eBook Formats and Readers ?'s

[ConRefit79]

I've been researching eReader devices online. I'm currently looking at the Sony PRS300. I was thinking of stopping at Best Buy tomorrow to have a look at it. But, I'm having trouble understanding the file format. I know Sony has a store to buy books, but what about Amazon and Barnes and Nobel. Will eBooks purchased from them work on the Sony?

The Sony Supports a variety of media formats
Including ePub, BBeB, Adobe PDF, TXT, RTF and Microsoft Word text formats.

 

[RobertScorpio]

I've been researching eReader devices online. I'm currently looking at the Sony PRS300. I was thinking of stopping at Best Buy tomorrow to have a look at it. But, I'm having trouble understanding the file format. I know Sony has a store to buy books, but what about Amazon and Barnes and Nobel. Will eBooks purchased from them work on the Sony?

The Sony Supports a variety of media formats
Including ePub, BBeB, Adobe PDF, TXT, RTF and Microsoft Word text formats.

I found a new use for it..Karaoke. I like to sing my own songs at the local karaoke bar, so I use it to read my lyrics if i need to...

rob

 

[reech]

Amazon only sell Kindle books, these do not work on the eReader.

B&N is a site that I've never used before; they seem to make it very difficult to find out which format their ebooks in. They do offer the 'eReader' software for download, but this probably means it's in that eReader secure format, which IS NOT supported on the Sony.

With those two as the biggest stores, if you're set on using 'em, you may want to consider their own offering; it's just likely that you'll then have to get most of your books from their respective stores.

For the Sony, I haven't used the Sony store, but www.booksonboard.com and http://www.diesel-ebooks.com/ for my 'main' purchases, and I've just started to get into places like Smashwords for amateur \ self published stuff.

There's also some library services around the world that use a system called 'Overdrive' that allows you to borrow Sony-supported files for 14-30 days like a normal library book loan; make a start on finding libraries here: http://www.overdrive.com/ - and let us know the one you use, 'cos I'm sure all the ones aren't on there...

 

[Judith Sisko]

The important thing is to find something that meets YOUR needs. For instance, yesterday I was looking at Spring Design's model. The article went on and on about how great it was. The only thing going through my mind was, "I sure don't like where the page turning buttons are."

Here is a good place to learn everything you want to know about eReaders:

http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Main_Page

ETA: Overdrive is wonderful! I use it with my nook. I'm going to save a lot of money that way!



Happy hunting!

JS

 

[Clancy_s]

If you get a Sony, or any of the other untied ereaders take a look at calibre, which is an ereader / converter for your pc (also comes in Linux flavours, dunno about mac), that will handle most formats except for Amazon's, convert between them and handle the upload to your device for you.

I don't know how it goes with Barnes and Noble: since I use linux I'm only looking at open formats.

 

[ConRefit79]

I went to Best Buy to check out the Sony PRS300 Pocket Reader. Appears to work well. Did seem a little slow to change pages sometimes. I would not have problem using it. I think I'll go to Barnes and Nobel to look at the nook to. It supports ePub, PDF and a few others. It's $60 more, but may be worth it.

I wish the Book industry would learn the lesson that the Music industry is slowy learning. People do not like DRM. It's a pain to work with. I only buy MP3's and they are supposedly water marked with info linking them back to me. But I can transfer them from machine to machine, without dealing with the stupid license files. Makes backup's easier to.

 

[Thrawn]

For the record, the Kindle just had an update and it has native PDF support too now (the small one as well as the large one).

 

[ConRefit79]

Went to look at the Nook last night. I like it more than the Sony PRS300 Pocket Reader. The 3G was not very reliable, but I was in a downtown building. Going to check out at another store which has a better trained sales rep. The reps downtown tried, but they had not had much training on the device.

I was wondering if the publishers were going to follow a trend I've seen with DVD's. a number of new movies have a digital download when you by the DVD. I wonder if publishers will do that with books. Anyone heard if they're thinking about something like that?

 

[snakespeare]

The Apple Tablet, possibly called the iSlate, is only a few weeks from being announced. Availability is rumored to be a mere month away. I would wait.

 

[Ktrek]

I own a Barnes and Noble nook and am a moderator for a message board that supports the nook so feel free to contact me via PM and I'll try and help as best I can. Here is what I can tell you so far regarding your question.

The Sony reader does read several file format types but cannot as yet read the B&N ebooks. That may change soon because Sony has converted over from their proprietary file format (BBeB or LRF) to epub on almost all of their ebooks available through their online store and B&N is working with Adobe Digital Editions to support reading and transfer of their ebooks to other devices.

The Amazon Kindle does not support Epub and without a major change in their marketing design they are not likely to. They support their proprietary format and PDF files.

