EPUB3 reader?

[derangedhermit]

The draft EPUB 3 standard is out, and will be finalized this summer.

I assume all the current dedicated readers will not get upgraded firmware from their manufacturers for EPUB3 support. I could be wrong, though.

What e-ink devices will be able to support EPUB3? When will we see one?

I'd rather not buy a new reader unless it can support EPUB3.

[MrPLD]

You might find that they update the firmware to support "select" parts of the EPUB3 standard. No doubt it'll be messy for a while yet if they've bought in more sophisticated media handling and such.

Paul.

[JSWolf]

The problem is going to be that ePub3 will not catch on until enough devices have had their ADE updated as you'll find for not that publishers will use the least common denominator in terms of ePub versions.

[Rizla]

Originally Posted by derangedhermit

I'd rather not buy a new reader unless it can support EPUB3.

Apparently it will be backward compatible, meaning your Epub capable reader will be able to read the new format, but will ignore the new features.

Epub3 improves language support (for characters different from Western characters), accessibility for the visually impaired (Daisy) and increased multimedia.

Needing none of the above, I'll stick with Epub.

[derangedhermit]

Yes, who knows when ADE will support EPUB3 and to what degree? And also, if the device makers will issue firmware updates to existing customers if they do? I don't even know if it is possible - it may be that an XHTML5 "user agent" takes much more horsepower than XHTML 1.x, so it can't be retrofitted.

Why EPUB3? Because it is much closer to current web technologies, and so the creation tools will be better, and the capabilities more sophisticated for text layout, embedded fonts, and other stuff (CSS2.1 vs CSS2, etc - I haven't read the spec yet).

I guess what I am looking for is an open e-ink device that the owner can update the software, and has enough power today to run, say, an existing web browser - Chrome or Firefox. That should be good enough. Does such a critter exist? Maybe an Android device? ADE is out, as a personal choice to not be completely dependent on Adobe.

[carmelra]

EPUB3 is great, I guess...
However, I don't see much value in providing new features to the standard as the current EPUB is not fully supported by the various Reading Systems.

There is epupcheck that verify if an epub file match the standard but there is no tool that check the Reading Systems. Today, every such device/application claims to "support EPUB" although this support might be very partial.

[Terisa de morgan]

One "strange" question? Does ePub3 include support for dictionaries?

[HarryT]

Given that no current reader fully supports the current ePub reader, I really wouldn't hold my breath for support for a new standard. Silly to delay buying a device for it, though; especially for reading fiction, the current standard works just fine.

[derangedhermit]

@Terisa: I think having a dictionary is completely up to the user agent (the e-reader software). There are plug-in dictionaries for browsers today, even one for the OED. So I believe your could have a dictionary in either EPUB 2.1 or EPUB 3. It does seem that tentative support for CSS3 hypenation (word-break:hyphenate) is included in the spec. This would be a nice change.

@HarryT: First, thanks for the books you have uploaded here. I am enjoying the fruits of your labor. My belief (and hope) is that going to EPUB3 will mean that it becomes much more reasonable for browser makers to produce EPUB readers, since it is a matter of decontenting existing browsers (blocking/removing some features). This would be technically much easier than Adobe upgrading their current offering to full EPUB 3 support. I bet when Adobe do release a product, it will be built on current browser technology, not what they use today. It is either you or Jellby who now includes an index.html that lets you view a current epub in a browser - that shows how easily browsers can handle epubs already today.

[derangedhermit]

And, HarryT, I agree about most novels. But I was in a used bookstore today (selling some paper books as my family converts to ebooks). And I like photography, so I browsed that section. When an ebook can do justice to Ansel Adams, say "Our National Parks" or "Yosemite and the High Sierra", that will really be something.

EPUB3 includes a subset of MathML, so that helps in many areas where more science and math textbooks could be published in the format. It includes TTF and WOFF font embedding - WOFF support is nice since it is likely to lead to more widespread use of inexpensive fonts good for screen reading.

Is there any Android or *nix 7" tablet that has an e-ink screen?

[delphin]

Funny to hear the mention of Yosemite - Just yesterday, I checked out an EPUB version of Fodor's "Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon" from my local library.

I agree that big glorious bound books are nicer for these kinds of books, but the above e-book doesn't look bad on my 20 inch PC monitor.

I suggest that you download Adobe Digital Editions and then check out some EPUB titles from your local library, so you can see the current state of EPUB publishing.

Complex math formulas aren't a problem, because they can be rendered using inserted image files, just as they often are on web pages.

The current EPUB standard already requires support for UTF-8/16, and you can embed whatever kind of Unicode fonts you require, so most international text should not be a problem.

An exception is that there is currently no support that I know of for languages that read right-to-left rather than the more common left-to-right.

For really complex formatting where EPUB is not sophisticated enough yet, PDF is still a good option, but EPUB does a pretty good job for most things, even now.

My one big complaint with the current EPUB reader implementations is the lack of 'fixed position' elements on nearly ALL current devices.

Fixed headers and footers are in the spec, but no one seems to support even this minimal level because the oeb-page-head and oeb-page-foot tags are totally ignored by every reader that I have checked them on.

I understand that Sony and some other EPUB readers using embedded versions of Adobe's ADE can use a custom Adobe hacked headers, but using nonstandard tags seems like a poor substitute for complying with the spec.

So, as has been already said, I wouldn't worry too much about finding a EPUB 3 device.

If they can't even get really simple things like fixed headers and footers right, an EPUB 3 device would just have an even more impressive list of features THAT WOULDN'T BE IMPLEMENTED ANYWAY.

[carmelra]

Originally Posted by delphin

An exception is that there is currently no support that I know of for languages that read right-to-left rather than the more common left-to-right.

The current EPUB 2.0.1 standard support it. I verified it with the EPUB conform group.
The problem is with many Reading systems.

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by derangedhermit

@Terisa: I think having a dictionary is completely up to the user agent (the e-reader software). There are plug-in dictionaries for browsers today, even one for the OED. So I believe your could have a dictionary in either EPUB 2.1 or EPUB 3.

But I would like to have a dictionary that I would be able to read in a Kobo or a Sony, not being tied to a vendor. A way to include a dictionary in the same way I do it in Mobipocket. I think that for that you have to have an spec for building the dictionary, I'm afraid. If there's a reason aside of this for not selling ePub dictionaries, please, explain me.

[HarryT]

Rightly or wrongly, dictionaries are considered to fall outside the current scope of ePub, and are left as a matter for the reading software. I completely agree that having "standard" ePub dictionaries, such as exist for Mobipocket, would be a major benefit.

[Terisa de morgan]

I was afraid so. Well, another proof that ePub forum is composed by software developers, not by readers (no harm intended, I'm a software developer).