Thanks from a new owner

Anaximander · 08-31-2008, 09:42 PM

As you can tell, this is my very first post. I've been browsing the forums heavily for the past six months, trying to decide which device to buy. I'm an American teaching English in Japan, so I was waiting until my next visit home to buy one. (I wanted to make sure I got to physically hold one to see the e-ink wizardry firsthand. Plus, shipping to Japan on any of the devices is scary. Even the Hanlin [from China--a two-hour flight from here!] ships to Japan for more than it costs to ship to the States.)

As soon as I got home, I hoofed it to the nearest Borders and checked out the SRS-505 on display. All I'd heard about the technology (from you guys and everyone else) was completely true--it reads just like paper, albeit decidedly gray, newsprint-style paper.

Thanks to having read all I could, I had narrowed my choices to the Cybook or the SRS. I ruled out the Kindle because I have next to no interest in paying for new books, and as I live outside the country, I have no need for the admittedly sexy Whispernet feature. I'm also one of the many who cannot abide the blocky design. I also have no need for the keyboard; all I wanted was a screen to display my books.

The Cybook got vetoed because of reliability concerns. Not that the SRS hasn't had difficulties, but at least that one can be shipped domestic from within the States. The prospect of paying to ship the Cybook back to Europe for repairs is what ultimately decided it.

Suffice it to say, I bought the 505, and I absolutely love it. I'd been foraging for public-domain classics over the past few months, and, thanks to BookDesigner, those plain-text tomes are now beautifully formatted .RTFs. The device stutters a bit when initially loading the .RTF books, and admittedly takes about a solid minute to resize fonts, but once you get situated, it turns pages just as fast as plain text and .LRF files.

This isn't a yay-me post--honest! I was able to make a well-informed decision about which device to buy thanks entirely to this community's posts and discussions. I never felt the need to ask any questions on my own, as all of them had already been asked! I'm sure there are many others out there like me who keep up with the posts without responding to them. You guys are a huge help. Thanks!

Patricia · 08-31-2008, 11:02 PM

Welcome to the forum, Anaximander.
Are you fond of pre-Socratic philosophy then?

If you are using Book Designer, then it might be worth converting to LRF. It's more compact than RTF, allows for a table of contents, links and images.

Dr. Drib · 08-31-2008, 11:03 PM

Welcome, Anaximander, to MobileRead.

I'm glad you're enjoying your new PRS-505. It is a wonderful ebook reader. I'm a U.S. citizen teaching English in Peru, so we have something in common.

Please don't forget the great BBeb books available for free on this site. There are a number of other sites with free books; plus, now that the 505 has "opened up a bit," there's a few more file types that can be read.

Thanks,
Don

MickeyC · 09-01-2008, 09:06 AM

Hi Anaximander and welcome to the Forum. Glad you like the 505 and that the Forum was a help. I've had one since January and really like it.

Anaximander · 09-02-2008, 09:38 PM

Thanks for the warm welcome!

Patricia, I'm not a fan of pre-Socratic philosophy in general. It's more that I like that the guy touched on ideas like evolution and an infinite universe. He was a geocentrist and thought the world was shaped like a cylinder, but hey, nobody's perfect.

Dr. Drib, I actually hadn't sniffed around the ebook section of this site until you mentioned it. Thank you in advance for all the reading you just gifted me.

I'm an idiot, and dropped the 505 yesterday. It was in its standard cover, fell about six feet, and landed flat on its back. It turned on with no hesitation or damage to the display, so my heart started beating again. Whew!

Dr. Drib · 09-03-2008, 07:49 AM

There are evil Gremlins out to get your ebook reader! (See Twilight Zone.) They exist everywhere and will attack when you least expect it.

You are extremely lucky, but the PRS-505 is a sturdy device. It appears to be somewhat more study than another available e-ink device (based upon reported incidents here), due perhaps in part to the metal that encases the PRS-505.

Glad you're enjoying the free ebooks, and thank you for the compliment. There are approximately 10 people (besides myself) who regularly work on making ebooks for our community. As you're finding out, there's really some great reading and some nicely formatted ebooks covering a wide array of subjects.

I'm glad you're continuing to enjoy the 505. For me, it's like discovering reading all over again.

