[srid]

I sent the following to my friend - who is interested in ebook related developments/technologies - to hear his views. The underlying question is basically -- which store/format should I invest on when buying ebooks ... keeping in mind that I need to be able to read those books for a long time with reasonable amount of freedom (PC, ereader, mobile phones).

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I started reevaluating my preference for "open formats". Is
ePub-with-DRM better to invest than Kindle's format?

I am concluding that it is not.

- ePub-with-DRM is still locked content. It is encrypted; and thus not
open. Requires authorization of Adobe Digital Editions to open/read
the book on supported devices.

- ePub is open format; anyone can create content in it. But .mobi/.azw
is also equally supported by publishers like feedbooks.com, OReilly
books. So there is not much advantage with ePub format as an user (not
developer).

- Existing ePubs can be converted to .mobi using software like Calibre.

- My books will be stored on the "cloud" if I buy them through Amazon.
Sony bookstore is unreliable (It is unclear if Kobo store will ever
match Amazon in terms books coverage). Their desktop app sucks, and
they don't seem to be interested in expanding it to
Android/iPhone/iPad apps. I trust Amazon, a big software company, more
than Sony to come up with good products across various platforms and
they are already doing it. Further to the point, there is the
"popularity" factor.

- Yes, the books I buy will be locked in with Amazon. But this doesn't
concern me as an *user* ... much like it didn't concern the PC users
back on those days. Moreover, all I ever want to do with the ebooks I
buy is to be able to read them. Amazon also provides note taking,
highlighting, dictionary feature. So what is there to complain?

Your thoughts? I just want to hear your views before I finally decide
to order a Kindle 2 (and return Kobo) myself. :-)