Well, I finally did it. I got myself an e-reader. But, it was a learning experience.
I had originally thinking the last could months that I should go with the audible book route with my iPod Touch. But after seeing the cost of audible books, I decided against that. Also, speaking tends to just put me to sleep so that wouldn’t work well either.
So, again I was looking at the e-readers. I had tried many times to see if I could use one of the e-reader programs for my iPod Touch, or Android phone. But the tiny screens on those were very annoying. And, I also found them straining on the eyes. They were not the same as an e-ink display.
So, I broke down and decided to get a real e-reader. I decided that I could get one, then return it if I didn’t like it. I like that Future Shop rental plan 🙂
I picked up the Sony PRS-600 Touch Reader. I figured I had the option of returning it if I had any problems with it. Most reviews commented on the glare problem of the display. But the additional features it had on it made it worth a try. It accepted expansion memory cards, played mp3’s (audio books), had a dictionary, and could let you take notes.
After opening it up, it looked real nice. Turning it on though, other than the text, I got a good image of my face. Apparently the glare issue was real! And the contrast was pretty bad too. It was like reading gray text on white with a glossy screen over top. I had to hold it at almost an 80 degree angle away from me to read it.
It really depends on the lighting in the room though. If the light is behind you, then you can read it okay. If the light is in front of you however, you end up seeing your own face.
Technical-wise, it worked very well. It was nice to be able to search through books for text. Syncing it with the computer was a breeze, although I didn’t actually install the Sony software. Well, actually, I couldn’t install it. I run Windows 2008 on my desktop and the software refused to install on it. Only XP, Vista, and Windows 7 are supported. Not that Windows 2008 would have any problems if the stupid installer just let it go past.
I used the Calibre software to organize my ebooks. I have a collection of books I’ve downloaded off the net. I can import the files into Calibre and it can convert them into the EPUB format that the Sony Reader can work with. It natively supports many other types as well, but it’s not bad having it in a standard format. One note: Do NOT try and use Slashdot as a news feed. I ended up getting my IP address banned from the site 🙁 They haven’t let me back in as of yet.
I tried viewing some native PDF files on the Reader. It displayed them accurately, although, pretty small on the 6″ screen. Changing the zoom level throws out all the formatting and gets a re-flowed version of the text. This basically just screws up all your page numbering (not that pdf page numbering ever matched with the table of contents anyway).
But, in the end, I decided to return it. I figured I’d get the Sony Pocket Reader instead. It has a 5″ screen and is missing many of the features. No music, no expansion cards, no touch, no dictionary, no searching, etc. But since PDF wasn’t very usable anyway in native format, I decided it was probably a good deal on the smaller model. I had started reading Azimov’s Foundation series again.
While waiting at the Future Shop for the manager to come and unlock the case (again), I played with the demo model. One thing I noted was that the small text setting was smaller than what the Touch Reader had. The 5″ display is still 800×600 and was just denser so the text was being displayed smaller. Too small in fact. No wonder all the images on the net used a medium text setting.
Then, as they opened the cabinet to get the box, I noticed they had the PRS-505 in there! It was only supposed to be available on the web site. So I immediately told him to give me that one! It’s the two year older model that the Sony Touch Reader was based on. All the same features as the Touch, except the Touch. Had 6″ display, music and expansion cards. No search of course since there is no keyboard. This one also came with the book cover for it whereas the new ones required you to buy it for another $40.
Almost every review I had read said people loved the PRS-505 model. Many were still getting it today after looking at the Touch. Sounds like I just joined the crowd.
Turning it on the first time blew me away! The screen was a thousand times better than the Touch Reader. It was black text! It was sharp as anything! It had absolutely no glare! I tried reading some of the sample books on it and it was very amazing. I could hold it at any angle in any light and read it perfectly.
I plugged it into the computer and Calibre recognized it right away. I was able to copy my books on it right away. I’m very happy!
So, you may ask what about the other e-readers on the market. The Amazon Kindle? the Barns & Nobel Nook? I just don’t see the point of them.
The Kindle took 2 years to get to Canada because it needs to have GSM network access so you can buy books from the Amazon store. Why would I want to waste my time buying books from the Amazon store when there are thousands of free books on the net (copyright free)! The Kindle was designed to sell books. They don’t care that you could read them. They also limit your book format choices. Conversion requires going through the Amazon site I believe.
The Nook has its own gimick. They added a colour LCD screen on it. But from the demos I saw, it’s just there so you can see the nice colourful book covers in their store. It doesn’t give you any other advantage. It navigates faster than an e-ink screen does, but how often do you need to navigate? Once you’re in your book, all you’re doing is page turning. Apparently it uses an Android operating system under the covers, but I doubt they’ll ever let that be expanded. Adding another vertical inch or two of space for that second display can’t be nice either. Same goes for the Kindle and that keyboard they added.
I don’t see the point of needing wireless or cell network access on these things. I cannot ever see me needing access to a book store so urgently that I cannot wait until I get back to my computer. The thing holds hundreds of books; I’m sure I can find something else to read on the device for that 30 minutes it takes to get to work or home.
The iPod has been hugely successful while still requiring people to use their iTunes software to download and organize their music. Sure, you can do it on the device itself, but it’s a pain in the neck scrolling through hundreds of titles on that little display. The e-book readers should fair just as well.
Anyway, I got to go read a book…
Update: The Calgary public library lends e-books! www.calgarypubliclibrary.com I just need to get a library card now 🙂