Down to 2, please help

BTaylor · 03-07-2008, 09:32 PM

I posted before trying to decide between 3 readers. I have decided against the Kindle. Although it has the Whispernet connection, the wait time is too long and I don't want to wait any longer. So now I am trying to decide between the Sony and Cybook.

Can anyone tell me which is the easiest and less time consuming to transfer books? I need easy, practically drop and drag if there is something that easy. If it is too complicated for me, I will end up not using it. Those of you that own either one, would you mind telling me step by step (or click by click) what would be involved for me from the time I purchase the book up until it is my reader and ready to read. I know it may sound like a stupid question but I appreciate any help you can give. Thanks!

JSWolf · 03-07-2008, 09:47 PM

For the 505, all you have to do is attach the 505 to the USB cable and then it is ready, double click on the eBook Library icon. Once eBook Library is running, just navigate to the directory the eBook (s) are in that you want to copy to the 505. Drag the eBook(s) you want to the left hand pane where it says Sony Reader.

After that is done, you can then double click on Sony Reader to expand that and if you have any collections you want to put them in, drag them from books to the collections you want. Then sect each collection and you can srt them how you want from there. If you want to create a new collection, you just select Sony Reader and click the + button at the bottom of the left pain to create a new Collection. Rename it to what you want, drag the books in, srot them and away you go.

When you are done, click the eject button on the left pane next to Sony Reader to eject the 505 from the computer and the program and you will be sure you are done when Sony Reader disappears. Then unplug the USB cable, wait for the 505 to sort itself out and voila.

slayda · 03-07-2008, 09:53 PM

Bottom line on all is "It depends". Where will you buy books. If you buy from Sony then get a Sony. If you have a good source of .RTF (Rich Text Format) then you can use the Sony. If you want a more universally found format (i.e. Mobipocket) buy the CyBook.

Otherwise you will need to make conversions if there is no DRM. If there is DRM then it's more difficult to impossible to convert.

BTW, I have both a Sony (PRS-500) and a CyBook Gen3. I'll be keeping the CyBook & passing the Sony on to my daughter.

slayda · 03-07-2008, 09:55 PM

What Jon says if you have a Sony formated ebook or even a .RTF. Otherwise nope - won't work.

JSWolf · 03-07-2008, 10:04 PM

For the 505 you do not have to purchase just from Sony. You can purchase in other formats and convert. The conversion process is fairly easy. Libprs500 or Book Designer. And the programs/scripts to remove the DRM work quite well and you end up with no DRM so you can have these eBooks for some other device later down the line as well.

BTaylor · 03-07-2008, 10:10 PM

Thanks Jon! I appreciate you telling me the steps involved. Now I know I can handle buying from the Sony store if I decide on the Sony.

Does anyone know what would be involved getting books onto a Cybook? Thanks again

NatCh · 03-08-2008, 12:20 AM

I think you just drop them in like you would move files onto a flash drive -- I believe it shows up as a drive when it's connected via USB cable.

binzer · 03-08-2008, 01:52 AM

My Cybook is still in the mail, but from what I've read in the manual I believe NatCh is right. You just plug it in and drag files like you would with an mp3 player or something. I think you can also use the Mobipocket Reader software as an interface between the device and your computer, and use it to organize your books etc. If you want to try out the Mobipocket software before choosing a device you can download it for free from their website.

Alisa · 03-08-2008, 02:41 AM

Personally, I feel waiting a few weeks is worth it to get what you want. Maybe the Kindle isn't what you want anyway, wait aside, but I've been wanting a reading device for years. I kept researching and waiting and eventually settled on the Kindle. It was the first one that met my minimum feature requirements. It's not perfect but it was a good fit for now. I felt it was the best I'd do for a few years and since one of my main reasons for getting a reading device was environmental, I don't want to be in a position where I'd want to upgrade right away, but once again that's just my personal reasons. A wait of a few weeks wasn't a big deal to me in the scheme of things. I sympathize, though. I almost bought a reader quite a few times over the years.

