Ereader Vs. iLiad...

Larry Z. · 10-15-2006, 04:14 AM

Hi!

First off, thank you for having me on your forum. I've been reading this the posts on this site for several weeks now, as I've gone from enthusiastic to frustrated and back to enthusiastic again...

To begin with, I've had most of the ereaders since the Rocket E-Book. I've owned the black and white version, the color version (REB1200) and the Sony Libre...

My best experience (not that you asked, but hey...) was with the color REB 1200. I subscribed to TIME and Newsweek, which were delivered onto the REB 1200; and I found that reading magazines as well as ebooks was a lot of fun.

Time passed, and I read about the Libre. I was an early adopter, flashing an English OS and struggling through downloading text files from Gutenberg. While I liked the e-ink display, the Libre fast became a paperweight in my house.

While led me to the iLiad. The ads showing a newspaper brought back fond memories of downloading newspapers and magazines, and I thought 16 levels of grayscale would mean a great e-ink display. Before I purchased it, I expressed concern to iRex about their lack of content, but the folks over there assured me that a deal would soon be announced with a provider, and that demand was such that I should get my order in ASAP. $700 and agonizing visits Gutenberg/manybooks.net later...

Out comes the Sony Reader. While smaller and displaying only 4 shades of gray, it is supported by an ebook store (content!) and a fairly good interface (remember, I'm a Libre vet). Plus, the purchase price is mitigated somewhat by a $50 credit at the Sony Connect bookstore.

After using both these ebook readers side by side, the clear advantage goes to the Sony Reader. iLiad has a nicer display (though not by much) and that's about the only thing it has going for it at this point. I'm not bothered by the idea that the Sony Connect books for the Sony Reader have copy protection schemes, and I've found that the "iLiad Formatted" public domain books on Manybooks.net look great on the Reader too.

The Reader has a better fit and finish IMO, feeling sturdy and durable. The iLiad looks nice but has a kind of plastic-y feel that makes me want to blow dust off it and place it carefully in bubble-wrap. The Reader feels like something you can carry around with you... The Reader also includes a cover, which the iLiad does not.

The Reader is also faster to change pages - a concern I've read about in many threads.

One thing though - I messed up when I began using it. Without going into the details, which make me look like a cretin, just remember to do the following in order:

1. Create a relationship between the Reader and the PC you're going to use for Sony Connect purchases.
2. Then go to Sony Connect and register.
3. Before you buy any books, make sure that your $50 credit is in your account.

Don't buy books before your Reader is registered - it is bad. I know, and yes, I'm a cretin.

I'll probably keep updating the software on the iLiad as it moves forward in development. But for now it's a work in progress. The Reader is more polished and ready for market.

Cheers!
Larry

Bob Russell · 10-15-2006, 06:53 AM

Wow, Larry.. you're our kind of guy -- ebook-aholic!! ;-)

I'm not sure why your approach to buying the books is a problem, though. You probably had to pay for some ebooks instead of using the credit, but once you register the Reader, shouldn't it work okay?

Have you called Sony support to try to get that straightened out? It sounds like something that shouldn't be a big deal to get all the books you purchased into the account you need them to be in for your reader.

Larry Z. · 10-15-2006, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Russell

Wow, Larry.. you're our kind of guy -- ebook-aholic!! ;-)

I'm not sure why your approach to buying the books is a problem, though. You probably had to pay for some ebooks instead of using the credit, but once you register the Reader, shouldn't it work okay?

Have you called Sony support to try to get that straightened out? It sounds like something that shouldn't be a big deal to get all the books you purchased into the account you need them to be in for your reader.

Ebook-aholic?

"Hi. I'm a friend of Bob R..."

Rub it in whydoncha, Bob?

I bought about $100 worth of books while the reader was charging for the first time. When the battery was full, I connected and registered it, but the books didn't come across because the computer wasn't certified when I bought them and I had to re-download them all.

That wasn't too big a problem...fortunately. So after figuring that out, I called Sony support, and they said that since the charge had gone through already they couldn't apply my $50 credit.

I do blame myself, as of course I didn't read the instructions. With prior ebooks, I'd download the books to the computer whever I felt like it and then attached the reader at my convenience to port them in. I didn't know you had to set up and register the Sony first, before downloading.

