Missgivings.. - Page 2

RWood · 03-25-2008, 11:24 PM

Sony seems to have a two revenue model -- one from the sale of the Reader itself and another from sales of their books through their store. The development of Fictionwise supporting the Reader is a major plus for Sony users. (I for one love getting Analog this way every month.)

I am confused by an earlier comment, I thought Sony's Blu-Ray won the HD format war.

JSWolf · 03-25-2008, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RWood

I am confused by an earlier comment, I thought Sony's Blu-Ray won the HD format war.

Yes, they did win the HD DVD war with Blu-Ray. It is nice to know that finally the technically superior format won.

Jer · 03-26-2008, 01:29 AM

The Sony Connect store is annoying, but I will browse the website until I find a book I want, then open the store and just type its name/author in. As for buying books, I've bought maybe thirty books for my reader. I bought Swiss Family Robinson, most of the Rogue Angel series, new copies of the Dean Koontz books that were available. I'll be honest, the Software is far from perfect, but there are enough work-arounds that its more of an inconvenience then out right disadvantage to me.

HarryT · 03-26-2008, 04:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobLenx

Actually I haven't purchased any eBooks from Sony or anyone else for my 505 - nor do I plan to. Everything I have is free from a variety of sources. When I want to read a book that is not yet out of copyright, I hit the library. Free is good. The advantage to the 505 is that I can download all those magnificent novels from the 18th and 19th century authors who really knew how to craft a lengthy intriguing novel with fascinating characters and plots.

Bob

I agree with you, Bob; 19th century fiction is one of my main interests, and the beauty of an eBook reader is that there are vastly more such novels available as eBooks than can be easily obtained in print - exactly the reverse of the situation with modern books. Eg, one of my favourite authors is Sir Henry Rider Haggard. Go to any modern bookshop and you'll probably find two of his novels available - "King Solomon's Mines" and "She". His entire works (60+ novels) are, however, available as eBooks (and are downloadable from this site!).

Penforhire · 03-26-2008, 01:11 PM

At $300 I believe Sony is making a profit on just the hardware. That may or may not be true of the Kindle but Sony should be reasonably happy to continue just selling hardware. I have to think that because of how lame their overall software & book selling strategy is! We'll see.

Xenophon · 03-26-2008, 01:34 PM

Most of my books come from Baen. Next up is MobileRead, then Fictionwise, then Tor (with their recent freebies). Sony is dead last -- I've bought exactly one eBook from them since spending the original credits for the two PRS500 units my wife and I own.

Xenophon

Dr. Drib · 03-26-2008, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

I agree with you, Bob; 19th century fiction is one of my main interests, and the beauty of an eBook reader is that there are vastly more such novels available as eBooks than can be easily obtained in print - exactly the reverse of the situation with modern books. Eg, one of my favourite authors is Sir Henry Rider Haggard. Go to any modern bookshop and you'll probably find two of his novels available - "King Solomon's Mines" and "She". His entire works (60+ novels) are, however, available as eBooks (and are downloadable from this site!).

Harry is being very modest: The Haggard titles have been lovingly assembled by Harry, for any new members who are unaware of his dedication to the classics.

You might also look at the complete Charles Dickens and Edgar Rice Burroughs that he's also put together.

Don

Zabuton · 03-27-2008, 04:51 AM

I am one of those would did not buy any book from Sony Store. There is simply too much free contents from the internet and libraries. And not to mention friends that lends books to each other. I also buy books from the local book store if I like the stories/authors.

Still, it would be a dreadful thing if Sony decided to pull the plugs on Sony Reader, the same way they did with the wonderful Palm Clies..

dhbailey · 03-27-2008, 06:52 AM

You can't have it both ways -- by not buying ebooks from the Sony Connect store you're demonstrating to the company (which most likely only knows what it knows by way of the bottom line) that you don't have any further interest in the Reader and are very likely letting it sit in the bottom of a closet. Companies have such narrow visions of what happens after initial sales.

So if sony thinks there's not much interest after initial purpose they will very likely make the totally incorrect conclusion that there isn't much interest in the Reader and certainly no long-range future for it, since they can't make continued revenue by selling content.

If you want them to continue to develop the Reader, you had better hope that enough people buy books from Connect to demonstrate a large enough interest for them to keep the product alive.

Hardware sales aren't the only factor they look at, since once every user who is interested has a Reader, the only way the company will continue to have a revenue stream from the Reader will be the much smaller trickle of new users plus the hopefully significant flow of revenue from the sale of content.

