So where the heck is the Sony Reader's new firmware?!?

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by AprilHare

*Yes, the 8 GB memory stick is supported by the Sony Reader (despite what the Sony Reader packaging said, greater than 4 GB indeed works).

This may appear to be the case without really being so. (I'm not saying it ain't so, just that it may look like it is but not be -- though I'm suspicious that the latter is indeed the case)

It may be that the Reader is only showing you the contents of the first 4GB of the card. The only way to check this is to fill the thing with more than 4GB worth of files and see if they all show up in the Reader's index. You don't have to look at all the pages to do that, by the way, if you put 400* files on it, and it only admits to having say 350* then you know it's not seeing the whole card.

We know that's the way it behaves with SD cards over 2GB, but I don't know if anyone's actually tested a Memory Stick this way or not.


*NOTE: numbers colonically generated for example purposes, and may have no bearing on reality.

[kacir]

Originally Posted by AprilHare

I tend to suspect the Sony firmware...
...
Yes, a new firmware revision is needed.
...

I suspect that It did not occur to anybody at Sony to put "being able to index 10 000 books database" into the software specification.
If they anticipated that a typical user might want to carry around more than a few dozens of books they would have to provide some kind of directory functionality. When you load a few thousand books on the reader it means you have to browse through a few hundred of pages of book list. That is INSANE.

Please notice that they advertise 60 or so books you can save in the built-in memory as large number. I am afraid that the envisaged the average-end-user usage scenario was something like
- buy Reader (Profit!)
- buy a book or two at Connect store (Profit again!)
- read the book(s)
- buy another book (Profit yet again!)
- read the book
- (in the meanwhile) look at some of the 10 stored photos (boyfriend, grandchildren, spouse, ...) or perhaps read a shopping list
- ... repeat many times ...

Yes, I agree with you. There is quite a few things that would improve the functionality for us - geeks, gadet lowers, power users, text hoarders. I personally dislike the way PRS500 handles hefty bunch of rtf files placed on the memory card.
I was just pointing out in my previous rant why I think that a firmware update is quite unlikely from the Sony point of view.

[gwynevans]

Originally Posted by kacir

Please notice that they advertise 60 or so books you can save in the built-in memory as large number.

Well, if you go for the low-graphic versions, you can get a lot more on - currently got 298 but probably room for another 50 or so...

[BobLenx]

Love my Sony-505. There are only three features I would like to see in a firmware upgrade:
1) Fix any bugs I am not aware of.
2) The ability to delete files on my reader without hooking it to my computer to do it thru the Connect software.
3) The ability to read Mobipocket format files (PRC non protected).

Bob

[curtw]

Originally Posted by kacir

I suspect that It did not occur to anybody at Sony to put "being able to index 10 000 books database" into the software specification.

That assumption makes no sense at all. They made the 505 compatible with 10 GIGABYTES of expansion memory. If they didn't plan on having people puts books into that memory, then they should not be in business.

[astrodad]

Either way, Sony made it clear to LOTS of people that it was planning a release of a new firmware. I don't know about the date though, where did the February time frame come from again?

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by curtw

That assumption makes no sense at all. They made the 505 compatible with 10 GIGABYTES of expansion memory. If they didn't plan on having people puts books into that memory, then they should not be in business.

I think my opinion differs from yours. Here's my opinion:

Even though the Sony will hold 10 gigabytes in its expansion memory, for me the functional and fun aspect of the 505 remains unchanged.

Don

The above post by me was deleted by me; apparently, I hit a return when I was editing that post, so I went back and just deleted it.

[Lord KiRon]

I hope they will not forget to release 64 bit driver for 500 or (hope dies last ) even make it appear as a USB drive as with 505.

[hekkel]

Originally Posted by AprilHare

Rest assured, you can update the firmware for your Sony Reader despite not being a US resident. The Sony software works whether you are or not (and there are no such checkmarks of which you speak). That only comes in with respect to the Sony Store. Actually Sony is quite polite to non-US citizens (except for the no Sony Store and no limited warranty thing).

You're right. I mixed up some things. Must be my frustration caused by an eagerness to buy some books but not being allowed to. Sorry.

[astra]

Originally Posted by kacir

The reason is simple. Very simple. The Reader JUST WORKS (Tm).

