Sony505 Vs. Cybook gen3?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Barcey

1) Assuming removing DRM is legal.

In the USA breaking the DRM of LIT is legal.

2) You can do the same drag and drop on the CyBook. It's also seen as a mass storage. I find this awkward because the filenames don't always line up with the book titles. The additional desktop reader software (Windows only) gives you additional features. You can create "reading lists" by dragging and dropping books on the list similar to iTunes. You're working with pictures and book titles rather then file names so I find it much easier. When done you just right click on the reading list and select "Send to Device..."

Ebook Library gives you more features with the 505 like formatting (so the 505 doesn't have to do it), and syncing. You can create Collections in the library and sync them to the 505. It's quite nice. Also, you can deal with collections on the 505 with ebook library. Just don't delete books in a collection as a mass storage device.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by julia

black and white photos look better on the sony. more differentiation, more depth/contrast to see. altho' as a photographer i have other equipment to carry around my photos. but if you are into graphics i think the sony is the device to use.

reading books i hardly see any difference except on the sony the black is blacker. so there is a little more contrast.

could you try running this image through both readers and post the results?

shades_of_gray.png

I wonder if Sony is really dithering more gray than we think to make the pictures look better.

Dale

[Barcey]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

could you try running this image through both readers and post the results?

Sorry the picture didn't come out very good, I'll try to take better pictures if the sun is out tomorrow. I only have the CyBOOK so can't do side by side comparison.

I tried to get two different lighting conditions.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Barcey

Sorry the picture didn't come out very good, I'll try to take better pictures if the sun is out tomorrow. I only have the CyBOOK so can't do side by side comparison.

I tried to get two different lighting conditions.

I've found that with the Vizplex screen of the 505 unless you are not zoomed in too much, you have to manually focus as the screen does not allow auto focus to work. I'll try to take a shot outside in the sun of the 505 showing that image.

[julia]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

could you try running this image through both readers and post the results?

shades_of_gray.png

I wonder if Sony is really dithering more gray than we think to make the pictures look better.

Dale

i will and post it here as soon as i've done it.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

I wonder if Sony is really dithering more gray than we think to make the pictures look better.

Dale

The dithering algorithms work extremely well on all these devices. I'm hard pressed to see any real difference in the appearance of most pictures between my 4 grey-scale Sony Reader and CyBook, and my 16 grey-scale iLiad.

Many people would, I'm sure, find it hard to believe that the "Mona Lisa" picture supplied with the Gen3 has only 4 grey scales in it, it looks so good.

[tompe]

Is there a difference in speed between the Cybook and PRS505? Time for loading books, time for displaying menues and so on? There was also a discussion that books for the Sony need to be pre-paginated to get god performance. Is that correct? Because with the Cybook you get good performance without pre-pagination.

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by tompe

Is there a difference in speed between the Cybook and PRS505? Time for loading books, time for displaying menues and so on? There was also a discussion that books for the Sony need to be pre-paginated to get god performance. Is that correct? Because with the Cybook you get good performance without pre-pagination.

Not really any difference in loading. The only significant difference is that the PRS505 can 'open'/'startup' in the ebook you were last reading, while the Cybook does not have a 'blanked-screen' sleep mode that does so. If it's off, it's off and you must re-select the ebook from the Library when you turn it back on and it finishes it's boot process. On the one hand, it's a pain because the Cybook takes between 15 and 20 seconds for a start-up. On the other hand, if you leave the Cybook on and in the ebook of your choice, the power drain is negligible so you don't have to wait even for a 'resume from sleep' time.

As for the pagination... Well, I'm using a PRS500 against the Cybook so I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to be seeing...

Derek

[tompe]

I have left my Cybook on since tuesday evening and it is at 70% battery level now nearly four days later. I have connected it to copy some books to the device during this time. It will be interesting to see how often I need to actually connect it to be charged. I have only managed to read 1.5 rather short books since I got the device.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by tompe

Is there a difference in speed between the Cybook and PRS505? Time for loading books, time for displaying menues and so on? There was also a discussion that books for the Sony need to be pre-paginated to get god performance. Is that correct? Because with the Cybook you get good performance without pre-pagination.

Ebook Library (or Connect) sets up the book for pagination at the different fonts sizes for you when it moves the book to the 500/505. If you load the book on the 505 directly or directly onto a memory card, the pre-pagination is not done for you so when yo go to read the book, it's fine in small. But when you chance the size, the reader has to do it for you and this takes a little bit of time since it's not as powerful as your computer. But once it's done by the reader, it saves the settings and you don't have to do it again. Unless of course you remove the book and add it back in.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Ebook Library (or Connect) sets up the book for pagination at the different fonts sizes for you when it moves the book to the 500/505. If you load the book on the 505 directly or directly onto a memory card, the pre-pagination is not done for you so when yo go to read the book, it's fine in small. But when you chance the size, the reader has to do it for you and this takes a little bit of time since it's not as powerful as your computer. But once it's done by the reader, it saves the settings and you don't have to do it again. Unless of course you remove the book and add it back in.

How long is "a little bit of time"? Seconds? Tens of seconds?

What happens if you add new fonts or was that not possible without using a hack?

Is it correct then that if you use Linux or Macs then you always have to to this pagination on the device?

[JoeC]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

If you do the LIT conversion, you end up with a book that DOES NOT HAVE DRM. Plus lit2lrf is fast and easy to use. I can convert a LIT in less then 5 min after downloading it.

I agree that LIT conversion is easy but I still find it to be a pain. I find using Mobipocket I don't have to go through the hassle of being the book coversion geek for my family. (They can read books easily enough on their reader but conversion is out of their league).

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What is so hard with the Sony? The Sony you don't actually need Ebook Library. The 505 is seen as a mass storage device and if you don't use Collections, you can just move the books on and off.

My mistake about moving files so easily to the 505. I didn't know that. I assumed it was the same as the 500. I was reading from the SD card on the 505.

Don't get me wrong, the Sony 505 is a beautiful piece of hardware. If it had Mobipocket support and dictionary look up I would never have considered the Cybook. I am selling the 505 to a friend but I'm having second thoughts...

[Barcey]

Here's the CyBook gray scales again. This time in focus.

[JSWolf]

I'll take a photo of my 505 later on today in the sunlight so I won't need the flash.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by JoeC

I agree that LIT conversion is easy but I still find it to be a pain. I find using Mobipocket I don't have to go through the hassle of being the book conversion geek for my family. (They can read books easily enough on their reader but conversion is out of their league).

But the good news is that you end up with DRM free books. And all you need do really is create a few simple scripts and they have a nice converted book.

My mistake about moving files so easily to the 505. I didn't know that. I assumed it was the same as the 500. I was reading from the SD card on the 505.

It's no different then moving books to/from the gen3 as long as you don't use Collections. Collections still requires Ebook Library. And Don't go deleting books that are in a Collection unless you use Ebook Library or you could end up needing to reset the 505.

Don't get me wrong, the Sony 505 is a beautiful piece of hardware. If it had Mobipocket support and dictionary look up I would never have considered the Cybook. I am selling the 505 to a friend but I'm having second thoughts...

Personally, I've not had a need where I am reading a book and thought "Oh, I need to look up that word". I prefer to go the non-DRM way and convert my purchased ebooks so I have them in a way that I can still read them even if I someday no longer can read LRF. What I am happy about if lit2lrf is a few min of work and I'm converted. Also, I can take a mobi books, convert to html and then convert to LRF from there using Book Designer. I need to give html2lrf a go next time I convert a mobi book. I have a few library downloads I need to give a conversion go to before they expire.