Barnes and Noble announces upcoming eReader

[Red Alert]

I guess I have simpler requirements than most of you. I just want a reader to read. I don't underline, annotate or play games on it.

So the Sony PRS-500 fit all my needs. The Kindle added the keyboard and onboard downloading. Phew..I just wanted a book.

Also as to "feel." The Sony is elegant in texture and design. The Kindle and all others I've seen lack this "feel" and I regret it. Just looking at the newest offering by B&N looks just like its name i.e. Plastic. Also as to size, it is a larger format and that detracts from the format of Paperback size. Much less portable IMHO.

I'd like to be able to download and novel either via the internet of just going into a store, insert a thumb drive or SD card and make my purchase.

My Sony PRS-500 is now dead with a broken on/off switch. So I'm waiting to see what is available prior to replacing it. Hopefully someone will come out with an elegant replacement to the Sony series of eReaders.

A further gripe is the price of books. Sony and others often charge as much or more for a book than the purchase for a hardback in Costco stores.

Ralph

[griffonwing]

Originally Posted by Red Alert

I guess I have simpler requirements than most of you. I just want a reader to read. I don't underline, annotate or play games on it.

So the Sony PRS-500 fit all my needs. The Kindle added the keyboard and onboard downloading. Phew..I just wanted a book.

Also as to "feel." The Sony is elegant in texture and design. The Kindle and all others I've seen lack this "feel" and I regret it. Just looking at the newest offering by B&N looks just like its name i.e. Plastic. Also as to size, it is a larger format and that detracts from the format of Paperback size. Much less portable IMHO.

I'd like to be able to download and novel either via the internet of just going into a store, insert a thumb drive or SD card and make my purchase.

My Sony PRS-500 is now dead with a broken on/off switch. So I'm waiting to see what is available prior to replacing it. Hopefully someone will come out with an elegant replacement to the Sony series of eReaders.

A further gripe is the price of books. Sony and others often charge as much or more for a book than the purchase for a hardback in Costco stores.

Ralph

I would like to suggest an alternative. The EZReader Pocket Pro. You can find several threads on it. IT'S superior, technologically superior to any device on the market, VERY small form factor (5" screen, and the body case is only 6" long and 4.x inches wide.. perfect for a blazer/jacket pocket), higher resolution, twice the grayscales, faster controller (MUCH faster page turns), able to support 16GB sd cards, no wifi, no 3g, no keyboard, 14 file format support. And expected cost at 199-209 USD.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Dave_S

Hmmmmm, that would be kind of nice. The Adobe monopoly on DRM for an open standard EPUB is not a good thing, IMHO. Especially since Adobe DRM is device based instead of person based like eReader DRM. Even better, would be publishers realizing that DRM is a major hurdle for expanding the usability of electronic reading for the more technically challenged public. I have a friend who is an avid reader, but he has had a lot of frustration with DRM on his PC ADE reader. I suspect that people in his situation far out number the number of people who find DRM a glitch free experience.

If we get yet another DRM scheme on ePub, that will sound the death toll for ePub. do we really want that? I don't. So B&N adding another DRM to ePub is one really stupid idea.

[=X=]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

I disagree.

The formatting limitations of eReader are a major difference.

I'm not sure why you disagree, the real tower of babel is DRM not formats. Format shifting is very easy to do.

My comment wasn't limited to the eReader format but most eBook formats. There are a lot of good software out there that can format shift most eBooks the only ones that aren't very good are converting from LRF/PDF.

It is very easy to take a MOBI file and convert it to any format one's device reads. However with DRM this is not the case. With different DRM schemes you cannot even read eBooks with the same format. For instance Amazon vs MOBI, devies that support MOBI cannot read Kindle formats even though they are the same format. Also now B&N is proposing a new DRM scheme for ePUB. Again we are going to see the same problem where devices that support ePUB cannot read B&N books because of DRM.

Is there a DRM shifter no, people have to strip DRM, these programs are not easy to use, for most, and hard to find.

Look at conversion programs. Calibre is extremely easy to use and is well supported.

=X=

[Dave_S]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

So B&N adding another DRM to ePub is one really stupid idea.

In *your* not so humble opinion.

