Some suggestions for Software Updates - Page 10

NatCh · 11-22-2006, 10:10 PM

Yah, we're waiting to see what LightWedge comes up with (now that thev've said they're making one).

As for the USB port -- there's no power on it. They told us that a while back, but I've confirmed it with the good old DMM -- no dice.

There may be power available on the SD slot ....

jakeluck · 11-26-2006, 10:16 PM

I discovered the bookmark button within the CONNECT software. however, it appears to only work on the books in the Library. The button is grayed out when selecting a book in the Reader or a book on the SD card. It this a bug?

sonybuff · 11-27-2006, 01:38 AM

It is the biggest gripe of mine. A workaround should be a USB cable connection with e.g. Blackberry Perl (or any other smart phone/keyboard) to be used as an input device for the search function or for making notes (calender input, etc). Otherwise an internal keyboard will be required.
I would also like to see the joystick enabled cursor. One could position it at the beginning of the text, press the "1" button and move the joystick/cursor to the right (or down for the whole line, paragraph) and have the text higlighted (marker effect for making annotations in the text or underlining as an option). Pressing the "2" button would finish the selection.
I would also like to see the sync feature with Microsoft Outlook for Calendar, Address book and To Do list (Notes).
Thanks to Sony for bringing otherwise a wonderful device to the market.

NatCh · 11-27-2006, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jakeluck

I discovered the bookmark button within the CONNECT software. however, it appears to only work on the books in the Library. The button is grayed out when selecting a book in the Reader or a book on the SD card. It this a bug?

I think it's more in the category of things that didn't seem to get finished.

If it helps any, you can set Marks in a text inside Connect before you xfer the file to the Reader, the Marks will show up on the Reader, even though you can't manipulate them there.

Nightwing · 11-27-2006, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonybuff

It is the biggest gripe of mine. A workaround should be a USB cable connection with e.g. Blackberry Perl (or any other smart phone/keyboard) to be used as an input device for the search function or for making notes (calender input, etc). Otherwise an internal keyboard will be required.
I would also like to see the joystick enabled cursor. One could position it at the beginning of the text, press the "1" button and move the joystick/cursor to the right (or down for the whole line, paragraph) and have the text higlighted (marker effect for making annotations in the text or underlining as an option). Pressing the "2" button would finish the selection.
I would also like to see the sync feature with Microsoft Outlook for Calendar, Address book and To Do list (Notes).
Thanks to Sony for bringing otherwise a wonderful device to the market.

There are keyboard that have come out for PDA in the past. Hum... There is a series of PIC chips that have USB communication HW built in and enough I/O pins to pole a keyboard. They look like a RS232 device. Now if a small hack could be done to the kernal or better program the PIC chip to act like a HOST could do an end run so to speak on control and possibility editing.

If a search function was added I could see this as a reader and a mobile look up source. Know some clients that if it had a search would buy it in an instant.

You can "print" a copy of your contacts from outlook. I know its a work around but I don't change them that much. Once a week works for me.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...3&postcount=29

Guess it may be possible to cook up a VC/VB program to extract Outlook info by a click of a button and pop it out in a readable format.

sonybuff · 11-30-2006, 02:15 AM

Excellent tip, Nightwing. Many thanks!

Also forgot to add a request for an extra page "Ownership Info" below Settings that could be a splash page once Lock was activated. It could give info (tel., email) for those who find it in case the eREader got lost...

HarryT · 11-30-2006, 04:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonybuff

Also forgot to add a request for an extra page "Ownership Info" below Settings that could be a splash page once Lock was activated. It could give info (tel., email) for those who find it in case the eREader got lost...

Again, though, just as for text searching, that would require some text input mechanism, such as an on-screen keyboard. Unless it was done from the PC "Connect" software, of course.

HarryT · 11-30-2006, 05:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonybuff

A workaround should be a USB cable connection with e.g. Blackberry Perl (or any other smart phone/keyboard) to be used as an input device for the search function or for making notes (calender input, etc).

Can't be done. The Reader is a USB "client", not a USB "host" and, as such, can't be attached to another USB client such as a mobile phone or keyboard.

William Moates · 11-30-2006, 05:17 AM

Great idea, sonybuff!

