It’s been three months since I fell off the e-book wagon and sold my PRS-505 Sony E-Book Reader.  I haven’t been pining over any new reader in the meantime either.  The Barnes & Noble Nook missed the boat by failing to take real advantage of its LCD touchscreen (Spring Design knows what it’s all about) or its WiFi connection (it would cost them NOTHING to let me connect to my own WiFi and look up Wikipedia entries and do Google Searches based on text in my books… why not offer that feature when the hardware is there to support it).

I had hopes for the Nook, but now that it’s failed me I’m still left with no affordable reader meeting all four of my simple standards:

• E-ink screen (this one’s easy to find)
• The ability to search within the text of a book (yet again, most devices do this)
• The ability to search on-line resources such as Wikipedia and Google over WiFi (this is the killer)
• Support for the ePub format (still, lots of devices doing this)

The Sony PRS-600 would have been perfect for me if they had included a Wi-Fi receiver and a web browser.  The first version of Amazon’s Kindle, and both versions to come out since have offered all of these features but support for the ePub format.  And frankly, the ePub support is the least impacting feature to me.

I hold out for ePub support because ePub is an open standard; anybody can make an ePub supporting device, and any store can generate ePub content.  If I buy a Kindle (which, especially with refurbished prices under $200, I’m tempted to), any DRM’d content I buy must come from Amazon (unless I buy an e-book elswhere and crack the DRM on it, which I’d rather not have to do when I’m already playing nice and being a paying customer), and won’t be able to be read on a non-Amazon device (with the current exception of PC and iPhone).

I expect we’ll eventually start seeing E Ink devices with open WiFi so I can do research while reading a book, and with everybody jumping on the ePub boat, I expect Amazon to eventually support it too (if not drop DRM entirely like Apple eventually convinced music publishers to do).

In the meantime I’m reading paper books, and getting my news from a computer screen, and that’s all working just fine.

I was searching for an image of a broken Kindle to add to this post when I found this comic, which lead me to read about this The Twilight Zone episode, which lead me to wish I had seen more of the show. Now if only Netflix could stream The Twilight Zone episodes instead of forcing me to devote an entire out-at-a-time DVD slot.

I really like my Sony eBook reader, but I won’t deny that I sometimes find myself thinking “I’d like to have this book sitting on a shelf” or “this would be a fun book to thumb through randomly” or most commonly “I wish I could set this thing on the floor and not worry about the kids stepping on it or throwing it across the room”.

I have yet to buy an eBook since I received my reader. I’ve stuck to free eBooks such as public domain works (70+ years since the author died) and relatively new books released free in electronic form by publishers (also, THIS HANDSOME FRIEND OF MINE utilizes the questionable practice of downloading pirated eBooks off the Internet because “it’s barely different than checking out a physical book from the library”).

The problem with buying eBooks is that they’re rarely/barely cheaper than a paperback (they’re usually cheaper than a hardcover if you’re buying from the Kindle Store or Sony eBook Store). Why should I pay more for a digital copy that costs nothing to make and barely pennies to send? This is not a problem with the technology, this is 100% a problem with the publishers. I think eBooks should cost around $5.  That’s enough of a savings for more people to say “Ok, I’m giving up some of the convenience/aesthetic of a paper book, but the convenience of an eBook coupled with this great price makes it totally worth it”.

It addition to simply lowering eBook prices (which is undeniably a no-brainer), I really think we need to see bundle prices for buying a paper book and its eBook version together.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:

Publishers should include a DRM-free eBook version with every paper book they sell.

They won’t do this for some time I’m sure. Why do that when your most loyal, dedicated fans might pay you twice to have the book in two formats?  I think it would be smart for publishers, as it would increase the sale of paper books, which they seem to prefer selling over eBooks despite the increased profit margins and easier (ie. nonexistent) distribution models for them.

I do expect the publishers will get in line eventually and start making the improvements we’re asking for (lower prices, no DRM, bundle discounts for getting paper book and eBook together).  I’m just impatient.

(Photo used with permission of Flickr user danielhermes.)

I’ve had my Sony PRS-505 Reader Digital Book for a week now, and feel like I’m qualified to share some thoughts on it.

First, some pros of E Ink devices in general (these go for Sony’s competitors like the Amazon Kindle as well).

• Minimal Eyestrain – E Ink reflects light just like regular ink, so it generally doesn’t put any more strain on your eyes to read it than a normal paper book would. In fact, an eReader can be even easier on your eyes as you can make any eBook large print with the push of the zoom/font-size button. It can also be read just as easily in bright sunlight, which is something LCD screens can’t match.
• Long, Long Battery Life – E Ink devices can last weeks on a single charge since they essentially only use electricity when what’s displayed on the screen is changed. Leaving a page displayed for days doesn’t drain the battery.
• Not Limited by Bookstore or Library Selection – A book not available locally? No need to wait for Amazon to ship it.
• Classics – Websites like Feedbooks and Manybooks have tens of thousands of public domain and creative commons books available to download for free.
• Multiple Books in One Device – No more worrying about dwindling bookshelf space. Also, take your whole library with you to the park/bus/vacation/gym/etc.

Now for Sony PRS-505 specifics.

(Photo used with permission of Flickr user regularjen.)

