Smart Bitches Trashy Books | All of the romance, none of the bullshit.

That is so freaking cool (and you could totally have one of my kidneys if you needed one, after what you did for me re: Peanut).  Don’t enter me - I’m going to go ahead & buy one next week as release prezzie to myself for Atlantis Unmasked. Just wanted to say THIS IS SO FREAKING COOL!!!!
Hee.

Will there be a buy-out option, or will a Test Driver who’s been seduced to the Sony Side have to return test model and buy a shiny new one?

This is freakin cool! And also super smart of Sony to realize they have the perfect audience here at Smart Bitches for a test drive. Romance readers are the big users of ebooks/ereaders, and no one has better readers than the Bitches!

Thanks for having this great opportunity for us!

But the harlequins are only for the test drivers of the Sony? Damn. I haven’t bought any eharlequins yet since I am unsure of how well the pdf format works with my 700. I am assuming that they use the pdf for the Sony. Any info would be appreciated.

Ev, have you tried out the free Harlequins available from http://www.harlequincelebrates.com/ ? They’re available as pdfs, though I think it may be a slightly different kind of pdf from the kind that’s sold on the eHarlequin website, because those seem to need a different kind of Adobe to work (i.e. I can get the free Harlequins to work on my computer running Linux, but the ones I bought only worked on Windows.

I’m in the UK, so not eligible, but Shannon Stacey’s question made me wonder what happens to the Harlequin books loaded onto the Sony if it has to be returned. Do they have DRM? If so, will the person lose their books when they send back the Sony?

Oh wow! That would be awesome. I’m a huge eHarlequin fan (I get the Blazes each month, PLUS the Presents and Desires when I can scrape the cash for the whole collection of each month’s). I currently read them on my laptop, which means if we’re on a long trip (or anywhere without a plugin), I’m not gonna be reading for long :(

I’ve got a Sony 700, so I won’t be participating, but I’ve got to say that this sounds really awesome. If I didn’t already have one, which I totally love, I’d be all over this.

I’m in the UK, so not eligible, but Shannon Stacey’s question made me wonder what happens to the Harlequin books loaded onto the Sony if it has to be returned. Do they have DRM? If so, will the person lose their books when they send back the Sony?

They use an .lrf format for their books and the DRM format is lrx. The eHarlequin books will be DRM. You can read them using the eBook Library, the software you use to access their eBook Store. The lrf files can also be read with Calibre.

I’m in! And my spam word is new63. I would LOVE 63 new ebooks to read!!!!

Oooo, too cool! I’ve been trying to convince my husband he needs an e-reader—he’s active-duty Navy and complains all the time about not having enough room for his books.

Hmmmm, I wonder if I could talk the ship’s library into having a ereader on board for their next deployment? Have to talk to the Chaplain about that.

*snerk* My security code is “his77”.

The Sony 505 is a great reader.  Borders had a coupon for $100 off of one a couple of weeks ago and I jumped on the chance to buy one.  I love mine. 

Enjoy your test drives!!  Great promotion Sarah!!

Awesome beyond words (email sent, of course)

And I’ll be checking back for the buy option—that would be really cool.

Will a visa check card do or does it have to be an old skool credit card?

That is FANTASTIC. Awesome, awesome, awesome. As somebody who a) is a voracious reader, and b) is facing a regular long train ride next year, the e-reader concept is one that has been horribly, horribly tempting.

And, even though yielding to temptation would probably involve money I ought not to be spending… I am totally going to sign up for the test reader program giveaway thing. Because it is just that awesome.

...must… resist… temptation… to… use… both… working… e-mail… addresses….dangit

spamword: could16—- I could see so many more than 16 ways an e-reader would be an awesome thing.

@Ev and Laura Vivanco

If you want to test PDFs from the eHarlequin eBook Store as opposed to the 60th downloads (which are DRM-free & such), there are a couple free stories you can try such as “Triple Threat” (a Harlequin Blaze short story) and a couple of the Harlequin Minis.

