Advice for a Sony 505 Noob with a Mac

[Yiggy]

Hi there! I just purchased a 505 over here in the UK and am keen to get up and running. I was well aware that the software did not support Macs out the box and that I would most likely have to use Calibre. Which is of course fine.

However I am a little confused when it comes to how to set up the machine to read DRM content and how to get it on there safely. From having a read around I guess the procedure I need to use is as follows...

1. Download the Sony Software onto a Windows PC and activate my device on that.

2. Download digital editions on either Windows OR my Mac and activate my device on that? Or is activating it in Sonys software all I need to do?

I can then use Calibre to manage my device and I can download Adobe digital editions content directly to my Mac and transfer over using Calibre? Is that right? What about Sonys store content? Or is that the same content as on digital editions? Or will Calibre not deal with DRM content at all? If its just drag and drop after that its fine.

I will be downloading lots of free stuff but I guess I want to be able to download purchased content as well so I just want to work out the best solution.

Then when downloading PDF or Epub content from other stores presumably I can just drag and drop onto the 505?

Sorry to sound like a Dullard but I am finding it all a little confusing. I thank you all for your help.

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

I think you need to activate your Sony with the Sony software, and also activate Digital Editions (that was how I did it, anyways - I used an XP VM under VMWare Fusion on my Mac to do the neccesary rather than a seperate PC).

If you register your Sony as being in the UK, you won't be able to use Sony's store - the software will link to Waterstones instead. But you don't need the Sony software to buy ebooks from Waterstones, or anywhere else for that matter. However, you may want to investigate places like Fictionwise and BooksOnBoard for buying ebooks - their sites are easier to navigate and tend to be cheaper!

You can use Calibre to transfer DRM'd and non-DRM'd content from your Mac onto your reader, irregardless of where you bought it. However, Calibre can't convert ebooks that have DRM into other formats, it can only do that for DRM-free ebooks.

Finally, welcome to the forums!

(And you don't sound like a dullard at all )

[Yiggy]

Thanks for the speedy response.

Okay so essentially I can install the Sony software using a VM and also activate it for digital editions in the same way. Then I can use any of those DRM formats including PDF, Epub and whatever Sony's format is.

I would get them onto the 505 either using drag and drop or Calibre.

Just a couple more questions.

You say that 'if I register my machine as being in the UK'. Does that mean that you could register it as being in the US? Does that offer any advantages?

So after I have registered my device I wont really need to use the Sony software again? I can just download books from any stores and if it is PDF or Epub I will be able to use it? Do I need to do seperate device activation for Epub?

Thanks for the advice on other sites to look at. If I am looking at those sites or any other free sites what is the best format to look for? As in most economical space wise and the best performance? Would it be Epub, PDF or another?

Things are looking a little clearer now. Thanks.

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Not a problem

The Sony format is LRF (and I think LRX, but I'm not sure)

I think I've seen that a couple of other UK people have registered theirs as being in the US - the main advantage seems to be access to Sony's freebies.

I can't remember what the activation for Digital Editions entailed - that is the activation you need for epubs though.

I've found that performance-wise LRF seems to be faster than epub to load. I've also converted some PDFs I have to LRF, and the file size of the LRF has been smaller. PDFs don't always display as nicely as the other two formats - I don't find it much of a problem with novels, as I can read them at the smallest font size, but with technical documents and the like things can look really odd.

For free books you might want to try here - all of the books here have been formatted and uploaded by various MR members, and also places like Feedbooks and, if you're into sci-fi or fantasy Baen Free Library

[gwynevans]

If you don't use the Sony software to copy books to the Reader, then LRF books will have a one-off delay the first time their opened, while ePubs don't - On the other hand, ePubs tend to have more of a delay when accessing their table of contents. Otherwise, there's not a huge difference, other than the ePub 'engine' not supporting full justification when displaying, so pages have a ragged-right appearance!

Personally, I now tend to go with ePub, as I tend to use Calibre to manage my eBooks.
There are a few threads about Mac usage & you're not alone in doing so, so I expect much of the info you'll be looking for is available, but feel free to ask for any parts that are unclear.

LRF = Sony with no DRM, LRX = Sony with DRM (even the freebies from the Sony eBookstore, which are only available via their Windows "eBook Library" app.

ePub might be with or without DRM, but register the Reader with your Adobe account as a one-off (via Adobe Digital Editions on Windows) and you can then (AIUI) download (using that Adobe account id) on Mac if needed.

Note that there's a lot of titles out there where you don't need to register the Reader at all, so don't worry about it if it's not easy to get it done immediately.

[Yiggy]

Its all up and running and seems to be working great. I am syncing with Calibre and my adobe account seems to have my device active on it.

Thanks guys! Now I just need to go find some good stores.