Share the Dream

So it's been about six months since I last posted, and that last post was about the same topic this one is going to be. Dolls. Yep, I'm a 36 year old woman, and I'm now a (proud) doll collector.

In reality, I've probably been a doll collector since before Christmas. I've been grabbing up American Girl dolls and outfits like crazy, restoring dolls, selling them for profit so I can afford to buy the Kit and Molly items I do like. But I've rationalized the AG stuff  I'm buying for my daughter and I to enjoy together. That's not collecting - that's parenting. Or so I've told myself, anyway. Funny how the items I'm collecting match my favorite time period - early twentieth century American history...

Now, I can't rationalize it away anymore, because I've officially purchased something that is really just for me. A Collector doll. I've wanted one of these for years, but assumed they were out of my league.

Not just any doll, but a Gene Marshall doll. Actually in the last 3 weeks - 4 dressed dolls, plus 11 outfits. Yeah, I don't do things halfway. And eBay makes that WAAAYYY too easy for me. I've also found several doll forums that specialize in Gene and 16" dolls, so I foresee more enabling/researching/obsessing/buying/selling in my future.

The funny thing about this Gene obsession is that she kept appearing in my life, randomly.

I remember visiting the Buffalo Candle & Craft store as a teen throughout the '90s. Mom gravitated toward the Dept 56 village and the Lee Middleton baby doll sections, but I was over in the fashion doll area the whole time. Ginny had wonderful outfits, but was too cutesy. Porcelain dolls were too fragile, and I'm not a huge fan of the fussy period outfits they usually sport. But then, in 1996, - there were those Gene dolls. I briefly entertained the idea of spending my hard-earned dollars on one, but even then I must have known that I wouldn't be able to stop at one. so it was just periodic visitations  that whet my appetite.


Fast forward to 2000 - I was working as a temp in the warehouse at the Great TV Auction. Ashton Drake donated to all the various PBS auctions every year, and that year they sent a beautiful selection of red-haired Genes (Champagne Supper and USO) and a few outfits. I loved every minute writing up the description, and kept hoping that they wouldn't sell. No such luck.

The next year, they sent USO, her accessories, an outfit and Savannah. Forget Savannah and her period fluff - all I really wanted was that USO and her outfit - Press Conference.  Really, look at that adorable peach and brown fashion!

And the final year, 2002, they sent an assortment of doll bedroom furniture and one brunette doll, I'm pretty sure it was Spotted in the Park. That year was a letdown, as I had no idea what a person woudl do with the furniture, and I dislike animal prints. So that wrapped up my annual Gene temptation with a bust.

And now, 9 years later, I stumbled over a USO Gene doll listed in the American Girl section on eBay. I put her in my watch list, and was shocked at how low she sold.

Since I don't do anything without researching, I spent a few weeks watching auctions, found some doll forums, and found out that Gene has had a colorful history. 15 years in production at two different companies, and she's recently been retired. And thanks to the wide network of the internet replacing all the local doll stores, there is a glut of older Gene inventory out there, and it can be had for a song, often cheaper than their original retail prices.

So I eventually jumped in. Last month I ordered a Gene outfit - I figured I could spend $10 to find out if this Gene thing was all I remembered it being. So Promenade was my first victim test. And what a cute outfit it was (no doggies, though). But an outfit without a doll is useless...

Add caption

So, I've ordered two dressed dolls from a local antiques dealer. But I'm impatient, and couldn't wait. I've been purchasing outfits I like (Press Conference was one of the first). And then I found another blonde dressed doll with gorgeous hair. And a brunette doll with cute hair and a poseable body.

So now, I've got 4 Gene dolls and 7 more outfits on their way to me. NO idea where I'm going to put them, but I'm very excited!

Childhood wish fulfillment

(photo courtesy of AGPlaythings scanned album)

My five year old wants an American Girl doll for Christmas.

And I think I've been hoping this day would come. You see, I was 11 in 1986, the year that Pleasant Company released the first American Girl catalog. It came straight to my house - I fell in love with Molly. Her cute metal glasses (I wore those cheap plastic 80s glasses), long braided hair and awesome 1940s fashions just spoke to me. And there were books! But my steelworker father spent more of the Eighties unemployed than employed, so $75 dolls weren't in the budget. My Grandma would totally have bought her for me, but she had passed away after a lengthy illness the year before.

