PRS-350 Sony PRS-350 - First e-reader for a grumpy geezer

[Shopaholic]

Originally Posted by hermes

Current experience trying to buy a Sony gift card = no go.

Best Buy: Sony cards are either out of stock or not sold. The staff seems a bit, er... unsure.

Sony Store: Clerk does not know what is the maximum dollar value is of gift cards. Sounds like they are custom made. I ask if 'my sister' will be able to make purchases on this card in Singapore. He asks what she is going to purchase, and I tell him ebooks and audiobooks. I am told that Canadian Sony stores do not sell gift cards with that capability. He does not advice me whether US cards are activatable in Canada.

Future Shop: Even less knowledge.

My preliminary conclusion from this is that people on this forum know more about ereaders than salespeople of them, and that it appears that Sony gift cards are not universal in use, to put it mildly.

If you're in Canada, and I'm going to assume so based on this post, you cannot buy Sony Reader gift cards anywhere. They are sold ONLY in US funds and stores in Canada cannot sell goods in US funds. They only come in $25 and $50 denominations. I've bought them at some Walmart stores in Buffalo and Best Buy in the US usually has them. Not always as they seem to be unloading their Sony readers.

In Canada however, you cannot buy a Sony Reader gift card. I think you confused the Sony salesperson by asking for a generic gift card. Sony stores sell gift cards that you put $X value of your choice on for the recipient to use at a store or online to buy items not to buy books at the Sony Reader store.

[Poppaea]

The SonyUS site sells gift cards for the bookstore. Isn't it possible to buy them online?

[mrmls]

Originally Posted by delphin

Were it not for DRM, you would be able to simply drag and drop purchased books as simply as the free feedbook titles above. Because of DRM, you will indeed need special software to buy and transfer books to your PRS-350.

I think not always special software will be necessary.
Isn't it one time operation - to register your device and then you can drag and drop any DRM books that are binded to this registered Adobe DRM account?

Still, it's a pity that only way to buy books on Sony ebook store is to use its program. But other places where they sell Adobe DRM's epub books they ask to download a file with meta information. You can open it with Adobe's Digital Editions or Sony's Library , but you can also download the file and open it with text editor where location of actual epub is written. For me I have been able to download epub file directly.

So, in brief I register my device only once and never ever use that Sony' s software (unless I want to buy from its store.. )

[mrmls]

Also maybe it is possible to spoof browser's user agent and still buy books in Sony ebook store. Haven't looked into this.

[Asawi]

Originally Posted by mrmls

I think not always special software will be necessary.
Isn't it one time operation - to register your device and then you can drag and drop any DRM books that are binded to this registered Adobe DRM account?

Yes and no. Once you have the DRM ePub you can drag and drop it. The thing is, you don't actually get the ePub when you download your purchased book. You get an acsm-file and you ned ADE or Reader Library to handle that acsm and "exchange it" for a DRM ePub.

[mrmls]

Originally Posted by Asawi

Yes and no. Once you have the DRM ePub you can drag and drop it. The thing is, you don't actually get the ePub when you download your purchased book. You get an acsm-file and you ned ADE or Reader Library to handle that acsm and "exchange it" for a DRM ePub.

about that acsm file I wrote in the same post. Couldn't remember extension. But try to download that acsm file and open it with text editor. There is a link to epub file, copy that link in browser and you will get an epub. At least in this way it worked in my local internet ebook store.

[carpetmojo]

I'm a grumpy old geezer, and I've got both Sonys.

Frankly, if I can't get all the books I might want to read on either of them from occasional visits to a PC................... well, I've read them all , and will be a grumpy, well read, miserable old git, as I should then have to go sight-seeing.

[ApK]

I wonder if the OP knows his posts here can be traced....?

I have another solution: Have someone ELSE buy a Kindle and give it to you!
Then Big Brother will think they are tracing THAT OTHER person, not you!

ApK

[Asawi]

Originally Posted by carpetmojo

I...... well, I've read them all , and will be a grumpy, well read, miserable old git, as I should then have to go sight-seeing.