Completely agree.

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by jplumey

... where did the February time frame come from again?

Rampant speculation, actually.

It was based on the facts that the 500 launched in October of '96, that its first firmware update was in February '07, and that the 505 launched in October of '07.

Naturally those three data points formed an indisputable line of intent to release a firmware update for the 505 in February of '08. (we need a tongue-in-cheek smilie ... I'm not sure what that would even look like)


My guess is that they may have intended to put out an update by now, but are likely waiting for Adobe to finish Mobile Digital Editions, now that Adobe has actually started moving on it.

[dhill]

The February '08 time frame came from this long post from earlier this year.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19023

[WillAdams]

Xenophon, I'm not seeing this difficulty --- spacing is fine for me w/ Zapfino from a .pdf made using Apple's pdf object and viewed on a PC (using Adobe Acrobat Approval 5.0) --- did you have a specific font, size, and Acrobat implementation which exhibited it? The .pdf of Mike Brotherton's _Star Dragon_ which I made and available from www.mikebrotherton.com uses ligatures and displays fine on my PRS-505.

Some of the ligatures in Zapfino in the Mac OS X-generated .pdf were messed up when viewed on my PRS-505, but when I switched to a .pdf made by InDesign, they were fine, so the problem would seem to be w/ how TrueType fonts w/ unusual encodings or more than 256 characters are handled by the reader's .pdf implementation (ID converts embeds the font as CID-keyed).

For those who don't have Zapfino, you can see the ligature construction in my TUG2003 paper:

http://www.tug.org/TUGboat/Articles/.../tb77adams.pdf

William

[flamaest]

I have updated my original post since I just got a reply from the Sony Reader Engineer:

Folks, Sony is working on the FW, and it has been delayed, but I suspect something is coming down the pike shortly. Can't say for sure, May is probably a winning guess.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19023

> Fabian,
>
> At this time I do not. This is an issue we are working on with
> Adobe and want to get it right before releasing.
>
> Dave

[shousa]

Originally Posted by kacir

Regular visitors on this forum know that I do not like the Sony Company.

Yet, after months of careful reading of this forum and months of deliberation I have decided to buy (and import) Sony reader PRS500. That was almost a year ago. And I am a very, very happy owner.

I tell you why there are no firmware updates. The reason is simple. Very simple. The Reader JUST WORKS (Tm).
I know, I know ...
We (the geeks, the power users, the ebook fanatics) want directory support, mobi reader, SW for reading Kindle books, user uploadable font preferences, artificial intelligence that would understand PDF book (A4 or Letter format) and will miraculously reflow it regardless of fancy graphics, multiple text columns and complicated formulas. This kind of firmware update ain't gona happen. There will be no support for those things.

We (the geeks, etc... ) have the "hack builder" for reprogramming of buttons, deleting and copying files, direct page number input and other wonderful things our resident hackers managed to put together. There is even DICTIONARY. Go ahead and check the thread about the dictionary support for Reader. You would think that such a sought-after feature will be discussed in a hundred posts. This is, very surprisingly not the case here.

Sony reader does *everything* the average (non-geek) reader needs or wants.
Period.
- It has got 6" e-ink display
- One charge lasts many thousand pages or at least 14 days (after a YEAR of everyday use!)
- You can continue reading about two seconds after hitting the "power ON" button
- it does not freeze, it does not crash randomly
- it even displays page numbers correctly (unlike some devices (that I shall not name here, ;-) ) featuring Mobi pocket reader)
Try to compare the Sony Reder with other e-ink devices out there.
Compare it to the Iliad, that despite numerous updates drains battery in one day and takes ages to start. Compare it to the Cybook that can not even display page numbers correctly and does not start at the page you were reading when you switched it off.
I know that Iliad and Cybook Gen 3 have many wonderful features but we are talking about the maturity of the [soft|firm]ware. Perhaps Amazon Kindle is comparable to Sony Reader software maturity wise. And Kindle users are not holding their breath for the firmware update either.

Yes.
I am too waiting for the firmware update for PRS 505. Not that I have one, but the update will give our hackers essential information needed for various ingenious hacks for 505. And perhaps that is the reason that there is no update yet.

100% agree with all your comments.