Connect Store Suggestions

reading_nut · 11-04-2006, 05:07 PM

OK, so I see threads for suggesting features for upcoming software releases or new products. However, I haven't seen anything for suggestions for Sony on content (not features) to add to their online store.

I'll start with a request for full copies of popular magazines. Wired comes immediately to mind - something I love to browse. I understand that the images may not convert to 4-bit greyscale all that well, though.

How about a periodical that is primarily text based? Harvard Business Review? Business Week?

How about the rest of you? What would you like to see on the connect store?

Bob Russell · 11-04-2006, 05:48 PM

We do have this thread: Books that you wish were at the Connect store. Let's keep that one for books.

But you seem to be getting at non-book content. I'd be interested what people think. We now have this Rss2Book solution (already in version 7 with lots of new features!) for converting from RSS feeds to Sony Reader books. I'm not sure about what possibilities there are for magazine-like content on the Reader. It will be interesting to hear what people think and would like.

BTW, Harvard Business Review does have this site with an associated daily RSS feed.

Teresita3 · 11-04-2006, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reading_nut

How about the rest of you? What would you like to see on the connect store?

Hymnals.

jasonbrent · 11-05-2006, 12:19 AM

I'd simply like to see sony partner with bn.com and re-introduce ebooks there. Screw this "Sony being a bookstore" thing. There are already great bookstores around.

William Moates · 11-05-2006, 04:16 AM

I'd like to be able to add any RSS feed to the store. I tried choosing some feeds from New Scientist and drag-n-dropping their URL to the RSS feed list, but nothing happened. Didn't expect it to work, but I thought it was worth a try.

Personally, I'd prefer access to content instead of content, but that's off-topic.

I think that being able to download today's news would be good, so maybe they could add newspapers to it. (However, I think RSS feeds would actually fulfill that need.) It would be neat if your local newspaper could create it's own RSS feed, by choosing important AP/Reuters/UPI articles, then creating their own content (local news and editorials, classifieds, etc.) and setting up their own RSS feed to include their local content. You could then use the Sony Connect store to subscribe to your local RSS'ed newspaper.

(There's my back-of-the-envelope sketch for tomorrow's newspaper. Give me credit if you market my idea.

)

As for other content, I'd be interested in science magazines, journals, and periodicals.

Local weather forcasts would be cool, too.

Heck, even being able to port a daily download of my e-mail to the Reader would be a benefit.

The downside of the Reader is not being able to get instant updates. That could be covered by adding WiFi to the next hardware version, but that might not be a good idea, since WiFi on such a device would be a power hog--it certainly is on my Palm OS PDA.

I can think of some other location-specific stuff (flea market alerts, restaurant menus, yellow pages, white pages) but they would be better suited to a GPS-enabled device.

Maps would be cool, but I would make them out of vector graphics instead of JPEGs. Then, the Reader would need a vector graphics interpreter, like PostScript, so that's not currently feasible.

That's everything I can dredge off the top of my head for now. (How's that for a mixed metaphor.

)

-William

reading_nut · 11-05-2006, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Russell

We now have this Rss2Book solution (already in version 7 with lots of new features!) for converting from RSS feeds to Sony Reader books. I'm not sure about what possibilities there are for magazine-like content on the Reader. It will be interesting to hear what people think and would like.

Bob, thanks for the pointer to the "Books we would like" - I'll check that thread out...

In all honesty, I haven't had a chance to play with the RSS feed yet. I'm crippled by the fact that the Reader is my Christmas present and I can't let the kids see me using it! I won't be able to explain to them that it's OK for me to get my presents early but not them...

So, most of my usage beyond an initial charging and downloading a few select titles (you know, just to make sure it is working <wink wink>) has been furtive reading late at night.

The comics/graphic novels/manga section of the store is there, but woefully understocked.

I've been evangelizing at work with my traveling counterparts, and one senior executive commented that he would like to see the "cliff notes" versions of popular business books made available. I think this is a very good fit for the business traveler target audience...

reading_nut · 11-05-2006, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by William Moates

I'd like to be able to add any RSS feed to the store. .....

That's everything I can dredge off the top of my head for now. (How's that for a mixed metaphor.

)

-William

Wow, some great ideas. I like the map idea - I travel a lot, and access to maps in addition to my itinerary information (which I already get in TXT format) would be great. I can bring in a GIF or JPG from mapquest or other similar tool already, but not sure how that will look in 4 bit greyscale...

Thanks!

Bob Russell · 11-05-2006, 11:30 AM

I've been thinking a lot recently about the cliff notes idea for the Reader. I had looked at a few of the business book summary services that are fairly popular, and might actually get one if I can read it on the Reader. Those summaries or Cliff Notes books would be a great addition to the Connect store!

NatCh · 11-05-2006, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reading_nut

I can bring in a GIF or JPG from mapquest or other similar tool already, but not sure how that will look in 4 bit greyscale...

I've done an LRF print or two (using the Librie' printer tool) and it looks a lot better than I've expected from the screen's specs -- certainly servicable, but not "hang it on the wall" kind of quality.

