[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by shrktank

1. Can I load my own RSS feeds into the ebook store or onto one of these devices? I enjoy RSS feeds and would find this to be beneficial. Liked it on the Kindle, but not at a $1/month per each feed

I'm told Calibre does this very well; I've never quite figured out RSS feeds so I can't offer more than that.

2. The KIndle never really felt good to hold. I do not know why, but it seemed it was not well balanced for holding. Are the Sony devices designed better from the standpoint of holding comfort

I love the feel of my PRS-505. It doesn't feel fragile, but is still light enough to hold comfortably with one hand. I often read on crowded subways, or with one hand while I'm eating. I would like it a little smaller, and am considering the 300 or Aztak Pocket Pro for that reason, but part of that's because I know I'm comfortable reading on a smaller screen.

3. I hear all the time on the internet that the Kindle, due to Amazon, has more books than anyone else. I do not argue that fact, but are we talking main stream books or unknown books the average person would not care about? In other words will most of the major ebook publishers have their books on both devices?

4. One thing I hate about the Kindle is the concept of buying a book and not being able to keep it, unless I always use the Kindle. I really like the concept of openness with the 600 and 300. However, assuming Sony;s ebook store does not have an author or a book I want, how many places could I perhaps purchase it at?

The majority of ebook stores, from what I've seen, carry lots of Adobe Digital Editions books, which work on the Sony series. If you have a preference between PDF and EPub, you might have to contact the store to find out which one a particular book is; many stores are lax about telling you the actual filetype, and just tell you the program you need to read it.

There are some books that only Amazon carries, but not many; the majority of current commercial ebooks seem to be in several stores. And the Sony series can read enough other formats that non-DRM'd books, which tend to be either older or freebies (some of which are current releases), are more directly usable on the Sonys.

5. Whispernet was nice on the Kindle, however I found it addicting as I tend to be an impulse buyer. It seemed I would buy books since it was so easy. I did like how the Kindle would download and install the books in seconds. How does one get the books onto the Sony reader? Is it pretty much drag and drop ? Also is the method the same no matter where I purchase the book?

Couple of possible methods, so you can sort out which one suits you better.
1) For ADE books, you have to install the program, register it, and download through it, and register your Sony with their servers, and then you'll be able to drag and drop, or use Sony's program to install the books on your device.

2) For the Sony store, right now it's "download through their software," and then you can either use their library software to manage the books, or drag-and-drop from wherever you've saved it.

3) For non-DRMd books, you can use the Sony library program, or Calibre, or drag-and-drop.

Other than the nuisance of registering the device in the first place, it works out mostly very simple. The library programs help you manage your ebooks and can sort them into collections that work much like folders, or you can ignore the managing software & just use the conversion parts when necessary and drag-and-drop.

6. If I buy a ebook from the Sony store, can I legally sell the book to someone after I read it, if I delete from my side?

Sony says no. I disagree, along with several other copyfight activists. However, if you buy an ebook from the Sony store *now*, it'll be in LRX format, which is one of the two forms of DRM that hasn't been cracked; right now, the only way to resell Sony ebooks is to sell the registered device along with them.

Soon, they'll be converting their store to ePub, which is crackable; those ebooks would be practical (if something of a hassle) to resell. Sony, and every other ebook store in the marketplace, will still tell you it's illegal to resell ebooks.

7. If I go the Sony route, is there pro/cons of the black over the silver color. I know on video I prefer the black trim on the video devices as it keeps the colors more true (well at least in my pea brain)

I have the red PRS-505. It's a well-known true fact that red covers make the electrons inside go faster and also make the content more thrilling.

8. When they release the daily reader, I understand they will allow magazine and newspaper subscriptions. Will these also be available for the 300 and 600

Unknown, but likely. However, they'll have to be downloaded; I expect they're pitching the subscriptions as part of the wireless package, and don't believe people are as interested in subscriptions they have to fetch from a program. (Also, there are several free ebook sources for RSS feeds, in various formats.)

9. I have an iphone and have tried to read books on it from the Kindle store. Way too small to really be effective other than short term. However it was nice when I read from the Kindle, the iphone app would know where I left off and I could pick up from that spot on the iphone. Is this something Sony can do from the ereader to pc and an iphone app if they get one

That feature, I expect they don't have; that's part of the Kindlebooks being maintained on Amazon's servers, not your computer (Kindle, iPhone, whatever). It's possible, but I suspect not likely, that if you read ebooks *with the Sony library program* you might be able to read them where you left off. Looks like I'm wrong about that one; I don't use the library program, and synch of devices has always eluded me. Sorry.

10. One annoying thing on the Kindle was the page numbering scheme they used. You really never knew how far you were in a book. How does the Sony ereaders display page numbers and such?

Sony's page numbering is nice. The info bar at the bottom of the screen, which shows your remaining battery level, also shows page count. Picking a book at random in my Sony: 87 of 295 on the "S" (smallest font) setting; 117 of 405 on the "M" setting; 172 of 604 on "L." That's for LRF, RTF and TXT; ePub and PDF don't renumber pages, instead staying on "47 of 326" (or whatever) for several page turns at the larger sizes.

11. Final question...does Amazon have more books due to exclusive deals with companies/authors or because they just sell books? In other words will the ebook availability of the Sony increase through time

Very likely the first; Sony will probably have more ebooks available over time (especially as ePubs are purchasable in many other stores). There will likely always be some ebooks available at Amazon and not other places; however, there are also ebooks available elsewhere and not in Kindle-usable formats.

It's likely someone else will have better info on this; while I believe the Sony is much more versatile in terms of shopping ability, I've so little interest in DRM'd ebook purchases that I've never actually compared the selections available in different stores.