Full disclosure: I work at Harlequin. On eBooks. Hi :)

This is so cool, but be warned: you’re all going to want to keep it!

Please enter me!  I would love to win one and am a huge Harlequin fan!!!

Doh!  I just realized one must use the malevolent Windows OS.  I’m a MAC girl, so I guess this counts me out.  So sad, Sony, because you could have had another customer after the trial run.

I am duly entered and wrote my exactly 250 word essay, thoughtfully including the phrase *neener neener* which I was never able to work into anything I had to turn in for school.

So excited about this!! It may be just the thing to tip DH over the edge into spending some of his paycheck. He’s a gadget geek and I just want to read.

Can I just tell you how much this rocks my bobby socks? I suck at product purchase without the test drive, and while the iPhone app (Stanza) does a pretty good job, not really the same and I’m wondering if it is a size issue.

*Commence wailing and gnashing of teeth. Also pulling of hair and rending of clothes.*

Why? Why? WHY didn’t my ancestors emigrate across the Atlantic? Their siblings did. Cousins. Neighbors. Why did my ancestors have to be the ones to inherit the stupid farms? On both sides of the family! Both my parents grew up on the stupid farms…and scraped the manure off their shoes, moving into ‘the city’. Aaarrrgh! I could’ve grown up in the Bread Basket or a mining town or anywhere else, speaking Finglish but no, I’m still in the Old Country, not so much speaking Finglish but ineligible to test out the Sony. WAHHH!

*loud sob*

*Sulking off to watch the BeBook2 video yet again.*

What a great opportunity! I’ve been in a tizzy for months trying to figure out which e-Reader to buy, and this just might help me to decide! I will most definitely be emailing you!

Summer fun, yay!

Michelle (AntinMitchfield)

Okay - I don’t want one.  I’m so torn about any e-reader - best thing for the planet, but as a bookseller -it’s the kiss of death for my small home biz.  And as a book reader, I really love the feel of the book.  I can’t think of any situation in my own life where I’d need/want to use it.  But most of all,  what if I like it?  I mean really, really like it?  Then I have to deal with guilt feelings over the whole biz thing, plus look around at my approx 10,000 volume library and think how much more space I’d have if they were e-books, but, worst of all, I’d have to return it, and I’ll never be able to afford to buy one.  So, no, I don’t want one.

I’d love to try one, and I’d love to get hooked on some new HQ authors. I see this costing money eventually..;);).. new HQ authors a must have and also the Sony Reader a must have lol… I checked out the Sony Reader at a B&N, it looked awesome… I’m not really sold on the Kindle yet either. Can’t decide between the 2—almost everything in our house is Sony though, so someday I think I’ll get it.

All,

You can still get the 16 free harlequin books at Sony in their format (BeB) which of course looks great on their reader. I didn’t find the one page with all 16 books listed, but I went to http://www.harlequincelebrates.com, copied the titles and then searched by title at Sony ex. B.J. Daniels Crime Scene. It works! the price is $0.00.

Full disclosure, I’m a Harlequin person.

Thanks, Sarah, for pulling together this great opportunity (and Aideen on our digital team).

What a great promotion! I would love the test drive! I have been using my iTouch, but am dying to try the Sony Reader and love, love, love Harlequin - have for years!

What an awesome thing to do for your fans. Smart Bitches/ Sony/Harlequin swamps me in a sea of teh awesome!

Mac users, take note that it is difficult—and slightly illegal—to get Harlequin books on your Reader.  Sony Readers don’t play well with Macs, and the DRM on Harlequin eBooks requires Adobe Digital Editions to sync up with your Reader (which it will not do on a Mac).  In order to get Harlequin books on it, you’ll have to crack the DRM.

Awesome opportunity which I will totally miss since I am moving to E. Europe at the same time this begins.

Wail, sniffle, snort.

Can’t wait to hear what people have to say about them…& props to Sony & Harlequin for this coolness.

What an amazing opportunity! I would be absolutley out of my mind happy to participate in this!!

So, I’m over here in the UK, but my sister will be coming from the US for a visit in early July and then I will be back in the US in September.  If I’ve got a US address I can use, can I enter?

