PRS-505 spotted in the UK wild

[Crhis]

What would really help make the decision easier actually is if someone who has used both could compare how usable the software on the machine is particularly in managing collections and RSS feeds and also how well I can get a .pdf (I know, I know) on there. Or even if there's a noticeable difference in page refresh rate.

[Halk]

Originally Posted by Crhis

What would really help make the decision easier actually is if someone who has used both could compare how usable the software on the machine is particularly in managing collections and RSS feeds and also how well I can get a .pdf (I know, I know) on there. Or even if there's a noticeable difference in page refresh rate.

There's a few people who have, and I'm sure they'll post in this thread over the next day or so

Something that I wasn't aware was possible was turning off the annoying flash when turning pages. Without it there is a little less contrast, and there is almost invisible ghosting. However it makes page changes much more pleasant (in my opinion). I didn't know this was possible until after I had ordered my device. If it's possible to turn the flash off on the Gen3 but not on the 505 then that's another point in it's favour.

As for managing the RSS feeds, the Mobipocket Reader software is fantastic. I set my device to automatically sync when I plug it in. I literally click on an icon, and it asks for a URL. If the URL is already in the clipboard I don't even need to paste it, it's sitting there waiting. And from that point onwards the software continuously grabs the RSS feeds and any time I connect the Gen3 within 20 seconds it's updated them all on the device.

I mentioned this in a post above because it's something I wasn't aware of until this morning when I decided to look at the RSS feeds - I hadn't seen anyone else discussing it. I'm sure there's ways for the Sony to do it, but it couldn't be any easier than the Cybook's way.

[astra]

Originally Posted by Crhis

What would really help make the decision easier actually is if someone who has used both could compare how usable the software on the machine is particularly in managing collections and RSS feeds and also how well I can get a .pdf (I know, I know) on there. Or even if there's a noticeable difference in page refresh rate.

PDF is a pain in the back on any 6" reader.
If it is the main format then I would suggest you to stay away from 6" and either buy iRex iLiad or wait for 9.7" readers.

If you are going to read PDF occasionally, then Sony is the better choice because there is a pdflrf free program that converts most pdf into "picture" lrf. It cuts away margins and rotate pdf into landscape mode and cuts pages 50/50.

Cannot comment on RSS because I do not use it.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Crhis

Does the CyBook have any clear advantages that don't relate to say, an easier to buy format? As most of what I've seen relates to that which isn't a concern of mine as the books I want to get through are all available for free.

Yes it does. Several, in fact, amongst which are:

- Dictionary support, with hundreds of different dictionaries to choose from.
- The ability to load any TrueType or OpenType font you want onto the machine.
- A much wider range of font sizes available than the Sony. You can view any book in any font at any of 12 different font sizes.
- Full support for font families - ie real bold and italic fonts, rather than the Sony's synthesised ones.
- A user replaceable battery.
- A warranty even if you buy it outside the US.
- Dozens of different bookstores to buy books from.

Yes, it is more expensive than the Sony, but personally I think it's worth paying the extra for.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by HarryT

- A warranty if you buy it outside the US.

I hope you meant to say:

- A warranty EVEN if you buy it outside the US.

BOb

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I hope you meant to say:

- A warranty EVEN if you buy it outside the US.

BOb

Sorry for the confusion. Yes, I did . You also a warranty even if you buy it in the US, of course, unlike the Sony, where you only get a warranty if you buy in the US, because they won't send machines back to any non-US address. I've corrected my post.

[astra]

Originally Posted by Crhis

Have you a link to a direct comparison you've done between the two?

Moreover, I would also urge people who read this board to be careful about comments of gadget owners. I have learned that they are not always entirely honest or tell the whole truth.

Just one example

I, personally, would expect to learn about this bug from a gadget owner. But sometimes they only comment on positives and keep quiet about negatives.

I have experienced it when I was contemplating buying iRex iLiad. Some people were very honest and straight forward and very useful, but some...very vague. I was asking very straight forward questions when I suspected that a feature might not work to my sutisfaction and they would not give me a straight answer although I knew that these people had a direct experince and they could answer me honestly. How did I learn about it? Much later in a different topic it was mentioned by a person I asked about this thing before.

It is just a warning.
Don't make a hasty decision by seeing a long list of positive things. There are might be another list of negative things that are not being mentioned.

[HarryT]

Er, if you're talking about the dictionary lookup bug (which has been fixed for months), nobody "kept quiet" about it, astra. It's been discussed extensively on the Gen3 forum.

