Thread: Brand spanking new to the world 'o ebooks
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Old 05-31-2008, 09:35 AM   #27
wallcraft
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Posts: 6,975
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Mississippi, USA
Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD
Quote:
Originally Posted by MidknytOwl View Post
I've also read over and over in several different posts the evils of PDF and it not working right on the screen. If this just trying to bring a normal PDF from say, your computer, onto your reader and it isn't working, or is that a problem with ebooks that are the Adobe as well?

And as Mobi seems to be the one that is the most popular, if I understand and the Kindle can read it, then why would (should?) I buy the Cybook without the WhisperNet, support, them doing my conversion, and stuff that the Kindle has when they're the same price now?
Standard PDFs are designed to look just right on the original paper size. Adobe Reader ebooks, are often called PDFs (even sometimes by Adobe), but they are designed to reflow onto any screen size. I have never seen a good explanation of the difference, for example are Adobe's ebooks actually PDFs (and therefore displayable, when DRM-free, by standard PDF programs) or not? To make matters even more confusing, Adobe Digital Editions now also reads ePub ebooks with Adobe DRM. As a practical matter, Adobe ebooks almost always have DRM and so can only be read by Adobe programs. It looks like Adobe intends to make DE available for E-Ink devices (1st on the PRS-505), but this has not happened yet and won't happen on any device that supports MOBI DRM because Amazon requires DRM exclusivity.

The Kindle can read all DRM-free MOBIs, and DRM-ridden MOBIs from some sources will run on the Kindle without removing the DRM. See A Beginner's Guide to Kindle Content. Note that much of Guide applies to the Cybook and iLiad too, since they support MOBI.

I bought a Kindle, rather than a Cybook, partially because I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon and was sure of their customer support. I was a little worried that Amazon would decide to get out of the Kindle business at some point and leave its customers stranded (they have done this before, e.g. with Secure Adobe PDFs). I now think this is very unlikely, and AZW DRM can be cracked anyway (not all Kindle ebooks are AZW's though). The Cybook has a few technical advantages (better display of text, more fonts, more dictionaries) and it is therefore clearly the better choice outside the US, and it might even be the best choice for some in the US, but I am very happy with the Kindle and recommend it.
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