Alternative software for Sony eReaders! - Page 12

carmelra · 12-30-2010, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

This isn't one of the religion threads, you know.

Anyway, I don't believe in conversion...

WT Sharpe · 12-30-2010, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carmelra

Anyway, I don't believe in conversion...

It would be nice if the vendors offered Hebrew fonts. I'd like to see them rendered properly on my Kindle without having to resort to PDF files or inserted graphics.

roebeet · 12-31-2010, 05:49 PM

Still loving this firmware - moved to it at least 2 months back once the custom fonts were added. Full justification and the clock make it worth it, right off the bat.

Just a big THANKS to the developers for continuing to work on this, as you have made my SONY Reader much more useful, and a purchase that I can continue to enjoy.

Some have made comments about the lack of margins, but I actually prefer that. On a 5 inch device, getting text all the way to the end of the screen is appreciated.

Probably the only caveat I'd love to see corrected is the lack of formatting, such as a line break between paragraphs. But this is a minor quibble. I'm getting a Kindle soon, but my SONY PRS-300 will still be my mobile device, thanks to this firmware.

carmelra · 01-01-2011, 06:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

It would be nice if the vendors offered Hebrew fonts. I'd like to see them rendered properly on my Kindle without having to resort to PDF files or inserted graphics.

It seems the problem is not related to missing fonts but to lack of support in Right To Left languages. Anyway, this discussion is related to a different thread.

WT Sharpe · 01-01-2011, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carmelra

It seems the problem is not related to missing fonts but to lack of support in Right To Left languages. Anyway, this discussion is related to a different thread.

Thanks for that link!

Spiffy · 01-03-2011, 04:42 PM

Well this is annoying. I just grabbed the latest version and this one won't even boot. I get to the Boot Menu and pressing the "1" key does zip. Pressing the "2" key launches into the normal Sony firmware successfully though--so its not like the Boot Menu is seizing up the whole unit or anything. The ebook Applications choice just doesn't work.

Had the previous version on there before this, but wish I'd backed it up, because the ebook apps website doesn't seem to keep the older versions on hand.

I'm waiting at least 2 minutes, so its not like its still loading (plus pressing the Sony boot option wouldn't work if it was).

EDIT - Never mind. As with most technical problems, it came down to user error. I unzipped the new version onto my SD card, but forgot the previous version was installed on my device memory. This obviously caused a conflict. Clearing all the files off my SD and copying the new version to the device memory fixed it all.

noxx · 01-04-2011, 08:38 AM

hello...

....run this firmware on a PRS 650?

regard

Novasea · 01-04-2011, 09:20 PM

Where do I find the root directory of the internal memory of my Sony prs 505?

I am quite sure I can install this...if I know where to install it.

Thank you

elcreative · 01-04-2011, 09:42 PM

The root directory is the internal memory... mount the reader and then anything to go in root directory is just drag'n'dropped on the mounted internal memory...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Novasea

Where do I find the root directory of the internal memory of my Sony prs 505?

I am quite sure I can install this...if I know where to install it.

Thank you

Novasea · 01-06-2011, 06:11 PM

Thanks,elcreative...worked like a charm.

elcreative · 01-06-2011, 06:38 PM

Glad you got it working... good luck...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Novasea

Thanks,elcreative...worked like a charm.

faolan · 01-09-2011, 08:10 AM

I just installed the latest version. Had some issues with it at first trying to start up and of course the PRS-505 decided to do it's normal OMG! FREEZE thing it likes to do if you put too much stress on the device. I do have to say, I did see some improvement in performance and I'm loving the new features. Sudoku, anyone?

My initial criticisms on rendering still stand though, and I if there is an option to "fix" this, someone please mention it because otherwise I'm going to sound like a real douche.

@ Spiffy: I agree, I would love to see the author add some sort of throbber on the screen to let you know the function is loading and perhaps a loading bar as well to show actual progress. Visual feedback is always a good thing. I noticed on first boot of the software always takes a while. I guess it must be doing some sort of set-up, but without any feedback you are right that it is hard to tell if it actually working or has failed.

That being said, it is working like a charm and I love that I can read my books while I charge it. <3 <3 <3 In a way it's a lot like KDE's PIM: the more I use it, the more it grows on me.

elcreative · 01-09-2011, 08:32 AM

You've always been able to read while charging with the 505... what's special about this, allow reading whilst plugged into computer USB??? Otherwise, if it's using the barrel connector on an external PSU then always there...

Quote:

Originally Posted by faolan

That being said, it is working like a charm and I love that I can read my books while I charge it. <3 <3 <3 In a way it's a lot like KDE's PIM: the more I use it, the more it grows on me.

faolan · 01-11-2011, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elcreative

You've always been able to read while charging with the 505... what's special about this, allow reading whilst plugged into computer USB??? Otherwise, if it's using the barrel connector on an external PSU then always there...

My 505 never came with a the AC cord so the only way to charge it is via USB. Don't know if that is because I bought it on special at Walmart, or if Sony packaged the AC as a separate accessory, which would seem kind of shady. Anyway, not allowing you to read while it is pugged in via USB is bogus, but seems to be the default for a lot of devices for some reason.

elcreative · 01-11-2011, 12:02 PM

No 505s came with AC adapter... optional accessory... not sure why that should be shady though, they never claimed it included an AC adapter.