The Nook supports Epub and PDF and PDB file formats. It does read ebooks purchased from Sony, Fictionwise, ereader.com and others as long as the file is in a supported format. If you do not buy from B&N and choose to buy from Sony for instance, then you have to use Adobe Digital Editions to load the ebook to approve the DRM on the Sony ebook. Once that is done you can use ADE to sideload the book into the Nook.

Other options to you is to use the software program Calibre (free btw) and convert any file format to be readable on the Nook as long as the file does not have DRM.

The Sony has some nice features too, like the touch eink screen and it also allows you to set up your books into collections. I believe in a future update the Nook will also have collection filing system but right now it does not.

The important thing to remember about the Nook is that it is a new technology and B&N will be improving the unit via software updates as time goes on. It works quite well right now out of the box with the latest firmware update installed but it has a few glitches that will hopefully be addressed in the next update expected in the next week or two.

Anyway, if you want more info just contact me and I'll try and help you out. I can tell you this I love the nook. I have researched ebook readers since the first Sony model came out and once I saw saw the potential for the Nook I was sold.

If this seems complicated trust me...it's not as bad as it sounds.

Kevin

 

[Smitty]

The Apple Tablet, possibly called the iSlate, is only a few weeks from being announced. Availability is rumored to be a mere month away. I would wait.

True. I am interested in what comes out. However, knowing Apple, it will only support Apple format purchased only via iTunes. They also will be full price and the device will be $700-$1000

 

[JWolf]

I've been researching eReader devices online. I'm currently looking at the Sony PRS300. I was thinking of stopping at Best Buy tomorrow to have a look at it. But, I'm having trouble understanding the file format. I know Sony has a store to buy books, but what about Amazon and Barnes and Nobel. Will eBooks purchased from them work on the Sony?

The Sony Supports a variety of media formats
Including ePub, BBeB, Adobe PDF, TXT, RTF and Microsoft Word text formats.

The eBooks purchased at B&n and Amazon will not work on a Sony Reader. But, the eBooks purchased from Simon & Schuster will work on a Sony Reader.

The Apple Tablet, possibly called the iSlate, is only a few weeks from being announced. Availability is rumored to be a mere month away. I would wait.

If there is going to be such a device, it won't be an eBook reader. So keep it out of the equation as it doesn't fit.

 

[JWolf]

I went to Best Buy to check out the Sony PRS300 Pocket Reader. Appears to work well. Did seem a little slow to change pages sometimes. I would not have problem using it. I think I'll go to Barnes and Nobel to look at the nook to. It supports ePub, PDF and a few others. It's $60 more, but may be worth it.

I wish the Book industry would learn the lesson that the Music industry is slowy learning. People do not like DRM. It's a pain to work with. I only buy MP3's and they are supposedly water marked with info linking them back to me. But I can transfer them from machine to machine, without dealing with the stupid license files. Makes backup's easier to.

Currently, the nook's firmware is rather buggy. It seems to have been rushed to market.

Went to look at the Nook last night. I like it more than the Sony PRS300 Pocket Reader. The 3G was not very reliable, but I was in a downtown building. Going to check out at another store which has a better trained sales rep. The reps downtown tried, but they had not had much training on the device.

I was wondering if the publishers were going to follow a trend I've seen with DVD's. a number of new movies have a digital download when you by the DVD. I wonder if publishers will do that with books. Anyone heard if they're thinking about something like that?

Personally, I think the Sony Reader PRS-900 blows away the nook big time.

 

[Ktrek]

Personally, I think the Sony Reader PRS-900 blows away the nook big time.

I think the PRS-900 should be looked at by anyone who is serious about buying an ebook. It may suit your purpose better than the nook does. I found that the eink contrast was not as good as the nook although it does have a larger screen. The case design is not as ergonomical as the nook just functional and it feels heavy and clunky. The nook is not and the design is easy to hold for lobg periods. They advertise the Sony as supporting Word documents which is only a half-truth. It does and will read Word documents but they have to be converted first. Well, any ebook reader will read word documents if they are converted to the proper file format for the reader you are using. What I do for the nook is take the Word document and make a PDF and it reads just fine. The other negative about the Sony is the huge $400 price tag. I personally think $260 was a little more than I wanted to spend on an ereader and so I could not justify the extra $140 for the Sony.

There are LOTs of ereaders out there and this weeks CES show reveals even more are coming. I didn't read about anything coming that isn't a clone of either the Sony or the Kindle. So, as far as I'm concerned I think the best choices in ereaders come down to the Kindle, Sony or the Nook. I chose the nook for several reasons. Some of which I listed above. I know a lot of people who love their Kindles and I know a lot of people who love their Nooks but I have yet to meet one person who actually loves their Sony. I wonder why that is since they were the ones to kind of pave the whole way? Kindle took the ereader to a new level, and I think the nook potentially can be, and probably will be, better than the Kindle once they perfect the operating system's software.

