Looking for small E-Reader

JohnnyRocks · 02-01-2011, 02:12 PM

Am looking at and considering the PocketBook 360. Love the small form factor. That is the type of reader I'm looking at. would love opinions as to your favorite (and potentially any others I should look at), in this "compact" category?

Thanks to everyone in advance.

jbcohen · 02-01-2011, 02:36 PM

The pocketbook is a great reader and has a small form factor. The reader is physically identical to the Aluratek Libra Pro. Depending on where you live the Libra Pro might actually be a better idea since its sold by Borders, that way you can walk into the store and pick one up. The Pocket book is better if you anticpate downloading books in a wide array of electronic book formats. I have the libra pro and I like it a lot but have never played with the pocketbook so I am not going to comment on the quality of the reader.

JohnnyRocks · 02-01-2011, 02:53 PM

Just saw some pictures and I don't think the Libre Pro is identical to the PB 360 physically. Are you sure?

jbcohen · 02-01-2011, 02:56 PM

You are correct. I still think the Libra Pro should be considered since its also a small size reader. The palce it really shines is the price tag $100.

Ripplinger · 02-01-2011, 03:20 PM

You might consider taking a look at the Sony PRS-350, especially now while it's on sale for $129. I recently got one during the sale and absolutely love it. The small size lets me take it everywhere, the touch screen requires just a slight thumb movement to advance pages, handles epubs and pdfs well, e-ink screen, and probably one of the lightest readers on the market (if not the lightest).

If you don't require your reader to connect to a wi-fi and prefer (like many of us) to transfer your books from your PC to the reader, then it's definitely worth a look. There's plenty of posts around from users about theirs to check out more info about it.

JohnnyRocks · 02-01-2011, 03:28 PM

I saw the sale at BestBuy AFTER I posted this, and, you are right, at that price, and given the Sony name, it might be the one to get. The ONLY thing (and I know it's kind of silly) that I still love about the Pocketbook 360 is the built in cover, so I don't have to worry about getting a case, etc.

JohnnyRocks · 02-01-2011, 03:29 PM

What are the pros/cons of the Sony 350 versus the Pocketbook 360?

jbcohen · 02-01-2011, 03:36 PM

+ the cost of the cover, Libra Pro includes one.

Ripplinger · 02-01-2011, 03:50 PM

I don't own the PB360, so hopefully someone who has used both will post here also. But from just looking at the 360, the #1 thing I love about the Sony over it is the touch screen. The Sony doesn't have any expansion slots, but it will hold about 1200 books (and really is there any reason you need to keep 20,000 with you and need expansion slots?). From the Wiki eReader Matrix here, they seem pretty comparable in size and weight, looks like a bit longer battery life on the Sony and it has the newer/better e-ink screen.

If you Google "Sony PRS-350 vs Pocketbook 360" you'll find more info and comparisons that might help in your decision. I can say the Sony looks and feels like a quality piece of hardware when you hold it, no plastic at all.

I can't say enough good things about it so far.

Edit: After looking at a few videos of the operations of the BP360, I will say that the Sony turns pages MUCH quicker than the PB360. The hard shell case is nice, but I'd still run into the problem of needing a light at times, so it doesn't save me the cost of a cover (I opted to get the Sony cover with light).

maxbookworm · 02-01-2011, 04:12 PM

I have a 350 and use to own a PB360. Here are the differences I can name off the top of my head:

- PRS-350 has the latest Pearl screen – background is slightly lighter and text is darker
- Obviously, PRS-350 has a touch screen making it so easy and enjoyable to turn the page, highlight, make notes and look a word up in the dictionary
- The PB360 is great for tinkerers – you can add fonts, fiddle with font size to your heart’s content (something like 20+ font sizes vs. Sony’s 5), customize the home page, etc.
- PB360 has accelerometer so you can read in any orientation and set it to flip pages based on a wrist-turn
- This is a matter of opinion, but I like Sony’s firmware better – I like being able to sort by latest read, title, author, latest download. And I like being able to see my books in a flat view (PB360 shows folders, unless, of course, you dump all your books in the root directory). I also really like being able to see all the words I looked up while reading a book.
- It’s been a while, but it seems like there was a bit of funkiness with power management on the PB360. Like, if you just put it to sleep, it kills the battery fairly quickly, so it’s better to power it down, but then the boot up is not instantaneous

JohnnyRocks · 02-01-2011, 04:58 PM

Are there any case/cover options for the Sony 350 that don't add much bulk? Mostly concerned with protecting the screen inside my bag. Secondary to that, possibly an led reading light would be nice too?

Ripplinger · 02-01-2011, 05:14 PM

The case I ordered with the light is this one made by Sony, I don't have it yet to tell how much bulk it will add, but I needed a light even for reading at home at times.

But I'm pretty sure I'm also going to get a smaller case just for taking out during the day when I don't need a light with me, probably one of these M-Edge cases, or have one of these made by KreatedByKim. This clip-on lamp seems to be a favorite of users here also when I was looking into which light to get.