I'd expand upon the idea, by adding a LoJack feature: if the Reader has been reported stolen to Sony, then when it logs into Connect, the Reader contacts the authorities, reporting the IP address of the host computer.
If the host computer is dialing the Internet via modem, it reports the phone number from which the computer is calling.

I'm not an engineer (IANAE), but since it runs its own OS--Linux--I'd think this is possible now, or with a firmware upgrade. I think you could do something similar with PDAs, iPods, game consoles, and other gadgets which both connect to the Internet and run their own OS.

HarryT · 11-30-2006, 05:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by William Moates

Great idea, sonybuff!

If the host computer is dialing the Internet via modem, it reports the phone number from which the computer is calling.

How would it do that? A program could probably find out, if the computer was using "dial-up networking", the number that it was dialling to reach the Internet, but I don't believe that any mechanism exists for discovering the phone number of the line it's dialling out on, does it?

William Moates · 11-30-2006, 06:00 AM

Well, Absolute Software claims they can do that with their LoJack for laptops software. That's why I think it's feasible.

The big question is--is such a feature marketable for gadgets that cost $250-$1000? "LoJack for Umbrellas" will never see the light of day, in my opinion.

RWood · 11-30-2006, 01:04 PM

Some have mentioned the option of deleting files on the Reader as a feature that they would like to have. I see no reason for implementing this useless feature.

The only purpose of deleting files is to gain additional space in the storage area of the Reader. While this is well and good, the space cannot be reused until the Reader is connected to a computer to place more files on it.

Second, while the additional memory card can be used to transfer files without the Reader, it too must be placed in some other device (camera, phone, PDA, computer) to manipulate the files on it.

The only reason to delete files on the Reader without the Reader connected to a computer is to hide that the Reader even contained the files in the first place. While this may be good for crib notes in an exam, it serves no purpose in the real world.

Bob Russell · 11-30-2006, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RWood

Some have mentioned the option of deleting files on the Reader as a feature that they would like to have. I see no reason for implementing this useless feature.

The only purpose of deleting files is to gain additional space in the storage area of the Reader.

Believe it or not, this is one of the features I want most! But not because of space.

Here's my thinking: I keep about 10 books on the Reader now. (Started out with about two, but I like the greater variety, and having some queued up for later.) I like the main list of books to be clean. That's what it's all about for me.

I want the main list to be on one page if possible, and I feel irrationally happy when after finishing a book I can delete it. Hard to explain, except that it's very similar to finishing a todo on a task list. Doesn't it feel really good to cross it off?!!!

On the other hand, If there were really slick categories that were well-integrated into all the menus, I probably would be happy if I could move the book into a "Finished" category and out of the main book list, but I think that would be a lot of software work, and I don't think they'd get it right anyway.

HarryT · 11-30-2006, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Russell

Here's my thinking: I keep about 10 books on the Reader now. (Started out with about two, but I like the greater variety, and having some queued up for later.) I like the main list of books to be clean. That's what it's all about for me.

I want the main list to be on one page if possible, and I feel irrationally happy when after finishing a book I can delete it. Hard to explain, except that it's very similar to finishing a todo on a task list. Doesn't it feel really good to cross it off?!!!

I feel exactly the same, Bob. I also have an iPod which I mainly use to listen to audio books, and it really bugs me that I can't delete files off that, other than with the "iTunes" software, for exactly the same reason - the feeling of satisfaction; "that's another one finished!"

Bob Russell · 11-30-2006, 01:30 PM

Speaking of suggestions, what bothers me most about the Reader navigation is that when I choose a book, I go to yet another menu instead of going directly to my place in the book. I want to go directly to my place in a book when I choose that book.

Isn't that more a book paradigm? Isn't it simpler? When people keep seeing menus it feels complicated. And you are supposed to make the most common actions easy, not the exception cases!

99% of the time I want to start reading, not look at another menu. If I wanted the menu, I'd rather go to the book and then hit a key to pull up a menu. This one kind of blows me away when I think about it. What were they thinking? (Kind of like not being able to jump to page NN by entering the number buttons! Why can't we do that?!)

