Love or Loathe the Sony Reader

[stephenf]

I was given a Sony Reader ,pocket edition,for Christmas.I did not want to be ungrateful ,but I was determined to Loathe the thing.
But for a traveller like me it's perfect.Fill it up with books,put it in your pocket and off you go.
I love all the old and out of print Science Fiction books you can put on it.I have just started A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay.
Anyone got any suggestions what I should add to my pocket library?

[Saskatoonistan]

I have a PRS 505 which I adore - I actually prefer it to paperbacks. Are you charging it with your computer or a wall charger? Mine seems to charge better and faster with the wall charger.

[Terie]

Anyone got any suggestions what I should add to my pocket library?

Your WIP manuscripts. It's a great way for reading as a reader, without being tempted to edit. You see your work in a whole different light. (Guess what I was doing yesterday, LOL!)

Also, check Suvudu's free library (http://www.suvudu.com/freelibrary/), where you can download free content. They update approximately monthly. (If you're in the UK, download the PDF; the Sony version doesn't seem to work if you're outside the US.)

ETA: Also check Baen's free library (http://www.baen.com/library/). You can get loads of first-books-in-a-series to sample to see if you want to read the rest of the series.

[stephenf]

Are you charging it with your computer or a wall charger?

I read some were you can use a i-pod charger,I tried it ,and in nearly ruined the battery.So until I can get-a-round to buying the proper charger, I'lll stick with the USB.

[stephenf]

Your WIP manuscripts. It's a great way for reading as a reader, without being tempted to edit. You see your work in a whole different light. (Guess what I was doing yesterday, LOL!)


Thanks, that's a good idea.I haven't quite worked out how you load and read different formats . I like WWW.feedbooks.com (http://www.feedbooks.com) everything down loads and works first time

[TCloud]

I've had a Sony Reader for about three years now, and love it. I especially like to use it for stuff that I would have otherwise printed out - so, it's saved me wasting loads of paper. I second the recommendation for checking out Baen. The digital selection from the public library and Google eBooks are also good for free content.

[Charlee]

I wasn't keen on the idea either but when I was given one for Christmas I fell in love with it. As I tend to buy new books weekly being able to download free novels is a big plus for me. An unexpected advantage is that I can read it with gloves on as turning the page isn't a problem.

I'm impressed!

[Terie]

Thanks, that's a good idea.I haven't quite worked out how you load and read different formats . I like WWW.feedbooks.com (http://www.feedbooks.com) everything down loads and works first time

If you write in Word, you don't have to do anything (although I'd personally recommend making a copy of the manuscript and changing the font and line spacing). The Sony eReader can read Word files.

[Adam]

I love mine to pieces. I still prefer physical books, but there are many many books out there that are e only (like mine, out in May!), and I can't read off a monitor without my eyes going wonky. :)

Edit - Mine's the PRS 505

[RG570]

I have a PRS 505.

It's great. I can't figure out what anyone could possibly have against it.

[Hip-Hop-a-potamus]

I hate all readers on principle. I love books. I love the smell of them, the feel of them, the adventure of opening up the cover and reading the flap, all of it.

When I heard about this: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/09/04/a_library_without_the_books/

it made me want to throw up. I mean, times change, and technology has its purpose, but who could have foreseen the day we might be without books?

I will never buy one. And if someone gives me one as a gift, I will return it and get store credit or something. Nothing makes me so angry as reading books on a machine. I read to relax and get AWAY from my computer.

[stephenf]

I hate all readers on principle. I love books. I love the smell of them, the feel of them, the adventure of opening up the cover and reading the flap, all of it.



A few weeks ago you and me would of spoken with the same voice.I actual sell books .My house is literally full of books,but, I am now converted.

I have seen the future and future is, the electronic book.

[Hip-Hop-a-potamus]

I have seen the future and future is, the electronic book.

And that's what makes me so mad. Who says?

Just like those who said that mp3s were the future of music? Now music stores are dead. Some of the most fun I ever spent was working in a music store. We no longer get to enjoy beautiful cover art for albums or funny liner notes anymore. Just because somebody sitting in an office somewhere made that same pronouncement.

I'll go to used bookstores the rest of my life if I have to, but I will never use one of those damned things because someone else tells me what to think about how I read a book.

[Dave.C.Robinson]

I hate all readers on principle. I love books. I love the smell of them, the feel of them, the adventure of opening up the cover and reading the flap, all of it.

When I heard about this: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/09/04/a_library_without_the_books/

it made me want to throw up. I mean, times change, and technology has its purpose, but who could have foreseen the day we might be without books?

I will never buy one. And if someone gives me one as a gift, I will return it and get store credit or something. Nothing makes me so angry as reading books on a machine. I read to relax and get AWAY from my computer.

I don't see it as one or the other. Having a Sony Reader doesn't mean I no longer buy books. I've cut down on my paperbacks, but I still buy nice hardcovers and graphic novels.

