MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Wish I could see the future (aka Newbie making a choice)

texasnightowl · 07-21-2008, 01:59 AM

So, I typed out a really, really, really long post before...that kinda summarizes all my thoughts and everything I think I've learned over the past few days of reading posts here. But then I realized that my questions and concerns come down to just a couple of points.

1. Formats
2. Being "Future Proof"

And really, the 2 go together. I don't want to spend say $1000-1500 or more in the next 2 years only to find I can't read my purchases if I switch to a new reader at the end of that time.

So what I think that means is I'm about to choose between the Sony and the Cybook.

Sony PRS-505
Yeah, it has a proprietary format. But, if I buy this one, I'm going into ownership knowing that I don't plan to buy any BBeB proprietary books. I'll buy LIT, MOBI/PRC or other and convert them (ConvertLit and found the mobi python files). This isn't so hard to swallow given the Calibre and Book Designer tools. And the price and aesthetics are good.

Amazon Kindle
Proprietary format. Problem being that given the sheer number of books available from Amazon's site, I *would* want to buy them (unlike with Sony). BUT, I can't read them on my PC and let's say 2 years from now I want to move to a different reader. As things stand right now, I lose these books. As far as I've been able to tell, DRM'd Kindle files have no way of being converted to another format. And, the price and aesthetics suck.

Bookeen Cybook
Uses Mobi...the "de facto" standard. And I managed to find the scripts that would allow me to de-drm for "future proofing". MobiPocket Creator would allow me to convert other files for use on it. Price sucks, but aesthetics are OK.

So, I think my choices are in this order: Sony, Cybook, Kindle.

The unknowns are:

Is Amazon Kindle going to take over the world?
How soon will someone figure out how to de-DRM Amazon Kindle files?

The other questions I want feedback on:
Which device do you own and what format do you primarily download?
And if you are a Kindle owner - how concerned are you about the inability to use those files on any other device in the future.

If your primary concern was not having to rebuild/replace your collection as time goes by, which format and reader would you choose for today?

If I go with the Cybook and adopt MOBI, will it be around for the next 30-40 years?

FWIW, I am a re-reader. I'm only in my mid 30's, but I have some books with me that I've had since I was in middle school. They've been thru multiple moves in at least 5 states. And I recently helped my parents move. They have boxes and boxes of books too...ebooks would have been much easier on the back!

07-21-2008, 01:59 AM	#1
texasnightowl Guru Posts: 797 Karma: 2873645 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Texas Device: PW5, Oasis 3, K4B(NT), K3/KK	Wish I could see the future (aka Newbie making a choice) So, I typed out a really, really, really long post before...that kinda summarizes all my thoughts and everything I think I've learned over the past few days of reading posts here. But then I realized that my questions and concerns come down to just a couple of points. 1. Formats 2. Being "Future Proof" And really, the 2 go together. I don't want to spend say $1000-1500 or more in the next 2 years only to find I can't read my purchases if I switch to a new reader at the end of that time. So what I think that means is I'm about to choose between the Sony and the Cybook. Sony PRS-505 Yeah, it has a proprietary format. But, if I buy this one, I'm going into ownership knowing that I don't plan to buy any BBeB proprietary books. I'll buy LIT, MOBI/PRC or other and convert them (ConvertLit and found the mobi python files). This isn't so hard to swallow given the Calibre and Book Designer tools. And the price and aesthetics are good. Amazon Kindle Proprietary format. Problem being that given the sheer number of books available from Amazon's site, I would want to buy them (unlike with Sony). BUT, I can't read them on my PC and let's say 2 years from now I want to move to a different reader. As things stand right now, I lose these books. As far as I've been able to tell, DRM'd Kindle files have no way of being converted to another format. And, the price and aesthetics suck. Bookeen Cybook Uses Mobi...the "de facto" standard. And I managed to find the scripts that would allow me to de-drm for "future proofing". MobiPocket Creator would allow me to convert other files for use on it. Price sucks, but aesthetics are OK. So, I think my choices are in this order: Sony, Cybook, Kindle. The unknowns are: Is Amazon Kindle going to take over the world? How soon will someone figure out how to de-DRM Amazon Kindle files? The other questions I want feedback on: Which device do you own and what format do you primarily download? And if you are a Kindle owner - how concerned are you about the inability to use those files on any other device in the future. If your primary concern was not having to rebuild/replace your collection as time goes by, which format and reader would you choose for today? If I go with the Cybook and adopt MOBI, will it be around for the next 30-40 years? FWIW, I am a re-reader. I'm only in my mid 30's, but I have some books with me that I've had since I was in middle school. They've been thru multiple moves in at least 5 states. And I recently helped my parents move. They have boxes and boxes of books too...ebooks would have been much easier on the back!