Kindle DX: Adobe the real winner?

[Alexander Turcic]

We can't deny that we wish it was our hands wrapped tightly around the Kindle DX purportedly pictured here. Until we have our chance, we can only hope that other companies will follow up with their own version of a 9.7-inch E Ink e-book reader. One advantage of the bigger screen is the ability to read full-page sized letter-sized Adobe PDF documents without cumbersome resizing or reformatting. To integrate PDF support, Amazon has licensed the Adobe Reader Mobile 9 SDK. And here is the interesting part: Amazon is by no means the only company who has done so recently. The SDK has been licensed by various device makers, including Bookeen, iRex, Plastic Logic, Lexcycle, Sony and others. Most recently, Neolux Corporation (Nuutbook), Netronix and Tianjin Jinke Electronics joined the fray.

Note that the Adobe Reader Mobile SDK not only adds support for (reflowable) PDF, but also ePub and Adobe Content Server 4 (for DRM-protected content). While the latter two are not yet supported by the Kindle DX, I find the recent development and the increasing number of licensees encouraging in Adobe's attempt to deliver an open file format and interoperability for e-book devices.

[EowynCarter]

Well, amazon's website don't mentions Epub

Too bad that one isn't availible outside us. Might have been the one for me if it can read Epub. And i'm not sure i want anything to do with amazon when it comes to ebooks.

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by Alexander Turcic

One advantage of the bigger screen is the ability to read full-page sized Adobe PDF documents without cumbersome resizing or reformatting.

With "full-page sized" you mean A4- or letter-size. I can perfectly read full-page PDFs in my Cybook, when the page is 9x12 cm

[Alexander Turcic]

Originally Posted by Jellby

With "full-page sized" you mean A4- or letter-size. I can perfectly read full-page PDFs in my Cybook, when the page is 9x12 cm

Good point.

[yagiz]

I'm one of those "outside-the-US" cases. I'm glad that it's bringing some competition to the large reader market. I hope it's going to be successful so that more constructors will follow with more reasonable prices. We already have two Sony PRS 505 at home... I was planning to offer one to my brother soon but I'll probably wait a bit more. I can always offer him my old one if I can get myself a new larger reader.

[ruskie]

I find the recent development and the increasing number of licensees encouraging in Adobe's attempt to deliver an open file format and interoperability for e-book devices.

I can't take that statement seriously...

Open file formats and interoperability have nothing to do with supporting half baked DRM schemes. Adobe is only there to entrench it's own technology. Though I'll give them this. PDF is an ISO standard(since 2008). DRM is not a solution it's part of the problem.

[David Munch]

So, support for "reflowable pdfs", does that mean that figures and such, are shown properly?

[joblack]

I really don't see the great advantage compared to an IRex Digital Reader (despite the lower price).

The Irex can display PDFs naturally, has several card slots and the display is bigger and it has a higher resolution?

Also the Kindle DX is closed source so who would want that?

[sirbruce]

Because the Kindle DX is much cheaper, has a better screen, longer battery life, comes with free wireless access, the ability to access hundreds of thousands of books the IRex can't, and Amazon will still be around in 10 years whereas IRex may not.

[doctorow]

Originally Posted by ruskie

I can't take that statement seriously...

Open file formats and interoperability have nothing to do with supporting half baked DRM schemes. Adobe is only there to entrench it's own technology. Though I'll give them this. PDF is an ISO standard(since 2008). DRM is not a solution it's part of the problem.

This not just about DRM. Amazon decided to implement the Adobe SDK. This alone is huge, considering that until now Amazon's own format, Mobi, was the one and only format they believed in. And while the DX does not implement all the features of the SDK yet (e.g. ePub + Content Server), it's not a long shot to assume that one day it might.

You may not like DRM, but let's face it - without DRM, publishers, at their current limited state of mind, would be even less helpful in supporting the e-book movement.

[JSWolf]

And of course we'll get ... Here is our free PDF for you since the Kindle DX supports PDF. What Amazon has done is help validate PDF as an eBook format. That is wrong. It sends the wrong message to the publishers and public. If the DX had ePub, then they could get ePub validated. But nope, they had to go PDF only. Amazon is doing the public a disservice with the DX.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by sirbruce

Because the Kindle DX is much cheaper, has a better screen, longer battery life, comes with free wireless access, the ability to access hundreds of thousands of books the IRex can't, and Amazon will still be around in 10 years whereas IRex may not.

The Kindle doesn't have a touch screen, is only available in the States, and doesn't have wifi.

The biggest advantage is price, but that is useless if you're living anywhere else in the world.

[doctorow]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

That is wrong. It sends the wrong message to the publishers and public. If the DX had ePub, then they could get ePub validated. But nope, they had to go PDF only. Amazon is doing the public a disservice with the DX.

I disagree. ePub is not the holy grail. It would be nice if we could have one file format for all e-book purposes, but this is not how it is. Some content (in particular textbook content) is heavily designed around a particular paginated representation, and may not make sense to recast in a "liquid" representation. Digital publishing is not just about linear texts such as novels. And printing is not going away any time soon, either. The preferred representation for many books, magazines, and newspapers will remain high-fidelity PDF.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by doctorow

I disagree. ePub is not the holy grail. It would be nice if we could have one file format for all e-book purposes, but this is not how it is. Some content (in particular textbook content) is heavily designed around a particular paginated representation, and may not make sense to recast in a "liquid" representation. Digital publishing is not just about linear texts such as novels. And printing is not going away any time soon, either. The preferred representation for many books, magazines, and newspapers will remain high-fidelity PDF.

But if Amazon had brought ePub onboard and then told these companies that in order to sell your product to work with the DX, you need to make ePub, then there's a chance that would happen. I'd rather have ePub text books then Mobipocket text books for one.

[wallcraft]

I wonder if Amazon will introduce ePub with the (assumed to be forthcoming) UK Kindle. Many UK publishers seem happy with an ePub-only strategy and I have always wondered why they do this since MOBI is an obvious alternative with a wider reader base. One answer might be that signing up with mobipocket.com automatically allows Amazon to add the title to any Kindle with the right geographic rights, and they prefer to negotiate with Amazon directly. Another might be that they know Amazon will take their ePubs when the times comes.