Sony 505 - To be or not to be? - Page 2

gwynevans · 10-28-2008, 06:04 AM

Good find - they've also got the 700 listed for pre-order...

Aspidus · 10-28-2008, 07:50 AM

Great find on the Borders offer jchestnutt.
I tried calling them yesterday, but the line was busy for over half an hour, so I gave up.
I'll try again today and see what gives.

Thanks.

orwell2k · 10-28-2008, 09:59 AM

I can honestly recommend the BeBook. See my review here:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30913

And I also recently posted some pics of the BeBook handling A4 PDFs using its 3 zoom levels on this thread here:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...31110&p=278574

I agree with previous comments that PDF is not an ideal eBook standrad in general, but if you have quite a library already then you will need something that can cope. I'm not sure about the Sony reflow approach - this was what my old Acer n10 PDA did, and I hated it, although the Sony screen is much larger than the little handheld!

But I do like the way the BeBook handles A4 PDFs - I think it is a good compromise to a non-ideal situation. PDF eBooks are usually less than A4, but will still not be quite the right size for the display, so some zoom may be necessary depending on text/font size and format. I personally prefer keeping the original format, if possible, rather than reflowing.

In addition the BeBook (as well as Cybook) handles a multitude of other formats, including the de facto standard of Mobi (DRM as well, so you can buy the latest bestsellers and immediately read them on your device). I like the other formats it supports - espceially FB2, as I use this a lot for open/free etexts, as well as some other conversions (sometimes I do PDF to FB2 for ease of reading).

I have tried at least one document in most of the BeBook formats, and they all work quite well (PPT slides are hit and miss, as are native Word docs; TXT, RTF, HTML, CHM work very well on BeBook).

Overall the BeBook is a good choice. And I like the idea of "boycotting" Sony because of their bizarre sales restrictions (US only, now they sell them in UK and canada also) and access restrictions to Sony Connect (for LRF format books). Add to that their useless LRF proprietary standard and no Mobi support (closer to an industry standard), the limited support of other standards (TXT, HTML) and their history of bloody-minded Sony standards (e.g. memory stick - what the hell is that good for anyway - at least now they accept SD cards!).

Anyway, the choice is yours. All the best, and if you do go Sony I'd be interested in your opinion of the reader as a new user. If you go BeBook, feel free to use my e-mail as a coupon code for the €25 discount: mybebook@hotmail.com

Cheers!

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10-28-2008, 06:04 AM	#16
gwynevans Wizzard Posts: 1,402 Karma: 2000000 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Device: iPad 2, iPhone 6s, Kindle Voyage & Kindle PaperWhite	Good find - they've also got the 700 listed for pre-order...

10-28-2008, 07:50 AM	#17
Aspidus Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Taiwan Device: Palm One (Prospective - Sony 505; Cybook; or Bebook)	Great find on the Borders offer jchestnutt. I tried calling them yesterday, but the line was busy for over half an hour, so I gave up. I'll try again today and see what gives. Thanks.

10-28-2008, 09:59 AM	#18
orwell2k Addict Posts: 357 Karma: 1112 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Euroland Device: PocketBook 360°, BeBook (Hanlin V3), iRex DR1000S, iPad	I can honestly recommend the BeBook. See my review here: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30913 And I also recently posted some pics of the BeBook handling A4 PDFs using its 3 zoom levels on this thread here: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...31110&p=278574 I agree with previous comments that PDF is not an ideal eBook standrad in general, but if you have quite a library already then you will need something that can cope. I'm not sure about the Sony reflow approach - this was what my old Acer n10 PDA did, and I hated it, although the Sony screen is much larger than the little handheld! But I do like the way the BeBook handles A4 PDFs - I think it is a good compromise to a non-ideal situation. PDF eBooks are usually less than A4, but will still not be quite the right size for the display, so some zoom may be necessary depending on text/font size and format. I personally prefer keeping the original format, if possible, rather than reflowing. In addition the BeBook (as well as Cybook) handles a multitude of other formats, including the de facto standard of Mobi (DRM as well, so you can buy the latest bestsellers and immediately read them on your device). I like the other formats it supports - espceially FB2, as I use this a lot for open/free etexts, as well as some other conversions (sometimes I do PDF to FB2 for ease of reading). I have tried at least one document in most of the BeBook formats, and they all work quite well (PPT slides are hit and miss, as are native Word docs; TXT, RTF, HTML, CHM work very well on BeBook). Overall the BeBook is a good choice. And I like the idea of "boycotting" Sony because of their bizarre sales restrictions (US only, now they sell them in UK and canada also) and access restrictions to Sony Connect (for LRF format books). Add to that their useless LRF proprietary standard and no Mobi support (closer to an industry standard), the limited support of other standards (TXT, HTML) and their history of bloody-minded Sony standards (e.g. memory stick - what the hell is that good for anyway - at least now they accept SD cards!). Anyway, the choice is yours. All the best, and if you do go Sony I'd be interested in your opinion of the reader as a new user. If you go BeBook, feel free to use my e-mail as a coupon code for the €25 discount: mybebook@hotmail.com Cheers!

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