I use an iPhone 3GS to read fiction on currently, and read on my DS Lite before that.
As soon as more devices are released, I intend to to buy a dedicated reader for larger format texts (programming books).
What this means is that it is most important to me that whatever format I buy will be readable on both my 3GS and whatever device I buy in the future. I've also noticed that I read a *lot* more when I don't have to plug my device into the computer to transfer content, so I prefer either non-DRM text that can be converted and transferred via calibre server or texts that can be held in a library ala Kindle or B&N eBook library.
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Originally Posted by Book Depository
I would love to know how everyone decides how they buy their eBooks regardless of being free or paid for.
A few questions: - When buying/searching for eBooks do you search by format or by eReader?
I search by title or author on Amazon, B&N, and Sony bookstores. Whichever one is the cheapest I buy, unless it is a technical book. Because I don't want to buy a Kindle DX, I prefer technical books from B&N or Sony, or from O'Reilly or The Pragmatic Programmer. O'Reilly and The Pragmatic Programmer don't sell their books with DRM, so the format is irrelevant since I can use calibre to convert to whatever I want.
- Do you know what format/s your eReader can read when searching or do you expect all eBooks to be read by your eReader?
It's not really about formatting so much as it is about DRM. If the content ships without DRM you can convert to any format you want. As for knowing which DRM implementations are supported: Mostly. It is hard to know exactly which DRM implementations will be supported by some of the up-and-coming eReaders which is really irritating. Also the iPhone's support changes all the time with the addition of new apps.
- Before you bought your eReader did you know about software to convert a format to your eReaders format? If you didn't would you have liked to have been informed by the retailer?
Since I used a non-dedicated reader first (DS Lite), conversion software was one of the first things I had to learn. In general though it would be good if distributors made it clear what can and can't be converted for use with their device.
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