The catalogs kept coming for years after I was "too old" for dolls - with 4 girls, we were their target market. My other sisters fell for Samantha, Kirsten and Felicity, but I still drooled over Molly's pages - the little desk! the flannel plaid jumper! the yellow Mackintosh and red boots!

I bought my niece a Samantha look-alike in 2008 (the year of the infamous "archival"), which started the flood of catalogs again. A lot has changed - limited edition dolls, modern dolls, baby dolls and toddler dolls. But Molly is still there. Still calling me. And they've added Kit, an adorable freckled 1930s doll.

Sunshine asked Santa for a doll that looks like her - white blond hair and blue eyes. I'd love to buy her Kit, but I think I'd be buying her more for me. Bad Mama.

So I've spent the last few hours on the American Girl web site and trolling eBay for good deals. I feel an obsession coming on. I think Molly may be coming home soon - I have no reason to resist her and her stuff is very reasonable on eBay. And I can play dolls with my daughter. Good Mama, right?

I got my NookColor on Nov, 19th and would like to use it as an eReader for the types of documents that my Kindle 3 do not support. Because I intent to use NC at home, I do not really care about reading-in-direct-sun-light (LCD vs. eInk) and battery life (8hr vs. weeks). After a little more than a week, I have to say that my overall experience with NC is unfortunately far from "The Ultimate Reading Experience". Allow me to explain:

Screen: The screen is bright and easy to read. I do not have any complaint about it.

Touch screen: I had a problem with double input, namely I frequently got 'ii' when I tried to input 'i'. This was especially annoying for inputting passwords because I could not see what I typed. Anyway, I found myself making less mistakes after a few days, perhaps because I got used to the 'correct way' of using the touch screen.

Book organization: Book organization was OK at first, but quickly became difficult when I added more and more books to the NC. In particular, Nook does not show book cover for books I borrowed from the library (ePub format); I cannot organize my books from the computer through, for example the use of directories; I cannot remove a book from NC and NC does not refresh automatically after I remove books through USB connection; and it is confusing to have books in 'books', 'bookselves', and 'my files'.

Reading text and doc files: I have to scroll down the text and figure out where I left off last time. I need a 'page down' feature.

Reading ePub file: Reading eBooks in ePub format is good on this device, but NC does not support non-latin characters.

Reading PDF file: The 7 inch screen is still too small for reading PDF file. Some PDF files cannot be displayed correctly. Page turning can be slow for some PDF files, and navigation is not consistent (no page down).

Reading magazines: The device is still too small to read magazines. The 'ArticleView' mode is helpful but the wide margins make the reading uncomfortable when you hold the device vertically. Again, there is no page down in this mode.

Reading newspaper: Reading newspaper on this device is acceptable.

Borrowing books from public library: I spent hours trying to figure out how to borrow books from my public library. It turns out that I cannot download the books from NC. Instead, I have to checkout and return books from a PC, transfer the files to NC, and find them from a particular directory. This is rather inconvenient especially because the books remain in NC (and unreadable, but I cannot remove them from NC) after I return them from my PC.

Web navigation: The browser is OK, but I have to go to the top of the page to go backward. This is annoying when the page is long. A back button or a context menu is needed.

Wifi: Wifi on this device is weak. The nook does not get any signal where my laptop has full signal. In addition, NC does not support ad hoc network.

In summary, NC does everything I need, but nothing exceptionally well. In particular, I wish Nook could allow me to organize books from computer; remove files from NC, and check out and return eBooks from NC. It would be particularly helpful if NC can provide a consistent reading experience for all types of files. E.g. a touch for page down.

It's heading back to B&N - I'll have to pick another birthday present!

Sony Reader PRS-350 and Bookeen Cybook Opus - a comparison

Given that there only a handful of 5" E-Ink devices available, it seemed pertinent to compare two, while I had them both. I'm not going to focus on the hardware differences as the specs are available out there on the web, but on the firmware and software setup and little details I've discovered through usage.

