Quote:
Originally Posted by hike_gc
I've been following this thread and am still debating which device I am going to buy. I discovered this website a couple days ago and have to say the information here is a lot more useful than any of the other reviews I've been reading.
I'm having a hard time swallowing the Kindle. It seems the most proprietary product out there. Am I really strictly tied to buy Amazon's content? I mostly read classics and some newer books. PDF support would be nice although it sounds like that technology could use some work. Wireless access is very low on the priority list. If I plan ahead, I should have more than enough content loaded on the device to get me through any traveling. And what bookworm would be caught without several books lined up to read?
What I really want is a quality product for a decent price that is the least restrictive about what content I can load on it.
Unless someone can really sell me on the Kindle, it's down to Sony or Irex. I was ready to buy the ilead book edition until I saw the firmware is no longer being updated. I'm curious to see the new Sony devices later this month. I know Sony also has propriety content but it doesn't seem as limited. Or is that just my imagination? The irex products are expensive but they seem solid and the ability to play suduko would be nice.
This newcomer awaits your advice  |
Hi,
I totally understand your difficulties to decide.
I'm struggling myself about the new Sony devices....
Concerning
Kindle:
Amazon uses 2 formats: .azw and .tpz.
.azw is about 90% of their books and is a modification of .prc (Mobipocket). They've bought Mobipocket about 1 year ago, so all the "tools" available for Mobipocket can be used as well respectively have been modified accordingly.
Meaning: You can strip .azw from DRM (Digital Rights Management = kind of copy protection, which prohibits conversion) and convert Amazon's books in all the other formats.
So, your books from Amazon aren't bound to Kindle forever, you can port them to other units if needed.
On the other hand, you can modify standard .prc files to work on Kindle. There are plenty of webshops for .prc, you don't have to rely exclusively on Amazon.
BUT: So far, Amazon's webshop usually has the best prices AND the biggest coverage. Normally, no need to go elsewehere.
Similar applies for all the other units. Most of the units offer 1 DRMed format. If it's .prc for example, you can shop from various sources. But when switching your reader, you may have to strip DRM and convert to your new platform anyway.
If I'd have to suggest: Sony and Amazon obviously are market leaders, mainly because of having additional revenue streams via selling content.
Actually, this 2nd revenue stream is way bigger than hardware sales.
So one can imagine the R&D power of, let's say, Amazon vs. iRex.
On the other hand, 2 or 3 creative engineers in those smaller companies can change everything...
Being in your shoes, I'd ask myself 2 questions:
- Do I already have DRMed eBooks (for example from past experience with PDAs or mobile phones) or do I tend to a specific format?
If so, I'd always choose a unit, providing that specific format natively. Stripping hundreds of eBooks from DRM can be a pain...
For PDFs, for example, I'd clearly suggest iRex.
- Are there specific features, you MUST have? For example "Text to Speech", dictionary support or lookup function will be showstoppers for most of the units.
P.S. Regarding "
most proprietary": Sony's bookstore format .lrx isn't stripppable yet. You can't convert these so far.
But you can purchase from different sources. Sony is capable of .epub, which already is kind of THE standard format out there.