cares what it's connected to.

You can poke around the respective forums and find a wealth of detail on those topics, and many others, but that's the nutshell version.

Larry Z. · 10-18-2006, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leaping Gnome

What format is your class manual in? Is it pictures or text?

The manual is a Word Docment, converted to a PDF file according to the spec's posted in another thread.

I can use the document - it's just the text is small. It's mostly text, but there are some graphics and photos. The photos don't look great but they're there.

Larry Z.

Leaping Gnome · 10-18-2006, 06:02 PM

I've found bump the text up to 16-18-20 point, should look a lot better coming from Word.

10-17-2006, 08:47 PM	#16
Larry Z. Enthusiast Posts: 39 Karma: 215 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Los Angeles Device: Kindle 2	Okay, let's see if this works... There should be four pictures... Let me know what you think! Larry Z. Attached Thumbnails

10-17-2006, 09:03 PM	#17
tcv Addict Posts: 330 Karma: 596 Join Date: Oct 2006	Thanks for the last pics of them in your hand. That helps a lot! I think I like the contrast on the Sony a bit more.... Is that contrast between background and text that different between the two? m Last edited by tcv; 10-17-2006 at 09:10 PM.

10-17-2006, 09:08 PM	#18
Larry Z. Enthusiast Posts: 39 Karma: 215 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Los Angeles Device: Kindle 2	Ooops - forgot one. The infamous "key comparison..." I think for size (my hands are pretty big) you should think "Comic Book" for the iLiad and "paperback book" for the Sony Reader. The iLiad does have a better image - 16 level greyscale vs. 4 - but for regular text (not photos) they are identical, at least to my bloodshot eyes. Cheers! Attached Thumbnails Last edited by Larry Z.; 10-17-2006 at 09:13 PM.

10-18-2006, 02:57 PM	#27
Tommy Enthusiast Posts: 32 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Germany Device: Iliad, Sony 505	Hi All, Currently I'm still reading on/with the good old GEB2200, but I'm really tempted to go for one of the E-ink thingies, but I'm not yet decided whether it should be the Sony or my Dutch neighbour. From the photos Larry kindly provided I'd think the Ereadier is quite handy and better to my gusto (I still have an even older rocket ebook, ahh how perfectly that widget fit my hand... and you could even rotate the text.... maybe it's worth having a look at it once again :-) So, one of the things I'd like to know is whether anyone has heard anything from sony when/if they will ship their reader to Europe? (My last glance didn't reveal anything in that direction) And further, is there anyone who plugged his reader (Ereader vs Iliad) to a Linux box? And how? What are the experiences? For the GEB I need to start Gemstar's converter(using wine under Linux) in order to get my source file into that imp-format of theirs... and in the long run it's just a pain in the a, as compared with the prospect to simply copy any HTML or PDF to the device. Best Regards and happy reading (and be it on paper), Tommy Last edited by Tommy; 10-18-2006 at 03:13 PM.*

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10-17-2006, 09:11 PM	#19
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	Very nice. Thanks! What can you tell us about the difference in screens other than size. Is there a different tint, texture, surface feel, brightness or contrast?

10-17-2006, 09:30 PM	#20
Larry Z. Enthusiast Posts: 39 Karma: 215 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Los Angeles Device: Kindle 2	Hmm - Good question, Bob. I'm staring at them right now, and id' have to say that the iLiad has a "matte" feeling screen while the Reader feels more "glossy." Tint-wise, they both look grayish with black text. However, the iLiad is slightly lighter gray, lending a slight better image. We're mincing hairs here, however, as both really look good - particularly with text. Brightness and contrast are a wash. I have loaded my kung fu manual into the iLiad, and the photos display very nicely. I haven't gotten the PDF into the Reader, however, so I can't really compare the two there. At least, not yet. It's important to note that the Reader is WAY easier to operate. You can bookmark, change books, and move around with ease. When you turn the Reader on, it comes up on the last page you read. The iLiad take a couple of minutes to start up, and then you have to re-open the book you're reading. I think that, plus the lack of available commercial content, is what prompted me to buy the Sony...

10-17-2006, 09:42 PM	#21
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	Thanks! Great descriptions. I'd ask you about what screen surface seems sturdier, but I'm afraid you'd push on them and do damage. But can you tell from normal gentle handling which screen seems sturdier? (I'm guessing the Sony just by virtue of its smaller size, but am wondering if you observed any other difference in how sturdy they are.) Come to think of it, how about the feeling of a GENTLE touch on the screen? Does one seem more slippery, or seem more likely to collect grease and dirt, or seem harder to wipe off. I know, I'm getting really nitpicky here, but I'm just very intrigued at the screen comparison. The same company makes them and they are supposed to be identical except for the size, but surely the surface or other qualities will vary with the model and/or the reader components that go over or around the screen. (For example the touchscreen surface is probably on top of the e-ink screen, isn't it? Or is it part of what e-ink delivers as part of the screen component?)

10-17-2006, 10:10 PM	#22
Larry Z. Enthusiast Posts: 39 Karma: 215 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Los Angeles Device: Kindle 2	Offhand, I'd say both screens feel pretty solid. The iLiad seems thinner and bigger, hence the comparison to a comic book. The stylus is not really useful, and the response of pen to screen is pretty poor - you can't even set up the stylus to your writing style. I'm not a big Wacom fan anyway. The Sony feels more substantial. The screen does seem slippery (the "glossy" description applies here) where the iLiad is a little more textured. Maybe that's the touchscreen component you referred to... I am pretty nitpicky visually, and I still think that both screens look fairly even. Part of the problem in comparing is that Sony allows me to resize the fonts and I can't do it on the iLiad. So the text on the iLiad is tiny and on the Sony I can make it large, medium or small. The iLiad might have that function, but it doesn't work on my Gutenberg collection of Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie books. If I had it to do over again, I would surely get the Sony and spare myself the expense and hassle of the iLiad - which comes off as an interesting prototype, but not ready for prime-time.

10-18-2006, 12:27 AM	#23
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	I think the wacom digitizer is RF based (?) rather than touch based, and probably behind the whole display ... isn't it?

10-18-2006, 01:23 AM	#24
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	Yep, you're right. It uses an active pen. Don't know what that means about the location of the digitizer or whether it's part of the e-ink supplied component.

10-18-2006, 02:53 AM	#25
Larry Z. Enthusiast Posts: 39 Karma: 215 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Los Angeles Device: Kindle 2	Tonight I was able to get my class manual on the Sony, and...it doesn't look great. However, I scaled it so that fonts were bigger, so maybe that has something to do with the text looking washed out. I haven't tried to put the scaled version on the iLiad yet to see if it looks equally bad. I suspect it will. Also, the page turns are a little slower with the PDF file, but from reading other threads this is well-covered ground. Cheers - Larry Z.

10-18-2006, 11:24 AM	#26
Leaping Gnome Evangelist Posts: 490 Karma: 1641 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Louisville Device: Sony Reader PRS-500	What format is your class manual in? Is it pictures or text?

10-18-2006, 03:08 PM	#28
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Welcome to MobileRead, Tommy! The short answers to your questions are that Sony hasn't really said anything about shipping outside the U.S. except that they're not doing it presently, and that the Sony PC side software will only run in WinXP at present, but I don't think the iLiad cares what it's connected to. You can poke around the respective forums and find a wealth of detail on those topics, and many others, but that's the nutshell version.

10-18-2006, 06:02 PM	#30
Leaping Gnome Evangelist Posts: 490 Karma: 1641 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Louisville Device: Sony Reader PRS-500	I've found bump the text up to 16-18-20 point, should look a lot better coming from Word.

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