Help, Just Not Sure?

[IvoryAngel]

Hi,
I have discovered a whole new world

I have a lifedrive which I have used for some reading but I put it away when I got a blackberry. I appreciate and enjoy MobiReader because it is so versatile. I work from home full time now and find I rarely if at all pickup my Berry for anything other than an occasional text or phone call. I have read a book or two on my Berry and this was interesting because the screen is so small.

Moving on I am not enrolled full time online and my books are completely deliverable via Adobe PDF I would appreciate to not be on lockdown to my desk to read or review school text. I would much rather be able to be portable when I am off work and can relax on the couch to read. I have tried to upload my school books to the Mobi Reader and send to my Berry .. however, it would not allow because it is secured.

So, after looking at all the options for eReaders I think I am sold. I just don't know which to go with. iRex is very nice but way outta my budget. Cybook seems to be the best at the moment because it is Mobi compatible. As I also enjoy feeds, newspapers, and various other reading materials.

Problems, which device do I go with? and is there a way to push school books to the device with it being on lock down? and even if I cant get my school books on the device I might just spring based on interest.

Thoughts?

[HarryT]

You don't need to install any software on your computer in order to be able to use a CyBook (or most of the other eBook readers, come to that, with the notable exception of the Sony); they simply connect via USB and automatically mount as an external drive. If you're able to use a USB memory stick on your school computer, you'll be able to use a book reader.

[gwynevans]

Originally Posted by HarryT

You don't need to install any software on your computer in order to be able to use a CyBook (or most of the other eBook readers, come to that, with the notable exception of the Sony); they simply connect via USB and automatically mount as an external drive. If you're able to use a USB memory stick on your school computer, you'll be able to use a book reader.

Just to try & clarify the misleading comment about the Sony... It too connects via USB and appears as an external drive to which you can copy files to, just like the others.

The two things that Harry could be referring to are

1. The Sony software, which is Windows based and is (only) required if you want to purchase & download from the Sony eBookstore.
2. The Adobe Digital Editions software, which requires a one-off registration of the Reader on Windows, which is required in order to read 'secured' Abobe content (ePub) on the device.

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by IvoryAngel

I have tried to upload my school books to the Mobi Reader and send to my Berry .. however, it would not allow because it is secured.

What do you need to do to read the PDFs on your PC? Are they password protected, or do you need to use Adobe Digital Editions (or what)?

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by gwynevans

The two things that Harry could be referring to are

1. The Sony software, which is Windows based and is (only) required if you want to purchase & download from the Sony eBookstore.
2. The Adobe Digital Editions software, which requires a one-off registration of the Reader on Windows, which is required in order to read 'secured' Abobe content (ePub) on the device.

3. Installing firmware updates.

BOb

[IvoryAngel]

I am thoroughly confused now.

My school book is in Adobe PDF format will open as normal PDF then login/password box will pop up and I CANNOT continue to book without entering that first. It opens with regular old Adobe Reader 9.

Are you saying that if I save the book to a memory card or to the device it will open as it does on my computer?

[gwynevans]

I don't think that any eBook Reader will be able to display password-protected PDFs other than via some form of offline, reformatting.

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by IvoryAngel

My school book is in Adobe PDF format will open as normal PDF then login/password box will pop up and I CANNOT continue to book without entering that first. It opens with regular old Adobe Reader 9.

The iLiad and the DR1000S will read password protected PDFs, so will the BeBook (and presumably so will all the other Hanlin V3 variants). The Sony PRS-700 has a way to enter the password (via the touch screen), but I don't know if it supports passworded PDFs.

However, PDFs protected by passwords are not really protected at all. There are commercially available (presumably legal, at least for some purposes) programs for "password recovery" of PDF files, which actually just give you back a password free copy of the PDF. They do this even without knowing the password. Note that a password to open a PDF is sometimes called a "User Password", and it is the harder of the two kinds of PDF passwords to recover (the other restricts printing and copying).

Since you have the password, it is possible that a 3rd party PDF reader will allow you to save a password free version without going through the "recovery" process. Particularly if printing is allowed.

The BeBook can read DRMed MOBI and password protected PDFs, but I don't know if it is the best reader for either task. In the US, Astak is about to start selling the Hanlin V3 as the EZReader.

Summary:

EZReader: DRMed MOBI support, passworded PDFs via zooming
Cybook: best DRMed MOBI support, non-passworded PDFs via zooming
PRS-700: no MOBI, (passworded?) PDFs via refowing

[IvoryAngel]

WallCraft


Sadly that means I probably should not assume that I will ever be able to access my school books on a device other than my laptop.

At least I know prior to purchasing the device