eReader discussion

In another group I'm in people are trying to explain how to choose an e-reader. The quotes are designated by >>s. Thing is, it's the group Aussie Readers, and even if the explanation makes sense to them, it seems that there are differences in copyright laws, etc., that mean the answer may not be right for me, in the US. So, I've cross-posted my question here:

>> For instance, with Fictionwise you can nominate up to 4 devices when you buy an ebook, and if you try to read it on anything else, the DRM code will stop you.

(ok, good...)

>> Adobe DRM is the most common - used by Sony ebookstore, Kobobooks, and a number of others.

(ok...)

but, I'm still confused.

What if, say, I buy a certain e-reader that works with Adobe. Does that mean I can only get books that are protected by Adobe?

Because it seems like all these discussions say 'don't buy a Kindle because you have to buy from Amazon.' Is that true, or can I put fictionwise books on a Kindle, for example?

I'm not saying I want to get rid of DRM protection so I can buy an ebook and then put it on more than one device (neither sequentially or simultaneously). I'm saying I want to choose one device and be able to put *any* e-book on it. Is that possible? If not, to what extent is it not possible, that is, when/where could I not do that?

The more important consideration on choosing a reader is book availability and pricing. Look at the sites where you would buy books for various devices, look up a couple books you're interested in and compare that way.

Another consideration is sustainability of the device. Will it continue to be produced (AND SUPPORTED) by the manufacturer.

Do you want to read library ebooks ... Kindle doesn't do this yet, although rumors abound over the possibility.

I'm a dedicated Kindle owner, so my answer is "Buy a Kindle. They Rock."

But I do recognize that other people have different reading needs.

Kindle does let you convert PDF files to Kindle format quite easily, so that expands your reading options as well.

All of my information assumes you do not want to remove DRM. If you wish to consider that option, there are others who could help you down that road.

Kindle supports a DRM version of Mobipocket. This DRM version can only be purchased through Amazon and can only be read on the Kindle. Kindle also supports non-DRM Mobipocket and PDF. There are a few places like Feedbooks, Smashwords, Mobileread and others where non-DRM books can be downloaded for free or for a small price.

Most other ebook readers on the market (including Sony and B&N Nook) support the Adobe ADEPT DRM version of ePub and PDF. Any ebook store that sells ePub and PDF can be read on the multitude of devices available. The one exception is ebooks from Barnes & Noble have a different DRM scheme that can only be read on the Nook, but the Nook can read ebooks from any retailer that sells ePub and PDF.

If you have a good library and they offer borrowing of ebooks, they will probably have a selection of ePub, PDF and some Mobipocket. The ePub and PDF books have the Adobe DRM (see above) and these books can be read on most devices, other than Kindle.

If you plan to purchase books then I would write down the last 10 books you read, or books to plan to read, and compare prices. Use a site like www.inkmesh.com which will show you all the retailers and prices for a particular book and/or author.

Personally, I have a Sony and the majority (90%) of my reading is through the public library. I don't like to spend too much on books so getting current fiction/non-fiction for free is the path that works for me.

book availibility is an issue - ok - that was my concern - as you say, can't put library books on a Kindle, probably can't put books from X on the Y reader... stinks - but good to know - inkmesh looks good if I ever do start using an e-reader

What about Project Gutenberg? Is every reader (that you-all know about) accept books from them? Is there another place to get free books besides PG, library, and Baen? If so, does that site work with any reader?

I'm just dumbfounded. In paper, a book is a book. I guess it's more effective to think about it like audio books, as some are avl on CD and some on cassette and some on playaway and few on all three....

Hmm...

Cheryl- A few words of caution from someone whose been reading e-Books since 2003 - the world of e-books is still new, so there is a lot of growing pains going on in the industry. If you like to re-read, or want to "own" your books and use them on any device now and in the future, there is no clear cut solution, other than removing DRM. Below is an overview of the US e-Book industry, but it could literally change tomorrow if the publishers change the rules again like they did back in April when Apple shook things up.

Here in the US, the big players are:

Amazon - they sell Kindle format, which is really Mobipocket format with a special DRM wrapper that only works on Kindle E-Ink devices and Kindle apps. They bought Mobipocket format, but Mobi DRM e-books, which were sold for years for Palm PDAs and cell phones, do not work on the Kindle. Mobi with no DRM, which is still available in places like Fictionwise, will work on any device that accepts Mobi format.

B&N - they sell mostly ePub format, but if you have a Mac, you get eReader format, both with B&N's special DRM. The Nook E-Ink device will read both, the NOOKcolor will only read ePub. eReader format books are also sold at Fictionwise and eReader.com, B&N subsidiaries, and you can load them on the original NOOK. The Nook ALSO allows you to load ePubs and PDF with Adobe DRM, via a program called Adobe Digital Editions. You can load library books from Overdrive libraries, because they also use Adobe DRM.