Since, however, it is now fixed, it's a non issue.

Please don't accuse people of being "dishonest". Nobody has been, and it's not a very nice thing to accuse people of.

[astra]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Er, if you're talking about the dictionary lookup bug (which has been fixed for months), nobody "kept quiet" about it, astra. It's been discussed extensively on the Gen3 forum.

Since, however, it is now fixed, it's a non issue.

Please don't accuse people of being "dishonest". Nobody has been, and it's not a very nice thing to accuse people of.

The bug might have been discussed, however, it was never mentioned when someone asked about CyBook Gen3 features. No one said something like that: it has the feature but it is buggy now and with some dictionaries after 3-4 words it locks up the entire reader and we don't know when it going to be fixed. Everybody who mentioned the feature just said - oh we have such a brilliant feature, dictionary lookup!

I will give you a similar example about Sony Reader.
If someone asks: what formats does it support?
The answer: lrf, rtf, txt and pdf. IMHO a dishonest answer. You may argue as long as you want to but that's my opinion.
Whenever anyone asked me this question I would always say:
Lrf, rtf, txt and pdf - however, you will not be able to read your A4 collection of PDFs. Sony makes this type of pdf unreadable, because it shows your A4 text on 6" screen. Impossible to read. Be prepared to convert PDFs but it is an arduous task, sometimes next to impossible. You might read comfortable only PDFs created by following special instructions.
Yes, this is the right answer. I am talking about time before pdflrf existed. I remember quite well that many people gave the former answer....

[tompe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Er, if you're talking about the dictionary lookup bug (which has been fixed for months), nobody "kept quiet" about it, astra. It's been discussed extensively on the Gen3 forum.

Since, however, it is now fixed, it's a non issue.

Please don't accuse people of being "dishonest". Nobody has been, and it's not a very nice thing to accuse people of.

Just to clarify. There are at least two dictionary bugs. The one where parts of the dictionary is not possible to look up for some dictionaries (e.g. Concise Oxford) is not fixed.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by astra

The bug might have been discussed, however, it was never mentioned when someone asked about CyBook Gen3 features. No one said something like that: it has the feature but it is buggy now and with some dictionaries after 3-4 words it locks up the entire reader and we don't know when it going to be fixed. Everybody who mentioned the feature just said - oh we have such a brilliant feature, dictionary lookup!

Thats probably because it only existed for a few weeks before Bookeen fixed it. The Gen3's was released in November; Bookeen fixed the bug in December.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Thats probably because it only existed for a few weeks before Bookeen fixed it. The Gen3's was released in November; Bookeen fixed the bug in December.

The interesting thing is when somebody know that it was possibly fixed. And that was much later. It was when you updated the firmware and confirmed it and that was a month ago or so.

[HarryT]

But people said "I don't have that problem" since Bookeen started shipping the updated firmware in late December - because it had been fixed. Yes, it would have been nice if they'd told people that it had been fixed, I agree .

I think that your bug might be something specific to the Collins dictionary - I think that's the dictionary everyone who's come across it has been using. Didn't you say that it only happens with words starting with a particular letter?

[tompe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

But people said "I don't have that problem" since Bookeen started shipping the updated firmware in late December - because it had been fixed. Yes, it would have been nice if they'd told people that it had been fixed, I agree .

I do not remember anybody having the bug confirming that it was fixed. People saying they do not see the bug and have never seen it is no confirmation. I read everything here and I do not remember you claiming that it had been fixed in January.

I think that your bug might be something specific to the Collins dictionary - I think that's the dictionary everyone who's come across it has been using. Didn't you say that it only happens with words starting with a particular letter?

Yes, it is words around "la", "last" is not found for example. The dictionary works on my Palm T5 so I really do not beleive it is a bug in the dictionary. And if it is a bug in the dictionary Bookeen has now had many months available to tell me that.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by tompe

I do not remember anybody having the bug confirming that it was fixed. People saying they do not see the bug and have never seen it is no confirmation. I read everything here and I do not remember you claiming that it had been fixed in January.

No, I didn't know that it had been fixed in January (as I said, it would have been nice if Bookeen had informed people who'd reported the bug that it had been fixed!). The bug was fixed in build 538 of the firmware, which appears to have been shipped in new Gen3's since late December.

As you say, I only discovered myself that it had been fixed when I updated my firmware at the end of Feb.