New Pocketbook Store in the UK

[Brianrh]

Can't see it making much of a dent on Amazon sales but I don't know how it compates to Kobo for availability and pricing?

https://www.t3.com/tech/tablets/uk-g...n-the-barriers

[Quoth]

Stupid headline.

Also written by someone clueless

the online eBook shop is open to everyone and every device capable of reading LCP DRM files. That means they are protected from piracy, but more universally supported that the AZW3 and AZW books Amazon sells for Kindle.

LCP is nasty DRM on par with KFX on newest Kindles, but are there ANY dedicated ereaders other than Pocketbook that support LCP?

Piracy isn't an issue for consumers and DRM is a negative. Even perfect DRM doesn't stop piracy but is control of consumers stopping them doing backups, locking them into proprietary solutions and limiting reading choices.

LCP is only a plus for Pocketbook and ill-informed paranoid publishers. Even Apple iTunes MP3s no longer have DRM.

It won't affect Amazon at all, nor Kobo shop sales.

[church mouse]

Having just taken a look at the UK website I have a number of observations:

Their book prices seem high at the moment - I reviewed a number of books on my watchlist against the prices on the Kobo UK store and on Hive.co.uk and none were cheaper on Pocketbook and most were more expensive (50% more expensive for a few).

They are not selling their physical e-readers from the site, which seems odd.

It is not immediately apparent to me whether one is able to download easily an epub purchase to a computer for Calibre purposes. (Nothing in the FAQ seems to address downloading an epub).

[Quoth]

Maybe I need to buy a Pocketbook Era, at least it's 7″ mono, which inexplicably Kobo has stopped producing/selling. It's available locally cheaper than Amazon!

However I won't buy ebooks I can't properly backup.

[church mouse]

@Quoth - I had assumed from the Pocketbook website that only some books were LCP. I see that the t3 article implies all DRM books are LCP protected. If so, that is not good and kills any interest I may have had.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by church mouse

It is not immediately apparent to me whether one is able to download easily an epub purchase to a computer for Calibre purposes. (Nothing in the FAQ seems to address downloading an epub).

No, it's Readium LCP only (iOS or Android specific apps such as Thorium, recent models of Pocketbook and anything else with LCP). I wonder do they respect titles distributed with request for DRM free? Amazon ignores that with KFX.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by church mouse

@Quoth - I had assumed from the Pocketbook website that only some books were LCP. I see that the t3 article implies all DRM books are LCP protected. If so, that is not good and kills any interest I may have had.

In theory ones that the publisher requests DRM free ought to be DRM free. There are a few. You can tell on Kobo as the Kobo Shop download is either Adobe DRM (an acsm ticket file) or a DRM free epub2 or epub3 depending on title. Direct WiFi on Kobo App or Kobo ereader gives kepubified version (the source is epub), and I don't know if DRM free is honoured on that.

[PeterT]

I believe that Tolino supports LCP

[church mouse]

@Quoth - thank you for your responses. I should have read the t3 article before surfing off to find the Pocketbook UK site and, in effect, wasting my time.

[rantanplan]

Originally Posted by Quoth

LCP is nasty DRM on par with KFX on newest Kindles, but are there ANY dedicated ereaders other than Pocketbook that support LCP?

Tolino and Kobo (using the update for barrier free reading options) support LCP.

[cellaris]

I imagine that PocketBook is trying to offer a bookshop where you can buy their books and download them directly to your e-readers. This is useful for those who want precisely that. For other users, PocketBook continues to offer its open system. Buy your books wherever you want and send them to your e-reader through their different channels (PocketBook Cloud, Send to PocketBook or via USB).

In Spain, PocketBook has long been associated with one of its main bookshops (Casa del Libro), but Adobe DRM is used here. Of course, you can also read books with LCP DRM.

https://pocketbook.es/noticias/liber...s-sin-barreras

(This is how the English shop looks on my PocketBook e-reader...)

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by rantanplan

Tolino and Kobo (using the update for barrier free reading options) support LCP.

I don't think any of my Kobos support LCP. Beside the point. The T3 article suggests LCP is positive and it's the opposite.

I don't think Tolino is sold in UK? It's the Kobo brand for Germany etc, once part of Tolino bookshop.?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Quoth

LCP is nasty DRM on par with KFX on newest Kindles, but are there ANY dedicated ereaders other than Pocketbook that support LCP?

AFAIAA, Tolino ereaders have supported LCP since 2019. I seem to remember that the main intent was to allow library loans using LCP instead of ADEPT.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rantanplan

Tolino and Kobo (using the update for barrier free reading options) support LCP.

Where does it say that Kobo supports LCP?