HarryT · 03-08-2008, 02:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NatCh

I think you just drop them in like you would move files onto a flash drive -- I believe it shows up as a drive when it's connected via USB cable.

That's correct. Two drives, in fact; one for the CyBook itself and the other for its SD card. Simply drag and drop files onto whichever drive you want them to be on. You delete files the same way.

gwynevans · 03-08-2008, 05:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

That's correct. Two drives, in fact; one for the CyBook itself and the other for its SD card. Simply drag and drop files onto whichever drive you want them to be on. You delete files the same way.

Yes, and it doesn't really help with comparisons, as you get the same with the Sony, i.e. in addition to the Sony Library or libprs500 library management options you get the same 'USB device' behaviour where you can just drag & drop the raw files across!

igorsk · 03-08-2008, 05:29 PM

Note that you will also have to wait (though probably less than with Kindle) if you choose the Cybook.

binzer · 03-08-2008, 05:35 PM

If you're curious about the length of the Cybook wait, the Bookeen site says they have them back in stock, and will ship your device approximately 12 days after ordering.

I also received an email from Books on Board support, and they said they will be shipping their next batch out this Wednesday or Thursday. I just ordered my Cybook a couple days ago and am included in that batch, so they may be the fastest way to go for anyone interested in ordering one this week.

BTaylor · 03-08-2008, 06:26 PM

I want to thank all of you for your very helpful responses! I am so glad I found this board. It is a lot of money to spend and I want to be sure I am getting what is right for me. I appreciate you helping me do that by answering my questions. Thank you so much!

binzer · 03-08-2008, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BTaylor

I want to thank all of you for your very helpful responses! I am so glad I found this board. It is a lot of money to spend and I want to be sure I am getting what is right for me. I appreciate you helping me do that by answering my questions. Thank you so much!

Be careful though! I too appreciated the wonderful help, and now I'm addicted to these forums. I haven't even received my Cybook yet and I'm already obsessed. Get away while you still can!

03-07-2008, 09:32 PM	#1
BTaylor Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: don't have one yet	Down to 2, please help I posted before trying to decide between 3 readers. I have decided against the Kindle. Although it has the Whispernet connection, the wait time is too long and I don't want to wait any longer. So now I am trying to decide between the Sony and Cybook. Can anyone tell me which is the easiest and less time consuming to transfer books? I need easy, practically drop and drag if there is something that easy. If it is too complicated for me, I will end up not using it. Those of you that own either one, would you mind telling me step by step (or click by click) what would be involved for me from the time I purchase the book up until it is my reader and ready to read. I know it may sound like a stupid question but I appreciate any help you can give. Thanks!

03-07-2008, 09:47 PM	#2
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 74,027 Karma: 129333114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	For the 505, all you have to do is attach the 505 to the USB cable and then it is ready, double click on the eBook Library icon. Once eBook Library is running, just navigate to the directory the eBook (s) are in that you want to copy to the 505. Drag the eBook(s) you want to the left hand pane where it says Sony Reader. After that is done, you can then double click on Sony Reader to expand that and if you have any collections you want to put them in, drag them from books to the collections you want. Then sect each collection and you can srt them how you want from there. If you want to create a new collection, you just select Sony Reader and click the + button at the bottom of the left pain to create a new Collection. Rename it to what you want, drag the books in, srot them and away you go. When you are done, click the eject button on the left pane next to Sony Reader to eject the 505 from the computer and the program and you will be sure you are done when Sony Reader disappears. Then unplug the USB cable, wait for the 505 to sort itself out and voila.