I see them as just one part of the reading eco-system. They're not right for all readers, just as some people don't buy hardcovers and others avoid either mass-market or trade paperbacks. I think it would be foolish to expect them to be all things to all readers, however they do a great job meeting some of the needs of some readers; and without completely replacing books.

In my case it's a great replacement for read once and pass along paperbacks.

The other thing to remember is that the PRS-505 is not like reading on a computer. I can curl up on the couch with it, and the case flips open just like a book. The screen is different than a computer too, it's not backlit and it's completely stable with no flickering or refresh. It's more like reading on newsprint than a screen.

This isn't meant to convert you. They aren't for everyone. However, I do think it's premature to call them the death of the book, and the comparison to reading on a computer is a bad one because it doesn't reflect the experience of reading on a dedicated reading device.

[stephenf]

The decline of book shops started before the electronic book was available.Areas like the Charing Cross road,a road in London full of book shops,was in decline fifteen years ago. I now believe e-books could actually revive an interest in reading rather than thinking that it is responsible for its decline.

[Charlee]

It is strange how quickly your opinions can change once you've used one. I was very against them before being given mine. I felt that it would ruin my enjoyment of books and nothing could compare to holding a real book in my hands. I even used to sneer at people on the tube reading on them thinking they were just showing off.

Two weeks with my reader and I realise that unless I'm buying a hardback to keep on my shelf and collect, I'm better off with an e-book. I do understand people that say they wll never use an ereader and hate them because I said exactly that until I was given one by my parents and couldn't take it back without looking ungrateful, once used it changes your opinions.

[Exir]

Hey, it's just a device. Just another medium, right? Word are words are words are words, right?

[KTC]

I wanted to hate them forever. I really did. Then I went away on vacation and had a fellow traveler give me a complete rundown of his Reader. I was fascinated! I can't wait to get one. I said I NEVER EVER EVER EVER would. You can find my hatred for them on these very boards without digging too deeply. But for traveling, they are a marvel! A few books in the luggage or the tiny Reader? No contest. Still...if I do take the plunge, I will always sit down with a good BOOK at home.

[KTC]

It is strange how quickly your opinions can change once you've used one.

Word. I was so adamant it was ridiculous. After 5 minutes...I changed my opinion and have been pining for one ever since using it.

[fugsly]

Love my 505, loved my old cybook and I can't wait until a colour e-reader comes out!

I still have tons of books but now I can just buy books I know I like/am pretty certain I'll love. The e-reader gives you a lot more freedom in that respect to try out new genres without feeling like you wasted a trip to the library.

As to some of the arguments above - the screens already been covered (it's not LCD!). Radio was the death of music, TV was the death of the cinema, Cinema was no doubt the death of plays... Times change, doesn't mean art has to die and it most cases it just increases the potential audience.

[Hip-Hop-a-potamus]

The e-reader gives you a lot more freedom in that respect to try out new genres without feeling like you wasted a trip to the library.


Do people really feel this way? I learn something new every time I go to a library, even just browsing. It is never a wasted trip.

[KTC]

There is no such thing as a wasted trip to the library.

[quickWit]

There is no such thing as a wasted trip to the library.

What if it's closed?


ETA: I love mine. :)

[mscelina]

I love it. People are buying more ebooks to fill the little darlings and that makes me happy. And more financially solvent.

[KTC]

What if it's closed?

Being an idiot does not preclude wastefulness.

[quickWit]

*googles 'preclude'*

says you.

[zyzyx]

I wanted an e-reader from the moment I heard about them. Now I have a Sony PRS-505, bought it cheap just when it was being replaced by the next generation, and I love it. I dumped half of my book collection right away.

I kept my favorites and my reference books, because...there's just something about a book. But e-readers really are great.

[AZ_Dawn]

I must admit I've toyed with the idea of getting an e-reader of some sort and making Project Gutenburg (http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page) scream for mercy. :flag: Though for stuff they don't have or I can get in the stores, print book, all the way.:fistpump

[RickN]

What if it's closed?


A library is never closed as long as you have a rock, a window, and a bail bondman.

Oh, and slow police response also helps browsing time.

[Manuel Royal]

What if your Sony reader is lost or destroyed? Is there an arrangement to let you replace all your downloads without having to buy them again?

I'll never give up my books. But, if I were starting out with nothing, a good e-reader would be very tempting.

What worries me is that you've got "books" stored as a files rather than in a non-volatire medium. Potentially, somebody could change the words in those books.

Is there a way to permanently backup your downloads on a hard drive or flash drives?

[Adam]

All my ebooks are stored on my hard drive as well as my reader, as you're required to download them to your PC before uploading them to your ereader. :)

[stephenf]

What if your Sony reader is lost or destroyed?

There are thousands of free book on sites like www.feedbooks.com or some commercial sites like www.ebooks.com will keep all the books you have bought as part of you account and you can down load them again if you need to.

[Manuel Royal]

Intriguing. I'll probably break down and get one eventually.

But it'll never be as pleasant as looking at my books on the shelf. (And on the table, and in boxes. Really need more shelves.)

[sheadakota]

I loves my sony e-reader!