The Sony and Bookeen 5" devices share a lot in common. Both are incredibly light, and almost pocketable sans case (although tread carefully with unprotected glass screens). Both devices have the ability to rotate the screen, Opus goes 360 degrees via accelerometer (which can be locked), the Sony rotates 90 degrees via Options button. Their firmware have similar capabilities, although each executes it in a different way.

Both devices have the same resolution screen (200 ppi), but there are noticeable differences. The Opus uses a standard Vizplex screen, likely an early one (it's not as light a background as the Nook's newer Vizplex). The PRS-350 uses the much-vaunted Pearl screen. The PRS-350 has a lighter background and darker blacks, making for a higher contrast. The picture below has the most accurate color representation of the screens.



Both devices offer the ability to browse books by thumbnails. The Opus allows you to customize the Library view in several ways, including having 5, 10 or 20 thumbnails displayed. Here it displays 10, my preferred view. The Sony main screen offers the thumbnail of the book you last opened, along with 3 of the most recently loaded titles.



Here is the Opus displaying 20 thumbnails, and the Sony has entered the Book View and is displaying all thumbnails. The Opus navigates via the page forward and 5-way button - the Sony navigates using touch to select from the letters on the side. For both devices, you may choose to sort books by Author or Title. Sony offers an additonal sort, by Date Loaded.



In order to more accurately compare how the devices display type, I loaded the same custom font on both. (for those who care, it's ArnoPro by Adobe). The Opus is set at Size 9 (out of 12), the Sony is on Medium (out of XS, S, M, L, XL). Even with the slightly warm cast on the photos, the Sony's higher contrast screen is noticable, although it appears that the larger status bar on the Sony is taking up space the Opus can use for text. You'll also note that the Opus status bar contains the title and page numbers. The Sony's status bar contains the font size, battery meter and page numbers.



Here, both devices have loaded an ePub with an embedded font (unknown), set on Opus Size 8 and Sony's Medium. Again, the Sony's larger status bar displaces some text.



And here is the same book, with embedded font set smaller. The Opus could go even smaller (this is size 6), but this was the closest match to Sony's Small setting. At this size, I prefer the Opus because the line spacing is a bit looser - the Sony line spacing seems too tight in comparison, but the Sony font is a touch tinier here, so that is probably why the line spacing is tighter. I'm also disappointed that Sony doesn't have a wider range of font sizes - the jump from Small to Medium is pretty dramatic, and XS is essentially useless.



The major differentation in software is how the devices handle metadata for book organization. The Opus uses a folder structure, which can be handled manually with the device plugged into a computers as a USB drive, or using criteria set in Calibre's preferences. I personally use Calibre to put e-Books on the Opus in folders by Author/Series/Title, thanks to some code shared by Marcy on MobileRead forums. This makes for easy sorting, as long as you can remember who wrote what, but it can be cumbersome once you've loaded your device with hundreds or even thousands of books.

The Sony takes a different approach, using a feature called Collections. E-Books can belong to multiple collections, without having multiple copies on the device. There are several options to organize e-Books into collections: via Sony Reader desktop, via Calibre tags and series, and on the device itself.

Here is a picture comparing a screen of the Opus' folder view (with 20 folders shown - can also change to 5 or 10) and one screen of the Sony's list of Collections.



Some other details to note:

Speed
The Sony is noticeably faster at booting up, waking from standby, and loading books. The Opus isn't slow, but the Sony is zippy. Both devices allow you to "flip" pages quickly - the Sony by holding your finger on the screen, the Opus by holding down the page forward button. The Opus also does this using the page backward button to flip backwards.

Notetaking
The Sony has built-in dictionary, and can look up a word just by highlighting. This is a great feature that I wish the Opus had, but it would be harder to implement with a 5 way vs. touch. The Sony does have the ability to take notes, but the 5" screen is a little small to work on, either with the keyboard or the stylus. Also, you can only copy 100 characters of text into notes, limiting its usefulness. I tried it on two non-DRM ePubs, and they still had that limit.

PDF
Both devices are poor for PDF usage, in my opinion. While the Sony can reflow text PDFs, this usually leads to weird layout of text, and the 5" screen doesn't show much even in zoomed mode. The Opus can't reflow or zoom, so PDFs are a lost cause.

