PRS505 Firmware update: epub, DE, and reflow -- oh my!

[Brainiac 5]

The time is coming that they will really need to support x64. As rmeister0 said, some consumer machines now come with Vista x64. In fact, last week I was surprised to notice in Best Buy's weekly flier that many machines came with 4GB or more of RAM, and pretty much every desktop machine except the few really cheap ones came with Vista x64!

[RWJ]

Originally Posted by NatCh

Remember they aimed the device itself at folks who aren't computer geniuses, so they're not going to ask for too much technosavvy on the updates.

Thanks very much NatCh, I appreciate all the help here. Now I'm waiting on tenterhooks for the firmware release - and I'm seriously planning on stopping by the Sony store that I pass on my way to campus!

[Hadrien]

Originally Posted by rmeister0

There is an unanswered question here: does the new software support Windows Vista x64? The current software is 32-bit only.

A smattering of consumer machines are shipping with x64 now.

Which software ? For ePub files, you'll be using Digital Editions instead of the Sony eBook Library.

[TadW]

I suspect he meant the official Sony Library software.

[Hadrien]

With DE, it'll be much easier to use the PRS-505 on Mac OS X and Linux too. The Linux version of DE isn't available yet, but it should be released this year.

[RWJ]

Another question, with my ongoing thanks for patience with my cluelessness: is Adobe DE something that has to be installed on the eReader, something you install on your laptop to convert PDFs for your eReader, or now made unnecessary by the new firmware? (or something else entirely?)

[TadW]

Originally Posted by Hadrien

With DE, it'll be much easier to use the PRS-505 on Mac OS X and Linux too. The Linux version of DE isn't available yet, but it should be released this year.

But suppose you need the Sony Library to purchase ePub books from Waterstone's. Without proper 64bit support from Sony, you're screwed if you're using Vista 64.

[igorsk]

Originally Posted by Hadrien

With DE, it'll be much easier to use the PRS-505 on Mac OS X and Linux too. The Linux version of DE isn't available yet, but it should be released this year.

It's not certain OSX and Linux version will support devices. The current OSX executable doesn't contain a string "Sony" (Windows version does).

[astrodad]

Oh when, oh when will the download be there, oh when, oh when will it be? Sing with me folks.

[seajewel]

hopefully the new firmware won't affect battery life. i'm pleased with my battery life and not so much pleased with the news i hear of the cybook's (especially the problems after new firmware came out).

oh, and sony, if you're listening.. you just made the sony reader my perfect reader (well, barring a better slightly bigger screen) except for one feature. Ability to add your own fonts (and thereby add multi language support). Other than this one thing, the 505 right now is perfect for me. please consider!

[stgben]

Originally Posted by TadW

But suppose you need the Sony Library to purchase ePub books from Waterstone's. Without proper 64bit support from Sony, you're screwed if you're using Vista 64.

I've resorted to running a virtual machine with Windows XP 32-bit for the sole purpose of using the eBook Library.

[Hadrien]

Originally Posted by igorsk

It's not certain OSX and Linux version will support devices. The current OSX executable doesn't contain a string "Sony" (Windows version does).

Well, I doubt that Adobe will keep the support for mobile devices Windows-only, it wouldn't make much sens.

Originally Posted by TadW

But suppose you need the Sony Library to purchase ePub books from Waterstone's. Without proper 64bit support from Sony, you're screwed if you're using Vista 64.

For ePub books, I doubt that you'll use the Sony Library. You'll simply browse Waterstone using your browser and it'll launch DE to download and transfer the book.

[kfarmer]

Originally Posted by stgben

I've resorted to running a virtual machine with Windows XP 32-bit for the sole purpose of using the eBook Library.

Funny.. it works perfectly well on x64. It's just a problem with their installer.

So open up a command line (probably run as administrator), and execute the exe, passing in "/a" as an argument. This will explode the installation package into a directory of your choice. Then you copy the directories to their appropriate locations.

Tedious, but less tedious than maintaining a single-purpose VM.

[llasram]

Originally Posted by seajewel

oh, and sony, if you're listening.. you just made the sony reader my perfect reader

If their press release were actually entirely true, then it would be my perfect reader :

"The Reader is an open device[...]," said Steve Haber, senior vice president of consumer product marketing for Sony Electronics.

-Marshall

[Jim Lester]

Originally Posted by Hadrien

With DE, it'll be much easier to use the PRS-505 on Mac OS X and Linux too. The Linux version of DE isn't available yet, but it should be released this year.

First, I think I can safely say that there will not be a desktop Linux release of ADE this calendar year. (I don't think the fact that the Sony is running on top of Linux OS counts for what you want).

Second, ADE talks to the Sony PRS-505 through a DLL that get installed with the Connect Library. If you do not have Connect Library installed, then you will not see your Sony as a bookshelf in ADE (and you wont be able to activate your Sony, DRM won't work, etc...)

Since Sony does not ship the Connect Library for Mac and did not have a Framework (Mac version of a DLL) for us to talk to, the Mac version of ADE will not "see" the Sony Reader. You can still transfer files through the OS, but DRM'd files will not work unless you have previously authorized your Sony Reader with an AdobeID (on a Windows box) that is the same as what you are using on the Mac. I'm a Mac user, my wife (who has a 505) is also a Mac user - I feel the pain on this.

Also there was an earlier question about reflow. The PDF does not have to be "tagged" to be reflowed.(and we actually ignore the tags if we they are there - we got better results that way) Because of this there are cases were we will really mangle the PDF during reflow because the text flow in the PDF do not match what you would expect as reading order, but other than the edge cases the results are pretty good.

Any other technical questions , fire away.

--
Jim Lester
Adobe Systems