PRS-350 Help me get started please!

[ApK]

Although a dedicated Kindle fanboy...er...fanMAN, I couldn't resist a deal:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=127562

So I have a new PRS350SC.

I figure it would be a good reader to let my kids use instead of borrowing mom and dad's Kindles.

I'm pleased to see there is apparently an active hacking community for this reader...I'd love to be able to play chess on this thing.

I see the long sticky about PRS+, but I can't really get a sense about how stable or easy-to-use it is.

It appears to have been in an alpha state for years now. Is that a bad sign?

Would it be fairly painless to try it? Would my 8 year old be able to read books with it, or is it really a hobbyist-level thing?

Can the device be reverted to factory firmware after?

Are there other options I should look at?

Etc, etc, etc?

Thanks,

ApK
Sony Newbie

[jackie_w]

I offer the following as a purely personal opinion. If any of the statements are incorrect perhaps others will jump in.

PRSPlus has been around for quite some time starting with the PRS505. This version (v1.1.3) was a fully working version, not alpha or beta. I used it on my PRS505 with no trouble at all and would happily have recommended it to others.

As the newer models have come along kartu has tried to improve the features and is trying to bring everything together with a very simple install procedure. This is what you're seeing now with v2.0.10alpha.

Very soon after the alpha was released Sony brought out an upgraded official firmware for PRS350/650 to fix a couple of bugs. Unfortunately, if you've installed this already then the PRSPlus installer won't work. I'm sure kartu will be working on this but Sony's timing was probably not helpful.

On the positive side, if you haven't upgraded to Sony's latest and you want to try PRSPlus v2.0.10alpha and it all goes pear-shaped then the recent Sony upgrade may do a good job of getting you back to a "clean official" version.

I should warn you that I haven't actually done this on my PRS650. I'm going to leave it until the beta release has been around a while.

I have put the alpha release on my PRS505 because I was fairly sure I'd be able to reverse out if things went badly wrong. I had a few installation problems but I believe I was in the minority. However it is working OK now. The PRS505 is used every day and has shown no problems.

Finally, most of the benefits I get from PRSPlus probably wouldn't be very interesting to an 8-year-old (custom epub fonts, screencaps, dictionary, custom key bindings). I don't play the games so cannot really comment.

[Pomtroll]

I really can't help you either. I use my prs 350 for reading only. I'm not into games. And I've never hacked any of my e-readers, so once again I'm no help. I do hope someone can help you here.

[CraftyDan]

First, chastising everyone in your status for not replying instantly ain't a great way to win friends and influence people . . .

just sayin . . .


Moving past that, PRS+ is very stable for the '350, short of a few known bugs. The current known bugs are listed on the project page.


The latest OEM ROM (1.0.00.14080) will NOT allow PRS+ to flash. I haven't heard anything about when it'll be fixed.


Assuming you can, the loading process is fairly painless. Changing out the roms is at a hobbyist level, but not by much, anymore.

If you do load it, most of the new features melt into the background. The modifications are built onto the OEM rom, so out of the box it performs almost the same. the only big default differences are the clock in the bottom corner appears and the Periodicals-Collections-Notes row gets swapped out (I think the default is "folders-collections-more", but I've changed them and forgot what they were). The "More" section contains the games and calculator.

Long story short, if you feel the OEM rom is suitable for you kids, PRS+ will do nicely.

If you don't like it, the new rom can be loaded over PRS+, or you can get the old roms from the "russified" CFWs -- loading these is a bit more work, but the translated instructions do work.

[ApK]

Thanks, jackie, that was helpful info!
And thanks Pomtroll, for replying....I was feeling ignored.

[ApK]

Thanks for the info Dan.

If you think my comment in my device list is 'chastising' anyone...then I reckon you ain't never been properly chastised!

ApK

[CraftyDan]

my point is you're wanting free answers and then making nasty comments.

Claiming you're a noob isn't an excuse.

[ApK]

OM-freaking-G.


Free answers? There's a charge? "Where do I start?" "Is PRS+ stable and easy to use?" These questions bother you?

Nasty comments?
Saying I don't feel the forum is 'showing me the love' is nasty?

First I was just feeling unwelcome because of lack of response. Now you and couple others in the dev forum are acting like arrogant unwelcoming snobs.

Who needs you.

THAT's being chastised.

I'll remove the offending comment from my device list. I no longer have a desire to be associated with the Sony section here at all.

[CraftyDan]

Ah, Maturity.

Shame it doesn't come with age.

[viviena]

Originally Posted by ApK

First I was just feeling unwelcome because of lack of response. ... I'll remove the offending comment from my device list. I no longer have a desire to be associated with the Sony section here at all.

Er, sometimes we just have slow days. This forum generally isn't as active as the Kindle one. Many people are also content to use the stock Sony firmware.

With different firmware, I can't help with your OP, and think it's a pity you've seemingly judged us all already, but good luck in any case with your inquiries. The 350 is a brilliant little machine.

[trekchick]

Originally Posted by ApK

First I was just feeling unwelcome because of lack of response. Now you and couple others in the dev forum are acting like arrogant unwelcoming snobs.

There, there now

Of course you're welcome. This is a fantastic forum; you've just gotten off to a rocky start. Please don't make it worse by name-calling and being rude to others.

The reason people are told to RTFM (or check the wiki, etc.) is because 99.9% of noob questions have already been covered, discussed and expanded upon. Being pointed to the proper resource _is_ help.

I have PRS+ on my 950 and I think it's made of awesome.

• It is stable. I haven't put any effort into _trying_ to break it, but I haven't stumbled across any glitches or hangs.
• I'm not a complete idiot, so I can't verify that it's completely idiot-proof, but I've found it easy to use.
• If your child can figure out how to read books on the Sony now, PRS+ won't change that. PRS+ has a boat load of optional customization and configuration features that are more hobbyist/enthusiast targeted than most 8 year olds would care to confront. But, my kid hacked her TV to reset the V-chip at that age, so it all depends on the kid.
• I think the "alpha" designation is more about the automagic self-installation than the firmware. Also, with an alpha, you know that there's no staff for customer service and support, so users have to be self-reliant. It doesn't cause me any worry, but caveat emptor.
• If you flash new Sony firmware over PRS+ it *should* give you that factory-fresh flavor. I say "should" because I haven't personally tested it and have no urge to try, since I'm very happy with PRS+ the way it is.
• As for other options, if the only thing you want out of PRS+ is to play chess when your child isn't reading, then I'd suggest you not bother. It would be easier to spend $3 for a chess game for your Kindle http://www.amazon.com/Chess/dp/B004KACWZW/

As a side note, I updated my PRS-350 with the new Sony firmware and the russify-cation option to get PRS+ on there is a little overwhelming (or maybe I'm just lazy). If/when the automagical self-installer is updated, I'll immediately fire up Parallels to install it, without a doubt.

[timothyh]

Seems like this forum is turning into the nook forums on B&N. Nasty and personal comments. Wow! Hey Crafty, are you listening. Nice picture.

[timothyh]

Oh, just sayin . . .

[ardeegee]

Originally Posted by timothyh

Seems like this forum is turning into the nook forums on B&N. Nasty and personal comments. Wow! Hey Crafty, are you listening. Nice picture.

Next thing you know, people will start bumping 2-month dead threads just to pick fights-- against the person who was being the voice of reason on the thread!

[ardeegee]

Oh, just sayin...