Touchscreen
The Opus doesn't have a touchscreen, so I was very excited about the Sony's - one-handed, silent page turns like on my iPhone! I though my dream device would have glare-free touch and WiFi. But the touchscreen comes with two drawbacks that I hadn't considered.
1. Fingerprints. Finger oils accumulate on the screen if you use it turn pages. In daylight, the matte screen obscures fingerprints nicely. But at nighttime, with a clip light, they create glare that obscures that sharp screen just as bad as Sony's old touch layer did on the 600/700. I found myself cleaning it frequently during nighttime reading, which was distracting.
2. Accidental page turns. Because of the infrared system Sony uses now, it is very easy to accidentally turn a page on the PRS-350. Because the bezel is so narrow, your fingers sort of dangle over the screen, so even if you aren't touching it, you could trigger a page turn. Also, because the screen is recessed, fuzz and dust collects on it. I lost count of how many times I accidentally turned the page because I was trying to keep the screen clean.
3. Fingers in the way. I think this is a function of the tiny bezel and my tiny hands. In order for me to hold and page turn one-handed, my fingers dangle over the edge because there isn't much bezel to grip. YMMV with this drawback.

Battery Life
For book-reading, the Opus and Sony devices appear to use the same amount of power. But the Opus uses more power when in standby mode, where the Sony barely drops at all, and leaves a pretty user-customizable "screensaver" rather than the Opus' factory standby screens.

Storage
The Sony has no expandable memory, but allows 1.5GB of user storage on the internal memory. The Opus has 1GB of internal memory, and a microSD slot for expandability. Given the limitations of organization, its probably just as well.

Customizability
The Opus allows a greater amount of customization of screens, fonts, font sizes and folders out of the box. The Sony can use custom fonts with hacking, but the font sizes and screens are not user-customizable.

Durability
I expected the Sony device to feel much more solid than the Opus, because previous Sony models felt like tanks. Now that Sony has shaved off the weight and used a bit more plastic, it still feels like a solid device, but not more solid than the Opus. Frankly, I think the 5" devices feel less fragile overall because they have less screen to flex and less weight for gravity to do damage in a fall. The Opus feels like you could play frisbee with it, but I worry a little about the Sony metal denting now that it is so thin.

Accessories
Because the 5" devices have been less popular, there tend to be fewer third-party accessories. The Sony comes with a USB cable in-box, but an AC adapter and two case options are available. The Opus comes with a USB cable, and a pleather slip case, which is good as there is only one other case option.

Sony Advantages:
sharp Pearl screen
touchscreen
speedier
dictionary pop-up
highlight/annotating
better battery life in standby
custom standby screen
on-device organization via Collections

Sony Weaknesses
small bezel
touchscreen a bit touchy
fingerprints
glare of bezel (specific to silver model)
tiny buttons

Opus Strengths
folder organization
more thumbnails per screen
expandable storage
custom fonts
more font sizes

Opus Weaknesses
no dictionary
books can only be in one folder

After using the PRS-350 for just over two weeks, I can say it is a solid device. The firmware is well-thought out, the screen is beautiful, the dictionary is fantastic, the note-taking features a bonus.

In the end, I returned the Sony and kept the Opus, for two specific reasons that impacted my reading experience.
1. The PRS-350 was hard to hold in my small hands without obscuring the screen.
2. The touchscreen became illegible at night, when I do 90% of my reading.

The other reason that was niggling in the back of my mind was that the advantages of the PRS-350 over the Opus weren't worth $90 more to me (I bought my Opus for $100). If I'm going to spend more, I really want WiFi and touch.

So I'm off to buy an iPad and try it out before the Sony Reader PRs-950 is released.

Sony Reader Pocket Edition PRS-350 - strangely underwhelmed

I've been anxiously awaiting the new Sony Reader models since they were announced on Sept 1. I'm hoping to replace the Nook and Bookeen Cybook Opus with a single device. Even though I really wanted the PRS-650 to have WiFi, I figured I would give it a shot until the PRS-950 came out. But the 650 appears to have been under-stocked or more popular than Sony expected, so it's not available in the US right now. When the PRS-350 showed up at Best Buy this weekend, I bought the only one they had (hiding in the backroom). Since I really enjoyed the Sony PRS-300 and Opus 5" size and weight, the PRS-350 seems a no-brainer. Perhaps all the anticipation set the bar too high, but I'm ambivalent about this e-reading device.

