Tech From an E-booker’s Viewpoint

The following  is my first assessment of the Sony reader.  It was first published on Teleread.  I thought I’d post it here for comparison for how I feel about the reader now.  My updated review will be posted tomorrow. Will my opinion change for the better?  Stay tuned. 

My Thoughts on Owning a Sony Reader (Dec 2006)

I have had my reader now for two months and I still have mixed feelings.   For some reason it has taken me awhile to warm up to it, but I do like it.  Is it my favorite of all e-book devices?  Certainly not and I will explain later.  First, what I do like about the reader.  Battery life is excellent.  I have had to recharge only twice since it arrived.  The display is not what I had expected.  I thought that the background would be whiter.  Instead it is grey, but much better than the Sony Librie.  The text is clear and easy to read.  Changing the text size is simple and the font size choices should please most people.  Most of the functions I was able to figure out right away without having to read the manual.  I really like the Bookmark button.  It makes it very easy to mark my place without going through menu choices.  Screen size is adequate and the reader is light and easy to carry.  The lightness of the reader makes it easy for me to read for hours without straining my wrists.  Since it is e-ink I haven’t experienced any eye strain either.  When traveling to take my daughter back to college after Thanksgiving, I was able to read comfortably in the car in bright daylight.  This is definitely an advantage over my other readers.   Before I forget, redeeming the$50 credit was painless. Well, that’s about it for the good stuff.

What wasn’t so good was apparent from the start.  The cover for the reader has to be snapped on and is attached from the back of the unit.  Thank goodness for the Mobileread Forum.  They had some great tips on how to attach the cover.  Without that I think I would have broken the device, because the cover can be difficult to snap on.  That got worse when I received the leather cover I had ordered from Sony Style.  It took me almost an hour to get it on, mainly because it kept coming off.  Then I realized that the groves on the cover and the device didn’t match. So my reader looked off kilter. The bottom right edge stuck out.  After a couple of days, I couldn’t stand it and sent the cover back.  For $40 it should fit as expected.  Later, when I was in Austin, TX I bought another cover and it does fit better, but I had to strap bands around it to make the leather stretch. 

Next up is the Connect Software to include the Connect Book Store.  To say I am disappointed would be an understatement.  This is a small gripe, but in order to buy books, you have to have the software.  In order to get the software you have to have the reader.  Why can’t the software be downloaded for free online, you know like iTunes?  I don’t have to have an iPod to buy from their store.  The software has locked up on me twice and I had a time to get it to work again.   The store is not that easy to navigate and seems rather clumsy.  Sometimes the search brings up odd results.  Still, once I found a book it was easy to purchase and download.  Another annoyance is that when you register on the site you must give a credit card number that they keep on file.  Then they went on to charge a dollar to my account.  I got a quick response when I inquired.  Apparently it was a test to make sure the card was valid, and I got my meager buck back.  I’m upset because they didn’t tell me this up front.  Maybe they did, but it must have been in the very very fine print.  I doubt if I will be buying much from their store since the book selection is poor at best. I can find more, better, and definitely cheaper books from other sources.

So if I don’t buy from them, what are my choices?  None, unless I convert from another format.  So far I have had less than satisfactory results.  It is a hassle.  Why should I have to use two or more programs and spend more than 30 minutes to format a book to look right on the reader?  I’m not a programmer, but I am not stupid either.  There should be a better way to put public domain stuff on the reader, and have a Table of Contents (TOC), pictures, and show both the Author and Title in the main menu, without tearing my hair out!

I am hoping that the software and user features will improve.  Again, I must thank the many people on the Mobileread Forum.  Without their insight and knowledge I would be lost.  That said, why must customers rely on peer support for a product?  What about the first time users who are not familiar with such forums?

Personally my biggest complaint about the reader is why many love it.  It is exactly like reading a book.  There is no built in dictionary, no searching, and no hyperlinks.  I understand why there is no back light (e-ink), and yes paper books (p-books) don’t have built in lights.  But, then again I don’t pay hundreds of dollars to read a paper book.  I pay big money to have a digital reading experience.  That means that it shouldn’t be just like reading a traditional book.  It should be more.  In fact a whole lot more.