Taken the plunge - ordered a 700

[mklynds]

I hear ya tarq. The choices in Canada are slim too. As far as being able to actually pick one up in a store, Sony is the only option. I am leaning towards the 700 as well but like the idea of a 5" pocket sized reader as well. Let us know how you like your 700 when you get it.

[tarq]

I have another question.
I am not sure what to do after unpacking it, as I'm not in the US.
When I plug it in to charge (on my computer) is it going to whiz off and try to connect to the Sony site every time?
If so how do I stop it, apart from the obvious, turn off the router!

[Tricky]

it mounts as an external drive, it wont try to connect to sony at all, the connection is handled by the sony software (which I haven't even bothered to install, I use Calibre)

[gwynevans]

Originally Posted by tarq

When I plug it in to charge (on my computer) is it going to whiz off and try to connect to the Sony site every time?

No, it'll just sit there showing up as a USB device (or maybe two or three, as it's SD/MS slots can show up as well as the internal memory).

You can download the US version of the Sony eBook Library software & install it now though, which is useful as it given a decent idea of what any documents you create will show up like on the Reader itself. (If you check the box saying you're in the US, you can access the Sony store. You can't add a UK credit-card to your account, so you can only 'buy' the free books, but they do periodically have a few of those, so it may be worth it.). Note that you can also get books for it from many other places, both free and commercial.

[tarq]

Thanks guys for all your suggestions.

I've spent some time this evening starting up a 'library' of word docs in anticipation.

I haven't found a way of grouping the fics in say 'fiction', 'manuals', 'text' or 'reference. Or am I missing something?

[Andybaby]

Originally Posted by tarq

Thanks guys for all your suggestions.

I've spent some time this evening starting up a 'library' of word docs in anticipation.

I haven't found a way of grouping the fics in say 'fiction', 'manuals', 'text' or 'reference. Or am I missing something?

the + sign on the bottom corner to make Collections.

a book can be in Multilple collections.

in Calibre, its called Tags.

[tarq]

Thanks Andy, that works well. Is it best to use the Sony program, Calibre or your Bookdesigner to manage collections?

Do any of them enable the book title to be changed?

I can't find a way to do so with the Sony software.

Also another few thoughts:
Do I have to leave the books where they are, for the software to find them or does it have it's own copy?
IE. files on the desktop also in the library have to stay on the desktop, or can they be deleted once the info is transferred to the ereader.

Also what is the best format to download books in? I seem to get the choice of 'mobi' or 'pdf', on some sites I've looked at.

[Zero9]

Originally Posted by tarq

Thanks Andy, that works well. Is it best to use the Sony program, Calibre or your Bookdesigner to manage collections?

Do any of them enable the book title to be changed?

I can't find a way to do so with the Sony software.

Also another few thoughts:
Do I have to leave the books where they are, for the software to find them or does it have it's own copy?
IE. files on the desktop also in the library have to stay on the desktop, or can they be deleted once the info is transferred to the ereader.

Also what is the best format to download books in? I seem to get the choice of 'mobi' or 'pdf', on some sites I've looked at.

I use Calibre. It allows you to change the book title, cover, and other metadata. It also creates its own copy of any book you add to it (allowing you to store/save or delete the original copy as you see fit).

While the answer may be different for certain graphical books like comics, MOBI will almost always be preferred over PDF when you're downloading DRM free books. MOBI text is reflowable and most conversion programs (like Calbre) will have no trouble turning it in to an ePub or LRF for you.

[tarq]

Thanks for the tips. Is it ok to load Calibre & Sony software on computer together?

I haven't got my reader yet, so can delete & start again if necessary.

[Zero9]

It's ok to have them installed on the same computer. I remember reading somewhere on MobileRead that using both to manage the eBooks on your device can cause problems; nothing serious, just some XML file to delete on the reader if the problem occurs. I'll let someone who knows what I'm talking about explain it better. But yes, feel free to install both and play around.

[dordale]

It's perfectly fine to have them both installed--I do. Just make sure you only use one at a time to access your reader. People run into problems when both programs are trying to write to the reader at the same time.

dordale

[gwynevans]

Originally Posted by Zero9

It's ok to have them installed on the same computer. I remember reading somewhere on MobileRead that using both to manage the eBooks on your device can cause problems; nothing serious, just some XML file to delete on the reader if the problem occurs. I'll let someone who knows what I'm talking about explain it better. But yes, feel free to install both and play around.

It's just that they both need to write to the same metadata file (the XML file) to setup collections, etc. To be safe, just make sure you use only one of them each time the Reader's connected and use the "Safely Remove Hardware" (or equivalent on your PC) before disconnecting. It's no big deal to just reconnect & use the other if needed.

[tarq]

It's arrived, at last!!! bounce!!

I've plugged it in and it's sitting with a red light on, hopefully charging, the reader has a plug shape symbol on the screen.

My computer can see all 3 devices (reader, sd & sony slot).

Am I right in thinking if I don't want Sony e-books, I don't have to install the sony software?

Will I just be able to use Calibre to transfer docs etc. ?

I won't try anything until the charge light goes off though.

So pleased it's finally here, trust me to get one just as they may be discontinued!

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by tarq

It's arrived, at last!!! bounce!!

I've plugged it in and it's sitting with a red light on, hopefully charging, the reader has a plug shape symbol on the screen.

My computer can see all 3 devices (reader, sd & sony slot).

Am I right in thinking if I don't want Sony e-books, I don't have to install the sony software?

Will I just be able to use Calibre to transfer docs etc. ?

I won't try anything until the charge light goes off though.

So pleased it's finally here, trust me to get one just as they may be discontinued!

congratulations !!! how exciting !

you are right about the sony software, i use calibre exclusively to manage my library since i don't buy from sony, in fact i only installed the sony software very recently to test something out for another member.

while it's charging you can take advantage to load it up with books, so as soon as the red light goes out you'll be ready to start reading. you can use calibre for this or simply go through the file explorer, since as you've discovered it shows up as an external disk when you plug in the usb.

happy reading !

[tarq]

Well what a wonderful piece of kit!

I've put word doc's, pdf doc's, and a large audio book (on 8Gb SD card) on it and it found them all.

The audio I had to drag & drop, couldn't see a way with Calibre, it still found it.

Sneeked into hubbie's darkroom to try light, it's great & shouldn't disturb him at night!

A question, do peeps switch it off when not using for a few hours, or just leave it on. I see it goes into standby after an hour, but thought better to switch off to conserve battery?
Or maybe it uses more power to turn back on.

Off to play some more.