Sony Reader Wishlist

What do you want the Sony Portable Reader to be able to do? Here is the place to put it down.

Sony Reader Hardware

• Large 10-inch screen. This would allow the reader to be used as a reference library (for

example, it would be possible to store and read mathematical texts and not just novels).

• Replace the USB-A to USB-Mini-B cable with a "Y" cable that also has a DC power jack on it, so I can plug it in to a USB power supplier and read it while it charges, and do data transfers depending on which end of the "Y" I use. Also, make the calbe shorter so it's easier to travel with. (RecycledElecron)
• Obviously, the eInk screens will improve over time, and card capacities will increase over time, and you will keep pace, right? (RecycledElecron)
• Replaceable battery (RecycledElecron)
• A new case, with a note pad across from the reader, and solar cells on the outside of the case. (RecycledElecron)
• Add a connector to the back of the reader. This will have a USB OTG Host (unpowered) and a power connection (for power into the reader, from the outside only.) Also, add in some physical connection to let a module plug into the back of the reader. You may have to move the Reset pin hole. the goal is to have an expansion module on the back. This could provide expansion options like: (RecycledElecron)

1. A very large SSD and spare batteries. 1TB SSDs are out there, why can't I get one in my reader? (RecycledElecron)
2. Allow me to copy files from a mass storage device, or print from a USB port. (RecycledElecron)
3. Blue Tooth module for transfering files, printing, or network access (RecycledElecron)
4. Wi-Fi for web access & printing (RecycledElecron)
5. Cellular internet access (RecycledElecron)
6. Flip-out keyboard (RecycledElecron)
7. Multi-card-reader that takes cards other than SD & MSPD, like smart media * CF. (RecycledElecron)
8. Extra battery life (RecycledElecron)
9. USB Hub (RecycledElecron)

