Quote:
Originally Posted by Kathee
Hi again, folks, and I hope you had a safe and peaceful Christmas.
I'm still researching as to the best kind of ebook reader to buy. It's taking a lot longer than I thought it would! I hadn't realised there were so many available. A friend is going to lend me her Kindle, so I'll be able to play around. I think hers is the latest model.
One question - if I buy, say, a Kindle, am I then limited to books from Amazon? By the same token, if I buy another brand of ebook reader, am I limited to booked from their company?
Thanks and have a great 2010.
|
That is one of the biggest issues and glad you are looking into it before purchasing. Basically Amazon/Kindle wants to lock you in to their system and to be fair that was the case with Sony (but has changed) and is the the case a bit with Barnes&Noble/nook. Here's the reason - DRM! Amazon user the mobi format but renames it azm and applies DRM. Sony used to use the BBeB format but has moved to the emerging industry standard epub format and applies Adobe Digital Editions DRM (as do numerous other bookstores and libraries). Barnes&Noble also sell epub format (along with eReader format) use Adobe DRM -- but it's a new version that currently only they use and they also DRM their eReader format. The mobi format seems to be decreasing in availability (Amazon owns the format) and epbub seems to be gaining.
Now you are probably even more confused. It's a mess out there, but my research lead me to purchase a Sony Reader and subsequently a Kindle2 -- mostly in order to have access to the Amazon bookstore. I almost always strip the DRM off the books I buy so I can convert between readers and avoid those DRM's formats that are uncracked (tpz from some Amazon titles for example).
Oh and since you are in Australia geographic restriction come into play as well as to what books you can purchase from what stores.