Quote:
Originally Posted by =X=
As for the eReader vs ePUB, the biggest comparability issue is not the format but the DRM. Since they will keep the same DRM scheme changing from eReader to ePUB will be transparent, all they have to do is push an update and you have instant support to ePUB books and the process is hidden from the user.
|
I disagree.
The formatting limitations of eReader are a major difference. I like eReader, but I'm aware that it was designed for a 2.5" screen, and that basic purpose hasn't been changed. It doesn't flow around pictures well, the image limitations are laughable on modern devices, and it doesn't do complex formatting at all. I'm not sure if it's got a way to change fonts. It's great for reading novels, poor for technical manuals, useless for picture-heavy books.
I am, however, looking forward to the eReader DRM on ePubs, because I think the only way through all this mess of half-a-dozen common ebook types is to raise awareness of them, and that's not going to happen while companies can blithely say "you can read EBOOKS with our EBOOK PROGRAM!" The more variations, the more they'll have to acknowledge, "you can read ebooks of type x, y & z, but not a and b, on our program."
(I answered a question on another forum last week--someone had an MP4 player that said it read ebooks. The manual didn't say what type. Turns out, it only reads text.)
A single standard might be nice, but I don't think it's possible--we don't have a single standard for pbooks, either. (Hardcover, trade, paperback, magazine, pamphlett, cardboard children's books....) Better to raise public awareness of different ebook types, and let companies deal with customer preferences as they change.