Int´l mother looking for ereader

andilubio · 12-08-2009, 12:21 PM

Hi, will i´m not actually the mother but the son xD...

To put you guys in perspective, we live in Spain and she reads 60% spanish books and 40% english books...

My mom wants to have a kindle really bad but i´m not soo sure its a good idea, basically because i do not know if the kindle store supports a good variety of spanish books...also she loves Time magazine and it seems if you live outside the US you wont get images(its not fundamental but it helps).

The thing is that the system for her has to be simple, she has her control on pcs but its ok not great. amazon.com looks simple but as i said maybe only for english books.

Then there is the formats supported, which its seems is not very big.

I have my thoughts on the kindle and maybe a sony, what do you think is the best option for a mother?

Sweetpea · 12-09-2009, 02:22 AM

Considering she also would like to read spanish books, I'd not buy the Kindle right now. Most European publishers go for epub and the Kindle just doesn't support it.

Regarding ease of use for the BeBook, Sony, CyBook, or any other device that supports epub, I never bought any epub book, so I've no idea how easy it is to put that format on a device. I use stick my SD card in my PC (or hook up the USB cable) and use the explorer to dump my books (mobipocket) on it...

dreams · 12-09-2009, 02:29 AM

Welcome to MR, andilubio

I live across the Atlantic and don't know any bookstores in Spain. You could check our Wiki for bookstore listings. Possibly a member from your area will offer some advice when they see this post.

If your mom likes to read public domain books, feedbooks has a section in Spanish.

The Wiki also has a E-book Reader Matrix with more information about the various devices.

I'm sorry I can't help a bit more, but I have the Sony 505 and only know about purchasing books in English on this side of the Atlantic. For me, the Sony 505 was pretty easy to use.

Maybe search through some of our forums for more information. (What a good son you are for helping your mom get a Reader

.)

Laura81 · 12-09-2009, 02:53 AM

If you want ease of use and ability to read many different formats I'd go for something like the Bebook or Pocketbook 360. But I have no idea about being able to get ahold of books in Spanish.

Terisa de morgan · 12-09-2009, 04:17 AM

Welcome, andilubio.

If you want to get books in Spain you can look at some publishers or self-publishers (PDF), the new platform, Leqtor (ePub) and the upcoming platform this week, Amabook (ePub and Mobipocket). Almost all DRM-ed. So, if your mother isn't going to take away the DRM and converts her books to PRC, I think Kindle is not a good option.

neilmarr · 12-09-2009, 06:37 AM

Hya Andilubio: I think you might be better off thinking of Sony with its ePub support starting on Friday. A bonus for your mom will be that ePub -- as I discovered converting a title of my own this week that includes many lines in Spanish language -- is that ePub does a good job with Spanish punctuation. Good luck. Neil

andilubio · 12-09-2009, 07:08 AM

Hi, thanks for all the replys to my question.

Would the Sony PRS-600 be a good fit? does it also have a 3G connection?

Sweetpea · 12-09-2009, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilmarr

Hya Andilubio: I think you might be better off thinking of Sony with its ePub support starting on Friday. A bonus for your mom will be that ePub -- as I discovered converting a title of my own this week that includes many lines in Spanish language -- is that ePub does a good job with Spanish punctuation. Good luck. Neil

Can you easily buy books in the sony store now, as European?

I have heard plenty of people who had problems getting their books on the sony, using the sony library application.

And no, the PRS-600 doesn't have a 3G connection, only the Kindle has one at this moment (that you can use as an European, that is). The Txtr will also have one, but as that one isn't out yet, no idea if you can use it in Spain...

andilubio · 12-09-2009, 10:29 AM

Hi, a couple questions more. If i have a sony ereader can i buy books at amazon.com?or any store?

People from out the US which one would you choose? the kindle 2 or the sony prs-600?

Can i buy Time magazine for the sony?

Terisa de morgan · 12-09-2009, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andilubio

Hi, a couple questions more. If i have a sony ereader can i buy books at amazon.com?or any store?

People from out the US which one would you choose? the kindle 2 or the sony prs-600?

Can i buy Time magazine for the sony?

