PRS-950 Reader Store 3G File Download Limits with 900 & 950?

Bookworm_Girl · 11-11-2010, 10:46 PM

I encountered an interesting message while attempting to purchase a book from the Sony Reader Store over 3G. When I tried to add the book to my shopping cart, I got the error message: "Item Cannot Be Downloaded. You cannot download this book via wireless connection. Please use Reader Library on your computer". I looked at the book info and discovered it was over 40MB in size. Must've had a lot of pictures! Apparently you are unable to download large files over 3G wireless from the Reader Store? I picked a few books to try guessing the cutoff limit was probably around 10MB. A book of 9.65MB also would not add to my cart but 7.25MB would. I ultimately picked a smaller book to purchase, and it downloaded just fine.

I then connected to the Reader Store via Wi-Fi. I was able to add all the above books to my cart regardless of size. I decided to purchase the 9.65MB book, and it took approximately 1 min to download via Wi-Fi. I then decided to test my 900 which has a 3G connection only. Once again, I got the same download warning on my 900 too.

Just curious if anyone else has seen this message? Does anyone know what the file limit might be? I searched the User Guide and Sony website and couldn't find any mention of wireless download restrictions.

Abisha · 11-11-2010, 10:59 PM

I'll look through my account purchase history and see if I have any books that are 10+ Mb's in size and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Of course I'll be sure to test the downloads using 3G exclusively.

Update: So the largest book that I've ever downloaded from their store was 11,513 Kb. It successfully downloaded using 3G. Though I should say that I was dropped from the cellular network and had to use the physical switch to toggle 3G on and off again before I had a stable connection.

Bookworm_Girl · 11-12-2010, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abisha

I'll look through my account purchase history and see if I have any books that are 10+ Mb's in size and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Of course I'll be sure to test the downloads using 3G exclusively.

Update: So the largest book that I've ever downloaded from their store was 11,513 Kb. It successfully downloaded using 3G. Though I should say that I was dropped from the cellular network and had to use the physical switch to toggle 3G on and off again before I had a stable connection.

Thanks for checking, Abisha! Is that the file size from your computer or the file size shown on the store book info page? Sometimes I find they don't match. I just tried again, and I still get the same message. I also get the same message on both my 900 & 950 so it isn't an issue specific to a single ereader. I can't find any settings in my account that sets limits either. The only account variable seems to turn Buy Now on and off and that didn't make a difference. Very weird!

Bookworm_Girl · 11-12-2010, 12:38 AM

Another interesting observation. I decided to see if maybe the 3G issue was specific to purchasing new books and perhaps I could re-download a large book I had previously purchased. When you go to "My Purchased Content" within your account page in the Reader Store, you can view your purchased books and there is a button that says "Download Now". Browsing through my list of books, I noticed that there are a few that say "Not Downloadable". They are all large size books. When I click on the "Not Downloadable", I get that same message to use my computer instead. When I switch over to Wi-Fi and look at my purchased content in my account, they all say "Download Now" with no problems.

Ken401 · 11-12-2010, 01:03 AM

I don't know the limits, but I can confirm the same experiences that you have shared. I was surprised, as I have not read anything about their existence. The message appeared on both my 900 and 950 as well.

Bookworm_Girl · 11-12-2010, 01:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken401

I don't know the limits, but I can confirm the same experiences that you have shared. I was surprised, as I have not read anything about their existence. The message appeared on both my 900 and 950 as well.

Thanks, Ken401. Glad to know it is not just me. Is it something you noticed awhile ago or only recently? I never really used the Reader Store much on my 900 so I was wondering if it was always there. Now with agency pricing and fewer discounts around, I might start using the store more on my 950. Most of the time I have Wi-Fi available so it's not an issue. Still, I was surprised to encounter the message!

Ken401 · 11-12-2010, 01:30 AM

I haven't purchased many books on my 900 through 3G, but I ran into this message only recently. It could have been there all along, but it makes me wonder.

Mr. Goodbar · 11-12-2010, 08:58 AM

Seems similar to itunes over 3g, you are limited to the size of content that can be downloaded.

Bookworm_Girl · 11-12-2010, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Goodbar

Seems similar to itunes over 3g, you are limited to the size of content that can be downloaded.

I was not aware of the iTunes limit either. Did a quick google search. Apparently the iTunes limit is 20MB. I guess it makes sense since network traffic is probably greater and the size of content is probably greater too. Most books aren't that large.

I just read through the Reader Store terms of service and didn't see anything about limits.

