PRS-650 Advice on new PRS-650

[Kaysclie]

I found a brand new Sony 650 for a good price on Ebay. Its firmware is 1.0.00.08100 so I guess my first question would be should I update the firmware and if I do, which firmware should I update to? I will not be rooting this ereader. Only want to read epubs on it. But I would like to be able to enlarge the font.
The medium that you get with it is almost just right...but could stand to be a little bit larger. But if I did root it would coolreader give me larger fonts?
As you can see, I am in a quandry about what to do to make this the best ereader it can be without going through hoops to get there. Any advice?

[Ripplinger]

Yes, there is one firmware update. I have the 350, but I never had any problems with either the old or new firmware.

But I would suggest you try out PRS+ before considering rooting to add different readers to it. It's pretty foolproof to install now. You can find more info about it here. If you install PRS+, it will require the newer firmware.

[dordale]

Another recommendation for installing PRS+ Adds so much functionality to the 650 without rooting--including the ability to add your own fonts.

[Kaysclie]

Well, I have spent quite a bit of time reading this forum and trying to absorb some of the information. It looks like adding my own fonts may be a bit tricky for me, at this point. But I do like the idea of using folders, having the book cover when in sleep mode, and the clock.
So I will probably give this a try. But...if it somehow is more than I can handle, how can I revert to the regular firmware without Prs+? And is there a guide somewhere about how to use the folder option?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

Yes, there is one firmware update. I have the 350, but I never had any problems with either the old or new firmware.

But I would suggest you try out PRS+ before considering rooting to add different readers to it. It's pretty foolproof to install now. You can find more info about it here. If you install PRS+, it will require the newer firmware.

You don't root a 650. It's not Android.

[Ripplinger]

Originally Posted by Kaysclie

Well, I have spent quite a bit of time reading this forum and trying to absorb some of the information. It looks like adding my own fonts may be a bit tricky for me, at this point. But I do like the idea of using folders, having the book cover when in sleep mode, and the clock.
So I will probably give this a try. But...if it somehow is more than I can handle, how can I revert to the regular firmware without Prs+? And is there a guide somewhere about how to use the folder option?

The main part of adding your own fonts is just naming them correctly. There are quite a few threads with specific info, but here's one I found quickly that I posted before with instructions (go down to Post #43 for the instructions in this thread). It's really much easier to do once you get into it.

And using Folders is as simple as putting it on your homescreen (PRS+ lets you change the 3 items at the bottom to whatever you use the most), and then just clicking on the Folder icon. Mine are then shown by author name.

You can post here or in the PRS+ for any help if you run into any problems once you actually do it.

[Kaysclie]

You can post here or in the PRS+ for any help if you run into any problems once you actually do it.[/QUOTE]

Thank you Very much for your clear and helpful advice. I don't usually do much if any hacking on my devices, so it is good to know that I can find the help if I go forward and run into any trouble. Usually I can follow directions and I find that it helps if I cross my fingers!

[Rizla]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

You don't root a 650. It's not Android.

Rooting means giving the user access to the root (master) account. As such, I imagine you can root a linux OS which is what the 650 uses.

[Rizla]

Upgrade the firmware and install PRS+. It's stable and safe and much approves the interface.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Rizla

Rooting means giving the user access to the root (master) account. As such, I imagine you can root a linux OS which is what the 650 uses.

I've never read of anyone rooting a 650. If such was possible, it would have been posted about on MR.

[Kaysclie]

Well I upgraded the firmware and installed PRS+. Looks like that was the easy part. In all of my font searches I keep seeing Lexia DaMa font mentioned as a favorite. Does anyone here know where that font can still be found? That will be my next step in improving my 650. I am enjoying this ereader very much!
Especially with PRS+.

[Ripplinger]

No idea where I originally downloaded it from, but I found it here in the 4 variations you need, all free:
http://fontzone.net/search?q=lexiadama

PRS+ adds so much functionality to the reader, it's really a must-have to get the full potential from the x50 line of readers.

[Kaysclie]

Wow....Thanks again Ripplinger. That's a nice font! Tomorrow I will get serious about putting it on my 650 and maybe finish reading my latest ebook!! I picked up a 350 also on ebay so I can now get it all spruced up too. Appreciate your help.

[Ripplinger]

The stylesheet.css file that I linked above in the other post (it's under the Spoiler button) just happens to use LexiaDaMa font, might make it easier for you to set up your first stylesheet. Just be certain the font filenames are exactly the same in the stylesheet, including upper/lower case, otf or ttf, etc.

With PRS+ installed, you can try out as many different fonts as you like. Just place the 4 types needed in the Fonts directory on the reader, create a stylesheet.css for each font, and you can switch them as much as you want while reading to try them out.

If you run into any books where the font doesn't seem to be switching per your stylesheet, it's most likely that it has an embedded font specified within the epub. It is easy to fix though using Calibre or Sigil, if you run into any problems with that.