New Guy Joining The Club!

bsumpter · 05-19-2008, 09:34 PM

Hello all.

Thought it was high time for me to stop lurking around on these forums and express what a wonderful place this is! I've been researching eBook Readers for about a month now, and went through a gut-wrenching battle between the Kindle and the PRS505. In the end (thanks to this wonderful forum), I decided the Kindle just wasn't for me and my 505 should be arriving by this Wednesday at the latest.

I've gathered all of the DRM free eBooks I had on hand and have them in place within Calibre. I've been reading eBooks for years on PDA style devices, but as of late the eye-strain from the small screens and bright backlights moved me to start thinking of the e-Ink readers. I'm at the point where I'm ready to purchase a few new books to add to my collection, and just wanted to ask where does everyone buy content for the Sony Reader?

I installed the Reader software on an extra Windows machine I have here (my main computer is a Macbook), but I hesitate to get locked into the whole DRM thing again. I own several DRM books from readers long gone, and they're pretty much useless at this point. Are there any places to buy DRM free books that can be easily converted to the native Reader format? Mobipocket, perhaps?

Thanks again!

pilotbob · 05-19-2008, 10:08 PM

Welcome new guy. Fictionwise and Webscriptions seem two most popular places. Check the wiki for the eBook sources. You can get to the wiki from the link at the very top of the mobile read forum pages.

BOb

Ervserver · 05-19-2008, 10:08 PM

Hello bsumpter, enjoy the 505

astra · 05-20-2008, 05:37 AM

Welcome to SRC! [Sony Reader Club?]

If you can access PC with Windows once in a while, you might consider buying *.LIT books and after removing DRM converting the books into LRF format is relatively easy.

edsohsmith · 05-20-2008, 08:14 AM

I have been buying / converting .Lit format books on BooksOnBoard.com. Good prices, and the store is laid out quite well.

MickeyC · 05-20-2008, 06:36 PM

Hi bsumpter and welcome to the Forum. I got a 505 back in January and really like it.

bsumpter · 05-20-2008, 09:23 PM

Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone!

I've done some conversions here using LIT books, and just as you all say they convert beautifully (at least when viewing in Calibre). LIT it is then!

Now if that big brown truck will just hurry up and get here! One more day to go.

astrodad · 05-21-2008, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bsumpter

Hello all.

I own several DRM books from readers long gone, and they're pretty much useless at this point. Are there any places to buy DRM free books that can be easily converted to the native Reader format? Mobipocket, perhaps?

Thanks again!

Welcome and congrats on the new device. I was giddy as a schoolboy the day I got mine.

What format are your old RRM books? Mostly anything can be done now, with the right tools.

pilotbob · 05-21-2008, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bsumpter

Now if that big brown truck will just hurry up and get here! One more day to go.

And they say the magic of Christmas is only for children. Of course, the only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys.

I'm right there waiting with you. Today is Wednesday so I hope to see your first impressions soon.

BOb

bsumpter · 05-21-2008, 03:21 PM

Reader arrived this morning safe and sound.

First impressions - WOW. This is my first look at an e-Ink display, and to say it is amazing doesn't do it justice. It really is just like looking at a paper book, and I can already tell my eyes are going to thank me. My previous reader was a PDA (Cingular 8125), and more recently a Motorola Q. The tiny backlit screens left me crying (literally) after several hours of reading. I would find my eyes watering like mad when doing any lengthy reading on these devices.

The metal casing and overall design of the Sony just screams quality. The display is remarkable as mentioned, and it has already exceeded what I thought it would be. Calibre synced with the reader and uploaded the books I had with no problems at all, and it only took a few hours to charge off the Macbook Pro's USB port. The real test will be reading a few books, but I can already tell it's going to be so much better than what I was doing.

Oh, and my other DRM books are in Palm format - can't remember the file extension. I bought them back when I had the old Handspring Visor PDA many years ago.

astrodad · 05-21-2008, 04:33 PM

Glad you like the Reader. Let us know how you like it after a couple of hours reading on it.

bsumpter · 05-21-2008, 04:59 PM

Haven't read too much on it yet, but I certainly am loving this thing!

I found that with Acrobat, I could reformat my technical manuals (MySQL, Linux, etc) by cropping out all white space and optimizing the PDF for a smaller file size. Once that is done, the manuals display very nicely on the reader and page turns are relatively quick. The TOC still work as well, which is wonderful for a technical manual. I'm pleasantly surprised that I was able to make these work so well!

I'll definitely report more later.