Bookworm_Girl · 11-12-2010, 03:11 PM

I contacted Sony support via email. Surprisingly they responded within 2 hours. To quote the response: "The reader has a limit of up to 7MB when downloading books using the 3G connection." I was able to add a book to my cart that was 7.25MB oddly. I guess use 7MB has a cutoff guide. Very interesting and unexpected! I would've assumed I could buy any book any time over 3G from the Reader Store.

11-11-2010, 10:46 PM	#1
Bookworm_Girl E-reader Enthusiast Posts: 4,873 Karma: 36536965 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Southwest, USA Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5	Reader Store 3G File Download Limits with 900 & 950? I encountered an interesting message while attempting to purchase a book from the Sony Reader Store over 3G. When I tried to add the book to my shopping cart, I got the error message: "Item Cannot Be Downloaded. You cannot download this book via wireless connection. Please use Reader Library on your computer". I looked at the book info and discovered it was over 40MB in size. Must've had a lot of pictures! Apparently you are unable to download large files over 3G wireless from the Reader Store? I picked a few books to try guessing the cutoff limit was probably around 10MB. A book of 9.65MB also would not add to my cart but 7.25MB would. I ultimately picked a smaller book to purchase, and it downloaded just fine. I then connected to the Reader Store via Wi-Fi. I was able to add all the above books to my cart regardless of size. I decided to purchase the 9.65MB book, and it took approximately 1 min to download via Wi-Fi. I then decided to test my 900 which has a 3G connection only. Once again, I got the same download warning on my 900 too. Just curious if anyone else has seen this message? Does anyone know what the file limit might be? I searched the User Guide and Sony website and couldn't find any mention of wireless download restrictions.

11-11-2010, 10:59 PM	#2
Abisha Connoisseur Posts: 86 Karma: 2272 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Milwaukee, WI, U.S.A. Device: Sony PRS-505, Sony PRS-950	I'll look through my account purchase history and see if I have any books that are 10+ Mb's in size and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Of course I'll be sure to test the downloads using 3G exclusively. Update: So the largest book that I've ever downloaded from their store was 11,513 Kb. It successfully downloaded using 3G. Though I should say that I was dropped from the cellular network and had to use the physical switch to toggle 3G on and off again before I had a stable connection. Last edited by Abisha; 11-11-2010 at 11:27 PM.

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11-12-2010, 12:38 AM	#4
Bookworm_Girl E-reader Enthusiast Posts: 4,873 Karma: 36536965 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Southwest, USA Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5	Another interesting observation. I decided to see if maybe the 3G issue was specific to purchasing new books and perhaps I could re-download a large book I had previously purchased. When you go to "My Purchased Content" within your account page in the Reader Store, you can view your purchased books and there is a button that says "Download Now". Browsing through my list of books, I noticed that there are a few that say "Not Downloadable". They are all large size books. When I click on the "Not Downloadable", I get that same message to use my computer instead. When I switch over to Wi-Fi and look at my purchased content in my account, they all say "Download Now" with no problems.

11-12-2010, 01:03 AM	#5
Ken401 Addict Posts: 218 Karma: 417978 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: St. Louis, MO USA Device: PRS-T1, PRS-950, PRS-505, Nexus 10, Xoom	I don't know the limits, but I can confirm the same experiences that you have shared. I was surprised, as I have not read anything about their existence. The message appeared on both my 900 and 950 as well.

11-12-2010, 01:30 AM	#7
Ken401 Addict Posts: 218 Karma: 417978 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: St. Louis, MO USA Device: PRS-T1, PRS-950, PRS-505, Nexus 10, Xoom	I haven't purchased many books on my 900 through 3G, but I ran into this message only recently. It could have been there all along, but it makes me wonder.

11-12-2010, 08:58 AM	#8
Mr. Goodbar Wizard Posts: 1,005 Karma: 98078 Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Device: iPad Mini 4	Seems similar to itunes over 3g, you are limited to the size of content that can be downloaded.

11-12-2010, 03:11 PM	#10
Bookworm_Girl E-reader Enthusiast Posts: 4,873 Karma: 36536965 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Southwest, USA Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5	I contacted Sony support via email. Surprisingly they responded within 2 hours. To quote the response: "The reader has a limit of up to 7MB when downloading books using the 3G connection." I was able to add a book to my cart that was 7.25MB oddly. I guess use 7MB has a cutoff guide. Very interesting and unexpected! I would've assumed I could buy any book any time over 3G from the Reader Store.