Official Sony PR re PRS-300/600

[Who are you?]

Originally Posted by SHOECHICK

Do you have to download the books again? even if they're sitting on your PC in your library? I was hoping it would just work like an IPod where it accesses the same library.

No need to redownload the books if you're using the same PC. The reply was for someone who wants a new reader and at the same time wants to use a different (Mac) computer to transfer books.

[SHOECHICK]

Originally Posted by Who are you?

No need to redownload the books if you're using the same PC. The reply was for someone who wants a new reader and at the same time wants to use a different (Mac) computer to transfer books.

Ah, perfect - awesome

[frozennorth]

Originally Posted by SHOECHICK

No, I'm heading on a Mexican Cruise that ends in LA and then we have 4 days in Vegas so I'd pick one up down there and it's well within my duty free limit so no issues bringing it back.

Lucky You. No chance for any of us going to US until January, February. Don't think I wanna wait that long. When are you going? Can I come with you?

[Daithi]

It was my understanding that VAT applied to every purchase. I could definately be wrong and would value the clarification, but here is how I was told VAT works --

A farmer sells food, but he needs to buy fertalizer, water, pesticides, etc. to produce that food, and he is required to pay VAT on all these purchases. Then a Food Distrubutor purchases the farmer's food and the distributor needs to pay VAT for that food, as well as VAT for the trucks he purchased to pickup and distribute the food. Then grocery stores buy the food from the Food Distributor and they too pay VAT. Then consumers buy the food and once again pay VAT. At every level that value is added to an item then a tax is incured, thus Value Added Tax. Furthermore, the tax paid is on the added value and not on the gross cost of the item. A sales tax on the other hand is only charged on the gross price of the final sale to consumers, and when businesses are charged a sales tax it can be deducted when they file their taxes.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by SHOECHICK

Do you have to download the books again? even if they're sitting on your PC in your library? I was hoping it would just work like an IPod where it accesses the same library.

The reason you have to download the books again is so the ID for the new Reader can be added to the DRM.

[SHOECHICK]

Originally Posted by frozennorth

Lucky You. No chance for any of us going to US until January, February. Don't think I wanna wait that long. When are you going? Can I come with you?

September

Originally Posted by MerLock

I think Sony could've added a lot of other features to, such as the 16 grey scale that was previously mentioned. I'd be suprised if it did have a faster page turn.

I really cannot tell the difference between my PRS-505 with 8 gray scales and my Kindle with 16 gray scales as for as text goes. And there is little difference between images.

I looked up the processor for the 600 this morning and it is an ARM family that starts out at 532 MHz. I'm not sure what the 505 has for a processor.

[jasonkchapman]

I am seriously thinking it might be time to slide my trusty PRS-500 over to my wife. I'm torn, though. The 300 looks really, really crowded-subway-commute-friendly while 600 looks to have much-like-the-500-but-has-neater-gadget-stuff appeal.

[Argel]

Originally Posted by Daithi

It was my understanding that VAT applied to every purchase. I could definately be wrong and would value the clarification

It depends on which country you are in and the turnover of the vendor. Different countries in the EU charge different rates on different categories of goods, though they are supposed to be within certain bands. Here in the UK, for instance, there is no VAT on books.

It also depends on the tiurnover of the person you are buying from. There is a threshold turnover below which the vendor doesn't have to register for VAT. That is most significant in relation to services. If I'm a small-time repairman I might not have the turnover to require me to charge VAT, so my services will be cheaper. If I sell stuff that I have bought it is more complicated, since the price I charge will reflect that I have probably paid VAT on the stuff I am reselling, even if I don't charge VAT myself. If I'm not registered I can't reclaim VAT I have paid.

Furthermore, the tax paid is on the added value and not on the gross cost of the item. A sales tax on the other hand is only charged on the gross price of the final sale to consumers, and when businesses are charged a sales tax it can be deducted when they file their taxes.

Yes and no. VAT is charged on the whole sale price at every stage, but the vendor reclaims the VAT they have paid on their inputs, so the effect is to tax the value added. So if I sell you a widget for £200, then I have to add 15% VAT (provided my turnover is big enough), i.e. £30. However, I bought the widget for £100 plus VAT. When I make out my VAT return I declare that I have taken in £30 in VAT but I offset the £15 I paid out - in effect I only pay tax on the £100 value I have added.

VAT is conceptually simple but in practice horribly complicated - rich pickings for accountants.

[Who are you?]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The reason you have to download the books again is so the ID for the new Reader can be added to the DRM.

It doesn't work like that, it works the other way around. When you authorize a device in the sony software what you do is add your account ID to the reader. There is absolutely no need to redownload your old DRM protected books to read them on a new device.

[frozennorth]

Originally Posted by Daithi

It was my understanding that VAT applied to every purchase. I could definately be wrong and would value the clarification, but here is how I was told VAT works --

A farmer sells food, but he needs to buy fertalizer, water, pesticides, etc. to produce that food, and he is required to pay VAT on all these purchases. Then a Food Distrubutor purchases the farmer's food and the distributor needs to pay VAT for that food, as well as VAT for the trucks he purchased to pickup and distribute the food. Then grocery stores buy the food from the Food Distributor and they too pay VAT. Then consumers buy the food and once again pay VAT. At every level that value is added to an item then a tax is incured, thus Value Added Tax. Furthermore, the tax paid is on the added value and not on the gross cost of the item. A sales tax on the other hand is only charged on the gross price of the final sale to consumers, and when businesses are charged a sales tax it can be deducted when they file their taxes.

In Canada it's the GST (Goods and Services Tax) and in some provinces HST (harmonized Sales Tax). Provinces with HST have added their provincial tax to the federal GST. I'm lucky in that Alberta only charges GST which is 5%. Some items are exempt like basic groceries (bread, milk, veggies etc.). As far as I know plain peanuts are tax free but salted ones are taxed. Businesses only pay the difference between the GST they collected and the GST they paid. If you paid more than you collected you get a refund. So for Businesses GST is fully refundable.

OK now let's get back to the topic. What was it again. Ah yes the new Sony 300 and 600.

[mazzeltjes]

Harmonized Sales Tax

[herbdb]

The VAT is a regressive tax like our US and Canadian sales taxes. In most cases they are much higher than anything we pay. Most EU countries have VAT on most general merchandise of in excess of 15%, with some as high as 25%. You can see why some of the forum members need to account for the tax in their purchases.

In the US, I can often make internet purchases with no tax at all.

[frozennorth]

Originally Posted by mazzeltjes

Harmonized Sales Tax

I agree. It sure sounds like an oxymoron. Same with vat. There's no value added to the product.

[Kostas]

Originally Posted by herbdb

The VAT is a regressive tax like our US and Canadian sales taxes.

From a consumer pov, sales tax and vat look the same. But the concept is quite different, especially for businesses.

Originally Posted by frozennorth

(...) Same with vat. There's no value added to the product.

Not true for a business. If there is no added value, incoming vat = outcoming vat, no extra tax.

Value added tax (VAT), or goods and services tax (GST) is a consumption tax levied on any value that is added to a product. In contrast to sales tax, VAT is neutral with respect to the number of passages that there are between the producer and the final consumer; where sales tax is levied on total value at each stage, the result is a cascade (downstream taxes levied on upstream taxes).

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_added_tax