Sony Reader Software

• screen rotation to any direction (flumbo, Greg G)
• redo pagination upon screen rotation (Greg G)
• automatic page turn (w/ status gauge as a visual of when the page will turn and manual speed adjustment) (flumbo, SoCal Bob)
• delete e-books (allow user to manage items on the device without having to hook up to a computer) (flumbo, porkupan, lordvetinari2, BuddyBoy, SoCal Bob)
• hierarchical subfolder navigation (da_jane, bingle, Melf, Greg G, porkupan, lordvetinari2, BuddyBoy, SoCal Bob, jakeluck)
• folders for pictures (perfect for manga) (LockeCole)
• key lock (da_jane, lordvetinari2)
• native HTML support (da_jane, hkabir, lordvetinari2, max)
• "go to page" option (NatCh, jakeluck)
• text-search (airlik, porkupan, hkabir, BobVA)
• unicode support for e-books (Slava, porkupan, hkabir, Jake, segatang)
• unicode support for user interface (Slava, Jake, segatang)
• optional clock in status bar / optionally sync it with PC (Slava, Leaping Gnome, jakeluck)
• inline graphics (ultim8fury, lordvetinari2)
• notification when it's ok to unmount/disconnect (bostonte, jakeluck)
• collect reading stats (average time per chapter, average time per page, average words per minute, etc.) (Bandito, Bob Russell)
• manga reading mode (fix manga in landscape mode) (Melf, lordvetinari2)
• CJK font support for e-books, bookmarks, reading history (segatang)
• support for multiple 8-bit encodings (porkupan)
• fix PDF reader (it currently behaves differently depending on what software was used to create the PDF) (porkupan)
• fix PDF losing size scaling state bug! (jakeluck)
• PDF scaling limited to two modes, allow picture style zooming/pan
• Allow Reflow of PDF documents
• programmer's API (show developers how to create and add their own applications to the Reader) (porkupan, max)
• FBReader port (porkupan)
• MobiReader port (porkupan)
• full screen mode (without status bar) (Bob Russell, NatCh, lordvetinari2, SoCal Bob)
• text input mechanism (airlik, hkabir)
• T9 or Multitap text input using 1 - 0 keys for search, etc (BuddyBoy)
• dictionary support (hkabir, jakeluck)
• enable links in RTF format (slayda, lordvetinari2)
• implement a method of "locking & unlocking" all buttons except page turn buttons to elliminate inadvertently navigating out of a book while reading. This might be a toggle using the two page buttons (forward - backward) at the same time. (slayda, SoCal Bob)
• make at least one of the buttons user programmable to go 'express' to a specific document - e.g. to an 'info' page with phone numbers, etc. (Jake, max)
• ability to create Collections and add documents to them directly on the device (Jake, davetang)
• ability to create Collections directly on SD/Memory stick without having to use Connect software (davetang)
• support footnotes in RTF files (lordvetinari2)
• read from ZIP / RAR files (lordvetinari2)
• CHM support (Slava, jakeluck, max)
• support sorting for Photo and Audio, e.g. Album, Track#, Date, Size (jakeluck)
• toggle between 3 most recently read books; list 10 most recent (BuddyBoy and others)
• ability to move book to/from SD Card without computer (BuddyBoy)
• allow hierarchical subfolder by genre with sort by date or author within genre (BuddyBoy)
• Better Project Gutenberg compatibility, detect these files (from header text) and do better text-wrapping, formatting, etc
• Allow user to align page as they choose (using the 5-way controller), currently limited to fixed pages
• page forward and back buttons on the right hand side ("swerve")
• Add "Delete this Book" and "Screen Orientation" to the "Utilities" of every book ("MMascaro")
• Implement "Reflow" mode for PDF documents
• removal of bottom status bar (to increase screen real estate) and selectable, placeable status icons
• option to remove or reduce text overlap lines in landscape mode (on a letter-size pdf, text is small and it results in ~5 lines of overlap)
• caching of previous and next pages (pdfs take 5-10 seconds to turn pages)
• change music tracks without leaving book
• ability to make bookmarks in music/audiobooks.
• a more elegant way to navigate bookmarks (perhaps using ENT from within book - again theme of scientific & reference versus sequential novel-style reading) & ability to name bookmarks within connect software
• bookmarks are listed as just numbers and spread out over multiple pages - have a 10x10 matrix of numbers filling one page navigable by directional pad or sequential numberpad keystrokes
• restrict file scanning to particular directories on removeable memory (important when sharing memory cards among multiple devices)
• same as above, with ignore folder so files can be hidden from the reader.