Sony - Sony sells several models of E-Ink readers, all of which support the Adobe-protected ePubs and PDFs they sell in their store, and any other store that sells Adobe DRM books. You can also load Adobe protected library books. You cannot load ePubs from B&N.

Apple - Apple sells the iDevices, which support iBooks and the iBookstore, which sells ePubs with Fairplay DRM. Fairplay is Apple specific and will not work on any other devices and has not been cracked yet. And the iBookstore has a thin catalog - pretty much only the very latest books. But with something like 30 million iPhones and 5 million iPads in the wild Publishers are very hopeful it will turn into a lucrative market. The bonus to the iDevices is that you can load other Apps, like Kindle app, Nook app and supposedly Sony is coming out with Apps, eventually.

My thoughts (I have owned and used devices by all 4 major players in the last 5 months):

If you are a US reader who wants to buy a wide range of books seamlessly and easily, get a Kindle. Amazon has put a lot of thought into their reader software and has an extensive book catalog.

If you want library books, get a Nook original. It supports the most DRM types and has an extensive catalog of books second only to Amazon. I only suggest Sony models to US readers who need library books AND note-taking, a good dictionary or large catalogs of e-books. Otherwise, Sony models are expensive and they never give software updates.

If you really need note-taking and highlighting, the Kindle and Sony are the strongest at that.

If you need to read PDFs of any kind, get an iPad if you can afford it, or get a NOOKcolor after it has been out for a little while.

Personally, I'm using an iPad right now to read my back catalog of eReader and ePub format books (I've stripped the DRM). Because I also read a lot of library e-books, I also have a Bookeen Cybook Opus, a tiny 5" device that fits perfectly in my purse but has better battery life and loads faster than my iPhone. And I have a NOOKcolor on order because I'm curious to see if it handles PDFs well in landscape mode - the iPad gets really heavy for long reading sessions and I don't like to carry it in my purse.

For public domain freebies (classics), any one of the devices listed above can read those books. Lots of sites offer the classics, but they are all just re-posting the Project Gutenberg scans, some of which have formatting issues. The best ebook versions of the classics can be found at MobileRead.com.

There really aren't any other sources of freebies, and you won't get any of the current bestsellers on those sites that offer classics. The only legal way to read the latest releases for free is the library.

The Kindle reads PDFs. For the "regular" size, I find it easier to run the PDFs through the mobipocket reader importer and then drag the resulting mobi format file onto the Kindle (which does read .prc files just fine, I've hauled a few on with no problems). You can read an unconverted PDF, but navigating the pages isn't as natural as with the converted files. You can have amazon do the text conversions if you're not terribly technical.

One of the strengths of the Kindle DX is that the large page size makes it very easy to read PDFs.

stormhawk wrote: "The Kindle reads PDFs. For the "regular" size, I find it easier to run the PDFs through the mobipocket reader importer and then drag the resulting mobi format file onto the Kindle (which does read ..."

The Kindle only reads DRM free PDFs. Same with using Mobipocket Reader or Creator to convert them.

If you want to be able to convert different DRM types, try a software called Calibre. It is free at www.the-ebook-reader.com. I haven't used it yet, but I've heard good things. I have a bunch of pdb (palm data base) books from my palm ereader days that I want to convert to epub for my Sony PRS-600.

wow - lots of good info.... Ok, now I'm thinking, I'll keep my mind open, and look more extensively as the industry grows - at least now I know what questions to ask, thank you all very much - Bree esp. to be so thorough but really everyone, tx!

I have a Sony Reader PRS-650 and it is very nice. It uses the same Pearl screen that the K3 uses. Also, the touch interface makes it much nicer then a K3. Also, the 650 handles ePub and PDF. While PDF's are not great, they do work better on a 650 then a K3.

As for eBooks, most eBook shops sell ePub these days and a lot of libraries support ePub eBooks.

Go to a local SonyStyle shop and have a look at the 650. It just is very good.

heh - local, eh... try 6 hours' drive - nope, I'll keep reading all these threads, thank you :)

Tracy wrote: "If you want to be able to convert different DRM types, try a software called Calibre. It is free at www.the-ebook-reader.com. I haven't used it yet, but I've heard good things. I have a bunch of pd..."

it works OK. Sometimes things get a little wonky but it is better than having to purchase the book again.

Sharon wrote: "Tracy wrote: "If you want to be able to convert different DRM types, try a software called Calibre. It is free at www.the-ebook-reader.com. I haven't used it yet, but I've heard good things. I have..."

Garbage in, garbage out. A lot of older Mobipocket & MS Reader have poor code under the hood. Also, eReader has poor code under the hood as it was never a good format.