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BY NICO VREELAND
There hasn’t been much love lost between me and Sony’s ereader software—I wasn’t a fan, to put it lightly, of the original eBook Library for Windows or the more recent Mac version. Last Friday, Sony came out with a new version, 3.1, for both Mac and Windows. To commemorate the new software and the accompanying switch away from their old proprietary format and toward the more open Adobe ePub (DRMed), they’ve renamed their online store the “Reader Store,” and the eBook Library software has become “Reader Library,” and they’ve partnered with Borders for some reason. So far, so… meaningless.
So how does the rest of Reader Library 3.1 stack up to its forebears? The question isn’t “Is it good?”—I’ve given up on good software from Sony—the question is “Is it… like, a little bit better? Like maybe not crashing quite so much?”
The answer is surprising: the Sony software is more usable than ever. It’s nobody’s dream, but it no longer inspires nightmares.
The following brief review applies to the Mac version of the software, but Sony’s a Windows company, so presumably the Windows version is at least as good, if not better.
Looks and Interface: C
There’s been some improvement on this front. Sony’s abandoned the archaic-looking circular arrow that often “appeared to freeze,” as Sony support once told me. However, connecting to the Reader Store usually involves a few flickers and flashes before the site loads up. I guess it’s a bit better.
The interface is still a bit finicky, sometimes needing stern prodding to switch from the ereader catalog to the desktop library, and so forth.
You still can’t drag books from your desktop library directly into a collection on your ereader, which seems like a relatively basic thing. The highlighting/note-taking system on the desktop library is also a bit unintuitive, and while the bookmarks you make in the desktop will also show up once you port the book to your ereader, the notes won’t transfer.
In version 3.0, Sony added some red accents to dilute the ugliness of the lavender-vomit design scheme. Nothing new in the graphics department.
Stability: B+
This version isn’t nearly as crashy as 3.0 for the Mac. In fact, it didn’t crash once on me in several hours’ use (which is a huge improvement). This was arguably my biggest complaint for the last version, so I’m glad it’s been improved so much. I’m still not entirely confident it won’t crash, hence no A, but this is a promising start.
Library eBook Support: B
Not much new on this front. Once you get used to the new system (which doesn’t involve Adobe Digital Editions) it’s pretty seamless, and the major stability upgrade makes it less painful.
There’s a rumor on TeleRead that the new software might make it impossible to download library ebooks more than once. I haven’t had that problem yet. So far, I’ve only used library ebooks that I previously loaded with Digital Editions, but they worked fine. I’ll update once they expire and I reload them, if they in fact don’t work.
Buying from the “Reader Store”: B+
The Reader Store is about average as far as ebookstores go. I’m getting to be a fan of the Awards section, though, which showcases collections of New York Times Notable Books of the Year, winners of major literary awards, and winners of genre awards like the Hugo and the Edgar.
The actual buying process is relatively painless, though the store auto-logs you out a bit too quickly. Even though Borders is a named partner in this venture, Borders gift cards don’t work. Which makes me wonder why Borders is a named partner. Trying to save themselves from Blockbuster-like obsolescence is my guess.
From an entirely unscientific glancing through the catalog, it looks like more Sony books are $9.99 than ever, so we’ve got that going for us. Which is nice.
The new ePub books are good; format change isn’t exactly cosmetic, but I’m glad I’ll be able to use new books with future devices. For some reason, Sony’s ePubs have weird margins, which are entirely unnecessary.
Other: ???
I’m not screwing with RSS feeds on my Reader anymore. It’s just not worth the time and effort. If you really want to take your RSS feeds with you, use a smartphone, or get an ereader with wireless.
I also haven’t dealt with Sony support in a while. I’m sure they’re still not great.
Overall: B
Slowness and general kludginess continue to be Reader Library’s big minuses. But with the big improvements in stability and format, and the nifty Awards section, it’s a usable book interface. Which is really saying something for Sony.
John said:
So far I have joined the many users that have been unable to get the Reader Library 3.1 for Windows to run. Once open the only action you get is a window that informs you that it has quit working.
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Nico Vreeland said:
Hi John,
Did you update from 3.0 or install the 3.1 version new? I didn’t have any trouble updating on two Macs. But from what we’ve been hearing, it doesn’t seem to be worth it to update from an old version if you can make the old version work for you.
Sony strikes again…
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daniel said:
Having same problem as John i think.. Installed 3.1 after connecting the reader for the first time. It worked first time around then stopped working within 2 hours time. What a crap.. Sent email to Sony but we should officially complain about this.
