MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Help me get started please - Kindle vs. BeBook vs. Sony PRS-505

rana · 03-01-2009, 02:28 PM

Hi There ! I am new to this forum, and fairly new to the ebook concept in general.

Like most everyone getting started, I am trying to figure out which "reading device" is the right one for me. So far I have tried using a small laptop as well as a PDA, but have come to the conclusion that neither is really suitable for reading books (I know so many of you are going, "well duh !" at this point

)

So I would like to get a dedicated reader

Based on my reading on this forum (and elsewhere) so far, I have narrowed down my choices to one of the following -- Kindle 2 or BeBook/HanlinV3/EZ-Reader or Sony PRS-505. However, I am having a really tough time making the final decision, primarily because I don't how each will perform in my real day to day environment, given my requirements (see below).

This is where I am hoping some of you would be able to share your experience and help me make this decision

Some background on my preferences are --

1) I would like to get the most flexible device with good support for many different formats

2) The quality of the display and formatting of the text is very important to me. If the text is not nicely formatted, it constantly gets in my way of being able to enjoy the content

3) I absolutely HATE the idea of DRM and being locked down to a single vendor, and would like to support the vendors that sell DRM-free ebooks as much as possible. However, I do realize that in order to get the best selection, I may have to cave down from time to time

4) One BIG advantage I have is that being a newbie to this area, I do not have a large investment made into any particular format at this point. However, once I do start building up my collection, I really would like to have the option of switching to a newer, different, better reader without having to re-purchase the books I have already paid for.

5) I use a lot of PDF documents, and if the reader had good support for this, that would be a huge plus !

6) I am fairly tech savvy and don't mind if I had to manually convert from one format to the other regularly, provided I can still get good formatting at the end using the available tools.

Given the above, here is what my current thought is (and some questions)

1) Clearly, the Hanlin V3 based devices seem the most flexible when it comes to supporting many different formats. But my question is, does it offer the best formatting and display ? So for example, if I buy a book in mobipocket format and view it in K2 or Sony 505 or Hanlin -- will they all look the same ? Or rather, can they all be made to look the same may be with some reformatting ?

2) Purely from a hardware standpoint, I like the Sony PRS-505 the best. But it also seems to be the one most limited in format support. I have read about the conversion tools, namely Calibre, but am not sure how well it really works. Could someone who has a Sony 505 and have done quite a bit of conversion from other formats please comment on this ? So basically, what I am looking for is whether the book will look as good as the original format after conversion ?

3) From a selection point of view, Kindle 2 seems to be the best so far ... but I am dreading the fact that Amazon is really trying to lock me down to their device. Once I purchase a book, I would REALLY REALLY like to "own" it and use it on ANY device that I purchase in the future. Also, in this economy, I am not terribly comfortable with the idea of someone else "backing up" contents that I have purchased and would like to do my own backup.

With this in mind, does anyone know if the AZW files that I purchase from the Amazon store can be backed up on my own PC and converted into other formats in the future ? I am more than happy to get the Kindle 2 for now, as long as I know that I can backup all my purchases on my PC (so in the very rare chance that Amazon goes out of business, or I don't want to work with them any more) I will still have access to MY contents and be able to read them on any other device that I may upgrade to in the future.

Also, if I buy the Kindle and then buy books in other formats from other stores, how well can they be converted to a format that the Kindle will understand ? Will they look as good after the conversion ?

Does Amazon terms of use prevent the user from putting any content of their choosing in the Kindle ? So if I buy a book in another format, convert it to AZW or some other Kindle supported format, and then put it on the Kindle -- can Amazon later wipe out that from MY Kindle with a future update ?

Finally, one last question about the Hanlin V3 based devices. If I go this route, I will either buy the BeBook or the Astrak EZ Reader ... just from the point of view of them being lower cost. But are they EXACTLY the same as far as the hardware is concerned ? Can the firmware from any of these 3 be applied to the other ? I thought this is the case, but what confused me is that on the Astrak website it has the following statement --

All eBooks on this website are powered by Mobipocket eBooks common library and you can read them on your PC, but not on the EZ Reader. This is because the EZ reader currently does not support DRM ebooks. We are working hard on supporting the DRM format, and we will notify EZ Reader users when a firmware update is available (it will be displayed on this website).

I thought the latest Hanlin/BeBook firmware does support Mobi formats well, so why doesn't the EZ Reader.