Kevin

 

[ConRefit79]

Thanks for the info. Yesterday, I went to a B&N with an expert on the Nook. I learned that B&N DRM book files are epub format. So I can read them on any device which will read ePub format. Fortunately, they are back ordered until 2/12. So I have plenty of time to research. Good thing to, cause I'm torn between this and upgrading my 6yo laptop.

As for the iSlate, I got the impression it is a tablet PC. The prices are rumored to be $700 and up. If it is a eReader, I hope they'll support ePubs to.

I'm not an author, but I've thought about taking a crack at writing a short story. With this new technology, is it becoming new authors to get published?

 

[Lee]

I just wanted to point out that any discussion of Apple's soon-to-be-released device should mention that this device will be backlit, just like normal computer displays and iPhones. Many people don't feel comfortable reading for long periods of time on a backlit screen. This is why the e-Ink technology used in the Kindle, Sony and Nook have proven to be so popular, it's just as comfortable reading on it as reading a physical book.

I have the Kindle app on my iPhone and I love it for when I want to read for ten minutes on the subway. But if I'm going to do some serious reading (say, longer than 20 minutes), I go to my Kindle. I would never want to do that kind of reading on a backlit screen.

 

[Judith Sisko]

I just wanted to point out that any discussion of Apple's soon-to-be-released device should mention that this device will be backlit, just like normal computer displays and iPhones. Many people don't feel comfortable reading for long periods of time on a backlit screen. This is why the e-Ink technology used in the Kindle, Sony and Nook have proven to be so popular, it's just as comfortable reading on it as reading a physical book.

I have the Kindle app on my iPhone and I love it for when I want to read for ten minutes on the subway. But if I'm going to do some serious reading (say, longer than 20 minutes), I go to my Kindle. I would never want to do that kind of reading on a backlit screen.

QFT

I have the B&N eReader on my BlackBerry, but I never stay on it for long. I'll pull out my nook if I'm planning to read for a lengthier period of time.

JS

 

[snakespeare]

The Apple Tablet, possibly called the iSlate, is only a few weeks from being announced. Availability is rumored to be a mere month away. I would wait.

If there is going to be such a device, it won't be an eBook reader. So keep it out of the equation as it doesn't fit.

I can read PDF format on my iPod Touch. I expect the tablet to use the iPod/iPhone OS, but even if it uses Snow Leopard it will still support Acrobat.

I just wanted to point out that any discussion of Apple's soon-to-be-released device should mention that this device will be backlit, just like normal computer displays and iPhones. Many people don't feel comfortable reading for long periods of time on a backlit screen. This is why the e-Ink technology used in the Kindle, Sony and Nook have proven to be so popular, it's just as comfortable reading on it as reading a physical book.

I have the Kindle app on my iPhone and I love it for when I want to read for ten minutes on the subway. But if I'm going to do some serious reading (say, longer than 20 minutes), I go to my Kindle. I would never want to do that kind of reading on a backlit screen.

The backlight doesn't bother me. I read a computer screen for 8+ hrs a day. On a bus when the ambient light is constantly changing, it is a bit of an irritation, though. But on the other hand, it is rarely sunny in Portland Oregon. :-)

 

[JWolf]

Thanks for the info. Yesterday, I went to a B&N with an expert on the Nook. I learned that B&N DRM book files are epub format. So I can read them on any device which will read ePub format. Fortunately, they are back ordered until 2/12. So I have plenty of time to research. Good thing to, cause I'm torn between this and upgrading my 6yo laptop.

As for the iSlate, I got the impression it is a tablet PC. The prices are rumored to be $700 and up. If it is a eReader, I hope they'll support ePubs to.

I'm not an author, but I've thought about taking a crack at writing a short story. With this new technology, is it becoming new authors to get published?

B&N's ePub has a different DRM that most readers do not yet support. Also, the nook's software is a bit buggy. It seems it was rushed to release.

As for this mythical tablet from Apple, if such a thing was to be made real, it would have anumber of downsides, the price, battery life, it's from Apple, it could be just a larger iPod Touch and that would mean a very closed system. All in all, it won't be a reasonable eBook reader if it was to someday be real.

 

[snakespeare]

As for this mythical tablet from Apple, if such a thing was to be made real, it would have anumber of downsides, the price, battery life, it's from Apple, it could be just a larger iPod Touch and that would mean a very closed system. All in all, it won't be a reasonable eBook reader if it was to someday be real.

I think we need to preserve this prediction. I predict the opposite. I predict it will change publishing. But it's going to be announced in about 3 weeks, so it's not a "myth".