EZ Reader Advice Needed

[ccccclark]

I have ordered an EZ Reader, so I may be jumping the gun (I assume a lot of this is covered in the manual, but I kind of wanted to buy a few E Books before it arrives), but I had a few questions since I know absolutely nothing about E Books.

1) What is the best format to purchase books?

FictionWise has books in Secure eReader/Mobipocket/Microsoft Reader/Adobe formats.

Mobipocket website I assume has the Mobipocket format.

Not sure what other sites are out there or which other formats.

2) Will I need to install any software on my EZ Reader?

3) Also, is it possible to purchase E-Books on Amazon in the Kindle format and convert to another format?

4) Are there any sites that contain magazines or magazine articles?

[Nate the great]

1. If you are referring to DRMed ebooks, then Mobipocket is your best bet.

2. No, but you may want to install Mobipocket Desktop on your Windows PC.

3. No.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

1. If you are referring to DRMed ebooks, then Mobipocket is your best bet.

2. No, but you may want to install Mobipocket Desktop on your Windows PC.

3. No.

1. True, but the Mobipocket web site is usually not your best source of Mobi books. Other sites tend to be cheaper.

2. Having the Desktop does add quite a bit of functionality including RSS feeds, several quick conversion options, and management of your eBook Library including syncing between your computer and the Reader if you like.

3. You cannot even buy Kindle books without owning a Kindle.

4. Check the wiki for a list of sources for eBooks and magazines, etc.

[ccccclark]

OK. Thanks.

One more question. Do the Project Guttenberg HTML formats display well on the EZ Reader?

[HarryT]

As Nate says, Mobi is your best bet. Lots of different book stores, and the EZ Reader (assuming it uses the same firmware as the BeBook et al) will do a decent job of displaying it.

DON'T buy direct from MobiPocket - they are wholesalers for the other Mobi stores, and very expensive. FictionWise or BooksOnBoard are both good stores.

FictionWise have a number of SF and Mystery magazines available in eBook formats.

[javimm]

Be warned that if you want to buy books before the reader arrives, the vendor is going to ask you for your device's PID for DRM encryption of the book. If you don't have the device, you wont be able to buy the book.

There are tons of free books out there. I'd recommend reading HarryT's tutorials on format conversion and install Book Designer and try to make some books. The best format IMHO for the Hanlin clones is FB2, so try to create some books on this formats first. Conversion with Mobipocket Reader is quite easy. Just drag the file to the window and it's done. Not so many options as Book Designer though.

If you don't want to start converting, html is a good format, as is rtf. A good formatted book in Mobi or FB2 should be ideal to start reading. Look for some books in those formats in this same forum :-).

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by javimm

Be warned that if you want to buy books before the reader arrives, the vendor is going to ask you for your device's PID for DRM encryption of the book. If you don't have the device, you wont be able to buy the book.

No, that's not true. Certainly with both FictionWise and BooksOnBoard, you can buy a book without entering a device PID. You only need the PID to be able to download it. So you can buy books and have them sitting there on your "bookshelf" on the website waiting for your reader to arrive.

[ccccclark]

Originally Posted by HarryT

No, that's not true. Certainly with both FictionWise and BooksOnBoard, you can buy a book without entering a device PID. You only need the PID to be able to download it. So you can buy books and have them sitting there on your "bookshelf" on the website waiting for your reader to arrive.

Thanks. If I have to enter the PID, if my reader ever goes out and I have to buy a new reader, will me purchased secure E Books be transferrable?

[HarryT]

Provided it's another device which support MobiPocket, you'll need to go back to the retailer's web site, enter the new PID, and re-download the books. Most Mobi web sites allow you to enter up to 4 PIDs at the same time - ie the same book can be readable on up to 4 different MobiPocket devices concurrently.

[ccccclark]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Provided it's another device which support MobiPocket, you'll need to go back to the retailer's web site, enter the new PID, and re-download the books. Most Mobi web sites allow you to enter up to 4 PIDs at the same time - ie the same book can be readable on up to 4 different MobiPocket devices concurrently.

That sounds OK, except it sounds like one needs to keep track of where one purchases an EBook from and then hope the retailer stays in business.

If I am going to pay $10-15 for an E Book, I would like it to be a permanent part of my library.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by ccccclark

That sounds OK, except it sounds like one needs to keep track of where one purchases an EBook from and then hope the retailer stays in business.

If I am going to pay $10-15 for an E Book, I would like it to be a permanent part of my library.

Yes (this is why DRM sucks).

[wallcraft]

I posted a tutorial on DRMed ebooks on the EZ Reader (Mobiebook) Forums, see Secure MobiPocket ebooks.

If you use Windows MobiPocket Reader to manage your secure ebooks, it "knows" where you bought ebooks from and can update them for a new device. However, I much prefer to manage this myself. Also, Windows MobiPocket Reader does not "do" subdirectories - which are a significant feature of ebook management on the EZ Reader.

Any Secure ebook format has potential problems with "permanence". One advantage of MOBI is that it isn't actually secure, because the python script mobidedrm can strip the DRM providing you know your device PID. Actually striping the DRM, even for personel use on ebooks you paid for, isn't thought to be legal by most commentators in the US - although this has never been tested in court and there are counter arguments (e.g. explicit exceptions for some ebooks). At a minimum, the existence of mobidedrm means that you don't have to worry about an ebook vendor going out of business.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by ccccclark

FictionWise has books in Secure eReader/Mobipocket/Microsoft Reader/Adobe formats.

Mobipocket is your best bet with the EZ reader and Fictionwise is one of the most popular book stores among users here. You will need to wait until you get your EZ Reader so you can insert the PID of your device into your profile so the books you download will work on the reader. They won't work if you d/l them before then.

Also, till the end of the year.. Fictionwise has 200 eBooks which have 100% micropay rebate right now. This means, you will get 100% of what you spend on these books back as a "store credit" which you can use for other ebooks. Nice deal.

Here is the list of books http://www.fictionwise.com/Z963690HC428/onehundred

BOb

[Gudy]

Originally Posted by ccccclark

One more question. Do the Project Guttenberg HTML formats display well on the EZ Reader?

Not in my opinion, no. It's usable, sure, but converting to something better supported like FB2 or Mobipocket will gain you things like a working table of contents, better formatting and more useful page numbering.

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by ccccclark

Do the Project Guttenberg HTML formats display well on the EZ Reader?

I suggest instead using MOBI from the mobileread upload forum, or from feedbooks, or FB2 (or MOBI) from manybooks.net (which has all of Project Guttenberg).