Wow. Oh Wow. Holy cow. I’ve been agonizing over which one to get, plus whether I want one, plus the cost, for, like, ever. This would be so awesome.

Oooh, I want to try it. I’m almost certain that will lead me to buy one myself afterwards, but that’s a chance I’m willing to take. :-)

Hey, I want a chance to be a smart bitch but I need a Sony Reader to bone up for the exam!

This is a totally awesomesauce promotion! Wish I could participate, but I have a Mac. And not the patience to dick around with Windows for Mac. But everyone else, have fun!

Hi Malle!  (waves)  A big thanks to everyone involved in pulling this together, and I can’t wait to see the entries!

Neat, neat, all sorts of neat!

I considered this, but I love my Kindle and so I think it would be unfair. I’m way in love with e-books now, and love the reader I have, and so there’s not much I could offer other than a comparison.

I’m ridiculously thrilled for others though, and impressed by Sony and Harlequin. Amazon needs to take notes on this one!

I’ll also be including instructions on how to download and load up the Sony with the Readers themselves, and doing tutorials here on the site as well.

that’s what I need since i have my 700 and am leary of buying and not being able to read. I have managed to figure out Calibre finally.

And do a tutorial on how to use the Sony/Mac/Calibre threesome so I can tell the kid, would you please?

I would love to give one a whirl.  I’m a tenacious reader and love gadgets, so it goes without saying that I’ve been extremely interested in the readers.  Pretty please pick me.

That is FANTASTIC. Awesome, awesome, awesome. As somebody who a) is a voracious reader, and b) is facing a regular long train ride next year, the e-reader concept is one that has been horribly, horribly tempting.

We took the train to FL last year and hubby and I just sat and read and read the entire time and didn’t have to worry about having a ton of books to carry to do it. It was the best investment ever.

No matter what certain people at RWA say.

Living in the “Great White Kindle-free North” I closed my eyes and handed over my credit card for the Sony 700 when Sarah first began the squeeing about it.  I was up against my love of gadgets and my commitment to the printed word - the feel of paper, the ease of flipping back and forth, etc.  A few free e-books had me reading on my laptop and I didn’t have a long commute to justify the purchase.  But let me step up and testify - I looooove my e-reader.  The adjustable font, the built in light (on the 700 only and well worth it to compensate for glare), books on the go.  I find it so much easier on my eyes than the computer screen - hardly any eye fatigue.  I had to go back and pony up for the adapter because I was forever having to charge it through my lap top and you can’t read when it’s in that mode.  I whip it out at every chance I get - and always have someone comment about it.  I tell you I should be on Sony’s payroll for all the promotion I do.  My only complaint is about the software.  The synchronization is manual and it doesn’t recognize if you have the same title in twice.  The Sony store has many of the same promotions that are announced for the other vendors.  When ever I hear something that appeals, I just wander over to check and see if they have the same deal.  Most times they do.  Now if we could just see a drop in the regular retail price of e-books, my life would be complete…

If you want to test PDFs from the eHarlequin eBook Store as opposed to the 60th downloads (which are DRM-free & such), there are a couple free stories you can try such as “Triple Threat” (a Harlequin Blaze short story) and a couple of the Harlequin Minis.

TY. I knew the 60th dls were working but i did them from Sony. Will give it a shot.

For those of you that have the Sony… how many books can it hold? Can you download email onto it or your own documents? I guess what I am asking is ... What do you like about it? :).

I do know that they do have DRM (*SOB*) but the Sony ebookstore allows users to connect more than one device.

Say What? The last time I asked they would only let you use one device. Did they change it? Spill the details please!!

For those of you that have the Sony… how many books can it hold? Can you download email onto it or your own documents? I guess what I am asking is ... What do you like about it? :).

Laura- it will hold as many books as you like since you can use SD cards to store them on. It’s unfillable basically. 

Hubby does dl pdf files to it, but I haven’t done so.