• Fonts that support multiple languages (Unicode fonts?) e.g. Cyrillic support
• In Library listing, wrap long titles so the full title can be read. Same for the header on the book page. Gutenberg texts autoformatted with MS Word all show "The Project Gutenberg Etext of ..." and then it drifts off. So it's not clear what book you are trying to read. Wrap the titles - at the very least when we highlight the particular book title. If Sony won't provide appropriate software conversion tools, this is a good compromise.
• Downloaded book should show info about the book such as you would see on a book jacket. This way, when trying to select the next book to read, you can be reminded about what each book is about. (BettyE)
• Need a larger font than what is already on the Reader (BettyE)
• Zoom support for pdf files (max)
• Option to show slideshow when connected on USB. This allows using the reader/cradle as a desktop digital photo frame. Also, when externally powered and showing slideshow, turning power off after 1 hour would be disabled.
• More legible fonts (thin strokes not visible due to poor display contrast, makes Times Roman unusable in low light). There seem to only be 2 basic fonts: Arial and Times Roman, which are scaled to replace all others.
• Ability to set a desired font size range (3 sizes are OK, but only if the "base" size is right).
• I find the landscape mode less useful as the lines are then too long for quick reading especially in a moving vehice. There's a reason most newspapers and magazines use narrow columns.
• An option to change pages by update the top, then the bottom of the display. This would allow you to flip pages while still reading the last line or two.
• highlight selections in inverse, rather than using the thumb scroll. Yjis might be more compatible with the need to invert the E-Ink display to erase ghosts, and result in more rapid page flips.
• Support for collections on the Memory stick and CD card(currently only supported in base memory)(mishagam).
• It is possible while reading a book to hit menu, menu, menu, 7, page right, menu, menu, 1 to skip to the next audio track. However, the screen updates on each menu press. It would be nice if the software could look ahead in the buffer and not refresh the screen until the end of input.
• Way to either 1) delete old bookmarks or 2) toggle between having book marks accumulate (as it is now) or overwrite previous bookmark so you only have one bookmark for each book (slayda)
• Support for Adobe PDF DRM, may need to support .NET Passport to resolve rights (davetang)
• Option to enable/disable full justification (Alexander)
• DEVICE: A pocket in the front cover to hold papers.
• DEVICE: small pockets in the front cover to hold multiple spare SD cards
• DEVICE: MP3 Display - Why waste the big screen on a silly 4-inch music icon? Use the entire display for a large-font display of the MP3 Title tag information (Ideal for visually impared)
• DEVICE: Leave off SD door to make it easier to insert and remove SD cards.
• DEVICE: SD door on right edge of device (instead of left edge) so cards can be inserted and removed without opening cover.
• Arbitrary zoom and some scrolling around zoomed PDFs or other documents (RecycledElecron)
• Support more formats (.DJVU, .DOC, .CHM, .LIT, .HTML, & .REB) or give us an SDK to develop readers for different formats. This would be a SDK just to develop format readers. Our end includes a test to see if the file is compatible, and then the system lets us read the file until the user hits the "menu" button. (RecycledElecron)
• A file browser - the current card catalog system is unusable. At least show the full file name and extension - it thinks .exe files are PDFs, and goes nuts on .DJVU files. It should even handle compressed files well (e.g., .ZIP, .RAR, & .TAR.GZ.) Copying, moving, & deleting files would also be welcome. We could make our own file browsers if you would give us an SDK. This would be an SDK to develop file browsers only, and they would show up below the first 10 menu options, but above the list of books. (RecycledElecron)
• A way to print directly from the reader. I have my reader, and a printer. Why do I need a PC to print? Think IRDA, USB, or Blue Tooth (RecycledElecron)
• TTS in the reader. (RecycledElecron)
• I'm a college professor, and have looked into requiring this for freshmen. The 2 issues are: (1) font size - we need to support students with very limited eye sight, and (2) cost - $117 text books are OK, but a $299 reader is not. (RecycledElecron)
• A very simple text editor or RTF editor that can be hooked up with a common USB keyboard would be a great software addition (writing text in purity and silence) (Andre)

