Newbie on the fence - 350 or T1?

[Ripplinger]

Grats on your reader! I'm sure you'll love it.

Like Asawi, I also prefer the Sony covers if you can still find them at reasonable prices. And also like Asawi, I first got the lighted cover, then also the regular that I use the majority of the time when I know I won't be needing the light. If you can only get the regular cover now, good light options that I also have and like are the Lightwedge Arc Light (especially since it's rechargable and uses the same charger or usb cable as the 350), or the MightyBright TravelFlex (takes only 1 AAA battery). Both are very light, both will last roughly 24 hrs of use or so.

PRS+ and Calibre aren't "essential", but they will both greatly add to your enjoyment of the reader and are highly recommended. Asawi gave you the PRS+ link, you can download Calibre here, and we have a very active Calibre forum here for even more help. Be sure and check out at least the 2 basic Calibre videos, it will show you ways to use it that you might not find just poking around it. PRS+ also has it's own thread in the Developers section if we can't answer something here.

You'll need Sony software if you want to buy from their online store, and to update the firmware. Other than that, I never use it to manage my library at all, Calibre is much superior to it.

Epub of course is the preferred format. Other than that, depending on your eyesight, which font you find most readable for you, there are a lot of recommendations about that. I haven't run into many badly formatted books that required reformatting to get rid of margins, but should you need to do it, Calibre makes it simple and quick... convert it with your settings and send the reformatted epub to the device. My preferred font is LexiaDaMa, and there are others pretty close as well, you'll find threads devoted to favorite fonts here. You pretty much need to try them and see which one you prefer.

PRS+ is the only one that installs on the reader itself, and yes, you can reverse it to go back to original factory firmware. Calibre is installed only on your computer, and then you transfer your books over to the device through it.

Edit: Just saw your other post you snuck in while I was typing. The .mobi format is for Kindles. Sony readers will accept .epub, .pdf, .lrf and .txt, (possibly Microsoft Word, RTF and BBeB also but I've never tried any of those to confirm how well). But .epub is the usual preferred format for ebooks. Most libraries only use .epub format, some are expanding to other formats now.

[E-Cafe]

Ripplinger,

Thanks for your continuous advice!

I will look for the Sony covers and the light that you suggested. Knowing that there are developers writing PRS+ and Calibre to enhance the reading experience is just exciting. I wish Sony would devote more to improve their supporting software.

(As I am new here and I haven't found the guide yet, is there a way to "rep" or thank a member?)

[Analogus]

'Thanking':

Look on the blue button below the name of the member ('karma').

A.

[E-Cafe]

Got it! Thanks, Analogus!

[grumbles]

With a 350 (stock), a 650 (with PRS+) and a T1 (acquired yesterday) I have a bit of experience. The ability to play audio with the 650 and T1 is mostly just a marketing feature. The user interface for audio is awkward and battery life is very poor (5 - 6 hours.) If you want to listen to music (or books) you are much better off with almost any music player. The reader only supports mp3 and AAC which may or may not be an issue.

The 650 with PRS+ is everything I could want in a reader. My wife uses the 350 and it will be updated to PRS+ soon. I am very underwhelmed by the new user interface and home screen on the T1.

If you can get a 350 I would recommend it without any reservation. I would even goe so far as to recommend a 650 over the T1.

Experience has show that the 350 needs to charged twice as often as the 650. This would indicate that the 350 has a smaller battery but in any case, a charge (the 350) lasts at least a week.

[jj2me]

Good choice, E-Cafe. I didn't want to weigh in much on the comparison, as I've never seen a T1. But I'm another one who bought a backup 350. Why? Besides the fact that I just love its small size compared to my 6-inchers, it's the only Pearl 5" device ever made. And there seems to be no indication anywhere of anyone planning to make another equally-small e-Ink device (until maybe we have folding devices).

Don't waste much time trying to find a 350 lighted cover--they've seemed to have disappeared completely from sale. And beware of 300 lighted covers that are advertised as 350 lighted covers.

