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Originally Posted by benn600
1. What do you think of http://www.feedbooks.com ? It seems strange because the pdfs are thousands of pages, have huge text, and there is no margin!
a. Do most books for the Sony Reader average 2-5 times as many pages as the regular paperback version? So if the average 300 page book runs around 1000, then you can read maybe 5 books before recharging? I sincerely doubt I'll go more than a book between charges. |
PDF is a HORRIBLE format for eBooks - avoid like the plague! Stick with LRF/RTF. The number of pages obviously depends on the size of the text. Take a look at the books I've produced (in the "Book Uploads" forum section) for examples of what I'd consider to be sensible text sizes.
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b. In a PDF, text can't really be resized can it? If it did, then it would have to process the entire PDF! Lots of work!
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Correct. I repeat - PDF is a dreadful format for eBooks.
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c. Why no margin? Why what appears to be no links to certain page sections?
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You don't really need a margin, because the Reader itself has a small margin around the edge of the screen. I generally add a SMALL additional margin- 10 pixels or so.
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2. What is the "BEST" way for storing eBooks for the Sony Reader? Does .txt seem to be the most efficient, accessible, and simplest way? It seems like the Sony format is only available from Sony Connect--which I will be buying from I think--but PDFs are common...but text files are very easy to create, too.
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Text files are definitely not the best format - the Reader displays them (IMHO) with too small a font, and very often they have hard line breaks in awkward places. Plus, of course, there's no formatting in text files.
A good format for "read once and throw it away" stuff is RTF. The best format is the native Sony format of LRF, which there are a number of excellent tools for producing - see the tutorial threads in the "Book Uploads" sub-forum.
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3. How do graphics in books work? Are they only available in PDFs or the Sony format? Probably not in a text file...?
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LRF and PDF support pictures. TXT and RTF don't. (Obviously RTF files SUPPORT pictures, but the Reader doesn't show them.)
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4. Any ideas how long the battery lasts with audio playback? Anyone try audiobooks? Is there a good source for free audiobooks? I wish it worked with Audible. I am perfectly willing to pay a reasonable amount for good content but half the time, it has DRM so I can't even use it! I remember a site that had free audiobooks and it's in my bookmarks.
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Don't use the Reader for audio. Its audio features are primitive, and dangerous - it's all to easy to drain the battery flat. Use the Reader for what it's best at - reading - and a decent MP3 player for audio.