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I want an eBook reader.

  • 07-04-2009 1:41pm
    #1
    Flamed Diving
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,609 ✭✭✭


    I don't want one with WiFi, or to keep my tea hot, or to read the book to me or anything.

    Just a device which will allow me to read pre-1950's economics books, which are available free everywhere.

    Any (reasonably priced) recommendations?


Comments

  • #2
    butts
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 509 ✭✭✭butts


    The Sony PRS505 is probably your best bet if you don't need wifi. As far as I know, the cheapest it can be got in Ireland is from Powercity for €225.55 if you order online and collect in-store:
    http://www.powercity.ie/?par=20-12-PRS505


  • #3
    Flamed Diving
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,609 ✭✭✭Flamed Diving


    That's still very expensive. Why are they so costly, its just a bloody 2-colour screen that reads doc/pdf/txt files.


  • #4
    samhail
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,699 ✭✭✭samhail


    its a new technology so they will keep it expensive til more people are making it. i didnt konw that the sony digital reader was that expensive. i had 130e more in mind but cant find any references online of it being that cheap.

    colour digital readers should be coming out mid this year (last i heard which was last year) so i would say that B&W readers would be cheaper after that.
    Im waiting for the color one.


  • #5
    ElNino
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,509 ✭✭✭ElNino


    Flamed Diving wrote: »
    That's still very expensive. Why are they so costly, its just a bloody 2-colour screen that reads doc/pdf/txt files.

    I was in a Sony shop in the U.S. a couple of weeks ago and the PRS505 was $299.99 so that is a good price. The PRS700 (which isn't available here yet) was reduced from $399.99 to $349.99.


  • #6
    butts
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 509 ✭✭✭butts


    samhail wrote: »
    colour digital readers should be coming out mid this year (last i heard which was last year) so i would say that B&W readers would be cheaper after that.
    Im waiting for the color one.

    To be honest I'd be very surprised if anyone makes colour e-ink readers available to the general public until sometime in 2010. Also, in one video I saw comparing B&W versus colour e-ink screens, the colour version had a very slow refresh rate but it may have been just a prototype.


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  • #7
    Flamed Diving
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,609 ✭✭✭Flamed Diving


    I will wait for the price to come down, methinks.

    €230 for a glorified text reader with two colours is a bit much, imo.


  • #8
    Flamed Diving
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,609 ✭✭✭Flamed Diving


    True, I suppose.

    BTW, any websites you would recommend which have free (legal) ebooks?


  • #9
    Flamed Diving
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,609 ✭✭✭Flamed Diving


    Yeah, I have a vague recollection of finding such a site. I will ask my econ mates.


  • #10
    Biggins
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 34,567 ✭✭✭✭Biggins


    Have a look at this thread also: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=59788569#post59788569

    Sony reader prices around 250 euro.
    (I and wife have one each)


  • #11
    butts
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 509 ✭✭✭butts


    Biggins, if you check my post near the start of the thread you will see that it can be got for €225 from Powercity.


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  • #12
    mawk
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,738 ✭✭✭mawk


    I bought an xda off adverts.ie and use it as an ebook reader as it has an acceptable sized screen, ms word, acrobat reader, MS reader etc

    and works as a phone when my phone runs out of battery.

    with the phone off, wifi off, bluetooth et all off, the battery life goes to about a week with casual use


    --
    edit
    --

    cost me about 70e


  • #13
    ElNino
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,509 ✭✭✭ElNino


    Flamed Diving wrote: »
    True, I suppose.

    BTW, any websites you would recommend which have free (legal) ebooks?

    There are about 500,000 public domain books, which were scanned by Google, available free on the Sony ebook store site in Sony LRF format.

    Check out http://ebookstore.sony.com/google-ebooks/


  • #14
    watty
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,417 ✭✭✭✭watty


    www.gutenberg.org

    Colour eInk/ePaper will always be very inferior to the B&W version.

    The display uses a rotating half white, half black bead for each dot, reflecting ambient light. Colour would need 3x more and would be 1/3 to 1/4 brightness as each dot has to absorb 2/3rd of the spectrum to create the colour


  • #15
    Flamed Diving
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,609 ✭✭✭Flamed Diving


    watty wrote: »
    www.gutenberg.org

    Colour eInk/ePaper will always be very inferior to the B&W version.

    The display uses a rotating half white, half black bead for each dot, reflecting ambient light. Colour would need 3x more and would be 1/3 to 1/4 brightness as each dot has to absorb 2/3rd of the spectrum to create the colour

    Ah, that's very clever. I guess that's why they are surprisingly expensive.


  • #16
    Flamed Diving
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,609 ✭✭✭Flamed Diving


    I went for the 505 anyway.

    Im quite happy with it, so far. I just need to find a way of making some PDF's look as nice as the Sony 505 files.


  • #17
    00sully
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,266 ✭✭✭00sully


    Flamed Diving

    try Calibre - its free software and will convert pdf's to the lrf sony format. I find the 505 does an adequate job of displaying pdf's natively anyway - just requires a +1 or 2 zoom level?!?


  • #18
    Flamed Diving
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,609 ✭✭✭Flamed Diving


    00sully wrote: »
    Flamed Diving

    try Calibre - its free software and will convert pdf's to the lrf sony format. I find the 505 does an adequate job of displaying pdf's natively anyway - just requires a +1 or 2 zoom level?!?

    Yeah, it is fine for novels but when I attempt to read journal papers or textbooks (my primary reason for buying it) they can come out a bit wonky, so I'm looking at ways of editing.


  • #19
    Flamed Diving
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,609 ✭✭✭Flamed Diving


    DirectEbooks wrote: »
    Hi Guys.
    I'm very interested in all your opinions on ebooks. I happen to know quite a lot about ebooks, file formats and the readers and technology that go with it, so if you have any questions or opinions, please let me know via the forum or on info@directebooks.com.

    Just to let you know that www.directebooks.com will be launching this month. We're an Irish company selling ebooks in euros. We will have over 187,000 titles available to download. we will also be selling several different ebook readers at competetive prices.

    No thanks, I have found eBooks at very competitive prices: zero. Can you beat that?


  • #20
    Eoin
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,263 ✭✭✭✭Eoin


    Legally?


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