Sony CONNECT Software

• support LINUX
• support for x64 versions of Windows XP and Vista (Evan C, Brainiac 5)
• ability to create Collections on SD Card/Memory Stick (jakeluck, mishagam, davetang)
• ability to create Collections for Audio and Pictures (jakeluck)
• naming documents, authors, genre (flumbo, BuddyBoy)
• drag and drop to main document list (flumbo)
• improved RSS support (readability, user feedback when feed updates, naming, custom feeds) (flumbo, lordvetinari2)
• enable bookmarking on internal store and memory card via the Preview pane. (jakeluck)
• fix lock-ups (occasionally locks-up when the Reader is plugged in) (flumbo)
• built-in format converter/editor (create an LRF file from HTML, Word, LIT, RTF, PDF, PDB, OEB, etc.) (bingle, lordvetinari2, BuddyBoy, SoCal Bob, davetang)
• add support for unencrypted .prc or .pdb e-books (flumbo, SoCal Bob, davetang)
• improved status indicator (give a message that says "transferring book 1 of 3") (flumbo)
• have joystick turn the page as I hold the book with my left hand and am used to turning the pages with my right hand.
• automatic synchronization (da_jane)
• "sync" directory (any files dropped in that directory should be synced to the reader - conversely, if a file is synced from that directory and then removed from the directory, it should be removed from the reader as well. --> automatically when the reader is connected) (geekraver, lordvetinari2)
• sync SDK for programmers (geekraver)
• conversion of HTML files (da_jane, lordvetinari2)
• "go to page" option (NatCh)
• better metadata support (including the ability to edit metadata and ideally to setup regexp-like patterns for extracting metadata from file names) (bingle)
• allow export of files from library to local drive (slayda)
• better zoom (more levels) and pan capability for PDF viewing (wingo)
• BUG: Deleting books on local disk hangs the software (deleting for Reader works fine)
• CRASH: Importing a folder which contains various types of files (pdf, word, html, etc)
• Optimize program. It's a resource hog. CPU usage is too high when the program appears to be doing nothing.
• RSS mode takes too long to download through Connect store.
• RSS mode - Give users option to eliminate repetitive site header, navigation and links that surround the news stories.
• Option to import file to library AND reader simultaneously instead of having to do two operations.
• Ability to (re)format new SD cards. (jakeluck)
• When downloading a file or transferring it to the reader - Let readers know what percent of the job is completed (10%, 50%, etc). The spinning arrows are fine to be consistent with the player's design but useless in providing basic information. When the job is completed the arrows stop spinning but are still visible, making it hard to tell if the job is actually completed. It looks like the program stalled in the middle of the job. Grey out the spinning arrows, change it to a check, or simply write job completed. Let the user know when it's safe to disconnect.
• Recognize that Ebook readers do not have the same needs as MP3 listeners. The Library for an Ebook reader does not have to be scrupulously synced with the reader. Some text that the reader is perfect for reading - saved web pages, computer manuals, saved blogs or newspaper stories, are not necessarily going to be kept after they are consumed by the user. Quick in, quick out.
• Prioritize User experience in software design. This needs to be explicitly stated because Sony has a record of hardware crippled by bad software - Mp3 players with connect software, Librie, etc. Most current user complaints are software problems and can be corrected. Sony's record however has been not to fix what's been released but to introduce new products with the SAME software design problems.
• Support for RTF table of contents.
• Support for HTML and HTML TOC (internal links).
• Add a button to disconnect the device, instead of exit the software.
• smaller book menu display - sorted alphabetically
• option to drag book off reader back to PC

Sony CONNECT Store

• replace "cart" navigation element (convention is that "cart" is not usually part of the main site navigation) (flumbo)
• make author name in "top 10" lists clickable (flumbo)
• allow a "view all" option when browsing a sub-category / make "page 1 of 15" navigation element more visible (flumbo, lordvetinari2)
• use white space to add more descriptions (flumbo)
• move the "add to cart" button closer to the book information (flumbo)
• ability to make purchases through the browser w/o CONNECT software (flumbo)
• hierarchical groups on external card (Kaitou Ace)
• copyright date on book list (slayda)
• make it better fit on smaller screens (da_jane)
• only list truly new releases as "new releases" (da_jane)
• fix e-book categorizations (da_jane)
• remove duplicates from list (slayda)
• create an alphabetical searchable & navigable author list (slayda)
• allow options as to how list displays, e.g. with or without cover images, so more books can be viewed on a page (slayda)
• when books are sorted and you look at details, maintain that sorted list when you return to the list instead of putting the list back in "relevance" order (slayda)
• put search and results lists in resizing windows so that users do not have to scroll just to access the internal scroll area. See ebooks.com or Fictionwise.com (BuddyBoy)
• increase content to match at the very least other ebook sources - i.e. ereader, ebooks.com, powells.com and fictionwise.com. (BuddyBoy)
• Opt-in advertising. Sony can generate ad revenues. Allow users to opt-in to receive those weekly multipage ads based on our interests (Such as Best Buy, etc.) As long as it's a voluntary subscription, this can be a convenience to a targeted market.
• Make magazine subscriptions available. Perhaps make a deal with Zinio. Sony needs to see the bigger picture. Its not just about DRM'd books. Reader = Convenient access to information without carrying separate magazines, newspapers, web browsers, etc.
• Wish list (BettyE)

Related discussion

• http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8014