Campaign to get Sony to support mobipocket

[charlieperry]

Further to my rant about the inadequacies of pdf as an ebook format I think we should start a campaign to get the Sony Reader to support mobipocket. I have a feeling that this may have been started before.

The benefit for Sony would be that they'd cement themselves at the top of the ebook reader market. This could be their bluray moment when they blow their competition out of the water.

[basschick]

bluray didn't really blow hd out of the water - they got walmart's support and that cinched the deal. in reality, hd has some big advantages.

sony has historically loved proprietary formats. sometimes they win big and sometimes they lose big. once in a while, they compromise.

one thing for sure - if sony had drm mobi support, i'd buy one for my hubby.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by charlieperry

Further to my rant about the inadequacies of pdf as an ebook format I think we should start a campaign to get the Sony Reader to support mobipocket. I have a feeling that this may have been started before.

The benefit for Sony would be that they'd cement themselves at the top of the ebook reader market. This could be their bluray moment when they blow their competition out of the water.

do you not know that Amazon owns Mobipocket? They are extremely unlikely to allow Sony to offer that format. They generally require exclusive DRM content on any device they support.

Dale

[seajewel]

Forget mobi. I just want to see more content available in epub. If Sony wanted to use Mobi, even if amazon agreed for some reason, amazon also requires that the reader only allow Mobi DRM.. which means bye bye to epub and etc. unlikely, and not really desirable imo.

[charlieperry]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

do you not know that Amazon owns Mobipocket? They are extremely unlikely to allow Sony to offer that format. They generally require exclusive DRM content on any device they support.

Dale

ah right. I didn't know that. That explains a lot.

Right, new campaign. Get all book sellers to sell books in epub format.

[Dave Berk]

Originally Posted by charlieperry

ah right. I didn't know that. That explains a lot.

Right, new campaign. Get all book sellers to sell books in epub format.

Seconded. I think that if epub won't take off in the coming year, it probably won't take off at all.

[jerryleejr]

I wish epub would take off not because I have a Sony, but just to institute a standard. I know there are arguments for Mobi and if that ends up being the standard then great all non Mobi devices will have to either release support via firmware or go kaput. I still find myself shopping around to find books. Because not all titles are available in epub, LRX, or Secure Pdf and Granted the Sony allows me to purchase DRM titles from various locations now so It is now not as hard pre-firmware update to buy.

JJ

[GntlmnBndt]

Originally Posted by charlieperry

Right, new campaign. Get all book sellers to sell books in epub format.

That would be nice, but I will still hold off buying any epub books with Adobe DRM. Just too restrictive. While I don't like DRM, I am willing to put up with it if is not too inconvenient. Right now, that means the devices do not need to be registered or limited in number, I don't need to be online to open/read a book, and the right (read: my) devices need to be supported. None of the ebook DRMs actually meet all those points. eReader has been my compromise format, and it is only missing a few devices to really meet my criteria. Funny how they cannot get this right for ebooks. I can't imagine slipping a DVD into a portable player, and being told that I have too many players, or I need to be online to verify that I can watch the movie.

Luckily, there are lots of books, even new ones, available without DRM, so I will happily vote with my pocket by buying those -- hopefully in epub format! Although, I do hope to see more software/readers with epub support.

Before anyone brings it up, yes I know DRM can be broken. I know DVD DRM is broken. Maybe there is a way around Adobe's DRM. Those are not solutions. As a consumer, I should not need to consult a legal team to decide if my $7 retail purchase will result in a violation of federal or local statute.

I may be a Bandit, but I am also a Gentleman...

The Bandit

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by basschick

one thing for sure - if sony had drm mobi support, i'd buy one for my hubby.

(whispers to basschick) you can always use mobidedrm to "liberate" the mobi ebooks you have for your cybook then convert them to LRF with calibre for a Sony.

BOb

[bill_mchale]

I second the Bandit's opinion about DRM. Breaking DRM is not going to convince the publishers to abandon DRM... it will just encourage them to try and come up with more draconian methods of DRM. The best way to get rid of DRM is to simply refuse to buy products that have DRM, period! Actually, I will make one exception to that. I would be willing to buy DRM'd eReader books for the simple reason that nothing ties the book to a device or to a DRM server. Therefore, as long as I have a copy of the book and a device capable of running the eReader software, I can read the book.

I would like to see a standard evolve for ebooks, but as long as you can convert books to different formats, it is more of a wish than a real need.

I suspect that if the DRM was to die in ebooks, the publishing world would settle on a standard for ebooks soon enough. Its a shame really, the real growth of the ePublishing industry could very likely be harmed by the continued attempts of various ebook software and hardware vendors to capture their audience into a proprietary format. I suspect this is why some publishers are now pushing the ePub format.

--
Bill

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by bill_mchale

I would be willing to buy DRM'd eReader books for the simple reason that nothing ties the book to a device or to a DRM server. Therefore, as long as I have a copy of the book and a device capable of running the eReader software, I can read the book.

I alas would support that if every device supported eReader. Problem is...

1. There is currently NO eInk reader device that supports eReader. I hope Fictionwise is working on this.

2. Since the devices I have don't support eReader then I would have to crack them anyway.

BOb

[GntlmnBndt]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Since the devices I have don't support eReader then I would have to crack them anyway.

Supporting the right (again, 'my') devices, that is the rub. Palm and WinMo support are good, but that doesn't cover 90% of the market the way it once did.

Has anyone other than eReader announced support for the Apple handhelds? Both Mobi and Adobe are even more restrictive than eReader, so I don't think I would choose them, but options and competition are always good.

The Bandit

P.S. Yes, I do know that most of the people here are eink-centric, but I still carry a simple cell phone and a multi-function handheld. Personally I am looking forward to support for Android, Maemo or one of the linux MID platforms. I know it's a pipe dream, but that's just another reason to buy DRM-free ebooks.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by GntlmnBndt

Has anyone other than eReader announced support for the Apple handhelds?

Mobi has said that there will be a mobi reader for iPhone/Thouch.... but it has yet to appear. They are getting way behind of eReader at this point (for DRM content that is.)

BOb

[astra]

I want all ebooks in HTML format.

[jljones]

There is such an appeal at www.mobipocket.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12366