Looking for advice

[canditt]

I've been using microsoft reader to read ebooks at work and home but I'm thinking about getting a portable device. Are there e-readers out there that I can use to view my already purchased microsoft reader books? I really have no idea if it's even possible to transfer these purchases to an e-reader since e-books seem to be wrapped so tight in DRM. Thanks for any help.

[gwynevans]

There's none that read MS Reader files directly, but there is a program "Convert LIT" that allows you to remove the DRM from the .lit files, at which point they can be converted to formats understood by the various portable devices, so it doesn't point you towards any device in particular, as far as I'm aware.

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by gwynevans

... so it doesn't point you towards any device in particular, as far as I'm aware.

Which is both a plus and a minus, I suppose. The good thing is that you can pretty much go with whatever device best suits you from there, the downside is that you can't narrow the field that way.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by canditt

I've been using microsoft reader to read ebooks at work and home but I'm thinking about getting a portable device. Are there e-readers out there that I can use to view my already purchased microsoft reader books? I really have no idea if it's even possible to transfer these purchases to an e-reader since e-books seem to be wrapped so tight in DRM. Thanks for any help.

The easiest reader to use at present is the Sony Portable Reader System PRS-505 because of your having mS Reader books you want to convert.

You can get ConvertLIT to remove the DRM (do not convert to HTML) and then use lit2lrf (part of Libprs500) to conver the LIT to LRF. Load the book on the 505 and away you go.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by gwynevans

There's none that read MS Reader files directly,

That's not altogether true. There's no eInk device which will read LIT files, but you can run Microsoft Reader on Pocket PCs. Many people very happily use such devices as eBook readers - I used one happily myself for many years. We shouldn't forget that PDAs still make good book readers.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The easiest reader to use at present is the Sony Portable Reader System PRS-505 because of your having mS Reader books you want to convert.

You can get ConvertLIT to remove the DRM (do not convert to HTML) and then use lit2lrf (part of Libprs500) to conver the LIT to LRF. Load the book on the 505 and away you go.

I should point out that it's equally easy to produce Mobi format books for devices such as the iRex iLiad or CyBook Gen3. Again use "ConvertLit" but this time "explode" the books into an open eBook .opf file and associated data files. Then simply load the opf file into the free "Mobigen" book creator program, click a button, and there's your Mobi file.

[canditt]

Thanks for all the advice. Will any PDA work with ms reader? I was thinking of getting a blackberry phone later this year, if it would work with ms reader then I wouldn't need a separate e-reader. I'm just trying to plan ahead before I accumulate two many ebooks of the wrong format.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by canditt

Thanks for all the advice. Will any PDA work with ms reader? I was thinking of getting a blackberry phone later this year, if it would work with ms reader then I wouldn't need a separate e-reader. I'm just trying to plan ahead before I accumulate two many ebooks of the wrong format.

Only a Pocket PC can run MS Reader. Not a Palm or a Blackberry.