Doh!  I just realized one must use the malevolent Windows OS.  I’m a MAC girl, so I guess this counts me out.  So sad, Sony, because you could have had another customer after the trial run.

Sarah can tell you how to get it to work with the Mac. At least she was bragging about it earlier!! ;)

I considered this, but I love my Kindle and so I think it would be unfair. I’m way in love with e-books now, and love the reader I have, and so there’s not much I could offer other than a comparison.

Um, Sarah, did you not have Sir Kindle in all his fine glory until you tried the Sony? Just sayin

I am work and it’s quiet. Can you tell I am bored???

Thanks ev! I want to see what kind of books are available. I have a lot of re-reads I need to replace… and I am on the lookout for new romance authors to read. I am finding some real gems lately—that make me ask—where the heck have I been? lol.  I’d love to try some new and old favorites on ebook. must get a sony or kindle though.. don’t like reading from the computer screen~!

Another Mac user here, unwilling to jump through the (illegal) hoops to use a Sony.  I keep thinking Sony will wise up one of these days and go to a multi-platform model, but no joy yet. I’ll keep reading my ebooks on my iPod Touch, or on my old Palm. And researching the Mac-compliant dedicated readers….

Found the Sony page with free Harlequins!

The 60th anniversary titles are all here:

http://ebookstore.sony.com/harlequin-16free/

So no need to get the pdfs

What a wonderful idea to get readers to try the ebook readers without spending an arm and a leg first - and to get some feedback about ease of downloading, reading, storing, etc., etc.
Count me in. I’ve already sent my groveling email. Yippee!

Wow, this sure is a great opportunity.  I’ve been dithering mainly because I don’t have real world experience with a reader compared to, say, my Palm, and I’ve been trained (by that horrible boss myself) to only do work (critting/editing) on the Palm.  I’ve been trying hard to read ebooks and recently had some great successes (one of which was a Harlequin :D).  The Kindle is out because of the megalomania, but I do so want to try the Sony :D.

Any idea on the shipping costs for the return?

Thanks for this amazing opportunity.  Oh, and I loved the panel about ereaders and DRM.  Social DRM makes a heck of a lot of sense to me.

@Delia, I have a Mac, a Sony Reader (the 505) and tons of downloads from eHarlequin. I use Calibre, which lets me transfer my books just fine. No DRM cracking needed.

You can get it here: http://calibre.kovidgoyal.net/

I also love that I can tag all my books and sort them by category. Makes finding stuff a whole heck of a lot easier.

ev,
Your point is well-taken, but I’m in a horribly co-dependent relationship with Amazon, and I love the ease of clicking one little button and having it delivered to me. The only time I sway from that is ePubs—I tend to buy directly from EC, which ya pretty much have to, and Samhain.

I’m in Vine, so I spend a lot of time on the site anyhow. I’m unwilling to call Amazon my master, and yet, I’m thinking I have to go because the Vine freebies will be posted in a couple minutes. Okay, master is a fair word.

That’s not to disparage Sony—I did consider them at one point, and played around with it at the Sony store—but my Kindle serves my needs best, particularly when it comes to instant gratification. If Amazon “fails” again, I might have to make a change, but other than that…

I am thrilled for others though, because I know how much I really enjoy my reader. I read more and I read longer.  I love taking it with me to read during Sunday brunch—my DH has his own. No matter where I am, there’s a library. I use it every single day, and it’s replaced print books in a way I never thought possible. The only things I miss are the covers and the ease of flipping through a book to find a certain passage.

I look forward to reading the happy reports from others!

@ev - I’m at work and bored, too.  Let’s not tell my boss because they have been laying people off and I don’t want to be next.

I use an SD card in my 505 and right now I have 367 books loaded to it.  I love carrying a library around with me at all times. 

I read books on my computer at work and then can continue where I left off on my e-reader at home.  It’s the perfect combo.

No matter where I am using it, someone always asks me about it.  Sony will really benefit from having people use them in public.  They sell themselves (except for the price).

Finally a way to get my greedy lil hands on a Sony Reader.