My favorite case is a simple TPU skin like this, but that's a personal preference. It's the least bulky and slides easily into your pocket.

[E-Cafe]

After reading on the 350 for the last two days, I have to come back here to report that I am a happy owner!!

Though I have read through the manaul and watched videos of the Calibre and PRS+, I have not installed them yet as I found out I could just drag & drop books to the 350. So far I have no issuse with the E-books that I got from different members at the "E-Books" forum. I just want to sample the various types/formats. The only issue that I had was I put the books in folders and subfolders on the 350 which cause to page-turning really sluggish. Once I remove all the subfolders on the 350 then it just loaded and turned pages smoothly.

I may have broken the record here ... I broke the stylus (the top part) on the 2nd night of ownership. I was careful and I didn't know how it broke. Though I superglued it back and it seems sturdier than before, I decided to buy a differnt stylus instead.

I finally found and bought the case for the 350! Well ... I was originally shopping for the stylus on sale at BestBuy. To my surprise they have the original Sony case (no light) for the 350! But it was distant from the ereaders section!?? And they do not have the 350 at all. I don't get it. Since they have an empty rack for the Sony case with light, I asked a salesperson if he had any in stock. His computer said he had two but he didn't bother to look for it. Then he went back to the ereader area and saw the case for the T1 and told me that was it. I told him that it's for the one on display and mine was a different model. He said "Right, this is for the Sony Nook ......" I think I had picked the wrong time to shop at Bestbuy ... and the stylus on sale was sold out.

I really like the look of the Sony case but I was not certain about the "clip-on" to hold the reader.

Then I stopped by Radioshack for stylus and I picked up the Merkury Innovations Explorer Pocket case http://www.merkuryinnovations.com/pr...02&p_id=100017which is on clearance. It fits the 350 well but it is a bit bigger than the Sony case. The Sony case just fit perfectly.

Well, thanks again for all the good advice and suggestion!

[Ripplinger]

Send a PM to chris77586 and see if he still has any left. He's been the best source for a replacement Sony stylus that fits into the original slot. You can read about his great work on it in this thread. My guess how some break it is when pushing it out, too much pressure is applied sideways when it's out of the channel, thereby cracking it. I usually just give it a slight nudge up until only about 1/2" is showing, then carefully slide it out the rest of the way without exerting any pressure.

Edit: And I don't think you have the record for quickest stylus break, if I remember, another member had it happen pretty quickly too.

[nindustrial]

I've been following this thread with some interest, since I recently bought a T1 and wondering whether I made the right choice. I do like the idea of an extremely portable reader, but so far am finding the T1 small enough for my needs. Wondering if the 350 would be more of that.

Anyone that still wants a 350 in Canada, looks like bestbuy.ca still has some, and is clearing out refurbished ones for $80 each. Colour choices are obviously limited, and I've noticed that stores seem to have different stock than what's mentioned online so ymmv.

[DrMoze]

I'm a bit late to this thread, so just some after-comments: Either one is great (T1 or 350). The T1 is silly cheap at $99. I use a 350, about a year now. I love the portability--fits fine in my front pocket and no hint of damage. The standard Sony case is great, small, opens easily, protective. The T1 looks fine, bigger screen but I feel the 350 screen is fine (having read 100+ books on it so far!). I have no need for wifi, and applaud the OP's focus. Sony Readers are great for reading books; add too much functionality and you lose focus/quality. (Look at the Kindle Fire, with lcd screen--it's an all-purpose tablet now, OK for movies and surfing, but short battery life and the screen is nowhere near as good as e-ink for pure reading.) I might pick up a spare 350 now b/c they don't make them anymore. I have PRS+, about 300 books, and no delays. Wifi isn't necessary for me--I do borrow library books, but rarely. I'm OK with wifi on the T1 b/c it apparently doesn't eat up battery life, but I still like the focused purpose of the 350. Not saying anything that hasn't been said already in this thread, I guess.

BTW, enjoy your new Reader! I'm sure you'll be reading a lot more now...