I'm not saying that anybody has a moral obligation to buy from the Sony store, but I am saying that if there isn't much by way of such sales Sony may well decide to end the product.

HarryT · 03-27-2008, 07:00 AM

The problem with buying books from the Sony Store is that the books sold there are in a non-convertable terminal format. Should you buy a different make of reader in the future, or should Sony drop support for the device in the future, you could be left with a very expensive collection of files which can no longer be read.

If, on the other hand, you buy MobiPocket or Microsoft Reader books, both formats can easily be converted to virtually any other format that you choose (where legal to do so) or (in the case of MobiPocket) read on a wide range of different devices. Your investment is therefore protected.

I appreciate your point about it sending the wrong message to Sony, but they really do only have themselves to blame by selecting a custom, unconvertable format which no other device supports.

The Old Man · 03-27-2008, 07:45 AM

Predictions:
The chance that Sony will eventually discontinue the 500 series = 100%
The chance that Sony will come out with a new Reader = 50%
The chance that the newest Reader’s file will NOT be compatible with the 500 series = 50%

The chance that the books you buy at Connect will eventually be UNreadable by any new Reader - 75%

RWood · 03-27-2008, 09:59 AM

Sony is smart. While we don't know (except through the stories posted here) what the sales numbers are at their store, we (including Sony) do know the Fictionwise has added the format to their offerings, Baen has added the LRF format to their offerings, and Steve Jordan Books offers all of their titles in Sony format. (BTW: Steve's books are great and very low cost. Check him out at http://www.stevejordanbooks.com)

All of these sites would not offer the format if there was not demand. This demand is driven by people that have bought the Reader. I have purchased from all three plus the Sony store. Most of the books on my Reader are from MobileRead and those I have created for myself.Somehow I missed all of Haggard's work in the earlier days. Thanks to Harry I discovered and loved it. (Also be sure to check out Harry's Omnibus collection of Sherlock Holmes. It has been on my Reader since it was first posted here at MobileRead.)

Will Sony release newer versions of the Reader? Yes. Will they continue to support the LRF/LRX format? Yes. Even as EPUB emerges in the future and Adobe continues with DE, it is an easy addition to keep supporting the LRF/LRX format through software on the Reader.

Dr. Drib · 03-27-2008, 10:24 AM

I'm quite proud of the fact that modern and post-modern literature is available from Sony for purchase.

I read a large amount of copyrighted books and the only legitimate (and moral) way to obtain these books is through purchasing them. It would be great if Joyce Carol Oates and Carlos Fuentes were available free to download. They're not. (Sidebar: I've sent numerous emails to Sony on trying to get Mario Vargas Llosa's novels made available. Nothing yet. Perhaps when he wins the Nobel Prize in Literature next year.....

)

I buy books from Sony, and I support The Reader through my purchases. In my opinion, the existence of MobileRead furthers the support of Sony's LRF files. The availability of this forum - witness Baen and Fictionwise - allows us to rally around the Reader(s) of our choice.

The evolution of the ebook readers - in whatever incarnation and from whatever companines - will continue. The Sony Reader will be an interesting relic in a few years, much as Radio Shack's TRS-80 or CP/M-based computers are now found in basement museums, gathering dust and garnering interesting comments. Things come and go.

Our Sony Readers will last a long time, as long as batteries are available. If Sony suddenly stopped the production of the Reader and it's LRF format, I would still be reading on it (and on other Readers, no doubt), due to the incredible wealth of classics. I devour classics...my tastes are very eclectic.

Don

revmike · 03-27-2008, 02:42 PM

When I look for ebooks to buy I look at several sites and compare prices, I like fiction mainly mysteries and detective stories, If I find a book that I want at the sony site and it is only a couple dollars more, I buy from sony. I want to support their site and the sony reader. I know I can convert from other formats and I have, I have also purchased ebooks from other vendors, but if sony has the ebooks I want I buy from them.

sirmaru · 03-27-2008, 03:50 PM

I can see that you Fiction afficandos like to buy books at places other than the Sony Connect Store. Personally, I buy only non-fiction or a few books of historical fiction. Sony Connect beats all other sources for those books. That is especially true for recently published titles which have more information available than older titles.

Frankly, I don't care if the books cannot be read in later years. I only read a book ONCE and would never read it again.

In addition, I am always open to new reading software with or without readers separate from a PC which is my main vehicle for reading.