There is actually a very good reason for not allowing reading whilst charging via USB... USB charging is designed for recharging from a computer whilst allowing the user to add/delete books... this means using Sony Reader Library or calibre which are accessing the memory to do this, reading at the same time would then have two different OSs accessing the same memory at the same time... not good news. I assume this software either disables the computer access to allow reading or blocks simultaneous activity as I'm guessing that reading and adding books probably don't work simultaneously or a book being read maybe marked as unavailable to the computer... clever work but still more likely to have problems than just not allowing it...

01-03-2011, 04:42 PM	#171
Spiffy Groupie Posts: 160 Karma: 416 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: Astak EZ Reader Pro AND Sony PRS-505	Well this is annoying. I just grabbed the latest version and this one won't even boot. I get to the Boot Menu and pressing the "1" key does zip. Pressing the "2" key launches into the normal Sony firmware successfully though--so its not like the Boot Menu is seizing up the whole unit or anything. The ebook Applications choice just doesn't work. Had the previous version on there before this, but wish I'd backed it up, because the ebook apps website doesn't seem to keep the older versions on hand. I'm waiting at least 2 minutes, so its not like its still loading (plus pressing the Sony boot option wouldn't work if it was). EDIT - Never mind. As with most technical problems, it came down to user error. I unzipped the new version onto my SD card, but forgot the previous version was installed on my device memory. This obviously caused a conflict. Clearing all the files off my SD and copying the new version to the device memory fixed it all. Last edited by Spiffy; 01-03-2011 at 05:07 PM.

01-04-2011, 09:20 PM	#173
Novasea Enthusiast Posts: 45 Karma: 212 Join Date: Aug 2008 Device: Sony 505	Where do I find the root directory of the internal memory of my Sony prs 505? I am quite sure I can install this...if I know where to install it. Thank you Last edited by Novasea; 01-04-2011 at 09:21 PM. Reason: Forgot to say thank you.

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12-31-2010, 05:49 PM	#168
roebeet Connoisseur Posts: 67 Karma: 770 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Pennsylvania, USA Device: Kindle 4 Basic, Kobo Aura	Still loving this firmware - moved to it at least 2 months back once the custom fonts were added. Full justification and the clock make it worth it, right off the bat. Just a big THANKS to the developers for continuing to work on this, as you have made my SONY Reader much more useful, and a purchase that I can continue to enjoy. Some have made comments about the lack of margins, but I actually prefer that. On a 5 inch device, getting text all the way to the end of the screen is appreciated. Probably the only caveat I'd love to see corrected is the lack of formatting, such as a line break between paragraphs. But this is a minor quibble. I'm getting a Kindle soon, but my SONY PRS-300 will still be my mobile device, thanks to this firmware.

01-04-2011, 08:38 AM	#172
noxx Enthusiast Posts: 42 Karma: 36 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: germany Device: Sony PRS-650	hello... ....run this firmware on a PRS 650? regard

01-06-2011, 06:11 PM	#175
Novasea Enthusiast Posts: 45 Karma: 212 Join Date: Aug 2008 Device: Sony 505	Thanks,elcreative...worked like a charm.

01-09-2011, 08:10 AM	#177
faolan Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 27354 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: Sony PRS-505	I just installed the latest version. Had some issues with it at first trying to start up and of course the PRS-505 decided to do it's normal OMG! FREEZE thing it likes to do if you put too much stress on the device. I do have to say, I did see some improvement in performance and I'm loving the new features. Sudoku, anyone? My initial criticisms on rendering still stand though, and I if there is an option to "fix" this, someone please mention it because otherwise I'm going to sound like a real douche. @ Spiffy: I agree, I would love to see the author add some sort of throbber on the screen to let you know the function is loading and perhaps a loading bar as well to show actual progress. Visual feedback is always a good thing. I noticed on first boot of the software always takes a while. I guess it must be doing some sort of set-up, but without any feedback you are right that it is hard to tell if it actually working or has failed. That being said, it is working like a charm and I love that I can read my books while I charge it. <3 <3 <3 In a way it's a lot like KDE's PIM: the more I use it, the more it grows on me.

01-11-2011, 12:02 PM	#180
elcreative Wizard Posts: 2,888 Karma: 5875940 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: PRS505, 600, 350, 650, Nexus 7, Note III, iPad 4 etc	No 505s came with AC adapter... optional accessory... not sure why that should be shady though, they never claimed it included an AC adapter. There is actually a very good reason for not allowing reading whilst charging via USB... USB charging is designed for recharging from a computer whilst allowing the user to add/delete books... this means using Sony Reader Library or calibre which are accessing the memory to do this, reading at the same time would then have two different OSs accessing the same memory at the same time... not good news. I assume this software either disables the computer access to allow reading or blocks simultaneous activity as I'm guessing that reading and adding books probably don't work simultaneously or a book being read maybe marked as unavailable to the computer... clever work but still more likely to have problems than just not allowing it...

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