Oh Sony why do you forsake me?

[babaca]

I'll admit it. I was impulsive. I pre-ordered the new Sony Reader PRS-T1. After being delayed (it was suppose to arrive last week), it appeared in my mailbox today. It is nice looking. It's lighter (metal is gone and I will admit I miss it a bit), thinner, skinnier in width.

The power button is on the bottom. There is a stylus but it doesn't fit in it anywhere (that's what getting a cover is for I guess). I've ordered a cover and it should arrive in two more days. I tested a micro-usb I use to transfer books off my old reader with this one and nothing happened. The computer didn't recognize anything happening. (I suspect Sony added another pin in it so you won't swap your cables around. Bastards! I use that micro usb to charge my android phone!

Anyway, this reader uses a microSD card slot on the back of the device. Fortunately my books were loaded on such a creature. I put it into my new reader and promptly watched it crash while loading the books. I turned it off then turned it on, then it saw more of the books. It would let me read my books, but if I pressed the Home button instead of whatever I'm reading showing up as Continue Reading, it would show the demo book Around the World in 80 Days then give me a Content Manager error. D'Oh!

I went to Sony's page and downloaded the latest PC software (because the old Reader Library software did not see the device at all). After installing it took forever for it to read the ebook's database off the sd card (I'm going to assume it was because it was the first time). It also recognized that there was a Reader Library database on my pc from before and asked if I wanted to import it in. (Well, yes!)

So went back to reader and tested reading to discover that if I'm reading something that's on the device itself, I still get the content manager error, but it will show whatever book it is as the Continue Reading. If it's off the SD card it doesn't show up under Continue Reading. It's enough to make you want to pull your hair out.

I hate to say there but Sony WHAT THE HELL? I don't recall having this many issues with your previous readers. Hell the PRS-650 came with the new sony software already on it so when you plugged it in, it would install the new software. This puppy needs an update that will honor you reading off the sd card without throwing an error message at you.


Oh yeah the new features:

Wireless. I had no problem connecting to the wireless in my home. First thing I did was click the Reader Store to see how that works. Had to log in but it looks a lot like the store you see when you have your reader plugged in on your computer.

Browser. I went to yahoo.com. Read the article about Steve Jobs. May he rest in peace. The images was a little pixelated and the text also does this. And it takes a while for it to refresh and kill the pixelation but that might be because it is e-ink.

Moral to this story:

If you purchase one of these make sure you put the new Sony software first!

If you don't want content manager errors load your books directly on the device.

WAIT a few months for software/firmware updates.

Reset is almost your friend.

This will be x-posted to ebooks as well.

Comments

[jumpuphigh]

How disappointing.

[tameiki]

After reading your post I am so glad to have waited to hear what you thought of the new reader. I would've been at a complete loss if mine came in today. As you advised I think I will wait for a few more months before I get mine. *sighs*

Oooor I might just have them send it to your house first. XD

[amalthia]

Thanks for the review.

[babaca]

Now that I've fixed the problem I'll attempt a real review for it later. ^__^

[yourlibrarian]

Sounds frustrating. I have to say that being able to read eBooks is great, getting the devices to work can make one question how worthwhile it is. I use Stanza on a Touch and have a Sony Pocket reader. The Sony is not even 6 months old since the original one got sent back for freezing up in charging mode, and I now have a refurbished unit (maybe the same one, maybe not, didn't check the registration number). This one has frozen up twice, each of the last times I've used it and is currently telling me it is running a low battery even though it spent hours charging from the computer and has barely been used. The last one, before its final error, kept crashing every time I loaded new works to it.

Stanza has worked great by comparison but now that I have a new computer I can't get Calibre to communicate with the Touch at all. So I have one device which can't load new content and another which seems not to want to work at all.