Have you used the Sony software/store, or not?

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

I voted other - I've used the software once to register my 505 (which I had to do on an XP VM under VMWare Fusions), but otherwise haven't used it - I can't use the Sony store anyway without changing my account as it's not available to people in the UK, and I use Calibre to manage my library.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by ficbot

I have a Sony 505 and have never even looked at the Sony cd. I have a Mac, so it would not work for me, and I don't like buying formats which are tied to a specific device or brand. I have been buying from Fictionwise and reading freebies.

Originally Posted by Xenophon

What he said. I haven't been back since I bought the $50/reader worth of books that came as part of the original deal for buying a PRS-500.

Two reasons:

1. I refuse to purchase any eBook that has DRM that I cannot remove. Further, I try hard not to purchase any eBook that has any DRM whatsoever! I keep books and re-read them, so I expect permanent access when I purchase. And I've already been screwed by one hardware change (from REB-1100 to Sony) where incompatibilities deprived me of my eLibrary. I will not permit this to happen again.
2. As a Mac user, I cannot use the Sony store anyway. Aside: What on earth posessed them to build a store where you have to use their software to give them money? What's wrong with Web standards, anyway???

Anyway, if they fix those issues I might be back. Maybe.

Xenophon

i installed the sony software when i first got my 700 but never got around to registering it. my reasons are basically the same as xeonphon for not using the store with a few small differences.

particularly 1. drm and closed formats : i buy as few drm-ed books as i can, and only a format i can remove the drm from, and my format of choice is epub (go standard formats !!). i may download a free lrf from mobileread if it's not available in any other format but i try to avoid it, and i would never buy an lrf much less an lrx because i don't know what device i'll have in future, and it could easily not be a sony. i lost access to quite a few of my lit books from fictionwise when i reinstalled my system (the new installation of the windows reader has a different id, or something, so i can't download them again and i can't open the ones i had downloaded). luckily, i always remove the drm immediately for archiving so i still have access to those books, which is a good thing since i hadn't even read all of them yet when i had to reinstall. but that just confirmed to me (as if i needed it...) that drm and closed formats are the last thing i'm interested in. buying books is an investment to me, and i want to keep them.

2. substitute "live in france" for "mac user" ; technically, the sony store is not accessible to me. in france sony has partnered with the fnac (large chain of book stores) so that is my "official" sony bookstore and that store can be visited / bought from using any computer with a webbrowser.

i use calibre for everything ; library management, conversion, creating collections, meta-data... it's an excellent solution for me and i have no need for the sony software (which, from what i've seen of it, is not nearly as powerful / useful / multi-purpose as calibre.

[timestocome]

Sony store doesn't work on Macs so we bought our books from fictionwise.com

[Valloric]

I use Sony's eBook Library application to check how custom LRF books will look like on the Reader (much like HarryT). So far, this seems to be its only useful purpose.

I don't buy books with DRM I can't remove. I don't need that kind of aggravation.

[Satans Puppet]

why hasn't Sony or amazon done some kind of research to see how this approach is affecting their sales?

[Elsi]

I chose "other". I've had my Sony reader since August last year. The first time I installed the Sony software was when they announced the partnership with Google books because I wanted to get some of those in ePub format.

I cannot register my reader, though. It shows up in the Sony system as already registered to someone else. I contacted the person who sold it to me and he says he cannot see any option to unregister it without it being connected to his computer. And, so far, I haven't found the right way to contact Sony to ask them to force the deregistration so I can register it. I have not bought any books from the Sony store, since I am totally unwilling to read on the PC.

[Renaldo]

Originally Posted by Elsi

I cannot register my reader, though. It shows up in the Sony system as already registered to someone else.

Just do this:

Press the reset button for 10 seconds, then volume + & bookmark button for one minute and that resets the drm in the unit.

Courtesy of this thread:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43858

[rjfarrell]

I have purchased books from the Sony Site. I find it convenient and easy enough. I think I am giving up my mad hack days of getting a device to hack it up. Now, I buy a few books...so far Sony only. I am madly in love with my Public Library in Phoenix, AZ for offering Ebooks. Between the two, i have quite enough books. And my family shares books on the Sony Account from Michigan to Oregon to Arizona, and shares the library account across those states as well. It is just good stuff.

Am definitely waiting for the next Sony reader....I bought 6 total readers at Christmas time. (4) 505's, (2) 700's for myself and various family members. I use the 700. I have crisp screen envy. lol.

[HistoryWes]

Originally Posted by kelly1010

I tried to learn how to convert/strip DRM, but It was frustratingly complicated so I gave up.

I had the same experience. It's frustrating when the DRM actually prevents you from BEING ABLE TO BUY AND PAY FOR the book.

[Lisa2007]

I purchase from the Sony Ebook store quite a bit and I also buy from Books on Board and actually today I thought I had found a third site ....Diesel which turrned out to be a nightmare....But through it all I have had no problems with two of the three ebook sites... the only thing I would like is for the ebook site to have new releases available just as my local retailers....

[julia103]

I voted "other". I use the software regularly. Out of approximately 200 titles on my reader, six are from the Sony store. One was $1.00 and two were free. So while I have bought from them, I didn't think the first option was really accurate. Most of my purchases are from Baen and Fictionwise.

[GraceKrispy]

I use the sony software to organize, and I get the freebies from them (and from other places, now that I'm leaning so much), but I have only bought a few "bundles" from them. If they had some more bundles I liked for prices I thought were "cheap," I'd buy more from sony (I'm talking like $4 or less per book in the bundle). I have never been a book collector with pbooks either though. I'm an avid library user. I was thrilled when I found out I could do library books on my ereader. My initial reaction to the gift of the reader was to think "but I don't *buy* books!"

I am not ready to try to strip drm yet (one thing at a time), but I have been really enjoying using the library and getting freebies. I have more books on my reader right now than I can read before the end of the year, so I'm feeling groovy.

[jinlo]

I have downloaded the Sony Software and have used it to preview the classics that are available from Google.

I have no yet purchased a eBook Reader, but I will do so soon for my wife and I wanted to know how these free classics looked.

From my experience so far, I would say the software is fairly useful in sampling books on the pc, organizing files, and perhaps transferring to the reader. Unfortunately, I won't know about that last one until we get closer to my wife's birthday.

[smithno]

So far, I bought one book to see how it works and picked up several of the free books. I've had my 505 about 8 months.

[mcramer]

Mac owner in New Zealand so kind of screwed twice

I used Calibre for a while but had all sorts of issues for some reason so it's various formats -> RTF -> reader and it works for me.......