Ebook reader: Devices you should not overlook

Ebook readers are becoming more and more popular, with Amazon's Kindle being a major driving force. Really, can there be any better advertisement for the concept of a small device specifically meant to replace traditional paper books than a prominent permanent ad on the main page of the biggest retailer on the planet? I had my own share of encounters with ebook readers, but overtime I realized that they may not be such a good idea after all. Primarily because almost everybody already has one or more electronic devices that can perform most functions of a book reader with ease. I still believe that he ePaper technology, used in ebook readers will continue to thrive, but at present you just may be better off with any one of the following devices:

• PDA. Pocket-sized computers had the peak of popularity in the early 2000s. It is almost difficult to find them today, because smart phones took on most of their functions. Modern PDAs, such as ASUS 626 have large screens, very well suited for reading long texts. A wide selection of software is available, often at no cost, that allows one to read eBooks. My personal favorites are Haali Book reader and MobiBook.
  
• Smart phone. Often these devices are the size of a PDA, but usually they have smaller screens.
  
• Regular cellphone. Cell phones differ greatly in their configuration, but a lot of them have support for Java, which allows them to run ebook applications. It is extremely easy to load use such services as BooksInMyPhone.com
  

Sony Digital e-Book Reader: PRS 505. Revew, specs and a solution for the lack of Unicode support

Just got a Sony Reader (PRS 505) from Amazon!




Review


First of all, I did not realize that the reader already came with a jacket. It was not very clearly stated. So, I actually ordered an executive brown leather jacket for extra $25.

It took about 40 minutes for the initial charging during which PRS 505 is completely unresponsive. Then I powered it up. Very impressive! The text has very good resolution and the black color looks indeed quite black. It's like looking at a paper printout that has been placed under a thin layer of glass. Just as with an ordinary book, it is a good idea to have plenty of light. There is no back light or anything like that.


The Specs

• displays eBooks purchased from the CONNECT eBook online store
• displays Adobe® PDFs, plus TXT, RTF, BMP, JPEG, GIF, PNG and Microsoft® Word files
• plays MP3 and AAC files (protected files not supported)
• internal 192MB memory
• memory slot holds an SD Memory Card (up to 2GB capacity) and Memory Stick® Duo media (up to 8GB capacity)
• 800x600 resolution
  

Pros

• Very light weight
• High image quality
• Good battery life
• Plenty of memory + SD card slot. Sony has released a firmware update that allows the use of high capacity SD cards (4 gb and more!)
  

Cons

• Black and white screen
• No back light
• No Unicode support
• Somewhat difficult to navigate. This Sony Reader is also a little sluggish.
• It is not always possible to zoom in as much as you'd want to. The level of zoom depends on individual books.
  
• Difficult to navigate PDF files.
• Haven't found a way to rotate the screen without going to the settings
  

One particular problem that I had to address right away was the lack of Unicode support. I often read texts with non-Latin characters. You can find firmware versions that can localize Sony Reader, but there is always a chance that you will end up with a brick. Why risk it? There is a free program that can take a text and save it as graphics (you can choose from a list of different formats). You can then make a PDF out of those file. Problem solved. This program was originally designed to create eBooks readable on mp3 players such as Sansa, iPod, Zune etc. But it works just as well for Sony Reader.

If you need this program, it can be downloaded from many shareware sites, but some of them require registration these days. Not this one:

http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/eBook_to_Images/1168713945/1

The name of the program is eBook to Images 0.9.11.

Portable ebook reader

OK, I am officially looking for a portable ebook reader! I definitely want an e ink based device, because I already have a very good smartphone that works fine for me. So, the biggest selling points for me would be:

• a larger screen than a PDA type reader
  
• ability to read image-based PDF files
• wide range of supported ebook formats, both commercial and free. Plain TXT is a must!
• the device must support Unicode
  
• convenient design and nice look. You know, I don't want to be embarrassed when people see me read this thing!
• some text entry mode would be nice, but this is not crucial
• decent screen quality. I am realistic and I understand that ebook readers with better screens are still a few years away, but I hope to choose the best that's out there right now.
• a lot of memory or support for high capacity SD cards. Chances are, If my smartphone supported HCSD I would not even need a portable ebook reader.
• easy syncing. WiFi would be nice.
  

The models that I plan to look at first (and see how these readers measure up to the demands listed above) are:

• GeR2 from Ganaxa. A Vizplex e-paper portable ebook reader. Not for sale yet :(
• Sony PRS-505 portable ebook reader.
• Amazon Kindle portable ebook reader.
  

I do have to say that Sony PRS-505 and Amazon Kindle are by far the strongest contenders.