PRS-900 Newbie questions about Library software

BookJunkieLI · 06-02-2010, 10:26 AM

Hi,

My friend, who is not all that tech-savvy, just bought the Daily Edition PRS-900 and has downloaded the Sony Library software. We played around a little bit with the Library software before I had to leave to come home - she's in Ohio, I'm in New York. We were trying to setup Collections which we did eventually figure out how to do, though it would be very useful if the Help screen had screenshots, but still ran into a couple of issues. I'm not sure if we're just missing a step somewhere or if these are limitations in the software.

1. It doesn't appear that you can import books/files directly into a Collection. It'll let you do it from that screen but it still drops everything into the 'Books' section and you have to manually sort them into the Collection.

2. It appears that you can't create a Collection and add books in the Library software and then just drag and drop it onto the Reader. When we tried to do that the Collection title transferred over but none of the books did. We then had to transfer the books separately and re-sort them into the Collections once they were on the Reader.

3. Any time we added, deleted, moved a book it switched to Thumbnail view even though we'd started out in the line/detail(?) view. Is there anyway to set it to default to the line/detail view automatically? It's very annoying whe you're trying to sort things to constantly have it switch from the thumbnail view when you need details.

This might be a better question for the Calibre forum but is Calibre compatible with Collections? Would it make more sense to just use Calibre to sort and upload files to the PRS-900? I use Calibre myself but since I have a Nook which doesn't have any organizational system on it I'm not sure how compatible/easier to use it would be.

Thanks for the help.

Beth

PS If anyone knows of a detailed user guide for the library software please point me to where it is.

Worldwalker · 06-02-2010, 10:54 AM

Calbre is great for setting up collections. Tags translate into collections (you can disable this for individual tags by putting them in [square brackets], which I do for my workflow tags). So if you have a book tagged "Fantasy" it will show up in a collection of the same name. This means it's easy to put a book into multiple collections, too: just apply as many tags as you need.

One word of warning: it's best to keep all the books in a collection together, either in the internal memory or on the SD or MS card. Otherwise, the collection will be listed twice, once for the books in main memory and once for the books on the card, with a little card icon next to the latter. This clutters up the collection list.

I haven't used the most recent Sony software, as the previous couple of versions gave me a massive allergy to it. But, aside from buying books from the Sony bookstore (and why would you want to do that, they're all DRM-y!) calibre can do anything the Sony library software can do, and (as you know) all sorts of things it could never dream of doing. "Not crashing" being one of the most important ones. I get the feeling that Sony's attitude is "they've got our ebook reader, so they have to use our software, which means we don't have to do any of the hard stuff like, y'know, making it not suck."

So I'd recommend calibre by all means. And remember: friends don't let friends buy DRM'd ebooks.

MSJim · 06-02-2010, 11:06 AM

Ditto. Words of wisdom from Worldwalker.

SkyDream · 06-02-2010, 04:23 PM

@BookJunkieLI

First use calibre instead of Sony Software which is crap.

Second,

1. Yes, import always goes to books section first. After that you may link them to your collections.

2. Drag and drop collections onto PRS-900 works fine for me. The collection and all books inside been copied without problems (using 3.1 and not version 3.2 of sony software; haven't tried 3.2 so far).

3. No problem with that. Once i switched to line/detail it stayed there until explicitly changed.

Once again, i've tried version 3.1 and not the latest 3.2. Maybe 3.2 changed things but that i didn't know. If you have 3.2 installed try 3.1 and see if it solves your problem.

BookJunkieLI · 06-02-2010, 06:55 PM

Thanks for the info! I suspected she was going to be better off using Calibre but wanted to be sure first. Just a clarification. Will the tag create the collection on the reader or will she have to setup the collection separately on the reader and then the books will sort themselves into the collections based on the tags? Example if she tags a book "Fantasy" it will automatically create a Collection called Fantasy on the reader when she uploads it or she has to create a Collection called Fantasy on the reader in order for the book to be sorted based on the "Fantasy" tag? Kind of a which comes first, the chicken or the egg? LOL

Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

Calbre is great for setting up collections. Tags translate into collections (you can disable this for individual tags by putting them in [square brackets], which I do for my workflow tags). So if you have a book tagged "Fantasy" it will show up in a collection of the same name. This means it's easy to put a book into multiple collections, too: just apply as many tags as you need.

Worldwalker · 06-02-2010, 08:28 PM

It will automatically create a collection called "Fantasy" on the Reader.

I don't use the Sony Library software at all, since I don't use the Sony store (I refuse to buy DRM-restricted ebooks) and I have a singular fondness for software that doesn't crash on a regular basis. I just do everything with calibre.

BookJunkieLI · 06-03-2010, 09:43 AM

Thanks! She primarily wanted a reader for reading fanfiction so being able to buy ebooks, drm'd or not, is kinda low on the priority list. Though there is one series she wants but apparently it's for the Kindle only anyway.

sirmaru · 06-09-2010, 10:11 AM

I only use Sony Library Software - not Calibre.