Charm, imploring, and begging didn't work with Sony - they still wouldn't apply the credit or do a refund. It could be worse though - I could have spent $700 on a Reader that's really part of an expensive beta testing program that is now a brick...oh...wait...did that too...

NatCh · 10-15-2006, 04:56 PM

Thanks for the side by side, Larry Z! There aren't too many folks who can give us that sort of comparison. Do please continue to give us your observations!

As far as "having you on the forum," I'd say you're a great addition to it, speaking for myself, so thank you for coming along!

Larry Z. · 10-16-2006, 01:22 AM

Thank you, NatCh!

I realized a couple of other things in comparison, which may be of use to folks...

1. When using wifi with an Mac/Airport and an iLiad, you need to turn off all security settings on the Mac. Then it will work.

2. The dock that they sell for the Reader is totally worth it, though the Reader fits in spine forwards, which is counter-intuitive. Conversely, the leather cover they sell for the reader isn't really necessary, as the supplied black cover works great.

I wrote a manual for my kung fu school, and I'm going to try and convert it to a PDF and see how it looks on the Sony. It displayed fine on the iLiad...

Cheers!
Larry Z.

NatCh · 10-16-2006, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Larry Z.

I wrote a manual for my kung fu school....

I was going to ask if your cool avatar was you, but I think that answered my question!

Larry Z. · 10-17-2006, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NatCh

I was going to ask if your cool avatar was you, but I think that answered my question!

Yeah, it's me - that was taken last weekend, BTW. Been at it for almost 15 years...it's fun, but reading is a lot less painful - at least physically!

I take that back - getting the iLiad to work with Wifi was painful, simply because I was banging my head against the wall so much...

Larry Z.

yokos · 10-17-2006, 09:30 AM

Wow, you have them both: iLiad & Sony Reader.

I would be cool to see a photo with both next to each other. Could you shoot one & post it here?

I know the dimensions of Sony Reader, but I have no idea how it looks in real life in comparison with iLiad.

Alexander Turcic · 10-17-2006, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yokos

Wow, you have them both: iLiad & Sony Reader.

I would be cool to see a photo with both next to each other. Could you shoot one & post it here?

Roland had a similar idea today.

yvanleterrible · 10-17-2006, 09:50 AM

Well Larry Z ! The ball's in your court!

yokos · 10-17-2006, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

Well Larry Z ! The ball's in your court!

Don't put him under to strong pressure. However, we are waiting for it.

yvanleterrible · 10-17-2006, 10:38 AM

Yeah! It's a big order indeed!

NatCh · 10-17-2006, 11:36 AM

I'm thinkin' someone actually posted such a side by side shot already, but I can't find it, which makes me perturbed.

NatCh · 10-17-2006, 04:50 PM

Bob found it in another thread -- here's the original link
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...9462#post39462