No, if you have Sony Reader you can't buy from Amazon.com. If they switch to ePub and the DRM IS THE SAME than the other bookshops, you will be able to buy at any shop with ePub format.

I haven't seen the Kindle 2, but I've seen the Sony PRS-600 and I don't like the screen. I prefer the PRS-300 (or, in Spain, you could think about Papyre).

neilmarr · 12-09-2009, 01:41 PM

***Can you easily buy books in the sony store now, as European?***

Sure you can, Sweetpea. The trick is not to. Who needs 'em? There are so many sources for books that you don't ever need to look at Sony's recommended stores to fill your Sony Reader. Neil

Sweetpea · 12-09-2009, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

No, if you have Sony Reader you can't buy from Amazon.com. If they switch to ePub and the DRM IS THE SAME than the other bookshops, you will be able to buy at any shop with ePub format.

I haven't seen the Kindle 2, but I've seen the Sony PRS-600 and I don't like the screen. I prefer the PRS-300 (or, in Spain, you could think about Papyre).

Let's stay correct. Yes, you can buy books from Amazon, no you can't load them on your Sony.

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilmarr

***Can you easily buy books in the sony store now, as European?***

Sure you can, Sweetpea. The trick is not to. Who needs 'em? There are so many sources for books that you don't ever need to look at Sony's recommended stores to fill your Sony Reader. Neil

There are books that Sony and Amazon have that I'd love to buy. Amazon only has it in Topaz but if Sony is going to sell epub I'd get them there if I could buy there without using a trick...

And remember, we're talking about someone without a lot of computer knowledge who only wants some easy way to get books. If you'd buy a Kindle, getting Kindle books is easy from Amazon (but a Kindle is a bad idea as it will only read Kindle books and European stores are selling epubs mostly)

But you say that he should pick a sony because the sony store wills start selling epub. Which is of no use, naturally, if you can't easily buy books from the sony store as an European. But, the sony itself can still be a good choice, because it can read epub and thus books from European bookstores.

andilubio · 12-09-2009, 02:33 PM

Hi, well it certanly looks like none is just perfect...

Considering their flaws which could be a better fit? easy use, acceptable buying mode...?

I tend to look more to the sony prs-600 maybe just because it supports epub, any chance amazon opens up?

Does sony read .doc??

JetSetter · 12-12-2009, 09:03 AM

Hey. I admittedly can't give you too much great advice, but found your question interesting. I own a Kindle 2 and am always interested in the limits of the Kindle. I just did a quick check on Spanish language Kindle books, and they list almost 2,000 books (though I haven't done an intense search to see what kind or quality of books they are and I don't know their availability for non-US owners). If you are interested in seeing the selection, go to Amazon's main book site (not Kindle Books) and do an advanced search. Choose the format as Kindle and the language to Spanish, and then you can judge whether these books would in any way appeal to your mother.

It seems like it's still a little early for foreign language books in the e-pub world, but as demand grows, so too will the selection. Good luck though!

12-08-2009, 12:21 PM	#1
andilubio Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: none	Int´l mother looking for ereader Hi, will i´m not actually the mother but the son xD... To put you guys in perspective, we live in Spain and she reads 60% spanish books and 40% english books... My mom wants to have a kindle really bad but i´m not soo sure its a good idea, basically because i do not know if the kindle store supports a good variety of spanish books...also she loves Time magazine and it seems if you live outside the US you wont get images(its not fundamental but it helps). The thing is that the system for her has to be simple, she has her control on pcs but its ok not great. amazon.com looks simple but as i said maybe only for english books. Then there is the formats supported, which its seems is not very big. I have my thoughts on the kindle and maybe a sony, what do you think is the best option for a mother?

