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Old 10-17-2009, 11:02 AM   #1
Maerose
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Eager to get started! Lots of questions!!

I've ordered my first ever eReader (505) from Play.com and am still waiting for it to be delivered. Whilst I'm waiting I thought I could download some books from the Baen website so I'm ready to roll as soon as I finally get it!

I've installed Calibre on to my laptop as I've read on here that it's better than the Sony software. Now I just feel overwhelmed by all the formats etc and feel very unsure how to proceed.

So what do I need to do next? Can I download the books before I get my reader? What format would be best?

Also I've read that I can use a Sony PSP charger to charge my 505 is this right?

Thanks everyone!
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Old 10-17-2009, 11:13 AM   #2
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Download ePub format books from from Baen. Yes, the PSP charger works fine.
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Old 10-17-2009, 11:14 AM   #3
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Hi Maerose, you can charge your 505 with the PSP cable but, it takes about four hours to completely charge it and you can't read books on your reader during that period. For about $20 you can get a wall charger that'll charge up your reader in half that time and you can read while it is charging.

You can download books in advance. And you can use .lrf, the Sony format or ePub which is the emerging industry standard.

Also, you can borrow ebooks from some libraries. They're in ePub and you get to keep them for 21 days. Check the Wiki here https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/EBook_Lending_Libraries
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Old 10-17-2009, 11:44 AM   #4
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Cassidym--I think you're confusing PSP with USB. The PSP is a wall charger.

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Old 10-17-2009, 11:50 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by cassidym View Post
Hi Maerose, you can charge your 505 with the PSP cable but, it takes about four hours to completely charge it and you can't read books on your reader during that period. For about $20 you can get a wall charger that'll charge up your reader in half that time and you can read while it is charging.
Er, a PSP charger IS a wall charger...

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Old 10-17-2009, 12:06 PM   #6
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Check out Project Guttenberg as well it has tons of classic books in epub format. Also googlebooks.

There are tons of books right here in the MR library as well. Harry had done a bang-up job on Dickens and many other contributors have and continue to upload free books.

And don't forget to check you local library to see if they support Adobe Secure EPUB -- I read several books on loan already from mine and on the waiting list for several more.
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Old 10-18-2009, 04:30 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by dordale View Post
Cassidym--I think you're confusing PSP with USB. The PSP is a wall charger.

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Um, er, I knew that. I just,..... urm, man my head hurts. Sorry all.
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Old 10-24-2009, 11:28 AM   #8
Maerose
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Thanks for the help everyone. I'm still waiting for my 505 to be delivered, I hope Play.com deliver in the end! I can't chase it till 21 days after despatch so I may have a while to wait yet!

In the meantime I shall start downloading books
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Old 10-24-2009, 12:22 PM   #9
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In the meantime I shall start downloading books

Don't. Stop right now, or you will end up with a mile long "to read" list that will never-ever go away.

Be selective, be very selective from the start if you know what is good for you.
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Old 10-24-2009, 12:24 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Maerose View Post
Thanks for the help everyone. I'm still waiting for my 505 to be delivered, I hope Play.com deliver in the end! I can't chase it till 21 days after despatch so I may have a while to wait yet!

In the meantime I shall start downloading books
Good for you. Download only those that interest you.

You may wind up with a huge back pile to read, but you'll never be without a variety of choices!
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Old 10-24-2009, 02:04 PM   #11
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A USB charger will take 4 to 5 hours to fully charge the battery from flat compared to around 2 to 2 and a half with a PSP adaptor. Don't be fooled by the claims of 6800 page turns on one charge posted on the side of the packaging - whilst it is true, it is only true of constant page turns and not general reading usage. Be prepared to charge more frequently than you think!
If you get to a point where you think the Reader has frozen and will not respond, it probably just requires a fresh charge!
If it discharges over a period of days rather than weeks, the liklihood is some form of corruption keeping the software active and not allowing the device to shut down.
These devices don't take too kindly to impact so be careful ... the ink element (to replace) with labour and taxes (if applicable) in some cases can take it over the cost of a new unit!
They don't take too kindly to the odd refreshment either - a new board and case will cost almost as much as 2 new ones!!
And one thing about borrowed books - if you have 2 forms such as PDF and EPUB that have been borrowed, you might get a protected page situation arise. In this case remove all but one and read one at a time.
Apart from the above enjoy your Reader.
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Old 10-29-2009, 11:22 AM   #12
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Don't. Stop right now, or you will end up with a mile long "to read" list that will never-ever go away.

Be selective, be very selective from the start if you know what is good for you.
I would also suggest you start to spend quality time with overdrive.com and finding local (or even long-distance) libraries that have eBooks you can borrow. I got my prs-505 a few months ago, and I initially was buying up books like crazy. Then I remembered we were in a recession, so I signed up for 2 local library cards, and now I spend hours perusing their online catalogs to find eBooks I want to borrow and read. I've found that usually the popular fiction books are most likely available to borrow, but they always have wait lists. So, I'm always on waitlists for several titles, and then I fill time reading the books I paid for while I wait for library books to become available. I think that, to help your wallet (and because reading on your 505 becomes addictive), it's a good idea to keep a mix of books you buy and library books

Hope this helps!
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Old 10-29-2009, 06:06 PM   #13
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I've found that usually the popular fiction books are most likely available to borrow, but they always have wait lists. So, I'm always on waitlists for several titles, and then I fill time reading the books I paid for while I wait for library books to become available.
Wait... what? Why on earth should there be a waiting list to borrow an ebook from the library. My head hurts pondering that.

Regards,
Michael
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Old 10-29-2009, 06:18 PM   #14
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Wait... what? Why on earth should there be a waiting list to borrow an ebook from the library. My head hurts pondering that.

Regards,
Michael
Because the library has only paid for a certain number of licenses. They have to wait for the lending period to expire (or the book to be 'returned') before they can lend it out again.
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Old 10-30-2009, 04:55 PM   #15
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Don't. Stop right now, or you will end up with a mile long "to read" list that will never-ever go away.

Be selective, be very selective from the start if you know what is good for you.
Excellent advice. But I can't help adding to the overload.

Do you like magazines and newspapers? If so, you can start subscribing to them via Calibre ("Fetch news" button, go to your language of choice, click on a desired newspaper or magazine, and then "Download now" or "Schedule for download"). Once it's scheduled, it moves from being listed under the language to under "Scheduled".
- For selected day schedules (first tick box), if you open Calibre on that day, it will be automatically retrieved into Calibre. If you fail to open Calibre on that day, Calibre does nothing. Probably good for daily newspapers, but for weekly magazines, you would need to manually download if you still wanted a recent issue.

- For selected interval schedules (2nd tick box, like every 30 days), I think you can open Calibre after the interval (like on day 32) and Calibre will still download.
You can try this out by downloading some now and perusing them in Calibre ("View" button) to see if you want to subscribe.
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