Soon-to-be 505 Owner

[carchase]

First of all, this is my first post and I'm very excited about getting my PRS-505 in the next day or so. I've been collecting ebooks for about a year but I'm tired of the constant eye-strain I get from reading off my Axim 50v. So the past week or so I've been converting a bunch of books that I had formatted for Mobipocket into the Sony Reader format.

Buying the cybook would have saved me some serious work but I've been burned in the past buying electronics from smaller companies. Plus, I would have to wait and I'm not good at that.

Anyway, apart from introducing myself I was wondering if anyway has had success installing BookDesigner on a computer without administrator rights. I'd like to get some of my converting done while at work, but the company is somewhat touchy when it comes to installing third-party software. The .msi install fails when writing to the registry and copying the full install folder from another computer results in the comdl32.ocx error (even though I'm on XP Pro, SP2).

If I'm just SOL I can use html2lrf from the command line or log onto my home computer with logmein, but I figure it never hurts to ask.

[mcramer]

ahh - another X50V e-book reader

I've been reading 95% of my reading material on my X50V with mobipocket reader for the last three years now and am a bit nervous about changing to a reader. I'm in New Zealand but am going to the US (LA) in December for a business trip and hope to pick up a 505 while I'm there, if I can find a store near the hotel in the small amount of time I have free!

Let us know your thoughts on transitioning as I would be very interested!

[carchase]

Hi mcramer.

I thought I'd give you a quick update.

First of all, I couldn't be happier with the hardware. With the Sony Reader, I very quickly forgot that I was reading on an electronic device; whereas with the Axim I'm constantly aware of the battery life, remaining memory, etc. Not to mention the frequent soft-resets that come with windows mobile. Also, the glare on the reader is almost non-existant. I say almost because it is still a flat shiny surface and tends to reflect light more than a piece of paper. But it really isn't a problem.

I have a ton of pb books and I look forward to having everything in one spot. I'm really hoping that response time doesn't suffer as you add more books to this thing, because I plan to fill up as much of the 10 gigs as possible.

My only complaint so far is with the software. The Connect software is laughably lacking in features. The only preference you can select/deselect is whether to check for updates automatically, and I have my doubts whether even that works. I installed a version off the website before getting the Reader and it never notified me of the 2.0 "ebook Library" version that came with the Reader.

To make things worse, I've gotten incredibly slow response times browsing the ebook store using the software. You can access the store online at ebooks.connect.com, but (like with Itunes) it seems that you have to use the software to actually buy something. The difference in response time was so noticeable that I found myself browsing the store in IE and then switching to the software once I had decided what to purchase.

Another major gripe I have is with the inability to do simple things like edit meta data through the connect software. I understand that there are freeware programs out there to do stuff like this. I've downloaded most of them and greatly appreciate all of the work people have done. But as a programmer, it's baffling to me to think that Sony wouldn't allocate an extra 200k in salary for a couple of programmers who know what they're doing. It would make SUCH a difference in usability.

Anyway, I guess my overall rating as of now would A+ for the hardware and F- for the software. I had a similar experience with the Sony walkman mp3 player. They're both great devices if you immediately throw away the Sony cd that comes with them.

[mcramer]

Thanks for the update carchase!

Luckily the device itself got an A+

I live about as far away from the US that you can get and don't really intend on using the supplied software very much (if at all) so it's all looking good.

Now all I have to do is find somewhere close enough to the hotel that I'm staying at in LA that I can get to in the time I have available - damn business trips!

[HarryT]

I think you're being a little harsh on the software. Its basic job is to transfer files to and from the Reader and it does that well enough. For me at least, it's rock solid. Software like that really doesn't need too many "bells and whistles".

The main feature of it which those of us who create books use is its ability to display LRF files on the PC and that's absolutely GREAT - it's a perfect emulation of a real Reader in terms of what's displayed on each page. Means that you never have a load a book onto the real Reader to check what it's going to look like. For that alone I can forgive any minor flaws the software might have.

[Greymage]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I think you're being a little harsh on the software. Its basic job is to transfer files to and from the Reader and it does that well enough. For me at least, it's rock solid. Software like that really doesn't need too many "bells and whistles".