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Nico Vreeland said:
So I guess 3.1 is a general POS. I’ll look around for an archival download of 3.0. It sucked, but I guess working a little is better than nothing.
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AJ said:
We ‘upgraded’ to 3.1 and the program wouldn’t load. It would show as a running application in task manager, but the actual GUI never loaded. It has been completely uninstalled and reinstalled, I’ve cleaned the registry, tuned on DEP for the application Reader, but still no launch. We’ve contacted Sony and been told to uninstall and reinstall in “Safe Mode”. Now, I’m a little literate in computerease, having been in the field now for over 25 years – and unless you know how to hack your OS – Windows will NOT let you install a program while in SAFE mode. I have read with absolute disdain the stories that other people have posted about thier lack of useful help from Sony’s support for this application as well. This is infuriating. My wife has loved her e-book for a long time, but we may be forced to drop-kick it and replace it with another type if we can’t get this worked out.
Windows Vista (32bit) Home Professional user.
Thanks for the vent. AJ
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Mathieu Raymond said:
Same as AJ. Windows XP home edition user. They escalated my ticket, but could not help me at all. I’ve only been able to add files through the directory tree of explorer, but even that is a pain and I’m simply unable to purchase anything from the store.
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MJ said:
Version 3.1 crashes under Windows Vista within 20 seconds after connecting to the book store. This happens in 3 out of 4 cases – so when I start the software 4 times, I have a chance that it does not immediately crash. XP compatibility mode makes no difference.
This didn’t happen so often with 3.0 from which I updated, so the new version is definitely worse.
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Frans N said:
I’ve only seen (e)reader library work one week on my Mac (OSX 10.6.2) I reported my issue of not being able to start the software (doesn’t show a window at all) and they suggested: http://www.kb.sony.com/selfservice/documentLink.do?externalId=C1009711
Which I tried but that didn’t work, removed the software completely via remove-script.sh reinstalled…nogo.. installed 3.1 still the same… If someone has a solution plesae let me know (fnt68 @ hotmail.com)
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Dina Dolan said:
Wow, I have the pocket reader, and I’m in love with it. I am having the issue of not being able to launch. I am using the program on a Win7 laptop and an iMac OSX 10.6.2 as well. I cannot get it to open on either one now. It worked for a VERY short time, but now nothing, just the icon, I click on it, it LOOKS as though something MIGHT happen, but nope, nadda.
if anyone figures this out or gets a response that is of some use from Sony, I’d love it if you would share. How do they expect to make money off people purchasing items from their store if their program is absolutely useless and makes it so we are unable to buy? I thought Sony was supposed to be a leader in the tech field…
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Katharina said:
at least i’m not the only one. i have my reader for almost 6 months now and it was all ok, i got books on it from my bf PC and from my own mac. but now i cant open the software anymore. its driving me mad. is there any alternative software to use, maybe? i want to at least be able to open and read the books on my mac. thankfull for help and suggestions.
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CB said:
My reader library also stopped working after a short time. It launches OK, but there is no navigation pane on the left. The main preview window is all that is visible. So I can view my books, but can’t manage them or bring up the Reader store. Tried multiple reinstalls and even back to 3.0 and still get the same result. Any suggestions? Vista Home Premium SP2.
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Olivier said:
Hi CB I,ve got the same problem, if you did find a solution please tell me. Thanks
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MQ said:
My reader library was working just fine with Mac OS 10.5 but after I upgraded to Snow Leopard (10.6) it doesn’t work anymore! It looks like it loads up but only the icon shows up on the dock and I can’t even quit the program without using force quit. Sony support also gave me the same link: http://www.kb.sony.com/selfservice/documentLink.do?externalId=C1009711
but it didn’t work for me either. If anyone figures this out please share!!
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Randolph C said:
I’ve had this issue since loading the latest update at the weekend for my MacBook. ‘Reader Library’ shows up at the top of screen, next to the Apple symbol. But no interface. Sony’s first solution was to toggle the Rosetta setting, but this didn’t help. Now they’ve told me to uninstall and try again in ‘safe mode’….
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reza said:
I have installed Reader Library V3.2, it worked for a while, but now it is crashing constantly whenever I click on “Reader” link in left pane. I also disappointed from Sony Software. It is not an acceptable software by any means. Its UI is a good example for teachers trying to show their students a bad UI. God bless Calibre Developers. But I can’t convert .note files to other formats.
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Julie said:
I am having the same issues. I really just want my money back for the e-books that I have purchased. Its very frusterating!!! If anyone gets an idea of how to fix this, please let me know.
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Sara said:
I am having the same problem. It is ridiculous that this problem has gone on for so long.
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sleep leaves said:
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platform available right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that
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