PRs-505 Pros:
• Cheaper than Kindle – Even without any discounts or coupons, the PRS-505 can be bought for $90 less than the Kindle 2
• More Book Buying Options – When it comes to DRM’d books, Kindle owners must buy from Amazon. With a Sony Reader, eBooks can be bought not just from Sony’s eBook store, but also from any store that offers Adobe’s Secure ePub or Secure PDF formats, such as Books On Board. This doesn’t mean the Sony has a larger selection of books available (Amazon actually has a slightly larger catalog).
• Smaller Than Kindle 1 or Kindle 2 (yet Same Screen Size) – No keyboard means a smaller device.
  
  (Thanks to Flickr users tevk and symmetricalism for enabling sharing on these photos.)

PRS-505 Cons:

• No Search or Notes – Just because it doesn’t have a keyboard or touchscreen doesn’t mean Sony couldn’t have allowed users to enter text for searches or notes. The 0-9 buttons along the side would have functioned fine (using the T9 method seen on mobile phones) for occasional text entry. I wouldn’t want to write a story with them, but it would be better than no search or note functions at all. (People like my wife and I who do some reading on a computer in addition to reading on the Sony can rest easy knowing that search isn’t needed to find your place. As long as you use ePub files, the page numbers are the same regardless of what device you’re reading on.)
• No Wireless – Amazon comes with free cellular wireless, but says they’ll charge for it in future. The Sony can’t even connect to my home wireless (I really wish it could; don’t care much about the cellular). But the Sony PRS-505 can sync daily news and feeds using programs like Calibre or Feedbooks’ News Stand.
• eBooks Not as Cheap as Amazon – Amazon’s eBooks are usually $3-5 cheaper than the Sony eBook Store. But Sony’s store is still usually cheaper than paper books and regularly cheaper than other non-Amazon eBook stores. Also, Amazon is currently subsidizing their low prices and may raise them soon.
• Small Page Turn Buttons – Unlike Kindle’s paddles/flippers, the PRS-505 has smaller buttons that also require a little pressure. I got used to this very quickly, but for a day or two I’d occasionally find myself wishing I didn’t have to think about the button when I turned a page. On the plus side, the left buttons (great for holding the book with one while the cover’s attached) are very easy to hit.
• Limited Mac and Linux Support – Mac and Linux users can’t buy books from the Sony eBook Store, and while Mac users can use Adobe ePub/PDF for DRM books, Linux users don’t even have that option. Your average Linux user would have no trouble buying an eBook in a Linux supported format and stripping the DRM from it, but it’s still unfortunate to see an established OS shut out like this.

I’m glad that I bought the PRS-505 (especially considering the great deal I got on it). However, regardless of the pros and cons I listed, I’d likely be just as pleased with a Kindle, Sony-700, or one of the other other E Ink devices currently available (seriously, I’m not saying the Sony is best, just that it’s quite good). I was just lucky that I happened to snag a bargain on the device I had a slight preference for.

The second biggest reason I haven’t bought an Amazon Kindle yet is that I don’t like paying for books (the first being that it’s an expensive gadget).  I don’t like paying for anything really, but books are something that’s particularly easy to get for free thanks to your local library.  That doesn’t mean libraries don’t hurt authors any more or less than pirating music reportedly hurts artists, but libraries are currently 100% legal (more, earlier thoughts on this here).  There are thriving e-book piracy communities on-line. One needs only to remove the DRM of a commercially purcahsed e-book (easier for some formats than others) or digitally scan the book manually and spend hours pouring through the OCR output for typos.  Then people like me can easily reap the rewards of their efforts.

So the third biggest reason I haven’t bought a Kindle yet is that whether you pay for e-books or pirate them for free, many titles simply aren’t available anywhere in electronic form. It would be incredibly frustrating to have just spent over $300 on a device to read books on only to have to obtain a physical copy of a book that isn’t availible electronically.

And that’s where Daniel Reetz’s $300 high-speed book scanner is a great step in the right direction.  Sure, at $300 you’d need to have a lot of non-electronic books you really wanted to read on your e-book device(s) or have a desire to serve the greater e-book community with your efforts. And you can’t just queue up a book and walk away; you have to turn the page after each 2-page snapshot it takes. But even then you’ll only be standing there a good 20 minutes for a normal length book.

I could really see myself taking the time and money required to build this if it meant I’d be releasing books from the shackles of the physical world and letting them loose in electronic form to the world. But sharing copyrighted materials like that is considered illegal.  Building this machine solely for personal use seems like too much work for too little reward.  It’s tempting to join the e-book piracy movement and become a major “content provider”, but I’m just not sure that that’s the best way to deal with publishers (and libraries) dragging their feet as demand for e-books grows.

Anyway, my hat goes off to Daniel Reetz and others like him who are making it an especially exciting time to be a bibliophile.

A good, fast way to see if a book is available in electronic form is to visit its Amazon page. Amazon tells you right away if a book is available for their Kindle e-book reader, and while it’s not a given, books released for Kindle are often also already released in other electronic formats as well (sadly, this gulf is widening; Amazon is doing a better job of convincing publishers to go electronic with them, and other formats are getting left in the dust).

Prior to today, the page for a book on Amazon that was not available for Kindle had a button that said something to the effect of “Publishers: Find out how you can make this book available for Kindle”. I’d often think “Look at that easy button! Come on publishers!”

But today I noticed that the button has changed:

Clicking it gives the following message (“Thank you for requesting this title in Kindle edition…”):

I hope that by doing this, I’m not contributing towards a publisher releasing a book for Kindle and not for other electronic formats. I’d like to think that once they’ve seen how well Kindle sales do, they’ll consider doing the same easy electronic release for others.

Anyway, thanks Amazon for letting us help you help publishers get their act together.