New user - finally with a Sony - resume is crucial

martinalex · 08-15-2007, 05:10 PM

I'm following this forum with great interest since nearly one year. There is very useful information about the different ebook readers.

I had read about eInk technology ever earlier and followed the discussions about the Librie on groups.yahoo.com/group/librie where the mobileread forum had been mentioned.

Fortunately I have now at least the option to choose between 2 different readers: Sony and Irex.

Irex is more expensive, but has a larger screen and 16 grayscales
Sony is nearly half the price, but not available in Europe (I live in Germany).

I have read a few ebooks on my Dell Axim X51 PDA, but the screen is too small. But one feature is great: I can switch off the PDA and resume reading later in less than 1 second.

This is crucial for me, because I'm interrupted often when reading.

I have tended towards the Irex, but it has been mentioned in this forum more than once that the Irex has no resume feature,

this was the crucial point for me to buy a Sony. The Sony has at lease a resume within a few seconds.

Unfortunately the Sony ebook reader is not sold in Europe

, so I have ordered it from eBay. Prices are going down a bit 280€ + shipment. I have serial number 44999, so Sony will soon have sold 50.000 readers. Not huge, but a beginning. An estimated revenue of 10 mio $ or € is perhaps not too interesting for Sony.

The reader has arrived and makes a very good first impression.
The only missing feature: HTML support, but I will try to print web pages to PDF.

The next days I will be busy to find out what I can do with the reader.

P.S. Last week I was in a large electronics shop in Germany and they had more than one hundred different MP3 players available. I think in a few years I can go to such a shop and they will have 10 different ebook readers - we will see.

martinalex

Dr. Drib · 08-15-2007, 05:23 PM

I want to welcome you to MobileRead.

This is a wonderful community of like-minded lovers of ebooks and of reading.

You'll find a friendly - and spirited community! - of individuals who offer support and advice.

If you have questions, please ask.

Don

tribble · 08-15-2007, 05:23 PM

Congrats to your new toy. Hope you enjoy it alot.

If you want to see an iLiad in real life, we might meet some time. I am not too fart away. I personally also would like to see the Sony in real life.

RWood · 08-15-2007, 05:37 PM

Again, welcome to MobileRead.

Perhaps a better choice for converting web pages for use on the Sony would be html2lrf which is part of the libprs500 package. Save the file as html and run the command line program html2lrf and you get a wonderfully formatted lrf file (the native format for the Sony) that can be loaded and read easily. He has some other programs that in the library that search such sites as Newsweek or the NY Times and create great lrf files for the Sony. You can get these programs from his web site for free. Just go to the MobileRead Wiki (there's a link to it on the top of the screen) and look on the conversion page.

NatCh · 08-15-2007, 05:58 PM

Welcome 'into the light,' martinalex!

Glad we could help you with your decision.

HarryT · 08-16-2007, 03:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by martinalex

I have tended towards the Irex, but it has been mentioned in this forum more than once that the Irex has no resume feature,

this was the crucial point for me to buy a Sony. The Sony has at lease a resume within a few seconds.

Note that, technically the Sony does not have a "suspend/resume" feature. That is when you "dump" a memory image to disk, and reload it to resume execution - like the "Suspend" feature that most Windows notebooks offer.

The Sony simply never shuts down; when you "turn it off", all that happens is that it blanks the screen and disables most of the buttons. The operating system continues to run, which is why a Sony Reader will continue to use up its battery charge at a constant rate (roughly 1 "bar" of charge on the battery meter every 5-7 days) whether you use the machine or not.

I have both a Sony Reader and an iLiad. Both are excellent machines with their own strengths and weaknesses.

Alexander Turcic · 08-16-2007, 07:04 AM

Congrats on finding your reader, martinalex

I am sure you'll have a lot of fun with it.

Azayzel · 08-16-2007, 08:39 PM

This is what I like about the Sony, you can leave it on all the time and it won't use any more energy than when it's off. It will eventually shut the screen off if you don't use it for a while, but I've noticed my wife has been leaving hers on quite often and haven't noticed any decrease in power performance.

Can't speak for the iRex, but I like the instant-on of the Reader.

HarryT · 08-17-2007, 03:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azayzel

Can't speak for the iRex, but I like the instant-on of the Reader.

The iLiad boots every time you turn it on, which takes about 45 seconds. This isn't a problem for me - I just turn it on and go and make a cup of tea, and it's ready to go when I come back - but you can't really use it for 5 minute reading sessions like you can with the Reader. The Reader's "instant on" is definitely a big "plus".

Leaping Gnome · 08-17-2007, 10:20 AM

Agreed, the resume on the Reader really means you can just pick it whenever you have a couple of minutes.

JSWolf · 08-22-2007, 09:56 AM

What I am planning on trying sometime in the future is turning off (proper off) my Sony and seeing how much longer the battery life lasts before needing a charge. Turn it off when I go to bed and turn it on in the morning.

