Comments on: 2008 the year of the Ebook – A guide to Ebook Formats – Part 2 http://www.ebookreadersreview.co.uk/guides/2008-the-year-of-the-ebook-%e2%80%93-a-guide-to-ebook-formats-part-2/ The guide to the best ebook readers Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:56:55 +0100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Martin Woodhouse http://www.ebookreadersreview.co.uk/guides/2008-the-year-of-the-ebook-%e2%80%93-a-guide-to-ebook-formats-part-2/comment-page-1/#comment-1447 Martin Woodhouse Sun, 27 Sep 2009 09:05:20 +0000 http://www.ebookreadersreview.co.uk/?p=8#comment-1447 Sorry, but until ebook readers are (a) in colour (b) cost less than £50 and (c) can run without batteries -- I'm simply not interested. This is a huge digital industry, probably the biggest we have seen so far (much larger than the Internet) but with the gear on offer now, it's not going anywhere much. I mean, okay, great news fun each time soembody brings out what's essentially a slightly different copy of what's already on the market; but as a serious contender in the new digital age . . . . forget it. Cheers, Martin Sorry, but until ebook readers are

(a) in colour
(b) cost less than £50 and
(c) can run without batteries

– I’m simply not interested. This is a huge digital industry, probably the biggest we have seen so far (much larger than the Internet) but with the gear on offer now, it’s not going anywhere much. I mean, okay, great news fun each time soembody brings out what’s essentially a slightly different copy of what’s already on the market; but as a serious contender in the new digital age . . . . forget it.

Cheers,

Martin

]]> By: catherine jones finer http://www.ebookreadersreview.co.uk/guides/2008-the-year-of-the-ebook-%e2%80%93-a-guide-to-ebook-formats-part-2/comment-page-1/#comment-1423 catherine jones finer Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:09:02 +0000 http://www.ebookreadersreview.co.uk/?p=8#comment-1423 Is there (or might there soon be ) an ebook reader which operates by remote control ? I'm enquiring on behalf of a friend with MS who cannot use her hands/fingers, only her chin. She would have a helper to set up the book + size of print + relevant page etc on the machine - but would need after that to be able to scroll down/up the pages for herself. ie She would need some form of mouse button. Is there anything like this yet available ? I hope very much to hear from you. CJF Is there (or might there soon be ) an ebook reader which operates by remote control ? I’m enquiring on behalf of a friend with MS who cannot use her hands/fingers, only her chin.
She would have a helper to set up the book + size of print + relevant page etc on the machine – but would need after that to be able to scroll down/up the pages for herself. ie She would need some form of mouse button. Is there anything like this yet available ?
I hope very much to hear from you.
CJF

]]> By: John Hagewood http://www.ebookreadersreview.co.uk/guides/2008-the-year-of-the-ebook-%e2%80%93-a-guide-to-ebook-formats-part-2/comment-page-1/#comment-910 John Hagewood Tue, 20 Jan 2009 01:15:19 +0000 http://www.ebookreadersreview.co.uk/?p=8#comment-910 This article is quite incomplete and has a few glaring errors: 1) No discussion of DRM formats for commercial (recent) ebooks should eliminate the "eReader" format (aka "pdb", see eReader.com), which is now owned by Fictionwise.com (for the last year). Originally invented for "Palm", this format is VERY well accepted, perhaps 2nd only to DRM'ed Mobipocket. It uses "social DRM" where the only thing needed to read the book is the purchaser name and CC # (the book is actually encrypted by using this information). eReader software is available for Mac, PC, Windows Mobile PDA's and Smartphones, iPhone (including a recent licensing agreement with Stanza) and other platforms. Sadly, there isn't currently an e-Ink reader that supports this format, but with the Mobi DRM format currently NOT being supported on the iPhone, the eReader is REALLY taking off on the iPhone. Fictionwise is currently investigating e-Ink devices for future support (I think they were talking to BeBook, but Mobi got the deal). 2) You suggest that the Kindle supports Mobi, but in reality it only supports NON-DRM Mobi, which is a HUGE limitation, since the vast majority of commercial / mainstream books are ONLY released in DRM'ed formats. Also, you didn't mention that Amazon actually OWNS MobiPocket, and that the Kindle DRM format is simply a slightly modified version of Mobi-DRM. Is it any wonder that Amazon is reportedly "withholding" an already working Mobi-DRM enabled iPhone App so that iPhones won't take an even bigger bite out the Kindle uptake? (ok, this last bit is merely unsubstantiated rumor) 3. You also fail to mention the Microsoft Reader format (LIT). It is also VERY widely accepted, both in the DRM world and otherwise. Almost every eBook out there available only in DRM is usually available in Mobi, eReader, and Microsoft LIT, yet your "guide to formats" only mentions ONE of the "big three". Microsoft Reader software is available for Windows desktops, tablet PC's and Windows Mobile PDA's and Smartphones. I hope this helps your readers some. DRM is a mess right now...hard to sort through. There are of course other formats out there...though not as accepted. There is a pretty good quick guide to format at: http://www.booksonboard.com/index.php?BODY=formats This article is quite incomplete and has a few glaring errors:

1) No discussion of DRM formats for commercial (recent) ebooks should eliminate the “eReader” format (aka “pdb”, see eReader.com), which is now owned by Fictionwise.com (for the last year). Originally invented for “Palm”, this format is VERY well accepted, perhaps 2nd only to DRM’ed Mobipocket. It uses “social DRM” where the only thing needed to read the book is the purchaser name and CC # (the book is actually encrypted by using this information). eReader software is available for Mac, PC, Windows Mobile PDA’s and Smartphones, iPhone (including a recent licensing agreement with Stanza) and other platforms. Sadly, there isn’t currently an e-Ink reader that supports this format, but with the Mobi DRM format currently NOT being supported on the iPhone, the eReader is REALLY taking off on the iPhone. Fictionwise is currently investigating e-Ink devices for future support (I think they were talking to BeBook, but Mobi got the deal).

2) You suggest that the Kindle supports Mobi, but in reality it only supports NON-DRM Mobi, which is a HUGE limitation, since the vast majority of commercial / mainstream books are ONLY released in DRM’ed formats. Also, you didn’t mention that Amazon actually OWNS MobiPocket, and that the Kindle DRM format is simply a slightly modified version of Mobi-DRM. Is it any wonder that Amazon is reportedly “withholding” an already working Mobi-DRM enabled iPhone App so that iPhones won’t take an even bigger bite out the Kindle uptake? (ok, this last bit is merely unsubstantiated rumor)

3. You also fail to mention the Microsoft Reader format (LIT). It is also VERY widely accepted, both in the DRM world and otherwise. Almost every eBook out there available only in DRM is usually available in Mobi, eReader, and Microsoft LIT, yet your “guide to formats” only mentions ONE of the “big three”. Microsoft Reader software is available for Windows desktops, tablet PC’s and Windows Mobile PDA’s and Smartphones.

I hope this helps your readers some. DRM is a mess right now…hard to sort through. There are of course other formats out there…though not as accepted. There is a pretty good quick guide to format at:
http://www.booksonboard.com/index.php?BODY=formats

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