Well, whatever it is, it’s working.. you’ve got me going to the Sony eReader Store… ;)

Wow. Awesome promotion, thanks for the opportunity.

Can we get a sound clip of the vrooooming?

This opportunity is made of that-old-Cars-song-Just-What-I-Needed-Awesome.

Sent in my application. Consider this my unprofessional follow up letter.

I felt up someone’s KindleII at a bookclub meeting a few weeks ago, but have been lusting after some alone time with a Sony…this is an SB’s dream come true.

Oh—I have a 505 (which I love), but if there’s a way to make it work with my Mac, I’d love to hear more about it. I’ve looked at the Calibre website, but I’m hesitant to just jump in with that not knowing how everything works. As of right now I have to sync it through my husband’s laptop, which is only slightly inconvenient compared to how much I love being able to load up one device with all the books I need (which is on my to-do list for next week, since we’ll be at the beach the first full week in July and I don’t want to haul along a whole bag of books!)

And yes, you can authorize multiple machines to access your books from the Sony store—I’ve got two laptops and my reader authorized at the moment, and I know I can still authorize more. The Sony literature says it holds up to 160 books on just the internal memory, but since you can add and switch out SD cards, you can easily push that to as many SD cards as you care to keep up with, I expect.

Wish I could justify test driving a 700, since I’ve heard so many good things about them—but I’m perfectly happy with my 505 and shouldn’t tempt myself with an upgrade, :)

I love my Sony and frequently buy from Sony and MBaM, love the Sony pdf format their Samhain books come in, but I still buy print books as well.

I’m going to be taking a trip soon and will be sitting idle for something like 12 hours. I will then be spending a week with people I have very little in common with and then the 12 hour trip home. In the past I’ve packed a tote bag with several and then had to deal with the bag in my floorboard and making sure I didn’t leave any of my books behind. Right now I have 161 books, in 6 collections, loaded onto my eReader. The eReader is slimmer than any of my books and it fits comfortably in my purse, so I can carry along hundreds of books without taking up as much space as even one of my paperbacks.

Apparently my 700 holds about 419 MB and my 161 books are taking up 136 MB of that, so theoretically, I could hold over 400 books on it without resorting to memory cards. I don’t have any audio books on it. I’m not a big fan of the audio book, funny considering I’m a member of LibriVox, but they are usually something like 25 MB on average.  So you could fit a few on there without cards. I think I have one that I got free from Audible, but my Sony doesn’t do Audible. I have found several sites that not only sell audio books in mp3 and acc, but they rent them ... sort of like a netflix for books.

I still like to get cozy with a printed book, but since I got the eReader, I only buy my favorites books in print. Even if I’ve already got them in digital.

I think Madd just sold me on buying one… but I’ll wait and see if I can test drive one first… I think it will be hard to give it back.. (I have to go to the in-laws a lot—(a great place to read about 400 books in one weekend… :))... hopefully there will be an option to buy it at the end of the test drive? :).

I would love to try one of these reading devices; they sound like fun.
I love Harlequin and have been reading them since 5th grade, my first one cost 15 cents, and I’ve been out of school for 30 years.  In high school I used to get 3 from the library and start it in first period (study hall) and be finished with it by the time I got home where I would read the other two, then I’d start again the next day.
The ones nowdays is nothing like those I started on; I look forward to finding a new way to read the books I love.

I adore my Sony PRS-505, bought after I wore out my PRS-500.  I encourage all who are interested in the reader to try for this test drive.  The PRS-700 has quite a few more bells and whistles, more suited for those who would use it for business purposes. 

There is a hundred dollar difference in price between the two ereaders, but for those who try and feel inclined to buy a reader, check out your local buying club megastores (such as Sam’s, B.J.‘s or Costco).  Our local B.J.s has the PRS-505 for $50 off list price.  Other than the special Father’s Day discount at Borders, this is the cheapest that I’ve found one.

I truly would not trade my Sony for a free Kindle.

*subject54* is my code.  This was definitely a good subject.