I see some of you accumulating dozens of titles which you will never read. I only buy two books at one time for current reading and keep a wish list at the Sony Connect Store for purchase when I am done with my current titles.

03-27-2008, 10:24 AM	#28
Dr. Drib Grand Sorcerer Posts: 45,443 Karma: 59592133 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Peru Device: KINDLE: Oasis 3, Scribe (1st), Matcha; KOBO: Libra 2, Libra Colour	I'm quite proud of the fact that modern and post-modern literature is available from Sony for purchase. I read a large amount of copyrighted books and the only legitimate (and moral) way to obtain these books is through purchasing them. It would be great if Joyce Carol Oates and Carlos Fuentes were available free to download. They're not. (Sidebar: I've sent numerous emails to Sony on trying to get Mario Vargas Llosa's novels made available. Nothing yet. Perhaps when he wins the Nobel Prize in Literature next year.....) I buy books from Sony, and I support The Reader through my purchases. In my opinion, the existence of MobileRead furthers the support of Sony's LRF files. The availability of this forum - witness Baen and Fictionwise - allows us to rally around the Reader(s) of our choice. The evolution of the ebook readers - in whatever incarnation and from whatever companines - will continue. The Sony Reader will be an interesting relic in a few years, much as Radio Shack's TRS-80 or CP/M-based computers are now found in basement museums, gathering dust and garnering interesting comments. Things come and go. Our Sony Readers will last a long time, as long as batteries are available. If Sony suddenly stopped the production of the Reader and it's LRF format, I would still be reading on it (and on other Readers, no doubt), due to the incredible wealth of classics. I devour classics...my tastes are very eclectic. Don

03-27-2008, 03:50 PM	#30
sirmaru Wizard Posts: 2,426 Karma: 6561538 Join Date: Nov 2007 Device: Kindle PW 2013, HDX 2013, Galaxy S5 2014	Fiction versus Non-Fiction I can see that you Fiction afficandos like to buy books at places other than the Sony Connect Store. Personally, I buy only non-fiction or a few books of historical fiction. Sony Connect beats all other sources for those books. That is especially true for recently published titles which have more information available than older titles. Frankly, I don't care if the books cannot be read in later years. I only read a book ONCE and would never read it again. In addition, I am always open to new reading software with or without readers separate from a PC which is my main vehicle for reading. I see some of you accumulating dozens of titles which you will never read. I only buy two books at one time for current reading and keep a wish list at the Sony Connect Store for purchase when I am done with my current titles.

03-25-2008, 11:24 PM	#16
RWood Technogeezer Posts: 7,233 Karma: 1601464 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Virginia, USA Device: Sony PRS-500	Sony seems to have a two revenue model -- one from the sale of the Reader itself and another from sales of their books through their store. The development of Fictionwise supporting the Reader is a major plus for Sony users. (I for one love getting Analog this way every month.) I am confused by an earlier comment, I thought Sony's Blu-Ray won the HD format war.

03-26-2008, 01:29 AM	#18
Jer Member Posts: 20 Karma: 169 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Colorado Device: Sony PRS-600	The Sony Connect store is annoying, but I will browse the website until I find a book I want, then open the store and just type its name/author in. As for buying books, I've bought maybe thirty books for my reader. I bought Swiss Family Robinson, most of the Rogue Angel series, new copies of the Dean Koontz books that were available. I'll be honest, the Software is far from perfect, but there are enough work-arounds that its more of an inconvenience then out right disadvantage to me.

03-26-2008, 01:11 PM	#20
Penforhire Wizard Posts: 2,230 Karma: 7145404 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern California Device: Kindle Voyage & iPhone 7+	At $300 I believe Sony is making a profit on just the hardware. That may or may not be true of the Kindle but Sony should be reasonably happy to continue just selling hardware. I have to think that because of how lame their overall software & book selling strategy is! We'll see.

03-26-2008, 01:34 PM	#21
Xenophon curmudgeon Posts: 1,487 Karma: 5748190 Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Redwood City, CA USA Device: Kobo Aura HD, (ex)nook, (ex)PRS-700, (ex)PRS-500	Most of my books come from Baen. Next up is MobileRead, then Fictionwise, then Tor (with their recent freebies). Sony is dead last -- I've bought exactly one eBook from them since spending the original credits for the two PRS500 units my wife and I own. Xenophon

03-27-2008, 04:51 AM	#23
Zabuton Member Posts: 23 Karma: 14 Join Date: Feb 2008 Device: BB8800/Sony PRS-505	I am one of those would did not buy any book from Sony Store. There is simply too much free contents from the internet and libraries. And not to mention friends that lends books to each other. I also buy books from the local book store if I like the stories/authors. Still, it would be a dreadful thing if Sony decided to pull the plugs on Sony Reader, the same way they did with the wonderful Palm Clies..