12-09-2009, 02:29 AM	#3
dreams It's about the umbrella Posts: 25,112 Karma: 56250158 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Sony 505\| K Fire \| KK 3G+Wi-Fi \| iPhone 3Gs \|Vista 32-bit Hm Prem w/FF	Welcome to MR, andilubio I live across the Atlantic and don't know any bookstores in Spain. You could check our Wiki for bookstore listings. Possibly a member from your area will offer some advice when they see this post. If your mom likes to read public domain books, feedbooks has a section in Spanish. The Wiki also has a E-book Reader Matrix with more information about the various devices. I'm sorry I can't help a bit more, but I have the Sony 505 and only know about purchasing books in English on this side of the Atlantic. For me, the Sony 505 was pretty easy to use. Maybe search through some of our forums for more information. (What a good son you are for helping your mom get a Reader.)

12-09-2009, 02:33 PM	#13
andilubio Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: none	Hi, well it certanly looks like none is just perfect... Considering their flaws which could be a better fit? easy use, acceptable buying mode...? I tend to look more to the sony prs-600 maybe just because it supports epub, any chance amazon opens up? Does sony read .doc?? Last edited by andilubio; 12-09-2009 at 02:53 PM.

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12-09-2009, 02:22 AM	#2
Sweetpea Grand Sorcerer Posts: 9,707 Karma: 32763414 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Krewerd Device: Pocketbook Inkpad 4 Color; Samsung Galaxy Tab S6	Considering she also would like to read spanish books, I'd not buy the Kindle right now. Most European publishers go for epub and the Kindle just doesn't support it. Regarding ease of use for the BeBook, Sony, CyBook, or any other device that supports epub, I never bought any epub book, so I've no idea how easy it is to put that format on a device. I use stick my SD card in my PC (or hook up the USB cable) and use the explorer to dump my books (mobipocket) on it...

12-09-2009, 02:53 AM	#4
Laura81 Addict Posts: 360 Karma: 407796 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Victoria, Australia Device: Paperwhite 5	If you want ease of use and ability to read many different formats I'd go for something like the Bebook or Pocketbook 360. But I have no idea about being able to get ahold of books in Spanish.

12-09-2009, 04:17 AM	#5
Terisa de morgan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,227 Karma: 11768331 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Madrid, Spain Device: Kobo Clara/Aura One/Forma,XiaoMI 5, iPad, Huawei MediaPad, YotaPhone 2	Welcome, andilubio. If you want to get books in Spain you can look at some publishers or self-publishers (PDF), the new platform, Leqtor (ePub) and the upcoming platform this week, Amabook (ePub and Mobipocket). Almost all DRM-ed. So, if your mother isn't going to take away the DRM and converts her books to PRC, I think Kindle is not a good option.

12-09-2009, 06:37 AM	#6
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,216 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	Hya Andilubio: I think you might be better off thinking of Sony with its ePub support starting on Friday. A bonus for your mom will be that ePub -- as I discovered converting a title of my own this week that includes many lines in Spanish language -- is that ePub does a good job with Spanish punctuation. Good luck. Neil

12-09-2009, 07:08 AM	#7
andilubio Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: none	Hi, thanks for all the replys to my question. Would the Sony PRS-600 be a good fit? does it also have a 3G connection?

12-09-2009, 10:29 AM	#9
andilubio Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: none	Hi, a couple questions more. If i have a sony ereader can i buy books at amazon.com?or any store? People from out the US which one would you choose? the kindle 2 or the sony prs-600? Can i buy Time magazine for the sony?

12-09-2009, 01:41 PM	#11
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,216 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	*Can you easily buy books in the sony store now, as European?* Sure you can, Sweetpea. The trick is not to. Who needs 'em? There are so many sources for books that you don't ever need to look at Sony's recommended stores to fill your Sony Reader. Neil

12-12-2009, 09:03 AM	#14
JetSetter Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Kindle 2	Hey. I admittedly can't give you too much great advice, but found your question interesting. I own a Kindle 2 and am always interested in the limits of the Kindle. I just did a quick check on Spanish language Kindle books, and they list almost 2,000 books (though I haven't done an intense search to see what kind or quality of books they are and I don't know their availability for non-US owners). If you are interested in seeing the selection, go to Amazon's main book site (not Kindle Books) and do an advanced search. Choose the format as Kindle and the language to Spanish, and then you can judge whether these books would in any way appeal to your mother. It seems like it's still a little early for foreign language books in the e-pub world, but as demand grows, so too will the selection. Good luck though!