I love a good Harlequin romance to get my juices flowing. You know what I mean bitches?! Hey!

oh well done on this :)  Next you need to convince sony that they want to push out to australia and new zealand and do the same thing here lol

great promotion and I’d LOVE to participate, but sadly I can’t because I don’t have any type of credit/charge card. :(

Hope everyone who gets chosen has fun “test driving” them… you lucky ducks u! :D

I’m a librarian and I just sent in an entry with my work email about how great it would be for us to have one of these, especially as we start offering access to the neighboring library district’s Overdrive collection in about a week.  Of course I forgot to mention that those two reader reviews, I could have them written by different people and/or share lots of stories of how patrons react to seeing it.

Question, can I do a personal entry too?

I would love to participate!  I have never used an e-reader but have been very curious about them.  I usually use my laptop but I can’t fit it in my purse.

I’m drooling over the possibility of test driving a Sony Reader. My cheapskate self hasn’t been willing to shell out for an e-reader since the pb is available. The ability to see if I’d like it would be heaven.

spamword: didnt22. Didn’t at least 22 others enter this little drawing?

What a great opportunity!

I can’t enter as I’m in Australia but it’s okay because I already have a Sony 700.  I highly recommend them to all and sundry.

But, SB Sarah, if you haz any of teh influence at all with Sony, could you please ask them to open their Sony bookstore to Australians?  I’d love to be able to take advantage of specials Sony offer but they won’t let me :(

This sounds like a fantastic opportunity. I use an iPod Touch now but am ready for something bigger if you know what I mean.

I have a question, though: You say you need 2 reviews:

- Do you mean 1 review posted in 2 places, like on my eharl blog and then the same review posted on my personal blog?

- Or do you mean 2 different reviews? (Although I can’t imagine this one because my review would be so conclusive I don’t think there’d be anything left to say.)

How do you official volunteer to be a test driver?  I’ve lurked here for a while (discovered you all during the black footed ferret brouhaha).  I’ve been holding out in the hope that Asus would come out with their much fabled tablet netbook soon and so I’ve held off on an e-reader, but the Sony’s have been quietly calling, pointing out that Asus is nothing but a cad that’s been stringing me along since Jan.  I’d love to test drive one, but if not, I’m happy to read eagerly to see other users feedback on them.

I would LOVE to be entered.  I read Harlequin Desire & NASCAR.  I also read most of their Kamini line.  Right now I read my books in print & Microsoft Reader on my PC.  I have looked at all the readers and just haven’t made that leap.  I would love to try.  I do have a credit card.

I’m LOVING my new 505, which I use on my Mac via Calibre.  I’m having trouble with any kind of format besides .pdf because I’m technologically dumb, and am a kinesthetic learner.  So any kind of tutorial you post would be wonderful, and then my ebook shopping will really take off.

This is a FABULOUS project, and yay on you, Sony, and Harlequin for putting it together.

Thank you so much for doing what you do, Sarah.  I honestly can’t understand how you do it all.  Husband, kids, full-time job, write a book, volunteer for RWA, and just your presence at and support of SBTB strikes me as such a time commitment, I can’t imagine.  Do you sleep at all?

I have been toying around with the idea of buying a reader for traveling if nothing else, but which one to buy? Such a dilemma. Maybe if I get one of the trial Sony readers, I’ll have my answer.  Thanks for the chance.

This is an amazing giveaway and like everyone else I would so love to win! Now, I’m hankering after a Sony reader…

Thank you

This is pure awesome. Cant enter because I am already in love with my 505. But seriously whoever test drives these babies will be charging up their credit cards to buy the 505/700 at the end of the 60 days.

RIP in Michael Jackson.

I’ve entered the test drive lotto - but I’d like to up the ante by offering to do one of my reviews in stop motion lego figures. I just have to talk my sibling (tothiro) into making me a buxom young minifig .....

Well, and figure out how to do that. But details, details.

oh I’d like to say a word for the kindle…she grew up cute and sassy in Seattle….she grew up cute and sassy with no sonys for a friend….but I sure am liking her still even soooo… (sing along to “Oklahoma song” ‘Territory folks should stick together’)

What’s with all the dissing of my Kindle2???

