Considering Sony reader, seeking advise...

alexz · 10-16-2007, 02:53 AM

Hello, I'm new here, this is my first posting in the forum.
My wife, an avid ebook reader is heading to US for work next week, so we thought to use this opportunity to indulge her to a good, quality eReader device.
Up until now, she used to utilize our laptop for that (T43 Thinkpad), but we figure a dedicated device will be better solution for that.
We're considering two options: Sony PRS-500 or iLiad 2. The latter is more then twice as expensive, so Sony comes to mind as the first choice.
I also noticed people mention 505 model which doesn't appear at all on Sony site. Shat is this one ? Is that an updated 500 ? Does does one differ from 500 ?

One more question: my wife will be staying in Champaign IL area for about a week. Where this kind of device can be found there ? Preferably from reputable stores, Sony dealers, etc... ?
Besides, she will also be shopping for a good PDA/GPS device, so a recommendation of a good, less then most expensive shop that offers a good selection of both kinds of devices will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance, Alex

Thanks

dhbailey · 10-16-2007, 05:45 AM

The PRS505 is the new version of the Sony Reader. The Buttons have been changed and a few nice features have been added to the user interface, such as being able to use the number buttons to select a specific page number, as well as improved SD and Memory Stick capabilities and a slightly more contrasting screen.

I don't think the Iliad2 is available in the U.S., but I may be mistaken about this and just haven't seen it in stores.

Border's Books and Music stores have the Sony Reader, as do Best Buy stores. Border's wouldn't have the PDA or GPS devices, but Best Buy should have everything she's looking for. Another store to look in is Circuit City but I find that Best Buy is the better place to shop.

These are national chain stores which should have branches near a large area such as Champaign, IL.

I hope your wife has a great trip over here -- you should know in advance, however, that current books for the Sony Reader can only be purchased through the SonyConnect store (or its current name, possibly it's been changed to SonyLibrary) using a U.S. credit card.

What some people overseas have done have been to have a U.S. resident buy a gift card for them. The gift card can be used from any computer, apparently, so that's the only way I know of to buy new content for the Reader.

There are hundreds of converted public domain books in the Content section of this forum, and there is the vast listing of public domain books through Project Gutenberg, which there is a Microsoft Word macro to remove extraneous hard returns from for quick use on the Sony Reader, and even a standalone conversion program for those of us who don't own Word which does the same thing.

I find that once those extraneous hard returns are removed, I don't need any further formatting -- the books read just find on my PRS-500.

I hope your wife enjoys her trip and comes back with great electronic goodies!

alexz · 10-16-2007, 06:15 AM

Thanks David for your kind reply.
Well, I personally not really into Ebook reading (I'm kinda old-fashioned young guy in mid 30'ties :-), prefer paper and photo film over digital wonders), but AFAIK there are several eBook formats available (such as DJview and several others, aside of PDF and Word docs).
Does that Sony work with all these ?

fishcube · 10-16-2007, 06:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhbailey

Border's Books and Music stores have the Sony Reader, as do Best Buy stores. Border's wouldn't have the PDA or GPS devices, but Best Buy should have everything she's looking for. Another store to look in is Circuit City but I find that Best Buy is the better place to shop.

Bestbuy doesn't show them on their online store and not in our local stores. ??

HarryT · 10-16-2007, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhbailey

I hope your wife has a great trip over here -- you should know in advance, however, that current books for the Sony Reader can only be purchased through the SonyConnect store (or its current name, possibly it's been changed to SonyLibrary) using a U.S. credit card.

But Connect isn't the only source of books for the Sony, of course. Fictionwise, for example, have an extensive range of books in Sony Reader format. If you like SF/Fantasy, Baen sell a wide range of books, DRM free, at very reasonable prices, which can be loaded directly on the Reader.

NatCh · 10-16-2007, 10:50 AM

Just a minor point of detail -- as far as I know, Sony's is the only Reader that has any retail presence anywhere in the world outside of China and Japan. If somebody knows differently, please correct me.

JSWolf · 10-16-2007, 10:56 AM

Sony Reader PRS-505/LC in Blue at the Sony Style website
Sony Reader PRS-505/SC in Silver at the Sony Style website

There are three Sony Style shops in Illinois.

Aroura Outlet
Sony Outlet Store
1650 Premium Outlets Boulevard
Aurora, IL, 60502
(630)236-9807

Woodfield Mall
Sony Style Store
5 Woodfield Shopping Center
Schaumburg, IL, 60173
(847)969-0685

Old Orchard
Sony Style Store
34 Old Orchard
Skokie, IL, 60077
(847)568-1802

I cannot say how far away they are. There is a Borders in Champaign...

Borders
802 West Town Center Boulevard
Champaign, IL 61822
Phone: 217.351.9011

That said, it's fairly easy to get content onto the reader. Just have a read of the Sony Reader forums and you'll see some very good tools and advice.

HarryT · 10-16-2007, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NatCh

Just a minor point of detail -- as far as I know, Sony's is the only Reader that has any retail presence anywhere in the world outside of China and Japan. If somebody knows differently, please correct me.

There are physical dealers where you can buy an iLiad. Not many, but some.

NatCh · 10-16-2007, 11:33 AM

Cool! Good on them.

I'm glad to hear it.

