Comments on: The Sony Reader: 500 vs 505

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:28:13 +0000

Calibre is awesome! and you can change the font size during conversion, so if you are half blind like I am, you can make the font bigger, then when you zoom it’s even bigger! Works great for those PDF files you can’t zoom!

By: Jane

Jane — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:41:51 +0000

@Jodi: You need to download Calibre. You import the books into the program and it automatically creates folders for the files by first name last name of author. If you "tag" the books, the tags will show up as "collections" on the Sony Reader.

By: Jodi

Jodi — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:17:18 +0000

A friend sent me here because I’m lost. I just got a 505 and people tell me you can create folders on it to organize your books, but I have no clue where to start looking. I can’t find the info in the pdf manual and elibrary is just useless. Please point me somewhere? :) Thanks!

By: Jane

Jane — Wed, 13 May 2009 17:07:09 +0000

@Kalei DeTiberiis Did you try to restart your device unattached to the computer and without the card? Also, how is your battery level on the Sony Reader? When it gets low, it might not recognize the card.

By: Kalei DeTiberiis

Kalei DeTiberiis — Wed, 13 May 2009 15:58:39 +0000

Aloha, I just got the 505 and I’m also having a problem with my Sony Reader not recognizing my sd card. I did check the lock slide on the side of my sd card and it is in the unlock position. Can anyone help me with this?

By: Jayne

Jayne — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:43:16 +0000

The only thing I know to suggest is to see if the little slide thingie on the side of your SD card is in the correct position.

By: Cezarina

Cezarina — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:04:59 +0000

Hi,

I received the Sony Reader PRS – 505, which is brilliant. I have a slight problem on it. I can’t get the Sony Reader to recognise my SD card and it’s quite frustrating. I don’t know if I need to download some software which would allow it to be read.

I hope someone may know what to do.

By: Jayne

Jayne — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 13:05:56 +0000

Angela, one poster said that if the Kindle breaks, Amazon sends you a new one to use while yours is being repaired.

I was a bit shocked that this blogger’s Sony died after only 6 months. I used Jane’s old 500 for over a year with no problems and this was after she used it for a number of months. I wonder if the 505 is more sensitive. Anyway, I always keep her in her cover and now plan to pad her if I take her anywhere outside the house.

By: Angela James

Angela James — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 03:10:04 +0000

I wonder what Amazon’s answer would be to a consumer in this agent’s situation:

http://theswivet.blogspot.com/2009/02/my-sad-broken-six-month-old-sony-reader.html

I’d be curious to know if anyone has had any similar experiences with Amazon and if their customer service is better. That would be an interesting post to compare people’s customer service experiences with the two companies as a point of comparison for which reader to buy.

By: HK

HK — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 23:29:47 +0000

@GrowlyCub:
Yeah, I loved Adobe 7.0 and used it all the time to send books to my clie and palm. Unfortunately, you can’t use that and the 505. I don’t know why, (I’d have to ask my DH when he gets home and he’ll probably shrug and just say that’s the way it is) as 7.0 was great and used the library DRM with no problem.

It won’t work. It ways so in the 505 stuff and with Adobe. You have to jump through their (minor) hoops to get Digital Editions and update the firmware on the 505 itself before library books will work on it. In fact, I had to re-download those books I had in 7.0 because DE wouldn’t recognize them and if DE doesn’t recognize them you can’t sent it to your 505.

There might be some work arounds, but I don’t know them – sorry!

By: GrowlyCub

GrowlyCub — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:59:19 +0000

Thanks, HK and Sunita.

I just downloaded two Overdrive PDFs to my old laptop (which runs Adobe 7.0), do I just copy them onto the Sony and does it get the permissions itself or do I have to do something to get it to run? I guess I could try and see, but it’s more fun when you know what you are doing!

I have Digital Editions on my new laptop, but I really REALLY dislike it and would much prefer to install 7.0 on it, too, if I could find an installation file.

By: Sunita

Sunita — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:30:41 +0000

Oh, and has anybody been successful putting Overdrive library rentals (Adobe Digital Editions) onto their 505?

I use a Mac and I haven’t had any problems using my library system’s overdrive account. I’ve downloaded half a dozen books. I don’t know if this is the same everywhere, but I get 14 days (complete with a ticking time bomb with the number of days left) and then at the end of the time, the book is still there but not accessible. I then delete it and voila!

By: HK

HK — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:21:34 +0000

@GrowlyCub: I got the 505 in Oct and use it mainly for library reading. (I have 5 books on there right now). It’s super easy and I’ve never had a problem.

I had to upgrade to the Adobe Digital Editions software (I had been using Adobe Reader for the library books) and update the firmware on the 505 (click of a button – easy) but since I did all of that when setting up my brand new reader it was all part of the initial set up for me.

I’d be happy to answer any questions you have. I love reading library books on the reader.

By: Jessica G.

Jessica G. — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:21:29 +0000

Jayne-
Yeah, PDFs flow differently than other formats. I’m not a big fan of reading PDFs on my 505. I’ve been trying to read the free Sue Orman book I got and the way it is formatted it makes my Reader cry. Don’t worry too much about the double (or triple) pages too much.

By: Jayne

Jayne — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:00:33 +0000

Oh, after I increased the font? Why, yes, changing it back to the small font does seem to eliminate the double pages. But then I have to squint to read. I guess I’ll just deal with the frustration of seemingly spinning my reading wheels. ;)

By: Jayne

Jayne — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:56:22 +0000

After I what?

By: Jessica G.

Jessica G. — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:38:07 +0000

Jayne- did you get the double pages after you zoomed?

By: Jayne

Jayne — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:23:07 +0000

At first the page numbering was confusing but it's because it counts the pages of the full size PDF, not the new number of pages created when you resize the document.

And that is driving me crazy! I feel like I read and read and read then when I glance down to monitor my progress via the page count, it’ll look like I’ve barely read anything at all.

By: Jane

Jane — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:16:57 +0000

@nearhere: The 700 lasts about 5-6 hours using the light on low level.

By: nearhere

nearhere — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:11:43 +0000

I ADORE my Sony 505. I used to have a 500 but traded it in the for the 505 because I wanted the better PDF technology and to be able to go to specific pages. And the PDF flow stuff is amazing. I use it not just for books but also journal articles and it is so convenient and wonderful and easy to read. At first the page numbering was confusing but it’s because it counts the pages of the full size PDF, not the new number of pages created when you resize the document. I am contemplating a kindle but it seems much more limiting than the sony ereader.

I got the case with the light and it’s nice but the battery doesn’t last long on the strong setting. You can keep it on weak light for a while but it’s doesn’t help all that much when its dark out. I’d be curious to know what the light battery is like on the 700.