Sony are no help whatsoever – I’ve spent a day trying to sort out the problems and Sony technical support cannot provide any assistance: I’m a computer programmer and have been for the past ten years – if I can’t get this heap of junk to work, what chance has the average man in the street got?

Because of the lack of standards with eBooks right now, you are really limited where else you can buy books if you want to avoid the Sony store… so here I am with a brand new book reader that I simply cannot use. Utter trash.

Its going back to the store today.

I have a Sony Reader and haven’t had any problems until I downloaded their new upgrade and it froze the reader. They are sending me a new one but I have a concern that all of the books I have purchased from the Sony Store that reside on my computer as a back-up “luckily” will not be converted to the new format when I upload to the Reader and will once again corrupt the software. Any suggestions or reassurances?

Thanks,
Randy

I’d at least get the device registered with the software first. After that, all the content can be managed with Calibre. I’ve been buying a lot of ebooks from Fictionwise and Smashwords. However, I still buy the occasional novel from the Sony ebook store. Their software is horrible but sometimes they have an ebook at a lower price, or I can’t find it any other way.

But for the most part I use Calibre as my ebook management program for my Sony Pocket Edition. It’s always updated and improved and I’ve never had a problem with it crashing.

Like I’ve said, the Sony Reader itself is great, it’s the Sony software that really sucks!

Thanks again for your comment.

I’m sorry to hear about your troubles with your Sony Reader. I totally agree with you about Sony’s proprietary ebook software – it sucks, to say the least. While I can launch the software okay, it freezes up and/or crashes when I’m either downloading an ebook or trying to transfer the ebook to my device.

I have found ways around this. I use sites like Fictionwise to buy a lot of ebooks and then I use a program called Calibre to format the ebook to my reader.

My next ebook reading device will be something like the B&N Nook or Kindle where there is no software and you can manage everything from an online account.

Sorry again to hear about your troubles.

-Brad

If you had trouble with iTunes, then I would stay away from Sony and their ebook software. It takes some getting used to and tends to freeze up and crash a lot. I use another program called Calibre that makes managing my ebook on my Pocket Edition much easier.

You might want to consider the Amazon Kindle. Ebooks are loaded right onto the device and you bypass all the hassles of learning a new software program. I know several people who own the Kindle and they love it because it is so easy to use. Another option you should look into is the new Barnes & Noble Nook. Like the Kindle, you can buy and download books right onto the device. And there’s no software to worry about. Both Amazon and B&N lets you manage your ebook library right on their website.

The ease of use with the Kindle and Nook will probably make up for them being more expensive than the Sony Pocket Edition. One thing to consider, however, is that the B&N Nook won’t be shipping until January 4. The Kindle is available right away.

I hope I helped answer your questions.

Thanks again for your comment, I always love hearing from readers!

-Brad