The main feature of it which those of us who create books use is its ability to display LRF files on the PC and that's absolutely GREAT - it's a perfect emulation of a real Reader in terms of what's displayed on each page. Means that you never have a load a book onto the real Reader to check what it's going to look like. For that alone I can forgive any minor flaws the software might have.

I disagree, I think the Connect software is poorly written. Aside from corrupting the database if it crashes while importing books, it takes an excessive amount of memory per book, leading to thrashing (and slow response) on systems with less memory if you have a large amount of books.

I haven't used the display capability of the software much - I've decided it's a bad idea to do reader-specific files, since that means if I switch brands I'll have to reconvert all my books. I am now converting everything to rtf, since that's supported by many readers and reader software, and I've found that in general (except for pictures) what I see in Word is pretty much what I see on the reader.

It's possible the eBook Library update to the software improved things a little, but it looks like the same code and takes just as long to read all the books on my SD card, so I suspect not. I'll keep my fingers crossed next time I'm doing batch conversions.

I agree with the original comment about A+ hardware/firmware and F- for the software. The device itself is great, the only complaint I have about it is very slow startup if you have an SD card with a lot of books on it. I think right now it takes 20 minutes for the circling arrows to disappear for me now every time I do something to make it reload the card, like attach it to the usb port to load a back or insert/reinsert the SD card, and this is with just 1600 RTF books on the card, and this is just a 2gb card with only 1.5gb used - I'd hate to see what it looks like with a higher-capacity memory stick.

I don't think this is a major issue though, since if you're loading books a lot you don't need a lot of books stored, and if you store a lot of books you don't need to load often - and once it's done the initial load response time is pretty good.

[HarryT]

We must agree to differ, then. That's fine.

[carchase]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Its basic job is to transfer files to and from the Reader and it does that well enough. For me at least, it's rock solid. Software like that really doesn't need too many "bells and whistles".

And buy ebooks, of course. Which I will most likely be doing at Fictionwise from now on. Personally I'm a fan of bells and whistles if they're programmed well.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Greymage

I disagree, I think the Connect software is poorly written. Aside from corrupting the database if it crashes while importing books, it takes an excessive amount of memory per book, leading to thrashing (and slow response) on systems with less memory if you have a large amount of books.

I've seen Ebook Library 2.0 take up to 68K. That's not that bad really. I've never had Connect crash and I've had my 500 since sometime in April. I've just installed Ebook Library 2.0 so I cannot comment yet on it's stability overall.

I haven't used the display capability of the software much - I've decided it's a bad idea to do reader-specific files, since that means if I switch brands I'll have to reconvert all my books. I am now converting everything to rtf, since that's supported by many readers and reader software, and I've found that in general (except for pictures) what I see in Word is pretty much what I see on the reader.

It is not a bad idea to make reader specific file in LRF. In fact, it's a very good idea and I will tell you why. If you use Book Designer to make your LRF files, you will have the html0 file which is the source file. You can use BD to create the LRF file. Then if someday in the future you get a device that uses say MobiPocket, you can save out a Mobipocket format PRC. If you use libprs500, you will have the lit, rtf, pdf, html as source still to use to convert to something else. The reading experience on the reader will be better with LRF as you'll have the ability to have a ToC and images.

It's possible the eBook Library update to the software improved things a little, but it looks like the same code and takes just as long to read all the books on my SD card, so I suspect not. I'll keep my fingers crossed next time I'm doing batch conversions.

I agree with the original comment about A+ hardware/firmware and F- for the software. The device itself is great, the only complaint I have about it is very slow startup if you have an SD card with a lot of books on it. I think right now it takes 20 minutes for the circling arrows to disappear for me now every time I do something to make it reload the card, like attach it to the usb port to load a back or insert/reinsert the SD card, and this is with just 1600 RTF books on the card, and this is just a 2gb card with only 1.5gb used - I'd hate to see what it looks like with a higher-capacity memory stick.

I don't think this is a major issue though, since if you're loading books a lot you don't need a lot of books stored, and if you store a lot of books you don't need to load often - and once it's done the initial load response time is pretty good.

When you update your SD card are you keeping it in the reader and then using Connect to move content onto it or are you taking the SD card and putting it into a card reader to move the content? If you are using a card reader, try installing books on the SD card while it is in the reader and connected to the computer using Connect. I personally have not really use the SD card to store books. I've been finding the internal memory has been enough for me. But I can give it a try and see. I have enough LRF files I can toss on an SD card to test.