Sure I"d like to try out for the Sony reader, but I won’t. ‘Cause I"m a nice gal and since this contest is in the spirit of letting people know the goodness of ereading, I’m backing off and letting others have a chance since I’m already in ereader loveland with my kindle2. Okay, maybe she has some quirks, but so does Mr. Sony. Hmmh. I’ve also got the free Harlequins on my Kindle2!! So they are available for all ereaders :)

And SBSarah, please get the Amazon link up for all the books because I was trying to buy some book you were pimping earlier today and it kept taking me to the indiebook site and I can’t use that, dangit!

Now that I"ve offended possibly 2 segments of the readership, I say good day!

I have a Sony Reader, so I won’t be trying for this, but I just had to say: What an awesomely cool idea!! Wow… Good luck and much e-reading joy to all who participate :).

This makes me wish I had a credit card…Would a checking account number work?

I mean, I’m spending about an hour on the bus each day, so I’d definitely a read a book in the sixty days. Actually, considering I got through a hundred pages today in fifty minutes…I’d say I’d be good for a few.

I’ve been lusting after the Sony ereader for a while. I’ve dragged multiple family members past the display at the local Borders and watched their eyes glaze over. I’ve been dropping hints like mad. And then I got a nice new industrial size rice cooker for Christmas. I guess they at least got the whole electronics idea. And they tried to buy me books again for my birthday. Never pretty.  I’ve been looking at the Sony and the Kindle.  I’m keep books forever, so I’m a little leery of the Kindle based on feedback from friends who worship at the alter of Amazon (usually anyway).

Is the Sony pretty easy to read?  As in, clear fonts, no vibration/flickering in the text, etc? And what about glare issues?  I have a lot of problems focusing, and wonder if I’d be able to see the screen.

Thanks Sarah—  for the info and for the opportunity for a test drive and lots of good books!

Diane :o)

Wow! Awesome promotion! I have been reading ebooks on by computer, blackberry and now my iPhone. I have been debating about putting out the money for a dedicated ebook reader. I would absolutely love the chance to try one out.

I’ll be entering. Thanks for the chance!

What a fantastic promotion!! It is too good to pass up! Thanks SB and Harlequin! Maybe I will finally be able to end my internal debate about ebooks vs. print and whether I can migrate my love of reading to the digital age. This dinosaur appreciates the opportunity to enter!

mmm…..I don’t about europe but here down south in Argentina we would like to test drive too, but what can I do I still love you guys .....buahhhhh…...

I was thinking about getting a sony reader as a bday gift, so this would be a great chance to try one out.  Count me in, please!

(Frantically waves hand in air)

YES!! please oh please oh please. 

I’d love to try it out.
I’d be ever so careful with it and not eat or drink coffee in the same room with it or let any of my cats sleep on it—not even the really cute one—and I’d tell it a bedtime story EVERY night…oh wait.  It’s supposed to be providing the stories.

Anyway, I’d take extra special good care of it.

And I have several credit cards.  Your choice.

spamword: designed 32
The ereader is designed for a reader who EATS books

Already entered, but quick question: I’m switching to Ubuntu (Linux) in about two months, if I buy the reader will I have a problem with compatibility (such as Mac users seem to)?

I’m switching to Ubuntu (Linux) in about two months, if I buy the reader will I have a problem with compatibility (such as Mac users seem to)?

From what I know, yes.  But the solution is the same, Calibre.

I would love to test drive it before I buy it. I’m on the fence on what to buy so I would definitely appreciate this opportunity.

I’d love to get my hands on one.  I want an e-reader so bad I can taste it, but none of my local stores carry them, and I’m too much of a technosaurus to make head or tails out of the info on the web sites.

I’m with Jody, I am frantically waving my hand.  My cat might be allowed to lay on my lap as I read, but he will not be allowed to think of the reader as one of his toys.  He has enough of his own.

And SB Sarah, don’t forget my offer of a bribe.  What goes better with romances than chocolate?  Well maybe also a glass (or three) of wine.

