MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - PRS-350 Sony PRS-350 - First e-reader for a grumpy geezer

delphin · 05-31-2011, 05:30 PM

I agree that given your requirements, the 350 is a good choice.

Here is some info to help you get started with your 350 -

The Sony appears as a standard USB storage device, just like a memory stick or thumb-drive, so YES you CAN 'drag-and-drop' books onto the 350 with your mac, or ANY PC, as long as they are in a DRM free compatible format.

If you want to try this, download some free titles in EPUB format from the public domain section of feedbooks.com

You can buy books from the Sony Ebook Store, Google Books, or even Kobo. The reason that you need to use a U.S. address to buy books is because they are restricted to the U.S. market by their publishers (so if you want to rant at someone, blame them NOT Sony, Kobo, etc.)

You can also blame the publishers for REQUIRING that their ebook titles, whether sold by Amazon, Sony, Google, Kobo or anyone else, be protected by some form of DRM (Digital Rights Management Copy Protection).

Were it not for DRM, you would be able to simply drag and drop purchased books as simply as the free feedbook titles above. Because of DRM, you will indeed need special software to buy and transfer books to your PRS-350. With a PC you can use either Adobe Digital Editions (ADE is free from Adobe) or use the 'Sony Reader Library' software that came with your Sony. With a Mac, you will probably want to use the 'Sony Reader Library' because the Adobe ADE software reportedly has trouble with not recognizing the Sony Readers on Macs.

- You can't have a non-wireless device, and still expect books to just magically appear on the device, so obviously you need a computer of some sort, and unfortunately, BOTH Adobe ADE and the Sony software is registered to a specific PC during installation, so you can't just wander willy-nilly around the planet installing copies wherever you need them. You will eventually run out of allowable authorizations (Adobe allows only Six computers or reader devices to be authorized at one time, with your PRS-350 counting as one of them). There is a way to de-register a computer when you are done using it, so you can retain unused authorizations, but it requires a lot of that geeky garbage that you don't seem to like very much.

Even if you like to travel lite, you will find things a lot easier all around, if you at least consider investing in an inexpensive Netbook PC. I'm not talking about a huge 15 inch screen laptop here, just a tiny 10 inch Netbook about the size of a medium sized hardback book. I paid just over 200 dollars for mine a few months back, and consider it the best money I ever spent on a PC in my life. Recently I just saw an equivalent Acer 1.8GHz Atom Netbook with a 250 GB hard drive on sale locally for 185 dollars.

In an ideal world, all our apps would be perfectly portable between devices, and would sync data perfectly from the web, but until we reach that utopian point, having a portable device that meets all my needs, and that is portable enough to travel with me is a not a luxury, it's a necessity.

05-31-2011, 05:30 PM	#15
delphin Evangelist Posts: 434 Karma: 346901 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: SONY PRS-650	I agree that given your requirements, the 350 is a good choice. Here is some info to help you get started with your 350 - The Sony appears as a standard USB storage device, just like a memory stick or thumb-drive, so YES you CAN 'drag-and-drop' books onto the 350 with your mac, or ANY PC, as long as they are in a DRM free compatible format. If you want to try this, download some free titles in EPUB format from the public domain section of feedbooks.com You can buy books from the Sony Ebook Store, Google Books, or even Kobo. The reason that you need to use a U.S. address to buy books is because they are restricted to the U.S. market by their publishers (so if you want to rant at someone, blame them NOT Sony, Kobo, etc.) You can also blame the publishers for REQUIRING that their ebook titles, whether sold by Amazon, Sony, Google, Kobo or anyone else, be protected by some form of DRM (Digital Rights Management Copy Protection). Were it not for DRM, you would be able to simply drag and drop purchased books as simply as the free feedbook titles above. Because of DRM, you will indeed need special software to buy and transfer books to your PRS-350. With a PC you can use either Adobe Digital Editions (ADE is free from Adobe) or use the 'Sony Reader Library' software that came with your Sony. With a Mac, you will probably want to use the 'Sony Reader Library' because the Adobe ADE software reportedly has trouble with not recognizing the Sony Readers on Macs. - You can't have a non-wireless device, and still expect books to just magically appear on the device, so obviously you need a computer of some sort, and unfortunately, BOTH Adobe ADE and the Sony software is registered to a specific PC during installation, so you can't just wander willy-nilly around the planet installing copies wherever you need them. You will eventually run out of allowable authorizations (Adobe allows only Six computers or reader devices to be authorized at one time, with your PRS-350 counting as one of them). There is a way to de-register a computer when you are done using it, so you can retain unused authorizations, but it requires a lot of that geeky garbage that you don't seem to like very much. Even if you like to travel lite, you will find things a lot easier all around, if you at least consider investing in an inexpensive Netbook PC. I'm not talking about a huge 15 inch screen laptop here, just a tiny 10 inch Netbook about the size of a medium sized hardback book. I paid just over 200 dollars for mine a few months back, and consider it the best money I ever spent on a PC in my life. Recently I just saw an equivalent Acer 1.8GHz Atom Netbook with a 250 GB hard drive on sale locally for 185 dollars. In an ideal world, all our apps would be perfectly portable between devices, and would sync data perfectly from the web, but until we reach that utopian point, having a portable device that meets all my needs, and that is portable enough to travel with me is a not a luxury, it's a necessity. Last edited by delphin; 05-31-2011 at 05:33 PM.