The facts *may* be otherwise.

[Red Alert]

Thanks Griffonwing. I'll look into it.

Red

[=X=]

@Red Alert
Your "needs" just pretty much described the PRS-505.
=X=

[griffonwing]

Originally Posted by =X=

@Red Alert
Your "needs" just pretty much described the PRS-505.
=X=

LOL

Considering the 505 was one he just broke..

and now, unfort, it's nigh impossible to fond on thats not silver or red.

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by =X=

I'm not sure why you disagree, the real tower of babel is DRM not formats. Format shifting is very easy to do.

I agree that the most important difference is DRM, but think that the other differences between (specifically) eReader and other formats are still noteworthy.

This is especially true where images are concerned-- eReaders 64kb, png-only image limitation is substantial; it means that whatever device is reading the book, the images will be simple and low-res. Converting from eReader won't upgrade the images to fill the potential of other formats.

eReader's other formatting options are limited. A bit of work can translate them to more complex HTML coding, and of course font & point size changes could be added later, but a book that's offered in eReader format can't be easily upgraded to the more complex formatting that's possible in ePub or Mobi.

[Musicman]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

I agree that the most important difference is DRM, but think that the other differences between (specifically) eReader and other formats are still noteworthy.

This is especially true where images are concerned-- eReaders 64kb, png-only image limitation is substantial; it means that whatever device is reading the book, the images will be simple and low-res. Converting from eReader won't upgrade the images to fill the potential of other formats.

eReader's other formatting options are limited. A bit of work can translate them to more complex HTML coding, and of course font & point size changes could be added later, but a book that's offered in eReader format can't be easily upgraded to the more complex formatting that's possible in ePub or Mobi.

I guess the limitations are only limitations depending on what you are reading.

I have beem using Ereader for a long time and I do not have any problems whatsoever with the reader. Granted there are no pictures in the books I read, so that may be the difference. Maybe this limitation you speak of is why they are adding Epub support.

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by Musicman

I guess the limitations are only limitations depending on what you are reading.

I have beem using Ereader for a long time and I do not have any problems whatsoever with the reader. Granted there are no pictures in the books I read, so that may be the difference. Maybe this limitation you speak of is why they are adding Epub support.

I like eReader for novels, but I understand it's got problems with images, and for anything where complex formatting matters. It's not good with tables. It can't switch fonts, so it won't work for coding manuals and would have problems with mathematical formulas. I don't think it can wrap text around images or do drop-caps at the beginnings of chapters.

It's fine for basic reading, and I've read hundreds of eReader books. But there's a lot it can't do, a lot of features that can't be included at all in the format, and converting from it won't add those features back in.

It's a great format for novels--it allows all the standard formatting, and it has great file compression. It's less great for textbooks, where good images may be important. It's worthless for books that require complex layouts, like scientific equations or detailed tables. EReader's just not an all-purpose ebook format, and I suspect that's why they're wanting to add ePub, which is much more versatile.

[=X=]

Originally Posted by griffonwing

LOL

Considering the 505 was one he just broke..

and now, unfort, it's nigh impossible to fond on thats not silver or red.

He broke the 500, I'm recommending the 505. Easy to miss the "5" digit but difference but a world apart.

=X=

[griffonwing]

Originally Posted by =X=

He broke the 500, I'm recommending the 505. Easy to miss the "5" digit but difference but a world apart.

=X=

Ahh, well, the way i see it, crap is crap. hehe

Although i could've sword it was a 505 that was broken!
Maybe it's the rum...

[=X=]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

I agree that the most important difference is DRM, but think that the other differences between (specifically) eReader and other formats are still noteworthy.
This is especially true where images are concerned-- eReaders 64kb, png-only image limitation is substantial;....

Yes absolutly, which for the most part I don't buy the ereader is't terrible compared to the other formats, now I only buy the eReader format when its much cheaper and I know there are no picture, graphs, or charts.

However to be honest the only format where charts, tables, and graphs look good is with PDF. The rest of the formats seem to compess the images intil they are illedgelable.

PDF is becoming my format of choice because of the types of books I read... But that is a different conversation.

=X=

[komugi]

I wonder if their eBookStore will support Sony Readers..