What?? Surely you're not suggesting any kind of interaction with local folks or anything like that? Oh horror! <must go fill up eReader for my upcoming trip>

[Poppaea]

Originally Posted by ApK

I wonder if the OP knows his posts here can be traced....?

I have another solution: Have someone ELSE buy a Kindle and give it to you!
Then Big Brother will think they are tracing THAT OTHER person, not you!

ApK

Far too easy. Get Q to make a fake passport for you and a brand new identity, all with some CCs. Then find a girl who is willing to buy the Kindle for you in her name and meet you at some posh place like the Bahamas. Make sure there is no agreement with your country of origin to hand back spies. Order a martini, try to look cool and casual and get your kindle. Pay cash for your drink. Go outside to the dark parking lot and open your package in your brand new Aston Martin with the lethal extras.

Try to buy your first ebook and wait for the bad guys to show up. Bed that beautiful girl and try to find out what she knows about ebook publishing. Report to M leaving out you got the information from the girl before she died at the hand of the evil guy.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Poppaea

Far too easy. Get Q to make a fake passport for you and a brand new identity, all with some CCs. Then find a girl who is willing to buy the Kindle for you in her name and meet you at some posh place like the Bahamas. Make sure there is no agreement with your country of origin to hand back spies. Order a martini, try to look cool and casual and get your kindle. Pay cash for your drink. Go outside to the dark parking lot and open your package in your brand new Aston Martin with the lethal extras.

Try to buy your first ebook and wait for the bad guys to show up. Bed that beautiful girl and try to find out what she knows about ebook publishing. Report to M leaving out you got the information from the girl before she died at the hand of the evil guy.

Well, that's obviously what I meant. Thought it went without saying.

[Poppaea]

Originally Posted by ApK

Well, that's obviously what I meant. Thought it went without saying.

Sorry, sometimes I am a bit slowwitted

[carpetmojo]

Originally Posted by Asawi

What?? Surely you're not suggesting any kind of interaction with local folks or anything like that? Oh horror! <must go fill up eReader for my upcoming trip>

Good God no !

Steady on old chap, I mean there is a limit ........ 'praps a g & t in the nearest wateringhole, the odd taxi, couple of words with the old concierge, you know.
Don't want to go too overboard .............

'Ere, 'ang about - Sweden........... that's foreign, innit ?

Woss goin' on 'ere................?

[carpetmojo]

Originally Posted by Poppaea

Sorry, sometimes I am a bit slowwitted

Come on Moneypfenig, get the act together.

Thought you'ld see through him like a shot...................


[Bin wanting to use that for ages ! ]

[delphin]

Originally Posted by mrmls

I think not always special software will be necessary.
Isn't it one time operation - to register your device and then you can drag and drop any DRM books that are binded to this registered Adobe DRM account?

Still, it's a pity that only way to buy books on Sony ebook store is to use its program. But other places where they sell Adobe DRM's epub books they ask to download a file with meta information. You can open it with Adobe's Digital Editions or Sony's Library , but you can also download the file and open it with text editor where location of actual epub is written. For me I have been able to download epub file directly.

So, in brief I register my device only once and never ever use that Sony' s software (unless I want to buy from its store.. )

Sure the Sony only needs to be registered once, but EVERY MAC or PC used needs to also be REGISTERED TO MATCH or you can't use it to buy books and transfer them to the Sony.

This is true whether you use Sony's software or Adobe's; you STILL HAVE TO REGISTER EACH AND EVER PC YOU WANT TO USE TO PURCHASE AND DOWNLOAD BOOKS, or else they will NOT WORK when transfered to the SONY.

This is a royal PITA if you are traveling and trying to use a friends PC, or one at a library or data kiosk, to purchase and load books.

True, once you have already purchased and downloaded books using a properly registered PC, you could then use ANY PC to move these already purchased books onto the device via drag and drop or Calibre, so for example you can carry backup copies of your books on a memory stick and use anyone's PC to move them to your reader, but since the Sony will hold hundreds of books, and rarely crashes so that books must be reloaded, this is not going to be useful very often.