Sony Reader

HungryJoe

I'm very attracted to the Sony Reader. I've read some articles about it, and it sounds pretty good, but I'm a little leery about buying an ereader that might not remain viable for very long. If I bought one, what would be the chance of it becoming unusable from format problems, etc.?

On a somewhat related note (because I'm trying to choose between all three of these devices), what would you choose if you had a choice between a DS Lite and a PSP?

Churba

Instead of a Sony reader, I went for a Palm Pilot TX - Admittedly, I cheated a little, and I got it for AU$79 From Cash Converters, because they didn't know what it was worth, but have found it much better than the Sony reader.

As for the PSP Vs DS lite, I can't really say. Depends on what you're looking for in your portable gaming device.

Apreche

I admit, the Sony Reader looks like the best e-reader yet. The screen technology is 99% there, if not 100%. I have yet to see it in person, but every picture and everything I have read about it seems to indicate good things. I remember even seeing pictures of it being able to display downloaded manga.

Despite that, I would not suggest actually buying it. It's very expensive. It's also Sony, which means DRM. If it can't display formats like plain text, doc, pdf, jpg, etc. Then you will be completely dependent on some content provider for anything you are going to read on it. If it supported even one open format, it would be worth it. Then you would be able to go on Project Guttenberg or get scanslations and convert them in such a way that the e-reader could display them. However, if it doesn't support any open formats, it is useless.

Even if it does support some open format, I would definitely get a DS Lite first if you don't already have a DS. The DS is basically the #1 portable electronic device in the world as far as I'm concerned.

HungryJoe

Yeah . . . it is pretty expensive. I could get both the DS Lite and the PSP for what they want for a Sony Reader.

It does support BBeB Book (LRF), PDF, TXT, RTF, and DOC. You mention some of these - aren't all of them open formats?

You're absolutely right about that screen. It's almost as pretty as Bernadette Peters.

HMTKSteve

I saw one of these at my local Borders book store and it is indeed very sweet!

Apreche

Yeah . . . it is pretty expensive. I could get both the DS Lite and the PSP for what they want for a Sony Reader.

It does support BBeB Book (LRF), PDF, TXT, RTF, and DOC. You mention some of these - aren't all of them open formats?

You're absolutely right about that screen. It's almost as pretty as Bernadette Peters.

TXT is the only 100% open format on that list, but PDF and RTF are effectively open formats. If I finished all the books I have in my house, I might consider using this as a way to read project Guttenberg books. Still, even though it might be good for that, it's not worth the price. I'd pay $100 for it.

Kilarney

I would purchase it if it was $100-$150 and books were discounted. The books would have to be 10-20% cheaper than Amazon. I would also want access to the books (once purchased) for life, since I can always keep a hardcopy book on my shelf for life.

The one bummer is that you can't use the Sony Reader during takeoffs and landings in an airplane. This would surely turn off a lot of business people.

I guess the big question is... is this really solving a problem? I haven't heard too many people complain about hardcopy books. Books are pretty darned user friendly.

HMTKSteve

I guess the big question is... is this really solving a problem? I haven't heard too many people complain about hardcopy books. Books are pretty darned user friendly.

Books are very user friendly but it is great for PDF files and other things a technician will need to do their job.

I work in Telecom on a ton of different equipment. I would love to have something like this with all my Lucent/Siemens/Alcatel documentation on it. If there was also a very easy to use search function that would find the BSP I need it would be even better.

Right now we have an online documentation system that is very poor. Searching is waste of time and you have to print a hard copy because the computers stay on a desk in the office area.

HungryJoe

I guess the big question is... is this really solving a problem? I haven't heard too many people complain about hardcopy books. Books are pretty darned user friendly.

Here's the only real problem it solves - portability. I'm very liable to bring more books than are necessary on trips and vacations. If I could have them all on the Reader, it would be much more convenient. I'm a little on the fence as to whether this makes it worth the cost.

They are offering a $149.00 discount on ebooks if you buy a Reader at Borders.

Apreche

The problem it solves is storage space. As I've been buying more and more books, mostly comics and manga, I've been running out of bookshelf space. I bought new bookshelves, and they are slowly, but surely, filling. I don't really have room for more bookshelves. I'm willing to pay for an e-reader to solve this problem, and I'm even willing to pay a pittance for some digital non-DRM books. Heck, I pay $10 for a paper manga. I'll pay $1 or less for a digital manga. Even then, if I had an e-reader, I would mostly use it for free books.

HMTKSteve

They are offering a $149.00 discount on ebooks if you buy a Reader at Borders.

Are you saying they will give you $149 in free ebooks?

Kilarney

Sony has a promotion where you can get $149 off ebooks. But... only $50 can be used for anything you want. You also get 50 Sony Ebook Classics which have a value of $100. However, these books are all out of copyright and can be had for free elsewhere.

So really you are just saving $50.

HMTKSteve

And Sony complains about piracy yet here they are ripping off dead authors by claiming their works as their own?

kiwi_bird

Since you asked if you could read books on the DS, I read most of my manga on my DS with a program called Comic Reader DS. It works great!

Apreche

And Sony complains about piracy yet here they are ripping off dead authors by claiming their works as their own?

It's not ripping off. If it's public domain, anyone can do anything they want with it. That includes selling it. If you think Sony is ripping you off, the so are Penguin Books and many other publishers who print these things on paper.

HMTKSteve

Why is this e-reader discussion reminding me of the Tom Hanks movie Big?

Cramit

The big problem with the Sony Reader is that the pages take around a second to change. I played with one at borders and it was unbearable, especially when trying to use the menus. I constantly pressed the buttons too many times thinking that the Reader was being un-responsive. I would wait for the next generation before even thinking about getting one.

Andrew

I'm just waiting for this to be released. Until then, paper is good enough for me.

Josh Bytes

Then thing about Trek PC's, is anytime you're under attack. The PC panels always explode in your face.

HMTKSteve

Then thing about Trek PC's, is anytime you're under attack. The PC panels always explode in your face.

Thy also have a bad habit of failing just when you need them most and then working again when you only have a few seconds left!

deaf-mute

It's also very easy to read documents with the PSP. Open plain text files in the web-browser, and picture files can easily be viewed on it. There are various methods to convert comics and things (maybe PDF, I forget) to PSP picture size formatting. And unlike the DS, you don't have to homebrew (Though your options are more limited, and you need to put in more effort to read the stuff). Of course, there are homebrew methods for the PSP as well, but they are more risky than the DS methods.

Personally, I have read various comics and manga on my PSP. I got part of the way through Romance of the twelve kingdoms on it, but I got bored with the book, so stopped reading it. I don't homebrew my PSP (or my DS, for that matter).