08-15-2007, 05:10 PM	#1
martinalex Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Cologne Germany Device: Sony PRS-500	New user - finally with a Sony - resume is crucial I'm following this forum with great interest since nearly one year. There is very useful information about the different ebook readers. I had read about eInk technology ever earlier and followed the discussions about the Librie on groups.yahoo.com/group/librie where the mobileread forum had been mentioned. Fortunately I have now at least the option to choose between 2 different readers: Sony and Irex. Irex is more expensive, but has a larger screen and 16 grayscales Sony is nearly half the price, but not available in Europe (I live in Germany). I have read a few ebooks on my Dell Axim X51 PDA, but the screen is too small. But one feature is great: I can switch off the PDA and resume reading later in less than 1 second. This is crucial for me, because I'm interrupted often when reading. I have tended towards the Irex, but it has been mentioned in this forum more than once that the Irex has no resume feature, this was the crucial point for me to buy a Sony. The Sony has at lease a resume within a few seconds. Unfortunately the Sony ebook reader is not sold in Europe , so I have ordered it from eBay. Prices are going down a bit 280€ + shipment. I have serial number 44999, so Sony will soon have sold 50.000 readers. Not huge, but a beginning. An estimated revenue of 10 mio $ or € is perhaps not too interesting for Sony. The reader has arrived and makes a very good first impression. The only missing feature: HTML support, but I will try to print web pages to PDF. The next days I will be busy to find out what I can do with the reader. P.S. Last week I was in a large electronics shop in Germany and they had more than one hundred different MP3 players available. I think in a few years I can go to such a shop and they will have 10 different ebook readers - we will see. martinalex

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Mentor Lite -> Book resume and Firmware question	sagars24	Astak EZReader	34	07-27-2010 05:52 PM
So no sleep or suspend? How about RESUME?	Asterra	iRex	1	12-28-2007 01:55 PM
Quick resume some clear answers....	markiehill	iRex	4	02-02-2007 08:05 AM
PRS-500 Finally understand how to put user fonts on Sony Reader!	db100	Sony Reader Dev Corner	5	01-19-2007 01:24 PM
MOST crucial decision - please please help me...!!!!!!!!!	sunandoghosh	Lounge	3	08-24-2005 03:31 AM

08-15-2007, 05:23 PM	#2
Dr. Drib Grand Sorcerer Posts: 44,743 Karma: 55645321 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Peru Device: Kindle: Oasis 3, Voyage WiFi; Kobo: Libra 2, Aura One	I want to welcome you to MobileRead. This is a wonderful community of like-minded lovers of ebooks and of reading. You'll find a friendly - and spirited community! - of individuals who offer support and advice. If you have questions, please ask. Don

08-15-2007, 05:23 PM	#3
tribble iLiad Maniac Posts: 1,382 Karma: 2369 Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Germany Device: Bookeen Opus (i love that thing) and iPad (what an irony)	Congrats to your new toy. Hope you enjoy it alot. If you want to see an iLiad in real life, we might meet some time. I am not too fart away. I personally also would like to see the Sony in real life.

08-15-2007, 05:37 PM	#4
RWood Technogeezer Posts: 7,233 Karma: 1601464 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Virginia, USA Device: Sony PRS-500	Again, welcome to MobileRead. Perhaps a better choice for converting web pages for use on the Sony would be html2lrf which is part of the libprs500 package. Save the file as html and run the command line program html2lrf and you get a wonderfully formatted lrf file (the native format for the Sony) that can be loaded and read easily. He has some other programs that in the library that search such sites as Newsweek or the NY Times and create great lrf files for the Sony. You can get these programs from his web site for free. Just go to the MobileRead Wiki (there's a link to it on the top of the screen) and look on the conversion page.

08-15-2007, 05:58 PM	#5
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Welcome 'into the light,' martinalex! Glad we could help you with your decision.

08-16-2007, 07:04 AM	#7
Alexander Turcic Fully Converged Posts: 18,163 Karma: 14021202 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Switzerland Device: Too many to count here.	Congrats on finding your reader, martinalex I am sure you'll have a lot of fun with it.

08-16-2007, 08:39 PM	#8
Azayzel Cache Ninja! Posts: 643 Karma: 1002300 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tokyo, Japan Device: PRS-500, HTC Shift, iPod Touch, iPaq 4150, TC1100, Panasonic WordsGear	This is what I like about the Sony, you can leave it on all the time and it won't use any more energy than when it's off. It will eventually shut the screen off if you don't use it for a while, but I've noticed my wife has been leaving hers on quite often and haven't noticed any decrease in power performance. Can't speak for the iRex, but I like the instant-on of the Reader.

08-17-2007, 10:20 AM	#10
Leaping Gnome Evangelist Posts: 490 Karma: 1641 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Louisville Device: Sony Reader PRS-500	Agreed, the resume on the Reader really means you can just pick it whenever you have a couple of minutes.

08-22-2007, 09:56 AM	#11
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,970 Karma: 128903378 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	What I am planning on trying sometime in the future is turning off (proper off) my Sony and seeing how much longer the battery life lasts before needing a charge. Turn it off when I go to bed and turn it on in the morning.

Advert

Advert