How do ereaders compare to their PC versions

hsiafreak · 02-22-2010, 08:29 PM

I am in the market for a 1st e reader. After reading as much as I can find online and then pounding my head on a coffee table to try and clear up my confusion, I think I have decided on the Irex DR800SG. My decision is based mostly on the size of the screen for my poor old eyes, but also partly so as to be able to buy content from more than one source.
Here is my dilemma. I have installed both Kindle for PC and Barnes & Noble Desktop Reader on my laptop to compare the content from both sources. I have downloaded samples of several books from both and for whatever reason, they are not formatted the same. I am talking about copies of the same books.
The Barnes & Noble editions have more paragraphs than the Kindle books. Or to put it differently, they have taken what is one paragraph on Kindle and broken it into several paragraphs which are really just sentences in the original text. Is this any different on the Nook or Irex?
My question is this, are Barnes & Noble taking liberties with all the material they sell, and if so is there another source I should be looking at for content, or should I just reassess my choice and consider the Kindle DX even though that ties me to Amazon for my purchases?

I guess there is one other option because I don't seem to suffer from eye strain reading from a PC as long as I adjust the brightness, I could just wait for an Ipad which would give me the size I want plus be multifunctional to boot.

Thanks in advance.

PS: The reason I can't just go to a store and look for myself is that I live in Canada and the only devices I can find in stock are the Sony products and I'm not impressed with them at all.

wallcraft · 02-22-2010, 09:57 PM

For the most recent ebooks (from the last year or so) there is usually little difference between ebooks formats, but the original "master" format is usually ePub (as used by the Adobe ePub version). The Kindle version is MOBI which is usually close to the original ePub. The B&N version might be ePub, but is often eReader - which usually is formatted more simply than ePub. I have the impression that the B&N ePub (when available) might in some cases be back converted from eReader which does not improve the formatting over the eReader version. For an example, see A Comparison of format limitations based on The Hobbit.

On the DR800SG, eReader ebooks probably look close to Desktop B&N Reader. However, ePub ebooks (perhaps those bought from B&N but certainly ePubs bought from all other sources that sell the standard Adobe ePubs) will look closer to what Sony eBook Library Reader displays (see eBL Download). This is because the eBL is using mobile Adobe Digital Editions for ePub and PDF, just like the DR800SG. The screen size (in pixels) is different though, with the eBL using 600x800 like the 6" EInk Readers.

02-22-2010, 08:29 PM	#1
hsiafreak Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada Device: DR800SG	How do ereaders compare to their PC versions I am in the market for a 1st e reader. After reading as much as I can find online and then pounding my head on a coffee table to try and clear up my confusion, I think I have decided on the Irex DR800SG. My decision is based mostly on the size of the screen for my poor old eyes, but also partly so as to be able to buy content from more than one source. Here is my dilemma. I have installed both Kindle for PC and Barnes & Noble Desktop Reader on my laptop to compare the content from both sources. I have downloaded samples of several books from both and for whatever reason, they are not formatted the same. I am talking about copies of the same books. The Barnes & Noble editions have more paragraphs than the Kindle books. Or to put it differently, they have taken what is one paragraph on Kindle and broken it into several paragraphs which are really just sentences in the original text. Is this any different on the Nook or Irex? My question is this, are Barnes & Noble taking liberties with all the material they sell, and if so is there another source I should be looking at for content, or should I just reassess my choice and consider the Kindle DX even though that ties me to Amazon for my purchases? I guess there is one other option because I don't seem to suffer from eye strain reading from a PC as long as I adjust the brightness, I could just wait for an Ipad which would give me the size I want plus be multifunctional to boot. Thanks in advance. PS: The reason I can't just go to a store and look for myself is that I live in Canada and the only devices I can find in stock are the Sony products and I'm not impressed with them at all.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Can someone compare fonts for me?	tiniree	Which one should I buy?	7	09-09-2010 10:04 PM
video to compare the DR and the DX	yingwu	Amazon Kindle	0	06-16-2009 06:18 PM
Sur Amazon, des versions électroniques plus chères que les versions papier	IreneDelse	Amazon Kindle	8	08-29-2008 08:35 AM
Let's compare the different firmware versions	Over	Bookeen	23	06-11-2008 03:46 PM
Sperling's Compare US Cities	Colin Dunstan	Lounge	0	07-26-2004 05:56 AM

02-22-2010, 09:57 PM	#2
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,975 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	For the most recent ebooks (from the last year or so) there is usually little difference between ebooks formats, but the original "master" format is usually ePub (as used by the Adobe ePub version). The Kindle version is MOBI which is usually close to the original ePub. The B&N version might be ePub, but is often eReader - which usually is formatted more simply than ePub. I have the impression that the B&N ePub (when available) might in some cases be back converted from eReader which does not improve the formatting over the eReader version. For an example, see A Comparison of format limitations based on The Hobbit. On the DR800SG, eReader ebooks probably look close to Desktop B&N Reader. However, ePub ebooks (perhaps those bought from B&N but certainly ePubs bought from all other sources that sell the standard Adobe ePubs) will look closer to what Sony eBook Library Reader displays (see eBL Download). This is because the eBL is using mobile Adobe Digital Editions for ePub and PDF, just like the DR800SG. The screen size (in pixels) is different though, with the eBL using 600x800 like the 6" EInk Readers.

Advert