I guess it's a "see how it works for you" kinda thing.

Yaholo · 11-08-2006, 05:33 PM

I was thinking the other day how much I would enjoy it if I could get Time magazine or Newsweek on my Sony Portable Reader. I hope that Sony persuades some magazines soon to produce Reader formatted versions for the Connect store. I would subscribe right now!

Cthulhu · 11-08-2006, 10:29 PM

Having RSS feeds or Pay subscriptions available is another way for SONY to make their system analogous with Apple's.
By The Way, who is the first person to compare the Reader to the iPod? Obviously SONY's music store CONNECT, is a clone of iTunes, but who tried to promote the idea of an e-book device as a metaclone of the world's best-selling mp3 player?

NatCh · 11-09-2006, 01:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cthulhu

Obviously SONY's music store CONNECT, is a clone of iTunes ....

Like one of those B-Movie, mutated deformed clones ....

11-04-2006, 05:07 PM	#1
reading_nut Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Florida Device: Sony eReader	Connect Store Suggestions OK, so I see threads for suggesting features for upcoming software releases or new products. However, I haven't seen anything for suggestions for Sony on content (not features) to add to their online store. I'll start with a request for full copies of popular magazines. Wired comes immediately to mind - something I love to browse. I understand that the images may not convert to 4-bit greyscale all that well, though. How about a periodical that is primarily text based? Harvard Business Review? Business Week? How about the rest of you? What would you like to see on the connect store?

11-08-2006, 05:33 PM	#10
Yaholo Gadget Addict Posts: 12 Karma: 2375 Join Date: Nov 2006 Device: Sony Reader, PPC-6700	e-Zines!!!! I was thinking the other day how much I would enjoy it if I could get Time magazine or Newsweek on my Sony Portable Reader. I hope that Sony persuades some magazines soon to produce Reader formatted versions for the Connect store. I would subscribe right now!

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11-04-2006, 05:48 PM	#2
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	We do have this thread: Books that you wish were at the Connect store. Let's keep that one for books. But you seem to be getting at non-book content. I'd be interested what people think. We now have this Rss2Book solution (already in version 7 with lots of new features!) for converting from RSS feeds to Sony Reader books. I'm not sure about what possibilities there are for magazine-like content on the Reader. It will be interesting to hear what people think and would like. BTW, Harvard Business Review does have this site with an associated daily RSS feed.

11-05-2006, 12:19 AM	#4
jasonbrent Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2006	I'd simply like to see sony partner with bn.com and re-introduce ebooks there. Screw this "Sony being a bookstore" thing. There are already great bookstores around.

11-05-2006, 04:16 AM	#5
William Moates Zealot Posts: 107 Karma: 35 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Greensboro, NC Device: Sony Librie / Sony Clie / Sony Reader	I'd like to be able to add any RSS feed to the store. I tried choosing some feeds from New Scientist and drag-n-dropping their URL to the RSS feed list, but nothing happened. Didn't expect it to work, but I thought it was worth a try. Personally, I'd prefer access to content instead of content, but that's off-topic. I think that being able to download today's news would be good, so maybe they could add newspapers to it. (However, I think RSS feeds would actually fulfill that need.) It would be neat if your local newspaper could create it's own RSS feed, by choosing important AP/Reuters/UPI articles, then creating their own content (local news and editorials, classifieds, etc.) and setting up their own RSS feed to include their local content. You could then use the Sony Connect store to subscribe to your local RSS'ed newspaper. (There's my back-of-the-envelope sketch for tomorrow's newspaper. Give me credit if you market my idea. ) As for other content, I'd be interested in science magazines, journals, and periodicals. Local weather forcasts would be cool, too. Heck, even being able to port a daily download of my e-mail to the Reader would be a benefit. The downside of the Reader is not being able to get instant updates. That could be covered by adding WiFi to the next hardware version, but that might not be a good idea, since WiFi on such a device would be a power hog--it certainly is on my Palm OS PDA. I can think of some other location-specific stuff (flea market alerts, restaurant menus, yellow pages, white pages) but they would be better suited to a GPS-enabled device. Maps would be cool, but I would make them out of vector graphics instead of JPEGs. Then, the Reader would need a vector graphics interpreter, like PostScript, so that's not currently feasible. That's everything I can dredge off the top of my head for now. (How's that for a mixed metaphor. ) -William

11-05-2006, 11:30 AM	#8
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	I've been thinking a lot recently about the cliff notes idea for the Reader. I had looked at a few of the business book summary services that are fairly popular, and might actually get one if I can read it on the Reader. Those summaries or Cliff Notes books would be a great addition to the Connect store!

11-08-2006, 10:29 PM	#11
Cthulhu Technologist Posts: 488 Karma: 585237 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: I'm between Cities Device: SONY Reader PRS-500	Having RSS feeds or Pay subscriptions available is another way for SONY to make their system analogous with Apple's. By The Way, who is the first person to compare the Reader to the iPod? Obviously SONY's music store CONNECT, is a clone of iTunes, but who tried to promote the idea of an e-book device as a metaclone of the world's best-selling mp3 player?

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