Don

08-31-2008, 09:42 PM	#1
Anaximander Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2008 Device: Sony PRS-505	Thanks from a new owner As you can tell, this is my very first post. I've been browsing the forums heavily for the past six months, trying to decide which device to buy. I'm an American teaching English in Japan, so I was waiting until my next visit home to buy one. (I wanted to make sure I got to physically hold one to see the e-ink wizardry firsthand. Plus, shipping to Japan on any of the devices is scary. Even the Hanlin [from China--a two-hour flight from here!] ships to Japan for more than it costs to ship to the States.) As soon as I got home, I hoofed it to the nearest Borders and checked out the SRS-505 on display. All I'd heard about the technology (from you guys and everyone else) was completely true--it reads just like paper, albeit decidedly gray, newsprint-style paper. Thanks to having read all I could, I had narrowed my choices to the Cybook or the SRS. I ruled out the Kindle because I have next to no interest in paying for new books, and as I live outside the country, I have no need for the admittedly sexy Whispernet feature. I'm also one of the many who cannot abide the blocky design. I also have no need for the keyboard; all I wanted was a screen to display my books. The Cybook got vetoed because of reliability concerns. Not that the SRS hasn't had difficulties, but at least that one can be shipped domestic from within the States. The prospect of paying to ship the Cybook back to Europe for repairs is what ultimately decided it. Suffice it to say, I bought the 505, and I absolutely love it. I'd been foraging for public-domain classics over the past few months, and, thanks to BookDesigner, those plain-text tomes are now beautifully formatted .RTFs. The device stutters a bit when initially loading the .RTF books, and admittedly takes about a solid minute to resize fonts, but once you get situated, it turns pages just as fast as plain text and .LRF files. This isn't a yay-me post--honest! I was able to make a well-informed decision about which device to buy thanks entirely to this community's posts and discussions. I never felt the need to ask any questions on my own, as all of them had already been asked! I'm sure there are many others out there like me who keep up with the posts without responding to them. You guys are a huge help. Thanks!

09-02-2008, 09:38 PM	#5
Anaximander Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2008 Device: Sony PRS-505	Thanks again Thanks for the warm welcome! Patricia, I'm not a fan of pre-Socratic philosophy in general. It's more that I like that the guy touched on ideas like evolution and an infinite universe. He was a geocentrist and thought the world was shaped like a cylinder, but hey, nobody's perfect. Dr. Drib, I actually hadn't sniffed around the ebook section of this site until you mentioned it. Thank you in advance for all the reading you just gifted me. I'm an idiot, and dropped the 505 yesterday. It was in its standard cover, fell about six feet, and landed flat on its back. It turned on with no hesitation or damage to the display, so my heart started beating again. Whew!

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08-31-2008, 11:02 PM	#2
Patricia Reader Posts: 11,504 Karma: 8720163 Join Date: May 2007 Location: South Wales, UK Device: Sony PRS-500, PRS-505, Asus EEEpc 4G	Welcome to the forum, Anaximander. Are you fond of pre-Socratic philosophy then? If you are using Book Designer, then it might be worth converting to LRF. It's more compact than RTF, allows for a table of contents, links and images.

08-31-2008, 11:03 PM	#3
Dr. Drib Grand Sorcerer Posts: 45,405 Karma: 59504381 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Peru Device: KINDLE: Oasis 3, Scribe (1st), Matcha; KOBO: Libra 2, Libra Colour	Welcome, Anaximander, to MobileRead. I'm glad you're enjoying your new PRS-505. It is a wonderful ebook reader. I'm a U.S. citizen teaching English in Peru, so we have something in common. Please don't forget the great BBeb books available for free on this site. There are a number of other sites with free books; plus, now that the 505 has "opened up a bit," there's a few more file types that can be read. Thanks, Don

09-01-2008, 09:06 AM	#4
MickeyC Grand Sorcerer Posts: 16,731 Karma: 12185114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Florida Device: iPhone 6 plus, Sony T1, iPad 3	Hi Anaximander and welcome to the Forum. Glad you like the 505 and that the Forum was a help. I've had one since January and really like it.

09-03-2008, 07:49 AM	#6
Dr. Drib Grand Sorcerer Posts: 45,405 Karma: 59504381 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Peru Device: KINDLE: Oasis 3, Scribe (1st), Matcha; KOBO: Libra 2, Libra Colour	There are evil Gremlins out to get your ebook reader! (See Twilight Zone.) They exist everywhere and will attack when you least expect it. You are extremely lucky, but the PRS-505 is a sturdy device. It appears to be somewhat more study than another available e-ink device (based upon reported incidents here), due perhaps in part to the metal that encases the PRS-505. Glad you're enjoying the free ebooks, and thank you for the compliment. There are approximately 10 people (besides myself) who regularly work on making ebooks for our community. As you're finding out, there's really some great reading and some nicely formatted ebooks covering a wide array of subjects. I'm glad you're continuing to enjoy the 505. For me, it's like discovering reading all over again. Don

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