03-27-2008, 06:52 AM	#24
dhbailey Guru Posts: 604 Karma: 733 Join Date: Mar 2007 Device: HP iPAQ211 / PRS 500, 700 and 505	You can't have it both ways -- by not buying ebooks from the Sony Connect store you're demonstrating to the company (which most likely only knows what it knows by way of the bottom line) that you don't have any further interest in the Reader and are very likely letting it sit in the bottom of a closet. Companies have such narrow visions of what happens after initial sales. So if sony thinks there's not much interest after initial purpose they will very likely make the totally incorrect conclusion that there isn't much interest in the Reader and certainly no long-range future for it, since they can't make continued revenue by selling content. If you want them to continue to develop the Reader, you had better hope that enough people buy books from Connect to demonstrate a large enough interest for them to keep the product alive. Hardware sales aren't the only factor they look at, since once every user who is interested has a Reader, the only way the company will continue to have a revenue stream from the Reader will be the much smaller trickle of new users plus the hopefully significant flow of revenue from the sale of content. I'm not saying that anybody has a moral obligation to buy from the Sony store, but I am saying that if there isn't much by way of such sales Sony may well decide to end the product.

03-27-2008, 07:00 AM	#25
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	The problem with buying books from the Sony Store is that the books sold there are in a non-convertable terminal format. Should you buy a different make of reader in the future, or should Sony drop support for the device in the future, you could be left with a very expensive collection of files which can no longer be read. If, on the other hand, you buy MobiPocket or Microsoft Reader books, both formats can easily be converted to virtually any other format that you choose (where legal to do so) or (in the case of MobiPocket) read on a wide range of different devices. Your investment is therefore protected. I appreciate your point about it sending the wrong message to Sony, but they really do only have themselves to blame by selecting a custom, unconvertable format which no other device supports.

03-27-2008, 07:45 AM	#26
The Old Man Fanatic Posts: 546 Karma: 1337413 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Keene, New Hampshire Device: iPad Mini	Predictions: The chance that Sony will eventually discontinue the 500 series = 100% The chance that Sony will come out with a new Reader = 50% The chance that the newest Reader’s file will NOT be compatible with the 500 series = 50% The chance that the books you buy at Connect will eventually be UNreadable by any new Reader - 75%

03-27-2008, 09:59 AM	#27
RWood Technogeezer Posts: 7,233 Karma: 1601464 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Virginia, USA Device: Sony PRS-500	Sony is smart. While we don't know (except through the stories posted here) what the sales numbers are at their store, we (including Sony) do know the Fictionwise has added the format to their offerings, Baen has added the LRF format to their offerings, and Steve Jordan Books offers all of their titles in Sony format. (BTW: Steve's books are great and very low cost. Check him out at http://www.stevejordanbooks.com) All of these sites would not offer the format if there was not demand. This demand is driven by people that have bought the Reader. I have purchased from all three plus the Sony store. Most of the books on my Reader are from MobileRead and those I have created for myself.Somehow I missed all of Haggard's work in the earlier days. Thanks to Harry I discovered and loved it. (Also be sure to check out Harry's Omnibus collection of Sherlock Holmes. It has been on my Reader since it was first posted here at MobileRead.) Will Sony release newer versions of the Reader? Yes. Will they continue to support the LRF/LRX format? Yes. Even as EPUB emerges in the future and Adobe continues with DE, it is an easy addition to keep supporting the LRF/LRX format through software on the Reader.

03-27-2008, 02:42 PM	#29
revmike Zealot Posts: 122 Karma: 5282 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: hanford, ca Device: Sony Readers 505 \ T-2, Nook Glowlight Plus 7.8	When I look for ebooks to buy I look at several sites and compare prices, I like fiction mainly mysteries and detective stories, If I find a book that I want at the sony site and it is only a couple dollars more, I buy from sony. I want to support their site and the sony reader. I know I can convert from other formats and I have, I have also purchased ebooks from other vendors, but if sony has the ebooks I want I buy from them.