Next Sony reader: wish list

[SkonOfVulcan]

I'd like longer battery life. They could achive this in two ways. 1) a larger battery. 2) Coat the leather cover inside and out with photovaltaic solar cells and have it charge the reader where it connects to the reader.!!

+ =

[astrodad]

I want Sony to pay Kovid some cash, and then pay him to support calibre as the official software of the Reader, integrating the store, news subscriptions, auto-sync, reading lists, and a snappier interface.

I also want to be able to delete from the device and I'd like more built-in memory so I don't have to stick in a memory card.

[SkonOfVulcan]

Originally Posted by jplumey

I want Sony to pay Kovid some cash, and then pay him to support calibre as the official software of the Reader, integrating the store, news subscriptions, auto-sync, reading lists, and a snappier interface.

I also want to be able to delete from the device and I'd like more built-in memory so I don't have to stick in a memory card.

Amen to that! Calibre blows away Sonys software. The included software is almost useless. I have DSL and just trying to browse Sony's store from the software is so slow that it rairly finshes loading a page. Of course there store is that slow when just viewing with a browser half the time. I've tried to buy several books from there site & have never been able to complete the transaction. I do't have this problem with any other sites period.

[lee1234]

Touch screen feature would be nice!

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by lee1234

Touch screen feature would be nice!

I strongly disagree. Hardware buttons work a lot better than a touch-screen for a book reader. Do you really want fingerprints all over a screen that you're reading from? I'd find that unbearable myself.

[moz]

Originally Posted by jplumey

I want Sony to pay Kovid some cash, and then pay him to support calibre as the official software of the Reader, integrating the store, news subscriptions, auto-sync, reading lists, and a snappier interface.

I have already paid Kovid a bit, perhaps other people could do the same. I suspect (not speaking for him) that he might be happier keeping it as a hobby/part time job and let Sony deal with the support grind. But I'm sure that would also be possible. I'm equally sure that he'd release another tool because the Sony process overhead would annoy him

I also want to be able to delete from the device and I'd like more built-in memory so I don't have to stick in a memory card.

Deleting from the device would be cool. But more memory... nah, $20 for a 2GB SD card is fine by me. Better management of the library it can hold right now would be much more useful.

[SkonOfVulcan]

Originally Posted by moz

I have already paid Kovid a bit, perhaps other people could do the same. I suspect (not speaking for him) that he might be happier keeping it as a hobby/part time job and let Sony deal with the support grind. But I'm sure that would also be possible. I'm equally sure that he'd release another tool because the Sony process overhead would annoy him



Deleting from the device would be cool. But more memory... nah, $20 for a 2GB SD card is fine by me. Better management of the library it can hold right now would be much more useful.

$20 for 2GB??? That way way high. There going for $7 at Wal-mart and i've seen them as low as $4 online. I just got a class 6 8GB for my digital camera for $29 and it included a SDHC reader. Genaric brand obviously.

[serpentium]

Deleting files is a need; or at least a "moving to read directory" feature.
Also, could be interesting ask for "deactivate and activate" memory cards? I keep out mine because i read (and tested) they draw energies quicker.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by SkonOfVulcan

$20 for 2GB??? That way way high. There going for $7 at Wal-mart and i've seen them as low as $4 online. I just got a class 6 8GB for my digital camera for $29 and it included a SDHC reader. Genaric brand obviously.

Yep, my wife just bought 3 (2GB) for $6 I think she said. And these weren't some off brand, they were Sandisk.

BOb

[astra]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I strongly disagree. Hardware buttons work a lot better than a touch-screen for a book reader. Do you really want fingerprints all over a screen that you're reading from? I'd find that unbearable myself.

I agree!
Please, no touch-screen for eBook reader

[GypsyWoman]

Originally Posted by astra

I agree!
Please, no touch-screen for eBook reader

I third the motion. My PDA and cell phone screens are a mess due to the stylus touching it everyday.

[Peto]

Originally Posted by DrMoze

I use my Reader for reading books and stories. It does that great. The screen size and thin form factor are just right IMO. (A larger screen for pdfs would be a different beast.) It really hits the mark for a leisure reading device.

I don't need more memory. My 505 internal memory is about half full, and it has at least 2-3 months' worth of reading. What are y'all reading that takes up so much memory? Or do people want to carry "every" book file with them? That's more of an obsession than a functional /need. Seriously, I have quite a variety for any reading mood, with tons of memory to spare, and no need for memory cards.

OK, I *might* like "official" customizable options like clock display or mapping the menu keys to page turns, but I already have that anyway.

Agree. I don't need to have 3 years worth in reading time in my reader.

What I would like to have is the option to transfer files between the reader and the sd card, so that I can remove the already read books and add new ones from the sd when I need them. I use the SD just for storing, but if you want to read any book from there, it will deplete your battery. This is not an issue if you have a laptop or a PC, but when you go on holidays it can be a nuisance.

Faster page turns for files with embedded fonts would be very nice.

A couple of dictionaries (English-English and English-X) would be nice, I think, for foreign and English speakers (try reading Master and Commander without one). I used to read in my Dell Axim X50v and had a dictionary program called Lexisee with which you were just two clicks from any explanation/translation. I seldom used it, but when I needed it, I got the result so fast I didn't need to reread anything. Depending on the book you pick, the dictionary can make a difference.

The clock display, I already got, thanks to Wolf, and the font editing too, thanks to Covid, to the point that my lrf look exactly as I want them. Could be improved, of course, but it is not worth my time.

As for all these other wishes like light, extra battery, extra memory, faster ram, touchpad, etc. I would say a firm no to all of them. I don't want a light that would add weight and subtract autonomy, I don't have a problem with battery life as it is, the internal memory of my reader is half full at the outmost, as I don't need to have more than 10 books on my reader (right now I have 16, but only for the sake of having them, not out of probable need of reading them). The card slots hold the original grey plastic pieces and are taped to prevent dust from entering. I don't want a faster ram that will eat my battery and I sure as hell don't want a touch pad or an stylus.

The only thing apart from the above I would like is color. Still, If I had to pay more to have the color screened reader, I don't think I would.

[seajewel]

Ability to add your own fonts (thereby adding multi-language support for most, if not all, languages). ETA: actual font family support as pointed out by others. I want REAL italics.
Support for formats like epub or mobipocket.
Kindle-like wifi is nice but not necessary.
Software even remotely approaching Calibre's ease of use and convenience.
Better contrast screen?

[acidzebra]

It seems to me a lot of people (with their annotation, touch screen, text input and whatnot ideas) actually want a Iliad. Or am I missing something?

I've considered those features, considered the price of the Iliad, and bought the Sony.

I'd like support for folder-based library browsing and large libraries (having it not rebuild the entire database every disconnect would be nice), but that's about it.

[SeaWolf]

Originally Posted by acidzebra

It seems to me a lot of people (with their annotation, touch screen, text input and whatnot ideas) actually want a Iliad. Or am I missing something?

There's no doubting that the Iliad is impressive when it comes to features, but I think what most people really want is an Iliad at Sony price, size and battery life.