The only problem I see with the reader before I actually try it, is that I sometimes like to read and craft at the same time, and can only do that with audio books.  Haven’t yet figured out how to read a book and cross-stitch at the same time.  Not enough hands and eyes.

Was going to tweet a poem, then realized that the poem was too many characters.  So, here it is:

Smart Bitches were giving away Sonys
Which are better for you than ponies
It is a great reader
Which is why it is a leader
So don’t be fooled by all the phonies

Now, does that help you pick me?  Please, please

OK, I don’t think Tweet and I are agreeing at the moment.  So can’t harass you there.

I am willing to up my bribe.  Will also include a personalized cross stitch bookmark (or two since there are two of you).  And, if you are nice (ie give me a reader), I will include a 3-D plastic canvas cardinal.  Good for the Christmas tree, or you can be like Mom, and hang it in your car.  Cardinal is the statebird of Virginia so appropriate.  What else can I offer?  (Sorry, little light on handsome boy toys to keep tied to your bed.  I don’t want to give up mine at the moment.)

I submitted my entry to test drive the Sony only moments ago.  Yeah, my middle name is procrastination, with less than 10 minutes to spare.  I have no spamword, which I assume is in an acknowledgment of my entry, as yet. 

Anyway, something that I have rarely, if ever, seen mentioned in reviews for any ebook reader is handicapped accessibility.  I have severe arthritis in both hands, and have already had one thumb joint replaced, and the other thumb will need the same surgery, though I have been delaying it for as long as possible.  I had to elevate the hand above my heart 24/7 for 5 weeks post-op, and was only allowed to move (but not *use*) those fingers for the same time frame.  Full recovery was months.  My PT looked in all her catalogs for any assistive devices for turning pages of books, but they were all cumbersome or extremely (like $300) expensive.  Try holding any PB (forget trade size) with one hand and turning the pages with the same hand for longer than a few minutes - and I read quickly so it really was an impossibility.  I HAD to be able to read during recovery or risk my sanity.  I ended up with a Palm TX mostly for the extreme light weight, and have loved it.  But now vision issues require that I at least consider something with a larger screen.  I’d offer reviews/feedback in the form of letters to the Editor of Arthritis Today or to the Arthritis Foundation, as well as a more reader-oriented forum.

Chose me, and I’ll give an under-served reading sub-population an honest opinion of the Sony, and perhaps introduce them to ebooks and ereaders as a hand-saving option.

I think you should definitely keep Amy T on your short list.  She would give a different perspective.  And we want to make sure she keeps her sanity.

And now we all sit breathlessly and await the results….

Did you see where she had 190 applicants.  Hoping my bribes worked.

Good luck all.

*twitching*

weeeeellllll???????

I don’t know if I’m still in time, but one can always hope lol!

*fingers crossed*

spamword: done37. Does that mean the SBs will be done picking a winner in 37 minutes?

ok… I’m waiting…. Please please pick me pick me….  I wanna try the 700 or the 505.

Methinks the mention of July 1 as a prospective start date may have been a trifle optimistic….

I love that Sarah has her own postage machine. My inner-office-supply-geek is mightily jealous :)

Dang!  Should have started bribing sooner!  Holding breath waiting for results.  Too late to add chocolate to the sparkly things?  Perhaps an offer of representation from Syndey T. Cat? (http://www.yorkwriters.com/2009/06/announcing-really-bad-literary-agency.html)

Anything else?  I’d offer mt firstborn, but he turned into an attorney, so I’m not sure that’s such a good deal….

(Verification: trouble 43—is that a portent, or a character evaluation?)

OHHH I hope I get picked and I hope I get picked for reviewing the 700!!!

I have a box of Dark Chocolate does it work as a bribe?
M

Am following the teases from twitter and realizing that my entry was totally not worthy… Note to self, do not rush entries for SBTB, remember clever people live here.  I do hope you post some more bits here so I can console myself with the Dew-nose spewing hilarity.

Is it to late to try for the ebook player?