My take on the Pocket PRS-350 after using it for for several days:

Design:
I enjoy the quality of the design - the metal front and back, responsive buttons that make nearly silent clicks, the perfect centering/balancing of the navigation buttons, make it a joy to hold and use.

Touchscreen:
The new infrared touchscreen is very responsive. In some cases, almost TOO responsive - just brushing a piece of lint off the screen turns the page. Like the PRS-700 and PRS-600, the Sony software has been configured specifically for touchscreen navigation, and it pleasant to use, especially compared to navigating on the Nook's LCD screen. This also allows the Pocket to have note-taking abilities, although the few times I tried, it wouldn't let me highlight more than 100 characters (annoying publisher limitation that Amazon seems to have worked out). The stylus is an option for note-taking, but I found using a finger was just as easy in most situations, even the tiny on-screen keyboard.

Contrast:
The contrast is fabulous on this screen. The white background is the same as the Nook, but the blacks are noticeably blacker. My Opus looks vaguely washed out in comparison, and I considered it perfectly acceptable until 2 days ago. Highly readable in any lighting. Both letters and artwork appear very crisp, and there is no glare.

Lighting:
There is no built-in lighting, which is standard for an e-Ink device. I have used it with the eBook-Lite, which lights the screen perfectly, but it made the PRS-350 top-heavy and uncomfortable to balance. This same light balances just fine on the Opus, so I think the Opus is a little more bottom-weighted because of the buttons, where the PRS-350 is light all the way around. (Note: I have ordered a Octovo Solis, which was originally designed for the Kindle 2. The PRS-350 is almost identical in depth to the Kindle 2, so I have hopes that it will fit.)

Sony does offer a lighted cover option (in boring blue and obnoxious pink), but I no longer use stem lights because there is a tendency toward hot spots that give me a headache.

Speed:
Page turns are exactly the same as the Nook, a bit faster than the Opus. There is a noticeably, but quick, screen flash as the e-Ink refreshes, and ghosting is non-existent. Turning on the device is nearly instantaneous, since it really goes into sleep, not off (unless you force it off by holding the power button for longer). I love being able to flick the switch and start reading in less than 2 seconds - a major weakness of the Nook.

Connectivity:
No WiFi or 3G on the Pocket, my biggest complaint. Keeps the cost down for a no-frills, get it done device. This is probably also one of the things that helps keep it speedy and good battery life. I really wanted WiFi for the the convenience of impulse purchasing and looking up things on Wikipedia.

Software:
I would rate the Sony as above average, for the eReading device market. It doesn't do everything I wish it would do, but it does a lot more than all the others do in terms of organization. Books can be sorted by Title, Author or Collections. They can also be sorted by (loaded) Date, which I haven't found particularly useful, but it's there. The best feature remains the Collections feature - the ability to utilize my meticulously tagged series from Calibre is awesome.

It includes 2 English dictionaries by Oxford and it is easy to switch between them, which I put to the test as I read a lengthy tome by a British author. because I often read literature by British authors. There is now a Go To page feature, which was missing on earlier models. My other former complaint, lack of a clock, has been partially solved - pushing the Options button in reading mode will pop up the clock on the bottom. Still too easy to get lost in a book, but then, that is the point!

You still can't have more than one book in the Continue Reading option - I often have 2-3 books going at one time, so I have to tag them in Calibre so they show up in my custom collection - Reading. Sony should make this a menu, and you can select from the last 5 books opened, or up to 5 books that are open to midway pages, not the end.

The reading software reads ePub and PDF DRM formats, and LRF, but I have not tried that format. The standard font is a serif named Dutch 801. There are 6 sizes - XS is useless, Small is almost useless, Medium is too large, and anything above it is not usable for me. While I'm pleased they added more options, the old medium on the 700/300/600 was more usable. A major complaint I have is that the line spacing for fonts seems off - it's too tight for the size of the font. I can't tell if it is a problem with the specific ePubs I've tested, but I suspect the font.