Larry Z. · 10-17-2006, 08:27 PM

Okay folks stand by - I'll see what I can do...
LZ

10-15-2006, 04:14 AM	#1
Larry Z. Enthusiast Posts: 39 Karma: 215 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Los Angeles Device: Kindle 2	Ereader Vs. iLiad... Hi! First off, thank you for having me on your forum. I've been reading this the posts on this site for several weeks now, as I've gone from enthusiastic to frustrated and back to enthusiastic again... To begin with, I've had most of the ereaders since the Rocket E-Book. I've owned the black and white version, the color version (REB1200) and the Sony Libre... My best experience (not that you asked, but hey...) was with the color REB 1200. I subscribed to TIME and Newsweek, which were delivered onto the REB 1200; and I found that reading magazines as well as ebooks was a lot of fun. Time passed, and I read about the Libre. I was an early adopter, flashing an English OS and struggling through downloading text files from Gutenberg. While I liked the e-ink display, the Libre fast became a paperweight in my house. While led me to the iLiad. The ads showing a newspaper brought back fond memories of downloading newspapers and magazines, and I thought 16 levels of grayscale would mean a great e-ink display. Before I purchased it, I expressed concern to iRex about their lack of content, but the folks over there assured me that a deal would soon be announced with a provider, and that demand was such that I should get my order in ASAP. $700 and agonizing visits Gutenberg/manybooks.net later... Out comes the Sony Reader. While smaller and displaying only 4 shades of gray, it is supported by an ebook store (content!) and a fairly good interface (remember, I'm a Libre vet). Plus, the purchase price is mitigated somewhat by a $50 credit at the Sony Connect bookstore. After using both these ebook readers side by side, the clear advantage goes to the Sony Reader. iLiad has a nicer display (though not by much) and that's about the only thing it has going for it at this point. I'm not bothered by the idea that the Sony Connect books for the Sony Reader have copy protection schemes, and I've found that the "iLiad Formatted" public domain books on Manybooks.net look great on the Reader too. The Reader has a better fit and finish IMO, feeling sturdy and durable. The iLiad looks nice but has a kind of plastic-y feel that makes me want to blow dust off it and place it carefully in bubble-wrap. The Reader feels like something you can carry around with you... The Reader also includes a cover, which the iLiad does not. The Reader is also faster to change pages - a concern I've read about in many threads. One thing though - I messed up when I began using it. Without going into the details, which make me look like a cretin, just remember to do the following in order: 1. Create a relationship between the Reader and the PC you're going to use for Sony Connect purchases. 2. Then go to Sony Connect and register. 3. Before you buy any books, make sure that your $50 credit is in your account. Don't buy books before your Reader is registered - it is bad. I know, and yes, I'm a cretin. I'll probably keep updating the software on the iLiad as it moves forward in development. But for now it's a work in progress. The Reader is more polished and ready for market. Cheers! Larry Last edited by Larry Z.; 10-15-2006 at 04:19 AM.

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10-15-2006, 06:53 AM	#2
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	Wow, Larry.. you're our kind of guy -- ebook-aholic!! ;-) I'm not sure why your approach to buying the books is a problem, though. You probably had to pay for some ebooks instead of using the credit, but once you register the Reader, shouldn't it work okay? Have you called Sony support to try to get that straightened out? It sounds like something that shouldn't be a big deal to get all the books you purchased into the account you need them to be in for your reader.

10-15-2006, 04:56 PM	#4
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Thanks for the side by side, Larry Z! There aren't too many folks who can give us that sort of comparison. Do please continue to give us your observations! As far as "having you on the forum," I'd say you're a great addition to it, speaking for myself, so thank you for coming along!

10-16-2006, 01:22 AM	#5
Larry Z. Enthusiast Posts: 39 Karma: 215 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Los Angeles Device: Kindle 2	Thank you, NatCh! I realized a couple of other things in comparison, which may be of use to folks... 1. When using wifi with an Mac/Airport and an iLiad, you need to turn off all security settings on the Mac. Then it will work. 2. The dock that they sell for the Reader is totally worth it, though the Reader fits in spine forwards, which is counter-intuitive. Conversely, the leather cover they sell for the reader isn't really necessary, as the supplied black cover works great. I wrote a manual for my kung fu school, and I'm going to try and convert it to a PDF and see how it looks on the Sony. It displayed fine on the iLiad... Cheers! Larry Z.

10-17-2006, 09:30 AM	#8
yokos Pac-Man caught my iLiad. Posts: 807 Karma: 3595 Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Germany; next to Baltic Sea Device: Boox Max Lumi, iRex iLiad (RIP)	Wow, you have them both: iLiad & Sony Reader. I would be cool to see a photo with both next to each other. Could you shoot one & post it here? I know the dimensions of Sony Reader, but I have no idea how it looks in real life in comparison with iLiad.

10-17-2006, 09:50 AM	#10
yvanleterrible Reborn Paper User Posts: 8,616 Karma: 15446734 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Que Nada Device: iPhone8, iPad Air	Well Larry Z ! The ball's in your court!

10-17-2006, 10:38 AM	#12
yvanleterrible Reborn Paper User Posts: 8,616 Karma: 15446734 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Que Nada Device: iPhone8, iPad Air	Yeah! It's a big order indeed!

10-17-2006, 11:36 AM	#13
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	I'm thinkin' someone actually posted such a side by side shot already, but I can't find it, which makes me perturbed.

10-17-2006, 04:50 PM	#14
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Bob found it in another thread -- here's the original link https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...9462#post39462

10-17-2006, 08:27 PM	#15
Larry Z. Enthusiast Posts: 39 Karma: 215 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Los Angeles Device: Kindle 2	Okay folks stand by - I'll see what I can do... LZ

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