I purchase books from the Sony Reader Store and they download to my hard disk under Purchased Books. Then I copy and paste them using the Sony Software to the proper Collection Title.

After I synchronize the Sony Software on my PC with the PRS 900 Reader they all arrive under the proper Collection Title on the PRS 900.

I use my PRS 900 just for occasional reading when away from home. Mostly I use the Sony Library Software to read ebooks. I also read ebooks with the Barnes & Noble eReader Software and the Amazon Kindle Softare for PC's.

I always check the pBook number of pages for books on my Wish List and sort by Page / $ Price to buy the most number of pages per buck spent. If BN and Amazon have decidedly cheaper prices than the Sony Reader Store, I buy those ebooks there since almost all my reading is on the PC. I always keep at least one ebook currently being read on the PRS 900 for away from home reading.

luqmaninbmore · 06-09-2010, 11:11 AM

It's good to see a post from your Sirmaru, I missed your presence.

Solitaire1 · 06-10-2010, 01:10 AM

I haven't had a problem with the Sony Reader Library (SRL) since I upgraded my computer (my computer was a bit too slow to run the program well).

What I've found the following works best for me when using the SRL:

- I do all of my ebook management work off-line (without my ereader connected to my computer). This includes adding and deleting ebooks from the SRL, adding and deleting collections and ebooks in those collections, and reordering my collections.

- I only sync collections to my reader, and use them to determine where my ebooks are loaded. Some collections are loaded on my ereader's internal memory and others are loaded on the memory card. This also makes it easy to remove ebooks from my ereader without deleting them from the SRL: I just remove them from all of my collections.

- I let my ereader fully complete the sync process with the SRL and then disconnect it from my computer. While that's occuring I do nothing with the SRL.

As I've said, by following the above procedures I've had little problem with the SRL. I have recently taken a look at Calibre and may use it in the future. But right now the SRL reliability does what I need it to do.

dorino · 06-10-2010, 12:31 PM

If I had to use the Library software, I wouldn't be able to. I use the apparently obscure Windows XP x64, and Sony doesn't support it. In order to use my reader I need to use Calibre.

Very quick, Calibre. I recommend it.

06-02-2010, 10:26 AM	#1
BookJunkieLI Evangelist Posts: 435 Karma: 572984 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Long Island Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kindle 4, Nook Gl4, Nook STR, REB 1100, Ebookwise 1500,	Newbie questions about Library software Hi, My friend, who is not all that tech-savvy, just bought the Daily Edition PRS-900 and has downloaded the Sony Library software. We played around a little bit with the Library software before I had to leave to come home - she's in Ohio, I'm in New York. We were trying to setup Collections which we did eventually figure out how to do, though it would be very useful if the Help screen had screenshots, but still ran into a couple of issues. I'm not sure if we're just missing a step somewhere or if these are limitations in the software. 1. It doesn't appear that you can import books/files directly into a Collection. It'll let you do it from that screen but it still drops everything into the 'Books' section and you have to manually sort them into the Collection. 2. It appears that you can't create a Collection and add books in the Library software and then just drag and drop it onto the Reader. When we tried to do that the Collection title transferred over but none of the books did. We then had to transfer the books separately and re-sort them into the Collections once they were on the Reader. 3. Any time we added, deleted, moved a book it switched to Thumbnail view even though we'd started out in the line/detail(?) view. Is there anyway to set it to default to the line/detail view automatically? It's very annoying whe you're trying to sort things to constantly have it switch from the thumbnail view when you need details. This might be a better question for the Calibre forum but is Calibre compatible with Collections? Would it make more sense to just use Calibre to sort and upload files to the PRS-900? I use Calibre myself but since I have a Nook which doesn't have any organizational system on it I'm not sure how compatible/easier to use it would be. Thanks for the help. Beth PS If anyone knows of a detailed user guide for the library software please point me to where it is.

06-09-2010, 10:11 AM	#8
sirmaru Wizard Posts: 2,426 Karma: 6561538 Join Date: Nov 2007 Device: Kindle PW 2013, HDX 2013, Galaxy S5 2014	Sony software and collections I only use Sony Library Software - not Calibre. I purchase books from the Sony Reader Store and they download to my hard disk under Purchased Books. Then I copy and paste them using the Sony Software to the proper Collection Title. After I synchronize the Sony Software on my PC with the PRS 900 Reader they all arrive under the proper Collection Title on the PRS 900. I use my PRS 900 just for occasional reading when away from home. Mostly I use the Sony Library Software to read ebooks. I also read ebooks with the Barnes & Noble eReader Software and the Amazon Kindle Softare for PC's. I always check the pBook number of pages for books on my Wish List and sort by Page / $ Price to buy the most number of pages per buck spent. If BN and Amazon have decidedly cheaper prices than the Sony Reader Store, I buy those ebooks there since almost all my reading is on the PC. I always keep at least one ebook currently being read on the PRS 900 for away from home reading.