The desktop software is Sony Reader. I haven't even bothered with it, even though they did a recent upgrade. The last version was buggy and slow on a Mac, so I switched to Calibre and haven't looked back. The only reason I can see to try it now is because there are System Collections that can be filled using the desktop.

Ergonomics:
I really enjoy using the new Pocket one-handed. It feels great in hand, well-balanced, and with the touchscreen, you can hold it any way you want and still turn the page. It weights 5.73 oz according to Sony's website, and that seems about right - a few ounces heavier than my iPhone, essentially the same as my Opus, but not the overwhelming 12 oz of the nook.

I did use it in a propped position on a pillow last night and as long as the pillow is firm and as tall as the Pocket, it was doable to use the touchscreen when needed, for (nearly) handsfree reading.

Storage:
While it is advertised as have 2GB of storage, there is only 1.4GB of internal storage available to the user, and no SD slot. With my ~900 e-book library, I'd prefer to carry it all, and the Pocket is right on the edge of that right now. I don't want to have to think about what is on a device, I want to search and read (or reread).

Conclusion:
I read in bed, I read in the car, I read at work, I read on the couch. All told, I think I have spent 10 hours reading on this device over a three days.

If it would have only had WiFi, it could have been my perfect reader to entirely replace my iPhone in all situations. Although the Pearl screen is lovely, and I like the silence of the touchscreen, I'm not sure its worth $179US (includes local tax). For the price tag, it should have included WiFi.

If I can get custom fonts working on the PRS-350 without too much work, I might hang on to it. If not, I'll go back to my Opus and Nook.

There is news and pictures on Engadget of the new Sony Reader line for Fall 2010. But is it good news?

Sort of.

The new Pocket PRS-350 has touch now. And its lighter. And it has the new Pearl screen. But no WiFi. And it's pretty pricey at $179, although you get amazing pocketability and durability, so I can see people choosing it over a Nook or Kindle 3.

The new Touch PRS-650 has a glare-free screen (yay!), it's smaller and lighter (yay!), and the new high-contrast Pearl screen (yay!). But no WiFi or 3G, and you're paying an $229 for touchscreen and metal build. At that price in the US, it looks more like it is designed to be an upgrade path for international 500/505 owners.

The upcoming Daily PRS-950 isn't launched until November, so details are sketchy. From the pictures, it's smaller and thinner than the PRS-900, and has the glare-free touch of the new 350/650. It's appears to be the same dimensions of a Nook, but at 0.5 pounds, that's 4 ounces lighter. And it has WiFI and 3G. But it isn't clear what the software to use the web will be like - will Wikipedia be integrated into the lookup like it is on Kindle? Will the 3G be Sony ebookstore-only?

$299US for the PRS-950 (without a cover) is a big jump from the Nook's $199. Is a glare-free full touchscreen, metal build and lighter weight worth $100? At that price, I could save a little more for an iPad, although I prefer E-Ink.

So now I'm left wondering if there will be a Nook 2 with Pearl screen and less bulk. Or maybe give the Kindle 3 another look, if the buttons are quiet enough and I can just get past those awful fonts...

ALDI: Pesto Chicken Flatbread Melt

My review of ALDI: Pesto Chicken Flatbread Melt frozen entree, a Special Buy for August.

Taste: Lovely mix of sundried tomatoes and red bell peppers. The flatbread cooked up nicely, the chicken tasted fine and the herb sauce wasn't overpowering. Just the right amount of cheese to hold it together, without making it greasy.

Quality: The chicken was good quality, the flatbread was nice and soft, and there was the perfect amount of cheese and herb sauce to go around.

Meets expectations/marketing: The sandwich actually looked as large and full as it did on the package, although the picture shows it folded over, so it was hard to tell what to expect. Frankly, the vegetables looked fresher than on the picture.

Filling: I feel decently full. It's 6.5 oz worth of food. Which is good because I forgot to replenish my low-point snacks.

Value: $1.99 at ALDI, so I definitely got my money's worth.
Points: 7! (above my preferred 4-5 points for lunch)

Overall: Even though I liked the flavor, I'm not sure think I'd buy it again because of the high points for my allowance. Too bad, as it was a really good sandwich. nice for a microwave meal.