But to be honest, I don't think you are giving yourself a fair chance. You are blaming the software for things it doesn't do. It is designed to do what it does and it does it very well. It runs fast enough and I've never had it crash once. Sure it can take 68K (or maybe more) ram. But it will not go crashing.

I am transferring now a lot of books to the reader via the USB to the SD inserted into the 500. So I'll know soon how it responds. I had 42 book internally. I now have 313 book and 122 pictures. It took less then two minutes to read from the SD card once i pulled out the USB cable. So my advise to you is to put the SD card into the reader and use Connect or Ebook Library 2.0 to transfer the content to the SD card. It actually makes thengs much faster then it would if the reader had to do the work.

[Greymage]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I've seen Ebook Library 2.0 take up to 68K. That's not that bad really.

Connect took about 600M for me at the 1400 book level... since the laptop I usually use Connect on only has 768M memory, that really slows things down.

I've never had Connect crash and I've had my 500 since sometime in April. I've just installed Ebook Library 2.0 so I cannot comment yet on it's stability overall.

I've had Connect crash frequently when importing RTFs... but usually only on RTFs generated by one of the Amber converters, I haven't had issues with it on RTFs produced by Word. Usually I can load the offending file into Word, save it back out, and then it will import fine. So perhaps something in the RTF is not quite right, but (a) Word can handle it (b) Connect shouldn't crash even if it can't, and (c) a Connect crash shouldn't corrupt the database like it does, or at the least should be able to automatically recover.

It is not a bad idea to make reader specific file in LRF. In fact, it's a very good idea and I will tell you why. If you use Book Designer to make your LRF files, you will have the html0 file which is the source file. You can use BD to create the LRF file. Then if someday in the future you get a device that uses say MobiPocket, you can save out a Mobipocket format PRC. If you use libprs500, you will have the lit, rtf, pdf, html as source still to use to convert to something else. The reading experience on the reader will be better with LRF as you'll have the ability to have a ToC and images.

I can see the advantages of LRF for some types of books, but my library is almost purely entertainment fiction, so lacking TOCs and images isn't really an issue for me, and up to now I've been batch converting my existing library, so I didn't want to spend a lot of time manually processing each book. After I catch up I might try it.

When you update your SD card are you keeping it in the reader and then using Connect to move content onto it or are you taking the SD card and putting it into a card reader to move the content? If you are using a card reader, try installing books on the SD card while it is in the reader and connected to the computer using Connect. I personally have not really use the SD card to store books. I've been finding the internal memory has been enough for me. But I can give it a try and see. I have enough LRF files I can toss on an SD card to test.

I used a USB 2.0 card reader with my 500 since that has a USB 1.1 connection, but I still used Connect to move the content (one of the tips I picked up from this forum ). I tried loading it with the card in the 505 when I got it, but that still seemed slower than the reader for transfers. I didn't notice any difference in the long startup time.

But to be honest, I don't think you are giving yourself a fair chance. You are blaming the software for things it doesn't do. It is designed to do what it does and it does it very well. It runs fast enough and I've never had it crash once. Sure it can take 68K (or maybe more) ram. But it will not go crashing.

I don't think blaming the software for crashing on an import and corrupting the database is unfair. Also I think the memory utilization is excessive - 600M for 1600 books when reading off the SD card? Considering it only takes up 40M when it first comes up, when it has the identical library in its database, I think it has issues.

I am transferring now a lot of books to the reader via the USB to the SD inserted into the 500. So I'll know soon how it responds. I had 42 book internally. I now have 313 book and 122 pictures. It took less then two minutes to read from the SD card once i pulled out the USB cable. So my advise to you is to put the SD card into the reader and use Connect or Ebook Library 2.0 to transfer the content to the SD card. It actually makes thengs much faster then it would if the reader had to do the work.

At 2 minutes for 313 books, that comes out 10 minutes for 1600, which is about the number I have loaded, but I get the impression the actual time is closer to 20-30 minutes. I wonder if lrf books load faster? If so that would be a good reason for me to make the effort to switch everything over. I'll try that someday.

