Hi everyone, I need some help evaluating the Sony Reader. I have an iPod Touch which I love, but I find its two big limitations are 1) I cannot read it while in motion e.g. in treadmill at gym and 2) the battery life is not always ideal. I especially am concerned about #2 because I am going on a long plane ride next month and want a reader that will last for the duration.
I have an eBookwise and have found that it's a little too clunky to be especially portable. I am thinking of selling it and upgrading to a Sony Reader, but I am unclear of how/if this will work well with a Mac. I have no plans at all to buy from the Sony store so that is not an issue. I do not anticipate the Canada thing being an issue because they do sell the reader on stores here, but I mention it just in case there is something I have not thought about. I gathered from other posts here that I can read any of my multiformat Fictionwise buys on this device, and I am guessing I can get Sony files from sites like Gutenberg or Manybooks as well. So does this mean I can ignore whatever software comes with the Sony Reader and just install Calibre on my Mac, transfer files from it to the reader via USB and be on my merry way?
Also, if I have a text file or word document, can those be transferred to the Sony Reader? Must I convert them first, and if so will Stanza Desktop or Calibre do this? And how about PDF files from sites like Scribd?
I guess I am just worried because I looked at it in the store and it pretty much said you MUST have a Windows PC, and I don't think this is true but I want a solid and reliable machine that I can easily get content onto.
Also, if I am going on a five-day trip with a six hour plane ride each way, will one charge get me through the whole trip, assuming maybe an hour of use a day on the non-flying days? I don't want to pack the charger if I don't have to because I am trying to avoid checked bags.
Thanks in advance for any assistance. I have read many of the threads on the board but just want to make sure before I drop money on this...
Also, if it sounds from what I said like there is a better device for me that I can get IN CANADA, please feel free to enlighten me
And while I am asking questions, does anyone read in French on this, how is the experience, and can you get any sort of built-in dictionary lookup to work in non-English languages? (you cannot on the eBookwise).