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Originally Posted by Doranna Durgin
Hi, Dennis!
Is it okay to ask those questions here? I'm nuts getting ready for this trial/working deadlines, so haven't further explored the forum...topic drift 'r' us...
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There's actually another forum intended for the purpose. See
The "Which one should I buy?" forum, to get chapter and verse.
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Anyway, I know I'm looking for your basic ereader, and I even know it's between Sony and Kindle...
I don't need the device to do anything but read books. 8) And I plan to start my purchase list there on Backlist Ebooks, which seems to be equally friendly to either Sony or Kindle...
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The fundamental factors are ebook format and DRM.
Amazon uses the Mobipocket format. Sony originally used a proprietary format called BBLF, but have since adopted ePub as the standard. The Barnes and Noble nook also uses ePub, with the eReader format supported as a "legacy" format through B&N's purchase of Fictionwise.
Amazon uses a proprietary form of DRM, whose intent is to lock you into Amazon as the vendor. You can read Mobi format books that
aren't encumbered with DRM on a variety of platforms including the Kindle, but you must
purchase content from Amazon.
Sony is more open, and while there is a Sony store where you can buy content, you aren't restricted to it. This is no real surprise. Sony makes devices, and wants to sell you a reader. Amazon wants to sell you the books.
Some stuff is only available in PDF format, which will impose further restrictions, as not all readers handle PDFs. For the Kindle, for example, I believe your choice is the DX, which has a larger screen better suited to the sort of things issued as PDF.
One other point is that current dedicated readers use eInk screens, and eInk does not support color. If you need color support, an eInk device is not for you.
Topic drift isn't a mortal sin. Some of the best conversations arise from it.
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Dennis