OMG Awesome!!!! .... but wait...

[taf]

I just went through the US on a trip through LA and the airport was absolutely plastered with the new sony505 advertisements. It looked intriguing and when I hit Seattle they had a live unit on display and all I can say is wow. The thing is absolutely amazing. I love reading but I can't tolerate using an LCD or computer, but this eInk technology completely revolutionizes that problem.

Usability was a snap, allowing changing of font sizes, really light weight, small, and well, honestly I can't say a bad thing about it. I'm an instant convert. Given the fact that my laptop bag already weighing a tonne always has at least 2 novels in it. Beyond that, the unit only cost $299.

I had one in my hands ready to buy... but wait.

I wanted to buy a book to take with me but couldn't find any digital copies for sale in the store. The clerk told me they had to be purchased online. So ok cool, I bought some access with my laptop and went to look online while still in the store. As I was buying a novel, I figured I'd just buy it online for the ebook instead. (Not available). Second choice (Not available), 3rd choice (Available!). But wait... I use macintosh so couldn't use the sony.

No problem, I hit google and found this forum. There's some plugins to allow conversion and I can still use macintosh. Not exactly great usability wise but so be it, I can travel with 1 unit and at least for places when I'm away like china, still have access to a solid list of books. But wait... I can't buy any sony books because I'm not a US resident?

Ok so apparently I can still use the sony credit to buy books, and there's someone nice enough from these forums to purchase it for you.

Well no problem, I can just use the ebook PDFs I can buy elsewhere online right? Well... maybe but at least from what I read not likely. Most of them are password protected and built for computer monitors so don't view well.

Anyway, to end a long story I didn't purchase anything. I guess I'm now a member of the group waiting for someone to bring out a solution for this fantastic technology that's usabile for all. Will look more into this cybook but the amazon offering is very exciting, if it's possible to tap into their library I'm sold and will be doing a jigg.

Technology is awesome but lack of standardization, digital rights nonsense (I love itunes but buy/convert CDs because of the garbage attached to digital ownership), poor library selection, etc. all suck.

[CChris]

Hi!

Does it have to be the Sony?!

Check out the cybook, hopefully the first units will be with the buyers on Monday;
Certainly, there is no Mac or Linux Software, but it works as an USB Device, and Ships Worldwide.
No Book-Buying restrictions; if it exists in Mobipocket Format, you can buy it...

This forum offers great info, so just give it a try, and look the bookeen cybook up!

Don't give up on the technology yet, in our time wonders are still to come...

Chris

[ebookie]

Yup, the state of electronic books is currently dismal. Of course the growing popularity of e-readers is starting to create a demand. Did you look at the Illiad from iRex Technologies ? Its like the Sony only a bigger screen (more pixels and larger but same technology) and it runs Linux and it has WiFi and you can download a simple app to it so that you can ssh to it. That means that tools at least can be developed independently (for the most part) of Irex's ability to put developers on the projects. Its not all roses however since their window/shell (called ContentLister) is not documented (its a proprietary app basically). The good news is that it is replacable, and iRex seems to listen on its message boards.

I bought mine because regardless of the ebook market I have a TON of reference information in PDF format (mostly electronic component data sheets) which I like to have with me in an easy to read format on my bench.

--Chuck

[Alisa]

Originally Posted by CChris

Hi!

Does it have to be the Sony?!

Check out the cybook, hopefully the first units will be with the buyers on Monday;
Certainly, there is no Mac or Linux Software, but it works as an USB Device, and Ships Worldwide.
No Book-Buying restrictions; if it exists in Mobipocket Format, you can buy it...

This forum offers great info, so just give it a try, and look the bookeen cybook up!

Don't give up on the technology yet, in our time wonders are still to come...

Chris

I'm also considering the Cybook because of Mobipocket support but I believe there is still no support for DRM-laden PDF if I'm not mistaken. That saddens me since the majority of ebook titles available from my public library are of this sort. They have some Mobipocket but they seem to be adding most of their titles in PDF these days.

[CChris]

Originally Posted by Alisa

I'm also considering the Cybook because of Mobipocket support but I believe there is still no support for DRM-laden PDF if I'm not mistaken. That saddens me since the majority of ebook titles available from my public library are of this sort. They have some Mobipocket but they seem to be adding most of their titles in PDF these days.

Hi Alisa!

So far, that seems to be an unsolvable problem;
but i would suggest this:
Look up the Baen Webscription Site, and check out all the books available on this site; have a look at the Project Gutenberg stuff and all the creative common books out there...

I do read a lot, and i face essentialy the same problem you do:
Not everything is available in e-book, but there is more than enough out there, to justify me buying a reader;

Nobody but you can decide, if there is, in the moment, enough out there for you!

(And you could certainly try to impress the folks at your library with your new reader and get them to stock up in other formats!)

As for the technical and logistical complications to get books to your reader:
There is heavy progress, in great part thanks to ebook users like on this forum: While you still need at least one tiny streak of nerdiness to possess an ebook reader, it gets easier all the time!

Chris

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by ebookie

Yup, the state of electronic books is currently dismal.

That entirely depends what sort of books interest you. If you want to read the NYT best-seller's list then yes, there are many books not available as eBooks. If, on the other hand, you're a fan of older authors, then very often eBooks are much more readily available than printed books.

Eg, I am a big fan of the novellist Henry Rider Haggard, who wrote 60 odd novels. Go to even the best bookstore and you're likely to find "King Solomon's Mines", "She" and perhaps "Allan Quatermain" if you're very lucky. Go to PG, however, and you'll find pretty much his complete works, all of which can be downloaded and read free of charge.

The specific reason I use an eBook reader is that it allows me to easily read books that I can't easily find in bookstores.