Need information regarding ereaders

taran2ula · 11-16-2012, 11:11 PM

Hello all. I am new here and I am pretty happy I found this forum because I am in the process of buying an ereader but am very confused about the technology. I want to buy an e ink display device that supports as many file formats as possible and has all the latest bells & whistles, yet I keep seeing reference to dedicated content service and this has me the most confused. Does a device that uses this feature have to read books bought ONLY from the dedicated content service? Or can I put books that I have already bought elsewhere on a device that uses dedicated content service, provided the file format is supported? I really wanted to buy the Kindle paper white but I realized it does not support epub file format and I have a bunch of books in this format, so I looked at other e ink readers and noticed they either supported epub, or left out mobi, or one of the other more noteable file formats. I would like the reader to support all file formats if possible, although it seems that this is not going to happen. I would also like to be able to put files on it from other sources. I read about the Bebook Neo, and the Cybook Orizon and noticed that these two readers are somewhat of a couple of banditos in the ereader world and that they dont utilize dedicated content service. Now I know having a dedicated content service such as Amazon's or Barnes and Noble's is quite a nice treat since they both have huge collections of books, but I don't want to be forced to buy my books from these sources only. Am I asking for too much? Or am I asking for a device that does not yet exist? Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

Zetmolm · 11-17-2012, 03:50 AM

All readers allow you to put books on them from other sources. Even the format does not really matter because it is very easy to convert from one format to another (e.g. using Calibre). However, you may have to "unprotect" your books first, if they have DRM; google for Apprentice Alf to get more information.

If you have DRM'ed Kindle books and DRM'ed epubs in your collection you will need to learn how to unprotect anyway because there is no device that supports both DRM schemes.

The two readers you refer to, the Bebook Neo and the Cybook Orizon, are not really good choices if you want the "latest bells and whistles". E.g. the BeBook Neo was released 3 years ago and is no longer sold. It was a very good reader at its time, but recent models are a lot better.

A reader that is linked to a content service may not really be that restrictive for you. But if you want a state-of-the-art reader that does not have a dedicated content service, you can look at recent BeBook or Cybook models (the BeBook Touch, or Cybook Odyssey, which comes with or without fron light), and perhaps even better yet, at recent Onyx or PocketBook models (Onyx Boox i62HD or PocketBook Touch).

HarryT · 11-20-2012, 04:35 AM

The Kindle PW is a truly excellent device - I thoroughly recommend it. As the previous poster said, it's trivial to convert ePub books to the format that the Kindle uses.

NickyWithNook · 11-20-2012, 09:43 AM

Nooks use epub, so you wouldn't have to change the file type, but people seem to do that all the time so it can't be much work if you got a Kindle. Either the Nook or the Kindle should work really well I'd think.

Yapyap · 11-21-2012, 12:26 PM

I think I buy at least half my books from shops other than Amazon, mostly DRM-protected epub books, and read them on my Kindle Paperwhite.

As said above, removing the DRM is a good idea (and once you have the workflow set up for example in Calibre, it takes no extra time or effort compared to simply importing the books to Calibre without removing DRM). It may or may not be legal in your country of residence, but ... shops close, devices die, and liberated personal backups are always a good idea.

taran2ula · 11-21-2012, 06:41 PM

Well thank you kindly all. You have been most helpful indeed. I really wanted to buy the paper white but I thought if I did, I would be restricted to reading books only from Amazon. Whew! What a relief. I will choose the Kindle Paper white for me, and the Kindle Fire for my mom. Once again, thanks a million you guys and have a beautiful holiday season.

11-16-2012, 11:11 PM	#1
taran2ula Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2012 Device: Cybook Orizon	Need information regarding ereaders Hello all. I am new here and I am pretty happy I found this forum because I am in the process of buying an ereader but am very confused about the technology. I want to buy an e ink display device that supports as many file formats as possible and has all the latest bells & whistles, yet I keep seeing reference to dedicated content service and this has me the most confused. Does a device that uses this feature have to read books bought ONLY from the dedicated content service? Or can I put books that I have already bought elsewhere on a device that uses dedicated content service, provided the file format is supported? I really wanted to buy the Kindle paper white but I realized it does not support epub file format and I have a bunch of books in this format, so I looked at other e ink readers and noticed they either supported epub, or left out mobi, or one of the other more noteable file formats. I would like the reader to support all file formats if possible, although it seems that this is not going to happen. I would also like to be able to put files on it from other sources. I read about the Bebook Neo, and the Cybook Orizon and noticed that these two readers are somewhat of a couple of banditos in the ereader world and that they dont utilize dedicated content service. Now I know having a dedicated content service such as Amazon's or Barnes and Noble's is quite a nice treat since they both have huge collections of books, but I don't want to be forced to buy my books from these sources only. Am I asking for too much? Or am I asking for a device that does not yet exist? Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

11-21-2012, 06:41 PM	#6
taran2ula Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2012 Device: Cybook Orizon	Thanks Well thank you kindly all. You have been most helpful indeed. I really wanted to buy the paper white but I thought if I did, I would be restricted to reading books only from Amazon. Whew! What a relief. I will choose the Kindle Paper white for me, and the Kindle Fire for my mom. Once again, thanks a million you guys and have a beautiful holiday season.

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11-17-2012, 03:50 AM	#2
Zetmolm Guru Posts: 612 Karma: 2031728 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: PocketBook Touch (622), PocketBook Touch Lux 2, Pocketbook Touch HD 3	All readers allow you to put books on them from other sources. Even the format does not really matter because it is very easy to convert from one format to another (e.g. using Calibre). However, you may have to "unprotect" your books first, if they have DRM; google for Apprentice Alf to get more information. If you have DRM'ed Kindle books and DRM'ed epubs in your collection you will need to learn how to unprotect anyway because there is no device that supports both DRM schemes. The two readers you refer to, the Bebook Neo and the Cybook Orizon, are not really good choices if you want the "latest bells and whistles". E.g. the BeBook Neo was released 3 years ago and is no longer sold. It was a very good reader at its time, but recent models are a lot better. A reader that is linked to a content service may not really be that restrictive for you. But if you want a state-of-the-art reader that does not have a dedicated content service, you can look at recent BeBook or Cybook models (the BeBook Touch, or Cybook Odyssey, which comes with or without fron light), and perhaps even better yet, at recent Onyx or PocketBook models (Onyx Boox i62HD or PocketBook Touch).

11-20-2012, 04:35 AM	#3
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	The Kindle PW is a truly excellent device - I thoroughly recommend it. As the previous poster said, it's trivial to convert ePub books to the format that the Kindle uses.

11-20-2012, 09:43 AM	#4
NickyWithNook Guru Posts: 748 Karma: 3942770 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Michigan, USA Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite (Don't use Nook anymore)	Nooks use epub, so you wouldn't have to change the file type, but people seem to do that all the time so it can't be much work if you got a Kindle. Either the Nook or the Kindle should work really well I'd think.

11-21-2012, 12:26 PM	#5
Yapyap Guru Posts: 861 Karma: 3543721 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Estonia Device: Kindle Paperwhite, iPad 3, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	I think I buy at least half my books from shops other than Amazon, mostly DRM-protected epub books, and read them on my Kindle Paperwhite. As said above, removing the DRM is a good idea (and once you have the workflow set up for example in Calibre, it takes no extra time or effort compared to simply importing the books to Calibre without removing DRM). It may or may not be legal in your country of residence, but ... shops close, devices die, and liberated personal backups are always a good idea.

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