Korean Job Discussion Forums

[misschel]

I love to read, and I can't wait to build a library of my own. Unfortunately, I plan to travel quite a bit and I'm not sure which country I want to settle down in.
I frequent the local libraries/book stores, etc where ever I am, but I hate how I can't keep a good book with me with notes I've made on it.
That's why I think this is such a great invention. It did come out a couple years ago, I guess I'm a bit behind the technology in this regard.

This model only works in North America. Has anyone come across one that can be used internationally?

Here's a link to Sony that sells them:
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&categoryId=8198552921644523779

[jkelly80]

What's preventing them from working in Asia? This sounds like an advert to me.

[misschel]

From my understanding, you need to download books from a website, and it says that it will only work in America and Canada.
A friend has one in England, so they must be all over. But I'm looking for a reliable one that can work anywhere.

[Thunndarr]

[waseige1]

If you have a desktop or laptop, download Microsoft Reader and then buy ebooks off of many sites. If you have a PDA, you can download a free Microsoft Reader for those also. Then just put your ebooks on the PDA. At $299 it appears a PDA might be a better buy.

[yeoja]

I just read stuff on my LG SECRET mobile, through the 'note reader' feature. I'm always reading on my daily 1-2 hour trips on the tube.

[Rusty Shackleford]

The best e-reader I have used is a modded PSP. I'm using an IPod Touch right now but the screen just doesn't quite cut it for me. You have to "turn" the page too often.

PSPs are quite cheap now and you can get 16gig cards too, (I think). Modding it is a little difficult but you can get them online already done, or do the research yourself.

[akiakiaki]

Actually, I can help give a little bit of information regarding this.

As far as I've tried, you can't order it off any American sites and have it shipped to Korea. If you manage to buy one and get someone to ship it here to you, it should be okay. I've heard once that someone managed to buy one off of one of the US bases here. Once you have one, you should be able to download ebooks on to your computer and then on to the ereader.

I'm planning on purchasing one of these as well but, I'll ship it to one of my friends in the USA and they'll bring it with them when they come to visit me.

I hope this helps a little bit!

[misschel]

Thanks for the suggestions. I haven't looked into other devices to do this. This one holds 350 books, "ink like paper" screen, and you can highlight and make notes on the "pages". Plus it says it lasts 2 weeks on 1 charge. Those are all good selling points for me.

akiakiaki - The problem with buying an American reader is that "Use of companion eBook Store limited to U.S. and Canadian residents. Certain titles may not be available for download based on place of residence." (From website)
I wonder if it detects your ip address, and will deny you access from Korea.

[akiakiaki]

Ah, I can understand that. But, ebook websites like www.booksonboard.com and fictionwise.com haven't blocked me from buying ebooks since I've come here. The other good thing about the digital reader is that it supports DRM and non DRM protected books. So, if you just so happen to download an ebook (maybe off a torrent) you can still put it on the ebook reader.

Anyways, this website ( http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix ) lists all the ebook readers available on the market and the formats they support. Not just the American models. Apparently there's an ebook reader that's produced in China that's supposed to support a lot of ebook formats as well.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about ebooks/ ebook readers. I'm planning on purchasing one and I've really done my homework on it.

[EricB]

I have the Sony PRS-505, which is the second of their three e-readers. The device uses the lrf file format, but there is software available to convert any pdf into lrf. I recommend 'PDF to LRF' and 'Calibre.' Both are easy, fast, and very useful. Calibre allows you to download several magazines and newspapers in lrf format.
Though I bought the reader in the USA, I was able to access the store here to download the free books that came with the purchase. I haven't actually bought anything on the store yet, so I can't say for certain that it will work. I honestly haven't had a problem though. With the number of pdf files available, I've had no trouble finding books.
I'm very pleased with the reader and it has increased the amount of reading I do significantly. I have a very short attention span at times, and being able to carry several (thousand) different books at once means I never lose interest. Since you don't have to turn the reader off (it only uses power when the page is being turned), you can easily read on the subway or at times when it is only possible to read a paragraph or two.

[misschel]

Thanks akiakiaki for the links. I'm definitely going to buy one once I have the extra cash.
Also, thanks to EricB. Being able to download magazines would be a great plus. There's a few in North America that I love to read.

[Dude Ranch]

Hey OP I just did a forum topic on this the other week, what a coincidence

[misschel]

[quote=
All those people above who are recommending make-shift devices such as ipod touches or rigged sony psp video game devices - it should also be mentioned that those go through power much quicker then the sony prs 505, which only uses power when you flip the page AND used eink technology which does not hurt your eyes after awhile like an LCD screen would

I just hope when my prs 505 gets to my work on tuesday I dont have to pay duties on it. I got my dad to order it in Canada, and then got him to take it out of the box, use it a couple of times, and remove all the stickers, new packaging etc. This way he is sending it as 'used'[/quote]

Yea, I think I'd rather go with something that is intended to be used for the purpose of reading for long periods of time, than a modded whathaveyou.

I may end up doing the same thing, and get my parents to send it to me. I'm not the best techie in the world, but I'm not the worst. It'll take me sometime to figure out how to d/l books/magazines on it from all those different sources.

[fremchie]

Anyone tried the Amazon Kindle, I hear it is better than the Sony reader and you can download content wherever you have Wifi.