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06-02-2010, 10:54 AM	#2
Worldwalker Curmudgeon Posts: 3,085 Karma: 722357 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: PRS-505	Calbre is great for setting up collections. Tags translate into collections (you can disable this for individual tags by putting them in [square brackets], which I do for my workflow tags). So if you have a book tagged "Fantasy" it will show up in a collection of the same name. This means it's easy to put a book into multiple collections, too: just apply as many tags as you need. One word of warning: it's best to keep all the books in a collection together, either in the internal memory or on the SD or MS card. Otherwise, the collection will be listed twice, once for the books in main memory and once for the books on the card, with a little card icon next to the latter. This clutters up the collection list. I haven't used the most recent Sony software, as the previous couple of versions gave me a massive allergy to it. But, aside from buying books from the Sony bookstore (and why would you want to do that, they're all DRM-y!) calibre can do anything the Sony library software can do, and (as you know) all sorts of things it could never dream of doing. "Not crashing" being one of the most important ones. I get the feeling that Sony's attitude is "they've got our ebook reader, so they have to use our software, which means we don't have to do any of the hard stuff like, y'know, making it not suck." So I'd recommend calibre by all means. And remember: friends don't let friends buy DRM'd ebooks.

06-02-2010, 11:06 AM	#3
MSJim Bookworm Posts: 104 Karma: 26 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Central Georgia, USA Device: PRS-600, Nook STR	Ditto. Words of wisdom from Worldwalker.

06-02-2010, 04:23 PM	#4
SkyDream Wizard Posts: 1,377 Karma: 9400 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Europe Device: PRS-650, iPod touch 4G, iPad 3	@BookJunkieLI First use calibre instead of Sony Software which is crap. Second, 1. Yes, import always goes to books section first. After that you may link them to your collections. 2. Drag and drop collections onto PRS-900 works fine for me. The collection and all books inside been copied without problems (using 3.1 and not version 3.2 of sony software; haven't tried 3.2 so far). 3. No problem with that. Once i switched to line/detail it stayed there until explicitly changed. Once again, i've tried version 3.1 and not the latest 3.2. Maybe 3.2 changed things but that i didn't know. If you have 3.2 installed try 3.1 and see if it solves your problem.

06-02-2010, 08:28 PM	#6
Worldwalker Curmudgeon Posts: 3,085 Karma: 722357 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: PRS-505	It will automatically create a collection called "Fantasy" on the Reader. I don't use the Sony Library software at all, since I don't use the Sony store (I refuse to buy DRM-restricted ebooks) and I have a singular fondness for software that doesn't crash on a regular basis. I just do everything with calibre.

06-03-2010, 09:43 AM	#7
BookJunkieLI Evangelist Posts: 435 Karma: 572984 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Long Island Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kindle 4, Nook Gl4, Nook STR, REB 1100, Ebookwise 1500,	Thanks! She primarily wanted a reader for reading fanfiction so being able to buy ebooks, drm'd or not, is kinda low on the priority list. Though there is one series she wants but apparently it's for the Kindle only anyway.

06-09-2010, 11:11 AM	#9
luqmaninbmore Da'i Posts: 1,144 Karma: 1217499 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Baltimore Device: Toshiba Thrive, Kobo Touch, Kindle 1, Aluratek Libre, T-Mobile Comet	It's good to see a post from your Sirmaru, I missed your presence.

06-10-2010, 01:10 AM	#10
Solitaire1 Samurai Lizard Posts: 14,808 Karma: 69500000 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: NookColor, Nook Glowlight 4	I haven't had a problem with the Sony Reader Library (SRL) since I upgraded my computer (my computer was a bit too slow to run the program well). What I've found the following works best for me when using the SRL: - I do all of my ebook management work off-line (without my ereader connected to my computer). This includes adding and deleting ebooks from the SRL, adding and deleting collections and ebooks in those collections, and reordering my collections. - I only sync collections to my reader, and use them to determine where my ebooks are loaded. Some collections are loaded on my ereader's internal memory and others are loaded on the memory card. This also makes it easy to remove ebooks from my ereader without deleting them from the SRL: I just remove them from all of my collections. - I let my ereader fully complete the sync process with the SRL and then disconnect it from my computer. While that's occuring I do nothing with the SRL. As I've said, by following the above procedures I've had little problem with the SRL. I have recently taken a look at Calibre and may use it in the future. But right now the SRL reliability does what I need it to do.

06-10-2010, 12:31 PM	#11
dorino I'm odd. Take note. Posts: 325 Karma: 779 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Montana Device: deceased PRS-600, Nook STR	If I had to use the Library software, I wouldn't be able to. I use the apparently obscure Windows XP x64, and Sony doesn't support it. In order to use my reader I need to use Calibre. Very quick, Calibre. I recommend it.