Any questions about pdas or ebook readers?

[SusanWhite]

Hey if anybody has any questions or needed info about pda's or ebook readers just let me know! I've been gathering info and checking out some of the models available. I love my PDA!

[Karenne]

yeah Susan..could you tell us a little bit about the new Sony reader? It is beautiful!

[SusanWhite]

Yes Karenne I can do that! I haven't personally used one of Sonys new ereaders as yet but I have done a bit of research about the device. It is about the size of a regular paperback, which means it has a larger reading area than many traditional pda's.

I just got a new Tungsten E2 (thanks to Ebay) and I love it. However, I am one to use the other features a pda offers such as an address book, calendar, games etc. But for those who just want a more efficient way to read and nothing else, the Sony Ereader looks like a great bet.

Why an Ereader instead of paperbacks you ask? Well one good reason is that an Ereader can hold what amounts to a large TBR pile in one small space. No more stacks of unread books falling all over the place. According to the articles I have seen, the battery power of the device will hold up to what amounts to 7,500 page turns before needing to be recharged. Paperbacks don't need to be recharged you say?

Ahhh but can you read a paperback without sufficient lighting? The Sony Ereader is backlit which means that the pages are lit from within which makes reading anywhere easily managed. It also means that instead of taking a whole bag of reading material on a business trip or vacation, a reader can download anything they would like to read right on one relatively small device that can be carried in a purse or brieface easily.

Another bit of information you might be interested in is that there is more that can be read on the ereader than just books; Newspapers, magazines, journals and other documents can be easily downloaded from the internet and stored on the device.

A few specs on the reader: The screen of the unit is about 6 inches. It weighs about 9 oz. so it feels extremely light. Audio versions of the books can be listened to through the device if one does not feel like reading visually at the time.

What is the price for all this you ask? At the moment the cost is about $349 but the price will most likely drop in the future. Well, that is about all the information I can offer at the moment. If I ever get my hands on one and can give a first hand account, I definitely will!

[Karenne]

Thanks Susan!

I will tell you that they are using this as the technology of the future at Disneyland. You know that area where they show the 'wave of the future' they actually talked about it and showed it!

[Lainey]

OK just what I need.. but where do you get it and how much is it. My luck out of my league I am still on the broke side being sidelined by medical with workers comp to live off of. But maybe I can put it on a wish list for Christmas or my birthday if it is not too too expressively out of site on the $ scale. Where can I go look up the info???

Thanks, Elaine

[maura]

At better than 300 dollars I think I will stick to my ebookwise. It works great and can be expanded to hold more and it is a bargain at 114 dollars right now at the site and that is with an additional 64mb smart media card.

[maura]

yeah Susan..could you tell us a little bit about the new Sony reader? It is beautiful!

I just got a PRS 500--I AM NOT HAPPY. It refused to let me go back to the main menu from a book and tech support couldn't help me over the phone. Customer service has no idea what they are doing and I was forced to sent the unit to SONY at MY OWN expense a week after the initial phone calls. They told me they were sending a box-at least three times, when I did not get it in a week, I called again and was told that no such box exists.

Other than that, there is no back light and the title of a book does not always come through in the library, and no you can not edit that. For my money my Ebookwise at one third the price is three times better. Do not wast your money on this useless item.

[Karenne]

Oh Maura! I am so sorry. You poor thing. And that particular piece of equipment is NOT cheap.

Well, I do appreciate you letting me know because I was going to ask for it for my birthday. Sigh....

Anyone else got one they recommend?

[maura]

At least I got it on Ebay much cheaper than from SONY. To tell you the truth, I have no complaints about my Ebookwise reader and my Palm Tungsten e is equally easy to use and both are under $200. The Palm requires lots of page turns but you can fit it in your pocket. The Ebookwise, has backlighting(a Definite Plus!) and is a little larger than the Sony and comes with it's own case. I have a Smartmedia 128 MB card in it and now have over 100 books stored.

Oh Maura! I am so sorry. You poor thing. And that particular piece of equipment is NOT cheap.

Well, I do appreciate you letting me know because I was going to ask for it for my birthday. Sigh....

Anyone else got one they recommend?

[maura]

I finally got my PRS back from Sony. Good news, they did not charge me to fix it even though it was out of warranty. It works, but I still like my other reader better. Especially for those of us without perfect vision. Some of the Adobe books I loaded onto it have pretty small print even in M mode and vertical. The ebookwise is much easier to read and would be perfect if it read adobe. I am having fun with my new toy now that it finally works, but I got it cheaper on ebay.