Sony PRS-505 E-Reader

I purchased my Sony PRS-505 Personal Reader System for around $300 U.S. to use with the PDF text books I receive as part of my online college classes. I, like many people in the world, only have a desktop PC. So the hours of reading I was doing, sitting in my computer room at home, were really hampering my ability to have a life. It was also making me feel quite closed in a trapped at my desk. Therefore I started my research into getting an E-Reader with the focus on getting my text books out of my computer without having to print the hundreds of pages (I tried printing for one eight week course and had a stack of paper about two and a half inches thick and empty ink cartridges.) My search turned up only two possible companies to buy from, one was Sony the other was Amazon. With that found, the functionality and cross checking of abilities began. Sony’s Personal Reader System (PRS) had the list I expected to find on both machines BBeB Book, TXT, RTF, PDF, and Converted MS Word documents. Plus, it turns out, it can also display JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP images (which it converts to black and white within its 8 level gray scale display capabilities), and can play MP3 and AAC audio files. The Amazon Kindle list showed PDF and all other file types but, it stated they have to be converted over and that PDF was not guaranteed to work. Well, seeing as how all my course text books come only in PDF this killed the option of using Kindle.

Now anyone who reads a lot on a monitor learns that eye strain can also be an issue and those with laptop computers know all too well how hard it is to read a back lit screen outside on a sunny day, so the next part of my research sent me looking for the closest store where I could test drive the E-Reader. Thankfully the Sony site had a store finder and the Borders book store about five minutes away from my home was listed. A short time later I was talking to the Sony rep who comes most weekends to answer questions and help sell the product… I was amazed at this thing! At first glance I thought that the print on the screen was one of those decals that stores use on display products, but no it was the actual screen. It turns out that E-Readers use “electronic ink” (E-Ink) no backlit screens here, just the E-Ink displayed on what they also call “electronic paper.” This stuff is astonishing to see for the first time because it really does look like something printed out onto paper. The best part though is that with no backlighting you can stand outside with the sun over your shoulder and it’s still readable! Those of you with less than 20/20 vision will find it important to know that the reader can also change between small, medium, and large font sizes. The Sony PRS-505 system comes with an attractive soft case, USB cable, quick start guide and CD-Rom and with the charging adapters (sold separately) you can charge the Sony PRS-505 while reading. The battery life can last for up to 7,500 page turns or, in English, about a week of “average reader” use. It also has expansion slots for an SD card and a Pro duo card for increased storage capacity as well as a headphone jack for listening to those music files.

Since I purchased my Sony PRS-505, my productivity in course work has tripled and my stress levels are way down. Not having to sit at my desk to read my text books has also freed up my life. During hunting season I was able to read my book while my hunting partner (dad) drove us two hours out to the leased blind we had. The first few trips out I was so excited that I could go and not feel as though I was “playing hooky” that I spent half the drive just repeating to my dad how cool it was to be able to do this. I have also been using the reader around the house bouncing from room to room as I feel and on trips for fun and/or education related reading. The fun books came from the Sony E-book store where you can buy and download for (on average) less than paperback price. The only obvious exclusion to the low prices is on new releases but that’s also worthwhile as you know that they won’t sell out and you won’t have to leave the house to get it.

All in all I’d say the cost of Sony’s PRS-505 is well worth the price. My work efficiency is up, my stress levels are down, and my over all eye strain has been greatly reduced. Now I just have to learn a little restraint on buying books off of the site. (It’s so easy to do I tend to hit the purchase button before thinking about the fact that I’m actually spending money.) So to anyone who does a lot of reading and wishes to get away from their desk or computer, I suggest you look into a Sony Portable Reader System. Trust me it’s worth the time and money, especially if it helps save you even more time and money down the road.

Link to Sony's PRS site

Sony

MyScribe Equals Fail

My College DeVry University has made the decision to switch their online text books to MyScribe. I have spent the last week working with the system and contacting both DeVry and MyScribe support and have found the MyScribe system to be woefully lacking. MyScribe is an online book reading system provided by CafeScribe this reader is just that you can read highlight and add notes but you have to be on a computer to access it. I, like many of my online classmates, purchased an Ebook for my previous classes so I could bring my textbook with me wherever I go. As with most online students I have other daily activities such as work, commuting, and other travel that takes me away from my computer. This switch to a solely computer based system has killed my ability to read my text book when away from home. Yes, MyScribe allows you to transfer the book to a USB drive (ie. A thumb drive) for use “away from home” but, as I had to explain to DeVry University, that still requires a computer. The MyScribe system takes closed source to extremes unlike the previously used system of Adobe Digital Editions, as stated earlier reading a book on MyScribe is limited to use only through their reader that can only be accessed on a computer. Adobe Digital Editions is accessible through the computer and through Ebook readers such as my Sony PRS-505 . MyScribe and Adobe have the same DRM (digital rights management) abilities to prevent copyright infringement so that is not an issue. Both systems appear to provide free software to read and just charge for the actual books, so that is also not an issue for competition. I have been unable to find any logical, financial, or preferential reason for the switch. The actual useability of the computer software to read the books though is an issue of contention I have. The MyScribe software has an annoying strong blue default color scheme that I have yet to find a way to change, which distracts from the text. Whereas Adobe has a Black background color that helps to emphasize the text and even though I have not found a way to change this default color scheme I don’t feel a need to do so unlike with MyScribe.
Some of the lesser but still annoying issues I have found are, MyScribe defaults on my computer to a two page view that, for me, is too small to read and when I changed it to default to a single page view it automatically sets the zoom to 256% which, for me, is way too large and limits text per page to the point where I am constantly scrolling. Another issue I have with MyScribe’s software is the fact I cannot Minimize the screen by clicking on the windows taskbar. This is a habit and a function I find critical because when I jump between screens I have to click on the little task bar icon to switch to another program, and when I switch I Minimize the window I’m on to allow easier access to the desktop should I need to launch yet another program. Examples of the programs I use simultaneously are the text book reader software, Microsoft Word for the reports or related homework, FireFox for internet access, and Itunes for my background study music. All of which I toggle between through the task bar. Another issue I just found while toggling is you cannot access a right click menu through the MyScribe software in order to Minimize, Maximize, Restore, or Close. All of which are functions I regularly use especially the Close function, because the close function through right click as it is easier than clicking on the task bar icon at the bottom of the screen and then moving the mouse up to the top right of the screen to click the Close button.

With these issues of lack of portability, distracting background color scheme, missing common functions, and poor “ease of use” I ask. Why would anyone let alone a university see the MyScribe system as a good choice? Why would anyone let alone a university switch from a flexible worldwide accepted system such as Adobe Digital Editions to the very limited and poorly designed MyScribe system? Because I cannot find any logical, financial, or preferential reason myself.


Update Note: Some potential solutions have shown up since I first posted this blog. While these or any potential solutions are still not being offered by the responsible parties for this technological farce. There are a couple freeware programs that seem to work the way we wish MyScribe could and should. Check out PrimoPDF and PDFCreator For more information please read the comment section of this post for other readers opinions and suggestions. We are not alone, or helpless, thanks to the hive mind of the internet.