PRS-650 Sony Reader Software Conundrum

[cghipp]

I actually like that Calibre makes a copy of the original file. That way, I can direct the program to my Kindle library and add my latest additions to my Calibre library, and alter those files as I please without worrying that I have damaged my original Kindle files.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by cghipp

I actually like that Calibre makes a copy of the original file. That way, I can direct the program to my Kindle library and add my latest additions to my Calibre library, and alter those files as I please without worrying that I have damaged my original Kindle files.

If you have multiple computers or multiple drives in the same computer, it's a good way to also keep a backup.

[wonderose]

May I just revive a rather old discussion... concerning the Sony readers and the PRS 650 in particular.

As a matter fact, I grapple with the same problems mentioned in this thread, revolving around “Calibre”, the notes I want to export as well as the Sony programs “Reader Library” and “Reader for PC”.

Up until now I have stuck to Calibre as far as it was possible. But for the task of exporting notes I had to rely on this botched software “Reader library”. It didn’t work well, but it worked somehow.

Unfortunately, some time ago, I updated my reader via “Reader library”. As a consequence, the reader froze after disconnecting from the computer, while still loading. Only solution, then, was not a soft , but a hard reset (which I have perfomed up until now a number of times). I blamed the freezing on the PRS+ I had installed about a year ago and decided to uninstall it (which I didn't really regret, as it had also drained the battery). As this didn’t help, I thought, as another possible solution, that I should update the Sony software on my computer. And indeed, the updated software on the reader and the updated software on the computer got on rather well. So no more problems, except the excruciating fact that I now couldn’t export more than 100 characters. That was a real deal breaker.

And it’s some kind of a catch 22, too. On the one hand, with the old software, the reader freezes while disconnecting, and on the other hand, with the new software, I can’t perform the one function that is of the upmost importance to me.

Frankly, I am about to give up and throw the reader away (though I wanted to use it for some hiking and reading in the sun).

Do you have any idea how to solve this problem?

wonderose

[vxf]

In my experience, Reader Library freezes if you sync, but not if you drag-and-drop. So my solution to the same problem is to use Reader Library to export annotations. I have it on two PCs, both running W7 and I use it with a PRS350 and a PRS950. I never get a freeze - unless, that is, I try to sync.

Another idea - but not one I have tested, as I don't use Reader for PC - could you just remove DRM from the books via calibre and then import the books in Reader for PC? I think (THINK being the keyword - I have not tried) that the export limitation is only for DRM-locked material. Not sure, but it might be worth a try.

[JSWolf]

There is a third party program to export highlights from the T1. It's somewhere on MR.

[wonderose]

Thanks a lot for your answers!

In my case, it is not the software that freezes but the Ebook-reader itself (after being disconnected and while loading). Then, only a hard reset can revive my PRS 650. The software, both the “Reader library” and the “Reader for PC”, seems to work fine.

The texts I read are articles for academic purposes. They are in pdf format and were made searchable by Abbyy Finereader, so there is definitely no DRM involved. Anyhow, I tried the drag-and-drop-idea. Unfortunately, no change at all.

As I see it, there are only two possible solutions to my problem. To go back and to reinstate the affairs as they once were (with “Reader Library”). Or to go forth and to go on working with “Reader for PC”. But then I would have to change its annoying way of truncating my highlights (not to speak of my comments).

Another software might do the trick. Do you mean “cool reader”? In that case, I doubt that it could cope with PDFs (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=174917)

wonderose

[JSWolf]

Here it is, PRS-T1 Annotations Exporter.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=170051

[wonderose]

Thanks for the link!

Great piece of software! And yet, it seems that it's not really adaptable to PDF files, at least as far as the limitation on the export of highlights is concerned.

This is what I found in the thread:

"Old 04-04-2012, 04:27 AM #16
Yoths
Enthusiast

gumalcan
To remove the char limit for PDF files, I first have to learn how to extract text from them and how to decrypt the text position descriptions. Any information about that is welcome..."

[JSWolf]

I treat PDF like it does not exist and I do not bother to put it on my 650. It doesn't work well. I'll put PDF on my iPad. But a 6" eink screen, heck no.

[bla]

Why use either program - you can simply drag -n-drop books to the reader and use the internal collection to organize them , the books app also allow you to sort your books a number of different ways and has a search function as well I have 2000 plus books in 92 collections and have no problems finding stuff by keeping it simple you can organize stuff the way you want and you can avoid all the sync problems. i use calibre for conversions and the reader software for firmware updates, use dropbox for wireless transfers

KISS is always the best policy

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by bla

Why use either program - you can simply drag -n-drop books to the reader and use the internal collection to organize them , the books app also allow you to sort your books a number of different ways and has a search function as well I have 2000 plus books in 92 collections and have no problems finding stuff by keeping it simple you can organize stuff the way you want and you can avoid all the sync problems. i use calibre for conversions and the reader software for firmware updates, use dropbox for wireless transfers

KISS is always the best policy

Calibre allows you to put the content on your reader and you get the collections made for you automatically if you want. It's much simpler then having to manually create the collections and then manually move the eBooks to the collections. Also, you then have to manually find the empty collections to remove them.

[polly]

Originally Posted by Ashjuk

Why does Calibre need to create a copy of a file that exists in the location I imported it from?
Say I import Ranulph Fiennes autobigraphy - Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know - (which I have filed in my biographies folder) into Calibre the first thing it will do is create a Ranulph Fiennes folder with a sub-folder Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know with the epub, cover iimage and metadata files in it.

WHY???

The book already exists in the Biographies folder - and is still there!

Because some of us want to organize all of our books permanently, and not just until we read them.

I had to abandon iTunes because it links to the music file instead of copying it. Following a computer rebuild, the data hard drive ended up with a different drive letter. I didn't realize what I'd done until after I'd added a bunch of new music. Since most, but not all, of the links to the music files were broken, I had to start over.

[wonderose]

@JSWolf

Why a 6" reader for PDFs?

Because it's easily transportable and comes with great battery life. It works well for my purposes: reading short articles with OCR (saved as "text only) in the brightest of suns (and even with super dark sunglasses). At the beach, on hikes, etc.

[Pinecone]

Originally Posted by polly

I had to abandon iTunes because it links to the music file instead of copying it. Following a computer rebuild, the data hard drive ended up with a different drive letter. I didn't realize what I'd done until after I'd added a bunch of new music. Since most, but not all, of the links to the music files were broken, I had to start over.

You can set iTunes to copy the music to the iTunes folder.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by wonderose

@JSWolf

Why a 6" reader for PDFs?

Because it's easily transportable and comes with great battery life. It works well for my purposes: reading short articles with OCR (saved as "text only) in the brightest of suns (and even with super dark sunglasses). At the beach, on hikes, etc.

The average PDF is created for an 8.5x11" sized piece of paper with wide margins. They look like crap on a 6" eink screen. That's why most of us treat PDF on a 6" screen like it doesn't exist.