Love or Loathe the Sony Reader

stephenf · Jan 11, 2010

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 · Jan 11, 2010

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 · Jan 11, 2010

stephenf said:
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, 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. 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 · Jan 11, 2010

Saskatoonistan said:
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 · Jan 11, 2010

Terie said:
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 everything down loads and works first time

TCloud · Jan 11, 2010

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 · Jan 11, 2010

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 · Jan 11, 2010

stephenf said:
Thanks, that's a good idea.I haven't quite worked out how you load and read different formats . I like 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 · Jan 11, 2010

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 · Jan 11, 2010

I have a PRS 505.

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

Hip-Hop-a-potamus · Jan 11, 2010

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 · Jan 11, 2010

Hip-Hop-a-potamus said:
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 · Jan 11, 2010

stephenf said:
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 · Jan 11, 2010

Hip-Hop-a-potamus said:
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 · Jan 12, 2010

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 · Jan 12, 2010

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 · Jan 12, 2010

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

KTC · Jan 12, 2010

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 · Jan 12, 2010

Charlee said:
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 · Jan 12, 2010

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 · Jan 13, 2010

fugsly said:
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 · Jan 13, 2010

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

quickWit · Jan 13, 2010

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

What if it's closed?

ETA: I love mine.

mscelina · Jan 13, 2010

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

KTC · Jan 13, 2010

quickWit said:
What if it's closed?

Being an idiot does not preclude wastefulness.

Love or Loathe the Sony Reader

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