05-19-2008, 09:34 PM	#1
bsumpter Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2008 Device: Sony PRS 505	New Guy Joining The Club! Hello all. Thought it was high time for me to stop lurking around on these forums and express what a wonderful place this is! I've been researching eBook Readers for about a month now, and went through a gut-wrenching battle between the Kindle and the PRS505. In the end (thanks to this wonderful forum), I decided the Kindle just wasn't for me and my 505 should be arriving by this Wednesday at the latest. I've gathered all of the DRM free eBooks I had on hand and have them in place within Calibre. I've been reading eBooks for years on PDA style devices, but as of late the eye-strain from the small screens and bright backlights moved me to start thinking of the e-Ink readers. I'm at the point where I'm ready to purchase a few new books to add to my collection, and just wanted to ask where does everyone buy content for the Sony Reader? I installed the Reader software on an extra Windows machine I have here (my main computer is a Macbook), but I hesitate to get locked into the whole DRM thing again. I own several DRM books from readers long gone, and they're pretty much useless at this point. Are there any places to buy DRM free books that can be easily converted to the native Reader format? Mobipocket, perhaps? Thanks again!

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05-19-2008, 10:08 PM	#2
pilotbob Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,832 Karma: 11844413 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tampa, FL USA Device: Kindle Touch	Welcome new guy. Fictionwise and Webscriptions seem two most popular places. Check the wiki for the eBook sources. You can get to the wiki from the link at the very top of the mobile read forum pages. BOb

05-19-2008, 10:08 PM	#3
Ervserver Wizard Posts: 2,624 Karma: 1008294 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa, USA Device: Nook Simple Touch	Hello bsumpter, enjoy the 505

05-20-2008, 05:37 AM	#4
astra The Introvert Posts: 8,307 Karma: 1000077497 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: United Kingdom Device: Sony Reader PRS-650 & 505 & 500	Welcome to SRC! [Sony Reader Club?] If you can access PC with Windows once in a while, you might consider buying *.LIT books and after removing DRM converting the books into LRF format is relatively easy.

05-20-2008, 08:14 AM	#5
edsohsmith Connoisseur Posts: 69 Karma: 11 Join Date: Oct 2007 Device: Sony PRS 505 (soon)	I have been buying / converting .Lit format books on BooksOnBoard.com. Good prices, and the store is laid out quite well.

05-20-2008, 06:36 PM	#6
MickeyC Grand Sorcerer Posts: 16,732 Karma: 12185114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Florida Device: iPhone 6 plus, Sony T1, iPad 3	Hi bsumpter and welcome to the Forum. I got a 505 back in January and really like it.

05-20-2008, 09:23 PM	#7
bsumpter Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2008 Device: Sony PRS 505	Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone! I've done some conversions here using LIT books, and just as you all say they convert beautifully (at least when viewing in Calibre). LIT it is then! Now if that big brown truck will just hurry up and get here! One more day to go.

05-21-2008, 03:21 PM	#10
bsumpter Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2008 Device: Sony PRS 505	Reader arrived this morning safe and sound. First impressions - WOW. This is my first look at an e-Ink display, and to say it is amazing doesn't do it justice. It really is just like looking at a paper book, and I can already tell my eyes are going to thank me. My previous reader was a PDA (Cingular 8125), and more recently a Motorola Q. The tiny backlit screens left me crying (literally) after several hours of reading. I would find my eyes watering like mad when doing any lengthy reading on these devices. The metal casing and overall design of the Sony just screams quality. The display is remarkable as mentioned, and it has already exceeded what I thought it would be. Calibre synced with the reader and uploaded the books I had with no problems at all, and it only took a few hours to charge off the Macbook Pro's USB port. The real test will be reading a few books, but I can already tell it's going to be so much better than what I was doing. Oh, and my other DRM books are in Palm format - can't remember the file extension. I bought them back when I had the old Handspring Visor PDA many years ago.

05-21-2008, 04:33 PM	#11
astrodad Guru Posts: 962 Karma: 568242 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Kindle Oasis 3, Kindle Paperwhite 1, iPad, iPhone	Glad you like the Reader. Let us know how you like it after a couple of hours reading on it.

05-21-2008, 04:59 PM	#12
bsumpter Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2008 Device: Sony PRS 505	Haven't read too much on it yet, but I certainly am loving this thing! I found that with Acrobat, I could reformat my technical manuals (MySQL, Linux, etc) by cropping out all white space and optimizing the PDF for a smaller file size. Once that is done, the manuals display very nicely on the reader and page turns are relatively quick. The TOC still work as well, which is wonderful for a technical manual. I'm pleasantly surprised that I was able to make these work so well! I'll definitely report more later.

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