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Icarusbop · 11-02-2007, 07:49 AM

I live in th UK have been a keen follower of the cybook gen3 for months now and have been awaiting it's release fervently - however, now that it's released I have found out rather unexpectedly that I prefer the look of the new Sony 505, so which one to buy?

Gen3:
Expensive to buy - a few people are upset about the pricing scheme, however, I have a friend in the US who could forward it on but it looks like if I buy in the US then forward it on the price is similar at the end of the day by the time duties and the extra shipping from US to my home are paid.
Great support for various formats - this was big plus for me, most of my books are in Mobi format -which I constructed from HTML files myself.
It comes with no cover by defaut, making it even more expensive if I want to protect it from damage.
Bookeen seem to be very positive about further developing the firmware for the future.
In pictures available case looks cheap (compared to the 505, in my opinion) and Branding is too Stark for my taste

Sony prs505:
The big down for me on this one was the book format, but I have discovered a fantastic tool written by a member of this forum which takes most popular formats (including LIT's & HTML (but not I think multipage HTML)) and can convert them straight to LRF books, it can even do batch conversions so doing your entire library should be quite simple- since I kept the original source files for my books I can relatively easily get all my current books onto the Sony. The tool is here Here for those interested. I have converted a couple of books using this tool and they display perfectly (including inline graphics and formatting) on the PC LRF reader that comes with the tool - so book format is no longer an issue if I am willing to invest a little more time for my library.
Cheaper than the Gen 3, but will have to come via my Friend again, in total it will be approx £50 (uk pounds) cheaper than the Gen 3 by the time it gets here and also comes with a cover (not leather I grant, but a cover nontheless)
Unsure about ongoing future development for the firmware.
Good design, smart looking case, discreet branding.

So - which one to buy, what does everyone think?

11-02-2007, 07:49 AM	#1
Icarusbop Groupie Posts: 156 Karma: 25846 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: UK Device: PRS505	Sony505 Vs. Cybook gen3? I live in th UK have been a keen follower of the cybook gen3 for months now and have been awaiting it's release fervently - however, now that it's released I have found out rather unexpectedly that I prefer the look of the new Sony 505, so which one to buy? Gen3: Expensive to buy - a few people are upset about the pricing scheme, however, I have a friend in the US who could forward it on but it looks like if I buy in the US then forward it on the price is similar at the end of the day by the time duties and the extra shipping from US to my home are paid. Great support for various formats - this was big plus for me, most of my books are in Mobi format -which I constructed from HTML files myself. It comes with no cover by defaut, making it even more expensive if I want to protect it from damage. Bookeen seem to be very positive about further developing the firmware for the future. In pictures available case looks cheap (compared to the 505, in my opinion) and Branding is too Stark for my taste Sony prs505: The big down for me on this one was the book format, but I have discovered a fantastic tool written by a member of this forum which takes most popular formats (including LIT's & HTML (but not I think multipage HTML)) and can convert them straight to LRF books, it can even do batch conversions so doing your entire library should be quite simple- since I kept the original source files for my books I can relatively easily get all my current books onto the Sony. The tool is here Here for those interested. I have converted a couple of books using this tool and they display perfectly (including inline graphics and formatting) on the PC LRF reader that comes with the tool - so book format is no longer an issue if I am willing to invest a little more time for my library. Cheaper than the Gen 3, but will have to come via my Friend again, in total it will be approx £50 (uk pounds) cheaper than the Gen 3 by the time it gets here and also comes with a cover (not leather I grant, but a cover nontheless) Unsure about ongoing future development for the firmware. Good design, smart looking case, discreet branding. So - which one to buy, what does everyone think?