JohnnyRocks · 02-01-2011, 05:30 PM

Ok, so just bought the Sony at Bestbuy. Given the sale, I just couldn't pass it up.

Is it difficult to get books ONTO the device, if I'm NOT buying them from Sony? Books that I have saved on my hard drive for example. Is there a tutorial anywhere on how to do this? The soft3ware that comes with the device ONLY addresses adding it via "Reader Library" for books bought from them.

Ripplinger · 02-01-2011, 05:57 PM

I've been using mostly Calibre and love it. Most of what I've loaded are epubs and pdfs and some old Kindle format files I collected over some time, and it will convert from any format into what you need. I've also just dragged and dropped books onto the 350 before I got more organized with Calibre, now I use that exclusively. There's also a forum section right here for Calibre if you have any questions at all about it.

I'm pretty sure I also used the Sony software at first to transfer over some books, none of which I purchased from the Sony bookstore.

Hope you enjoy the Sony 350 as much as I do, I just love mine.

Coops · 02-01-2011, 08:27 PM

Use Calibre- it's great, and it'll convert your formats too. I'm converting all my books to epub.

Also recommend the 'Baroda' hack (search for it on this site) which worked fine for me, and allows far better fonts on my Sony with epubs - I've chosen the free Fontin as my default epub font. I've setup a Word template with Fontin in font size 10 for the main body text which works out just right (for me) once saved to html then converted in Calibre to epub (sadly the ridiculous jump in font size from small to medium on the Sony is not 'fixed' by any hack i know of.....)

Coops

02-01-2011, 03:50 PM	#9
Ripplinger 350 Hoarder Posts: 3,574 Karma: 8281267 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Midwest USA Device: Sony PRS-350, Kobo Glo & Glo HD, PW2	I don't own the PB360, so hopefully someone who has used both will post here also. But from just looking at the 360, the #1 thing I love about the Sony over it is the touch screen. The Sony doesn't have any expansion slots, but it will hold about 1200 books (and really is there any reason you need to keep 20,000 with you and need expansion slots?). From the Wiki eReader Matrix here, they seem pretty comparable in size and weight, looks like a bit longer battery life on the Sony and it has the newer/better e-ink screen. If you Google "Sony PRS-350 vs Pocketbook 360" you'll find more info and comparisons that might help in your decision. I can say the Sony looks and feels like a quality piece of hardware when you hold it, no plastic at all. I can't say enough good things about it so far. Edit: After looking at a few videos of the operations of the BP360, I will say that the Sony turns pages MUCH quicker than the PB360. The hard shell case is nice, but I'd still run into the problem of needing a light at times, so it doesn't save me the cost of a cover (I opted to get the Sony cover with light). Last edited by Ripplinger; 02-01-2011 at 04:09 PM.

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02-01-2011, 02:12 PM	#1
JohnnyRocks Zealot Posts: 116 Karma: 960 Join Date: Feb 2011 Device: PocketBook 360	Looking for small E-Reader Am looking at and considering the PocketBook 360. Love the small form factor. That is the type of reader I'm looking at. would love opinions as to your favorite (and potentially any others I should look at), in this "compact" category? Thanks to everyone in advance.

02-01-2011, 02:36 PM	#2
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,030 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Where am I? Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition and a Samsung S24 Ultra	The pocketbook is a great reader and has a small form factor. The reader is physically identical to the Aluratek Libra Pro. Depending on where you live the Libra Pro might actually be a better idea since its sold by Borders, that way you can walk into the store and pick one up. The Pocket book is better if you anticpate downloading books in a wide array of electronic book formats. I have the libra pro and I like it a lot but have never played with the pocketbook so I am not going to comment on the quality of the reader.

02-01-2011, 02:53 PM	#3
JohnnyRocks Zealot Posts: 116 Karma: 960 Join Date: Feb 2011 Device: PocketBook 360	Just saw some pictures and I don't think the Libre Pro is identical to the PB 360 physically. Are you sure?

02-01-2011, 02:56 PM	#4
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,030 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Where am I? Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition and a Samsung S24 Ultra	You are correct. I still think the Libra Pro should be considered since its also a small size reader. The palce it really shines is the price tag $100.

02-01-2011, 03:20 PM	#5
Ripplinger 350 Hoarder Posts: 3,574 Karma: 8281267 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Midwest USA Device: Sony PRS-350, Kobo Glo & Glo HD, PW2	You might consider taking a look at the Sony PRS-350, especially now while it's on sale for $129. I recently got one during the sale and absolutely love it. The small size lets me take it everywhere, the touch screen requires just a slight thumb movement to advance pages, handles epubs and pdfs well, e-ink screen, and probably one of the lightest readers on the market (if not the lightest). If you don't require your reader to connect to a wi-fi and prefer (like many of us) to transfer your books from your PC to the reader, then it's definitely worth a look. There's plenty of posts around from users about theirs to check out more info about it.

