Today's charity shop bargain...

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(and I really mean bargain)

...was a Sony PRS 500 eBook reader complete with cables, box, software etc. For £25. It's clean and looks virtually unused and seems to be working well so far, but I haven't tried putting books on it yet, since I need to go out again.

I know this is a fairly early model, but I think it will meet my eBook reader needs for now. And save me from lusting after anything else, at least until its limitations begin to annoy me.

Comments

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

Gah. GAH! Curse you sir for your good luck! :)

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Maybe it's a sign of the rapture / apocalypse...

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

If all the books already installed on it are religious in nature, you'll have your answer.

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Looks like lots of samples, either it was never used or it has been reloaded with the original files. From the look of it I think it has never been used!

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

I can imagine there are a lot of ebook readers sitting around on shelves gathering dust.

[autopope.livejournal.com]

Are you sure it's a PRS-500, and not a 505? (The 500 was, by all accounts, a dog -- the 505 was their first really usable ebook reader.)

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

The box says 500, so does the back of the casing. It seems a bit sluggish but OK so far.

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According to the manual it doesn't know about ePub files, but there's apparently a firmware upgrade available from Sony - but it has to go into a service centre.

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

That sounds like Sony alright.

... I hate Sony.

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There's a sony showroom ten minutes walk away - I might take it in tomorrow to see what they say.

[kip-w.livejournal.com]

It's worth a try. There's a lot of free PD stuff in ePub.

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Looks like you can get the Baen Free Library SF in this format which gives me a starting point even if they no longer offer the upgrade. There may also be a conversion program, I hope.

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Just reading a David Weber. Yes, it works!

[autopope.livejournal.com]

You need Calibre. Seriously. Best thing since sliced bread for managing ebook file conversions.

[kip-w.livejournal.com]

Here I was coming back to say "get Calibre." My Sony software was the weak link. It was screwing me up, and Sony disclaimed responsibility, and the maker of the software never even responded to me, so I got Calibre and moved everything to it. It converts! It slices! It dices! Guaranteed Rapture-proof!

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Thanks to you both - works well, and there's a Mac version too! Excellent!

[buzzylittleb.livejournal.com]

[on friends-of-friends list]

This caught my eye as my dad just bought a leather sony e-reader case for 49p in Waterstones. We can't believe that either. The packaging was a little bit foxed but it seems okay inside. Just to make this sillier, the price sticker said £1. It's waiting for my uncle to re-materialise with his e-reader. (My geeks have kindles, which they showed my uncle until he felt as sick as parrot)

ETA: my geeks also highly recommend Project Gutenberg (for public domain books) and are reading over my shoulder.

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It's got the case - like I say, it's the complete kit. I think the only thing missing is the UK mains cable (a standard figure 8 lead) and possibly earphones, not sure if they came with it or not. I have both anyway.

[kip-w.livejournal.com]

Mine is a pocket edition, a model or two back. It doesn't play audio, so no earphone. I guess I have an AC adapter, but I usually charge it by connecting it to the computer, so if you have the cord for that, you're pretty much ready to go.

Project Gutenberg is great. So is the Australian PG. Google Books gets me a lot of free stuff, often indifferently scanned and not proofread, though a cut above archive.org's books. Somehow, archive has recently contrived to make their books harder to get — they think they're a library and books must be checked out for some period of time. Wretched nuisance. Borders has a conduit to free books as well. Maybe they're google books.

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This is the 6"(?) screen one, slightly smaller than a DVD case but much heavier.

It seems to charge better from the charger than the USB lead. If my understanding is correct this isn't exactly a frequent need anyway.