Well, that's all for now ! I hope you all will not alienate me for starting on this forum with SOOO many questions.

much in advance

P.S. BTW, I am voting for "something else" just so I don't have to click "view poll results" everytime

03-01-2009, 02:28 PM	#1
rana Gadget Freak Posts: 113 Karma: 312 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: SonyPRS505,Kindle1,NokiaN810,VilivX70, SmrtQ7,JoinTechJE100,NookColor	Help me get started please - Kindle vs. BeBook vs. Sony PRS-505 Hi There ! I am new to this forum, and fairly new to the ebook concept in general. Like most everyone getting started, I am trying to figure out which "reading device" is the right one for me. So far I have tried using a small laptop as well as a PDA, but have come to the conclusion that neither is really suitable for reading books (I know so many of you are going, "well duh !" at this point ) So I would like to get a dedicated reader Based on my reading on this forum (and elsewhere) so far, I have narrowed down my choices to one of the following -- Kindle 2 or BeBook/HanlinV3/EZ-Reader or Sony PRS-505. However, I am having a really tough time making the final decision, primarily because I don't how each will perform in my real day to day environment, given my requirements (see below). This is where I am hoping some of you would be able to share your experience and help me make this decision Some background on my preferences are -- 1) I would like to get the most flexible device with good support for many different formats 2) The quality of the display and formatting of the text is very important to me. If the text is not nicely formatted, it constantly gets in my way of being able to enjoy the content 3) I absolutely HATE the idea of DRM and being locked down to a single vendor, and would like to support the vendors that sell DRM-free ebooks as much as possible. However, I do realize that in order to get the best selection, I may have to cave down from time to time 4) One BIG advantage I have is that being a newbie to this area, I do not have a large investment made into any particular format at this point. However, once I do start building up my collection, I really would like to have the option of switching to a newer, different, better reader without having to re-purchase the books I have already paid for. 5) I use a lot of PDF documents, and if the reader had good support for this, that would be a huge plus ! 6) I am fairly tech savvy and don't mind if I had to manually convert from one format to the other regularly, provided I can still get good formatting at the end using the available tools. Given the above, here is what my current thought is (and some questions) 1) Clearly, the Hanlin V3 based devices seem the most flexible when it comes to supporting many different formats. But my question is, does it offer the best formatting and display ? So for example, if I buy a book in mobipocket format and view it in K2 or Sony 505 or Hanlin -- will they all look the same ? Or rather, can they all be made to look the same may be with some reformatting ? 2) Purely from a hardware standpoint, I like the Sony PRS-505 the best. But it also seems to be the one most limited in format support. I have read about the conversion tools, namely Calibre, but am not sure how well it really works. Could someone who has a Sony 505 and have done quite a bit of conversion from other formats please comment on this ? So basically, what I am looking for is whether the book will look as good as the original format after conversion ? 3) From a selection point of view, Kindle 2 seems to be the best so far ... but I am dreading the fact that Amazon is really trying to lock me down to their device. Once I purchase a book, I would REALLY REALLY like to "own" it and use it on ANY device that I purchase in the future. Also, in this economy, I am not terribly comfortable with the idea of someone else "backing up" contents that I have purchased and would like to do my own backup. With this in mind, does anyone know if the AZW files that I purchase from the Amazon store can be backed up on my own PC and converted into other formats in the future ? I am more than happy to get the Kindle 2 for now, as long as I know that I can backup all my purchases on my PC (so in the very rare chance that Amazon goes out of business, or I don't want to work with them any more) I will still have access to MY contents and be able to read them on any other device that I may upgrade to in the future. Also, if I buy the Kindle and then buy books in other formats from other stores, how well can they be converted to a format that the Kindle will understand ? Will they look as good after the conversion ? Does Amazon terms of use prevent the user from putting any content of their choosing in the Kindle ? So if I buy a book in another format, convert it to AZW or some other Kindle supported format, and then put it on the Kindle -- can Amazon later wipe out that from MY Kindle with a future update ? Finally, one last question about the Hanlin V3 based devices. If I go this route, I will either buy the BeBook or the Astrak EZ Reader ... just from the point of view of them being lower cost. But are they EXACTLY the same as far as the hardware is concerned ? Can the firmware from any of these 3 be applied to the other ? I thought this is the case, but what confused me is that on the Astrak website it has the following statement -- All eBooks on this website are powered by Mobipocket eBooks common library and you can read them on your PC, but not on the EZ Reader. This is because the EZ reader currently does not support DRM ebooks. We are working hard on supporting the DRM format, and we will notify EZ Reader users when a firmware update is available (it will be displayed on this website). I thought the latest Hanlin/BeBook firmware does support Mobi formats well, so why doesn't the EZ Reader. Well, that's all for now ! I hope you all will not alienate me for starting on this forum with SOOO many questions. much in advance P.S. BTW, I am voting for "something else" just so I don't have to click "view poll results" everytime Last edited by rana; 03-01-2009 at 06:56 PM.