HarryT · 10-16-2007, 11:35 AM

I'm delighted to see that we're all far too mature to make childish jokes about "soapy readers"...

JSWolf · 10-16-2007, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm delighted to see that we're all far too mature to make childish jokes about "soapy readers"...

Well if you look at some of the ebook in the online shop's bestseller lists, you'll see a lot of readers are into soapy reading. Romance novels sell wall as ebooks it seems.

hamh · 10-16-2007, 11:48 AM

Not every borders has the sony ebook reader in stock. At least the one in Norridge, IL doesn't have it. I asked one of the sales and they don't even know what I'm talking about.

10-16-2007, 02:53 AM	#1
alexz Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2007 Device: none	Considering Sony reader, seeking advise... Hello, I'm new here, this is my first posting in the forum. My wife, an avid ebook reader is heading to US for work next week, so we thought to use this opportunity to indulge her to a good, quality eReader device. Up until now, she used to utilize our laptop for that (T43 Thinkpad), but we figure a dedicated device will be better solution for that. We're considering two options: Sony PRS-500 or iLiad 2. The latter is more then twice as expensive, so Sony comes to mind as the first choice. I also noticed people mention 505 model which doesn't appear at all on Sony site. Shat is this one ? Is that an updated 500 ? Does does one differ from 500 ? One more question: my wife will be staying in Champaign IL area for about a week. Where this kind of device can be found there ? Preferably from reputable stores, Sony dealers, etc... ? Besides, she will also be shopping for a good PDA/GPS device, so a recommendation of a good, less then most expensive shop that offers a good selection of both kinds of devices will be appreciated. Thanks in advance, Alex Thanks

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10-16-2007, 05:45 AM	#2
dhbailey Guru Posts: 604 Karma: 733 Join Date: Mar 2007 Device: HP iPAQ211 / PRS 500, 700 and 505	The PRS505 is the new version of the Sony Reader. The Buttons have been changed and a few nice features have been added to the user interface, such as being able to use the number buttons to select a specific page number, as well as improved SD and Memory Stick capabilities and a slightly more contrasting screen. I don't think the Iliad2 is available in the U.S., but I may be mistaken about this and just haven't seen it in stores. Border's Books and Music stores have the Sony Reader, as do Best Buy stores. Border's wouldn't have the PDA or GPS devices, but Best Buy should have everything she's looking for. Another store to look in is Circuit City but I find that Best Buy is the better place to shop. These are national chain stores which should have branches near a large area such as Champaign, IL. I hope your wife has a great trip over here -- you should know in advance, however, that current books for the Sony Reader can only be purchased through the SonyConnect store (or its current name, possibly it's been changed to SonyLibrary) using a U.S. credit card. What some people overseas have done have been to have a U.S. resident buy a gift card for them. The gift card can be used from any computer, apparently, so that's the only way I know of to buy new content for the Reader. There are hundreds of converted public domain books in the Content section of this forum, and there is the vast listing of public domain books through Project Gutenberg, which there is a Microsoft Word macro to remove extraneous hard returns from for quick use on the Sony Reader, and even a standalone conversion program for those of us who don't own Word which does the same thing. I find that once those extraneous hard returns are removed, I don't need any further formatting -- the books read just find on my PRS-500. I hope your wife enjoys her trip and comes back with great electronic goodies!

10-16-2007, 06:15 AM	#3
alexz Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2007 Device: none	Thanks David for your kind reply. Well, I personally not really into Ebook reading (I'm kinda old-fashioned young guy in mid 30'ties :-), prefer paper and photo film over digital wonders), but AFAIK there are several eBook formats available (such as DJview and several others, aside of PDF and Word docs). Does that Sony work with all these ?

10-16-2007, 10:50 AM	#6
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Just a minor point of detail -- as far as I know, Sony's is the only Reader that has any retail presence anywhere in the world outside of China and Japan. If somebody knows differently, please correct me.

10-16-2007, 10:56 AM	#7
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,209 Karma: 145488788 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Sony Reader PRS-505/LC in Blue at the Sony Style website Sony Reader PRS-505/SC in Silver at the Sony Style website There are three Sony Style shops in Illinois. Aroura Outlet Sony Outlet Store 1650 Premium Outlets Boulevard Aurora, IL, 60502 (630)236-9807 Woodfield Mall Sony Style Store 5 Woodfield Shopping Center Schaumburg, IL, 60173 (847)969-0685 Old Orchard Sony Style Store 34 Old Orchard Skokie, IL, 60077 (847)568-1802 I cannot say how far away they are. There is a Borders in Champaign... Borders 802 West Town Center Boulevard Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217.351.9011 That said, it's fairly easy to get content onto the reader. Just have a read of the Sony Reader forums and you'll see some very good tools and advice.

10-16-2007, 11:33 AM	#9
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Cool! Good on them. I'm glad to hear it.

10-16-2007, 11:35 AM	#10
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I'm delighted to see that we're all far too mature to make childish jokes about "soapy readers"...

10-16-2007, 11:48 AM	#12
hamh Connoisseur Posts: 57 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Chicago Device: iPhone 3G / Milestone / 505 / iPad 3G	Not every borders has the sony ebook reader in stock. At least the one in Norridge, IL doesn't have it. I asked one of the sales and they don't even know what I'm talking about.

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