02-01-2011, 03:28 PM	#6
JohnnyRocks Zealot Posts: 116 Karma: 960 Join Date: Feb 2011 Device: PocketBook 360	I saw the sale at BestBuy AFTER I posted this, and, you are right, at that price, and given the Sony name, it might be the one to get. The ONLY thing (and I know it's kind of silly) that I still love about the Pocketbook 360 is the built in cover, so I don't have to worry about getting a case, etc.

02-01-2011, 03:29 PM	#7
JohnnyRocks Zealot Posts: 116 Karma: 960 Join Date: Feb 2011 Device: PocketBook 360	What are the pros/cons of the Sony 350 versus the Pocketbook 360?

02-01-2011, 03:36 PM	#8
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,030 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Where am I? Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition and a Samsung S24 Ultra	+ the cost of the cover, Libra Pro includes one.

02-01-2011, 04:12 PM	#10
maxbookworm Addict Posts: 372 Karma: 1122865 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: Kindle Voyage, Galaxy Note 2	I have a 350 and use to own a PB360. Here are the differences I can name off the top of my head: - PRS-350 has the latest Pearl screen – background is slightly lighter and text is darker - Obviously, PRS-350 has a touch screen making it so easy and enjoyable to turn the page, highlight, make notes and look a word up in the dictionary - The PB360 is great for tinkerers – you can add fonts, fiddle with font size to your heart’s content (something like 20+ font sizes vs. Sony’s 5), customize the home page, etc. - PB360 has accelerometer so you can read in any orientation and set it to flip pages based on a wrist-turn - This is a matter of opinion, but I like Sony’s firmware better – I like being able to sort by latest read, title, author, latest download. And I like being able to see my books in a flat view (PB360 shows folders, unless, of course, you dump all your books in the root directory). I also really like being able to see all the words I looked up while reading a book. - It’s been a while, but it seems like there was a bit of funkiness with power management on the PB360. Like, if you just put it to sleep, it kills the battery fairly quickly, so it’s better to power it down, but then the boot up is not instantaneous

02-01-2011, 04:58 PM	#11
JohnnyRocks Zealot Posts: 116 Karma: 960 Join Date: Feb 2011 Device: PocketBook 360	Are there any case/cover options for the Sony 350 that don't add much bulk? Mostly concerned with protecting the screen inside my bag. Secondary to that, possibly an led reading light would be nice too?

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02-01-2011, 05:14 PM	#12
Ripplinger 350 Hoarder Posts: 3,574 Karma: 8281267 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Midwest USA Device: Sony PRS-350, Kobo Glo & Glo HD, PW2	The case I ordered with the light is this one made by Sony, I don't have it yet to tell how much bulk it will add, but I needed a light even for reading at home at times. But I'm pretty sure I'm also going to get a smaller case just for taking out during the day when I don't need a light with me, probably one of these M-Edge cases, or have one of these made by KreatedByKim. This clip-on lamp seems to be a favorite of users here also when I was looking into which light to get.

02-01-2011, 05:30 PM	#13
JohnnyRocks Zealot Posts: 116 Karma: 960 Join Date: Feb 2011 Device: PocketBook 360	Ok, so just bought the Sony at Bestbuy. Given the sale, I just couldn't pass it up. Is it difficult to get books ONTO the device, if I'm NOT buying them from Sony? Books that I have saved on my hard drive for example. Is there a tutorial anywhere on how to do this? The soft3ware that comes with the device ONLY addresses adding it via "Reader Library" for books bought from them.

02-01-2011, 05:57 PM	#14
Ripplinger 350 Hoarder Posts: 3,574 Karma: 8281267 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Midwest USA Device: Sony PRS-350, Kobo Glo & Glo HD, PW2	I've been using mostly Calibre and love it. Most of what I've loaded are epubs and pdfs and some old Kindle format files I collected over some time, and it will convert from any format into what you need. I've also just dragged and dropped books onto the 350 before I got more organized with Calibre, now I use that exclusively. There's also a forum section right here for Calibre if you have any questions at all about it. I'm pretty sure I also used the Sony software at first to transfer over some books, none of which I purchased from the Sony bookstore. Hope you enjoy the Sony 350 as much as I do, I just love mine.

02-01-2011, 08:27 PM	#15
Coops Zealot Posts: 129 Karma: 77756 Join Date: May 2009 Device: Kindle Oasis, Sony T3 backup	Use Calibre- it's great, and it'll convert your formats too. I'm converting all my books to epub. Also recommend the 'Baroda' hack (search for it on this site) which worked fine for me, and allows far better fonts on my Sony with epubs - I've chosen the free Fontin as my default epub font. I've setup a Word template with Fontin in font size 10 for the main body text which works out just right (for me) once saved to html then converted in Calibre to epub (sadly the ridiculous jump in font size from small to medium on the Sony is not 'fixed' by any hack i know of.....) Coops