11-27-2006, 01:38 AM	#138
sonybuff Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 19 Join Date: Nov 2006	No Bluetooth It is the biggest gripe of mine. A workaround should be a USB cable connection with e.g. Blackberry Perl (or any other smart phone/keyboard) to be used as an input device for the search function or for making notes (calender input, etc). Otherwise an internal keyboard will be required. I would also like to see the joystick enabled cursor. One could position it at the beginning of the text, press the "1" button and move the joystick/cursor to the right (or down for the whole line, paragraph) and have the text higlighted (marker effect for making annotations in the text or underlining as an option). Pressing the "2" button would finish the selection. I would also like to see the sync feature with Microsoft Outlook for Calendar, Address book and To Do list (Notes). Thanks to Sony for bringing otherwise a wonderful device to the market.

11-30-2006, 02:15 AM	#141
sonybuff Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 19 Join Date: Nov 2006	Address Book Excellent tip, Nightwing. Many thanks! Also forgot to add a request for an extra page "Ownership Info" below Settings that could be a splash page once Lock was activated. It could give info (tel., email) for those who find it in case the eREader got lost...

11-30-2006, 05:17 AM	#144
William Moates Zealot Posts: 107 Karma: 35 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Greensboro, NC Device: Sony Librie / Sony Clie / Sony Reader	Great idea, sonybuff! I'd expand upon the idea, by adding a LoJack feature: if the Reader has been reported stolen to Sony, then when it logs into Connect, the Reader contacts the authorities, reporting the IP address of the host computer. If the host computer is dialing the Internet via modem, it reports the phone number from which the computer is calling. I'm not an engineer (IANAE), but since it runs its own OS--Linux--I'd think this is possible now, or with a firmware upgrade. I think you could do something similar with PDAs, iPods, game consoles, and other gadgets which both connect to the Internet and run their own OS. Last edited by William Moates; 11-30-2006 at 05:53 AM.

11-30-2006, 06:00 AM	#146
William Moates Zealot Posts: 107 Karma: 35 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Greensboro, NC Device: Sony Librie / Sony Clie / Sony Reader	Well, Absolute Software claims they can do that with their LoJack for laptops software. That's why I think it's feasible. The big question is--is such a feature marketable for gadgets that cost $250-$1000? "LoJack for Umbrellas" will never see the light of day, in my opinion. Last edited by William Moates; 11-30-2006 at 06:06 AM.

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11-22-2006, 10:10 PM	#136
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Yah, we're waiting to see what LightWedge comes up with (now that thev've said they're making one). As for the USB port -- there's no power on it. They told us that a while back, but I've confirmed it with the good old DMM -- no dice. There may be power available on the SD slot ....

11-26-2006, 10:16 PM	#137
jakeluck Groupie Posts: 193 Karma: 3252 Join Date: Dec 2004	I discovered the bookmark button within the CONNECT software. however, it appears to only work on the books in the Library. The button is grayed out when selecting a book in the Reader or a book on the SD card. It this a bug?

11-30-2006, 01:04 PM	#147
RWood Technogeezer Posts: 7,233 Karma: 1601464 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Virginia, USA Device: Sony PRS-500	Some have mentioned the option of deleting files on the Reader as a feature that they would like to have. I see no reason for implementing this useless feature. The only purpose of deleting files is to gain additional space in the storage area of the Reader. While this is well and good, the space cannot be reused until the Reader is connected to a computer to place more files on it. Second, while the additional memory card can be used to transfer files without the Reader, it too must be placed in some other device (camera, phone, PDA, computer) to manipulate the files on it. The only reason to delete files on the Reader without the Reader connected to a computer is to hide that the Reader even contained the files in the first place. While this may be good for crib notes in an exam, it serves no purpose in the real world.

11-30-2006, 01:30 PM	#150
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	Speaking of suggestions, what bothers me most about the Reader navigation is that when I choose a book, I go to yet another menu instead of going directly to my place in the book. I want to go directly to my place in a book when I choose that book. Isn't that more a book paradigm? Isn't it simpler? When people keep seeing menus it feels complicated. And you are supposed to make the most common actions easy, not the exception cases! 99% of the time I want to start reading, not look at another menu. If I wanted the menu, I'd rather go to the book and then hit a key to pull up a menu. This one kind of blows me away when I think about it. What were they thinking? (Kind of like not being able to jump to page NN by entering the number buttons! Why can't we do that?!)

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