03-07-2008, 09:53 PM	#3
slayda Retired & reading more! Posts: 2,764 Karma: 1884247 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: North Alabama, USA Device: Kindle 1, iPad Air 2, iPhone 6S+, Kobo Aura One	Bottom line on all is "It depends". Where will you buy books. If you buy from Sony then get a Sony. If you have a good source of .RTF (Rich Text Format) then you can use the Sony. If you want a more universally found format (i.e. Mobipocket) buy the CyBook. Otherwise you will need to make conversions if there is no DRM. If there is DRM then it's more difficult to impossible to convert. BTW, I have both a Sony (PRS-500) and a CyBook Gen3. I'll be keeping the CyBook & passing the Sony on to my daughter.

03-07-2008, 09:55 PM	#4
slayda Retired & reading more! Posts: 2,764 Karma: 1884247 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: North Alabama, USA Device: Kindle 1, iPad Air 2, iPhone 6S+, Kobo Aura One	What Jon says if you have a Sony formated ebook or even a .RTF. Otherwise nope - won't work.

03-07-2008, 10:04 PM	#5
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 74,027 Karma: 129333114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	For the 505 you do not have to purchase just from Sony. You can purchase in other formats and convert. The conversion process is fairly easy. Libprs500 or Book Designer. And the programs/scripts to remove the DRM work quite well and you end up with no DRM so you can have these eBooks for some other device later down the line as well.

03-07-2008, 10:10 PM	#6
BTaylor Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: don't have one yet	Thanks Jon! I appreciate you telling me the steps involved. Now I know I can handle buying from the Sony store if I decide on the Sony. Does anyone know what would be involved getting books onto a Cybook? Thanks again

03-08-2008, 12:20 AM	#7
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	I think you just drop them in like you would move files onto a flash drive -- I believe it shows up as a drive when it's connected via USB cable.

03-08-2008, 01:52 AM	#8
binzer Zealot Posts: 114 Karma: 195 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Victoria BC, Canada Device: Cybook Gen3	My Cybook is still in the mail, but from what I've read in the manual I believe NatCh is right. You just plug it in and drag files like you would with an mp3 player or something. I think you can also use the Mobipocket Reader software as an interface between the device and your computer, and use it to organize your books etc. If you want to try out the Mobipocket software before choosing a device you can download it for free from their website.

03-08-2008, 02:41 AM	#9
Alisa Gadget Geek Posts: 2,324 Karma: 22221 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Paperwhite, Kindle 3 (retired), Skindle 1.2 (retired)	Personally, I feel waiting a few weeks is worth it to get what you want. Maybe the Kindle isn't what you want anyway, wait aside, but I've been wanting a reading device for years. I kept researching and waiting and eventually settled on the Kindle. It was the first one that met my minimum feature requirements. It's not perfect but it was a good fit for now. I felt it was the best I'd do for a few years and since one of my main reasons for getting a reading device was environmental, I don't want to be in a position where I'd want to upgrade right away, but once again that's just my personal reasons. A wait of a few weeks wasn't a big deal to me in the scheme of things. I sympathize, though. I almost bought a reader quite a few times over the years.

03-08-2008, 05:29 PM	#12
igorsk Wizard Posts: 3,442 Karma: 300001 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Belgium Device: PRS-500/505/700, Kindle, Cybook Gen3, Words Gear	Note that you will also have to wait (though probably less than with Kindle) if you choose the Cybook.

03-08-2008, 05:35 PM	#13
binzer Zealot Posts: 114 Karma: 195 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Victoria BC, Canada Device: Cybook Gen3	If you're curious about the length of the Cybook wait, the Bookeen site says they have them back in stock, and will ship your device approximately 12 days after ordering. I also received an email from Books on Board support, and they said they will be shipping their next batch out this Wednesday or Thursday. I just ordered my Cybook a couple days ago and am included in that batch, so they may be the fastest way to go for anyone interested in ordering one this week.

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03-08-2008, 06:26 PM	#14
BTaylor Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: don't have one yet	I want to thank all of you for your very helpful responses! I am so glad I found this board. It is a lot of money to spend and I want to be sure I am getting what is right for me. I appreciate you helping me do that by answering my questions. Thank you so much!