I don't want to give the impression I hate the Sony Reader, I love it, warts and all (and very few warts on the hardware itself). I love the 505 even more than the 500. Part of it is that I'm a programmer, so I'm offended by shoddy workmanship in a shipped product... you can't get rid of every bug, but I just get the impression the Connect software was done by a bunch of junior programmers.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Greymage

Connect took about 600M for me at the 1400 book level... since the laptop I usually use Connect on only has 768M memory, that really slows things down.

One thing to try is to sort out your books into directories (folders) and then you won't have so many book for Connect to see at one time.

I've had Connect crash frequently when importing RTFs... but usually only on RTFs generated by one of the Amber converters, I haven't had issues with it on RTFs produced by Word. Usually I can load the offending file into Word, save it back out, and then it will import fine. So perhaps something in the RTF is not quite right, but (a) Word can handle it (b) Connect shouldn't crash even if it can't, and (c) a Connect crash shouldn't corrupt the database like it does, or at the least should be able to automatically recover.

The problem here is the Amber converter is crap. When my wife got her reader, I used it to convert something from PDF to RTF and the resulting RTF locked up her reader. The way to solve that was to load the RTF into Word and resave. So what is happening is Connect is crashing on a poor RTF made by a poor program.

I can see the advantages of LRF for some types of books, but my library is almost purely entertainment fiction, so lacking TOCs and images isn't really an issue for me, and up to now I've been batch converting my existing library, so I didn't want to spend a lot of time manually processing each book. After I catch up I might try it.

There are more advantages then you know. I have a book in RTF and the same book in LRF. The LRF is 626K and the RTF is 4,917K. At that size difference, you an fit about 7-8 times as many books on the readers internal memory. Also converting with Book Designer or the libprs500 suite is very easy overall. I can take a text file, toss it in word, clean it up in minutes and then let Book Designer have at it and it'll be done in no time.

I used a USB 2.0 card reader with my 500 since that has a USB 1.1 connection, but I still used Connect to move the content (one of the tips I picked up from this forum ). I tried loading it with the card in the 505 when I got it, but that still seemed slower than the reader for transfers. I didn't notice any difference in the long startup time.

What you didn't get is the fact that while it may have been faster to transfer the content to the SD card using your USB 2.0 card reader, it's overall slower. What happens is that Connect sorts out the books as it is transferring it so it handles all the formatting and pagination and writes out that info along with the book. And it takes longer for the reader to sort all that out then it does for Connect to do it when it transfers. That's why it took me less then 2 minutes for my reader to sort out about 200 books because I used Connect to send the content to the SD card in the reader.

I don't think blaming the software for crashing on an import and corrupting the database is unfair. Also I think the memory utilization is excessive - 600M for 1600 books when reading off the SD card? Considering it only takes up 40M when it first comes up, when it has the identical library in its database, I think it has issues.

It crashed due to a poorly written RTF from one of the ABC Amber converters. The RTF output and PDF output are both really poor. My guess is that it's taking up so much memory as it's reading the info from the book and storing it in memory since it doesn't have it elsewhere. 14090 books worth of info can take a LOT of memory. But if you do as I suggested, I think it'll work a lot smoother for you.

At 2 minutes for 313 books, that comes out 10 minutes for 1600, which is about the number I have loaded, but I get the impression the actual time is closer to 20-30 minutes. I wonder if lrf books load faster? If so that would be a good reason for me to make the effort to switch everything over. I'll try that someday.

I don't want to give the impression I hate the Sony Reader, I love it, warts and all (and very few warts on the hardware itself). I love the 505 even more than the 500. Part of it is that I'm a programmer, so I'm offended by shoddy workmanship in a shipped product... you can't get rid of every bug, but I just get the impression the Connect software was done by a bunch of junior programmers.[/QUOTE]
Connect is not perfect, but if you know what you are doing and some of the gotchas, it works quite well. I cannot speak yet for the reliability of Ebook Library yet as I've only used it twice so far. It wasn't 2 minutes to read 313 books, it was actually less time. I just didn't get the actual exact time. That why I used less then 2 minutes.

[carchase]

After further consideration I'll change my software grade to a C-. HarryT has a point that it does what it does fairly well. It just doesn't do nearly enough in my opinion. I think coming from Mobipocket I wanted a more robust desktop companion for the Reader, rather than something that just transfers and previews books.

And whatever was going on with the website response time within the connect software seems to be fixed. (Searching for an author, for example, was extremely slow).