Sony 700 (built-in light) vs Cybook (Mobi)

[starrigger]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

The good thing is that calibre makes it easy to do both. Just convert them to both.

BOb

Well, my ebook folders on my computer are starting to resemble the "to read" bookcases in my office, so it would be nice to have only a couple of formats and stick to them.

Let's just say I started this whole affair by getting a DVD of 10,000 p.d. classics in Mobi format, and I went from there to Baen and Tor free downloads like a kid on Halloween--so I don't really want to triple my collection.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by starrigger

Let's just say I started this whole affair by getting a DVD of 10,000 p.d. classics in Mobi format, and I went from there to Baen and Tor free downloads like a kid on Halloween--so I don't really want to triple my collection.

Understood. But, then again, hard drives are cheap these days. Also, calibre will still only show one entry for each book.

Maybe have two calibre libraries... one with your "candy collection" and one of books that you have decided to read.

BOb

[starrigger]

Well, Santa in the guise of a very generous family member bought me a PRS-700 for Christmas, and I've been having a lot of fun trying it -- and also trying the experience of converting some of the large number of .prc files I have on my computer to epub or lrf.

First impressions: the overall operation is very nice and intuitive. I do wish the screen contrast were better, though I don't tend to like really high contrast screens for relaxing reading. The lights were a major reason for my picking this device, and I give them mixed reviews. They're pleasant for reading in bed in the dark, if I have my glasses on, but I cannot read comfortably without my glasses, even at a large font size. This is in contrast to my PDA, and also to my wife's new toy, an ipod Touch. On the other hand, I do like the lights for supplementing room light if I'm sitting in a dim corner of the living room, for example.

I admit I've been going back and forth on whether I've made the right choice. Wish I could have a Cybook to play with for a day (), because all other things being equal I would have preferred to stick with Mobi format.

On the other hand, by converting books to epub format, I'm also making them usable for my wife, so maybe it's just as well.

It sure is a good-looking device, that's for sure.

[Sweetpea]

After a friend told me he had bought the sony 700 (because of the built-in light), I decided to look into it myself.

The biggest problem I have with it, is it being sony. Meaning no PRC format. About half my electronic bookshelf contains DRM'd PRC books. Let's just say I'm a good customer at Fictionwise for several years now. Is there any news, rumour, anything, about Sony starting to support PRC? Especially the DRM'd one?

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Is there any news, rumour, anything, about Sony starting to support PRC? Especially the DRM'd one?

This will never happen, because MobiPocket requires DRM exclusivity on dedicated reading devices. For non-DRMed MOBI, Calibre does a near perfect format shift to ePub or LRF. You can test this using Calibre's own built in reading application or using Sony's Windows ebook Reader (the latest version emulates a PRS-700).

Calibre only imports DRM-free ebooks, but mobidedrm.py can strip MOBI DRM. There are laws against stripping DRM in the US and several other countries. However, it is hard to see who is hurt by format shifting ebooks (with or without DRM) for personal use.

[starrigger]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

This will never happen, because MobiPocket requires DRM exclusivity on dedicated reading devices. For non-DRMed MOBI, Calibre does a near perfect format shift to ePub or LRF. You can test this using Calibre's own built in reading application or using Sony's Windows ebook Reader (the latest version emulates a PRS-700).

Calibre only imports DRM-free ebooks, but mobidedrm.py can strip MOBI DRM. There are laws against stripping DRM in the US and several other countries. However, it is hard to see who is hurt by format shifting ebooks (with or without DRM) for personal use.

It could easily happen, if Sony and Mobipocket negotiated a deal to do it. I wish they would, and it would probably be in both their best interests to do so. (I too have a large library of .prc files--almost entirely non-DRM, fortunately--which I'm starting to convert with Calibre.) It would improve the market-desirability of the Sony Reader, and would increase the size of the market for mobi-format books.

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by starrigger

It would improve the market-desirability of the Sony Reader, and would increase the size of the market for mobi-format books.

The most likely reason for MobiPocket to change its strategy is that it is loosing the UK ebook market to Adobe. For example, W.H.Smith sells the Cybook (a MOBI reader), although not via their ebook store, but only 3 of its 20 best selling fiction and none of its 20 best selling non-fiction ebooks are available as MOBI and all of them are Adobe ePub.

However, the UK publishers may be rational in avoiding MOBI since (a) it is less capable than ePub and (b) its DRM is broken. I prefer DRM schemes that don't work, but if publishers believe in DRM they should use those that actually prevent copying.

The shoe that has not dropped yet is the Kindle in Europe. If this is going to be AZW dominated, then the UK publishers have to support MOBI (at least in AZW form). If this instead supports ePub with Amazon DRM, then MOBI is dead long term. There is no technical reason why the Kindle 2 could not exclusively use ePub (in the US as well as Europe), although it would require Amazon to format shift its entire catalogue from MOBI to ePub. More likely is ePub and MOBI (AZW) co-existence, and most likely of all is the status-quo (no Kindle ePub).

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by starrigger

It could easily happen, if Sony and Mobipocket negotiated a deal to do it. I wish they would, and it would probably be in both their best interests to do so.

Actually, I would rather see one or both of them take a NON-DRM stand like Steve Jobs did with iTunes and Bezos did with his MP3 store (although not with the Kindle strangely enough).

BOb

[Liviu_5]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Actually, I would rather see one or both of them take a NON-DRM stand like Steve Jobs did with iTunes and Bezos did with his MP3 store (although not with the Kindle strangely enough).

BOb

Steve Jobs got anti-drm when he cornered the market for upscale multimedia devices. I remember him praising drm and vowing to keep one step ahead of the hackers not long ago in "real time", though maybe ages in Internet time...

Bezos will get anti-drm if the Kindle will corner the e-book devices, be sure of that. As for music, well he needs to sell songs not devices, so of course he is anti-drm. If he would need to sell devices, lock-in helps so he would be pro-drm. Oh, the just mentioned Kindle, forgot for a moment about it

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by starrigger

It could easily happen, if Sony and Mobipocket negotiated a deal to do it. I wish they would, and it would probably be in both their best interests to do so. (I too have a large library of .prc files--almost entirely non-DRM, fortunately--which I'm starting to convert with Calibre.) It would improve the market-desirability of the Sony Reader, and would increase the size of the market for mobi-format books.

Since Mobi is owned by Amazon it is not likely in Amazon's interest to do so.

Dale

[starrigger]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Since Mobi is owned by Amazon it is not likely in Amazon's interest to do so.

Dale

Depends. They might think it would threaten Kindle sales, true. But it would also increase the market for books sold in Mobi format. And also promote ebook sales in general, which would ultimately be to the benefit of the Kindle store.

[Phogg]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

However, the UK publishers may be rational in avoiding MOBI since (a) it is less capable than ePub and (b) its DRM is broken. I prefer DRM schemes that don't work, but if publishers believe in DRM they should use those that actually prevent copying.

Preventing copying of electronic media of any type requires

1. Be in some place like China or North Korea.
2. Seal your borders.
3. Seize and destroy every computer.
4. Cut off all electricity.
5. Shoot everyone who really understands computers in the head, then bury them in a mass grave.

Short of that, you are digitally masturbating.
You may get satisfaction out of your activity - but you aren't really accomplishing anything permanent or worthwhile.

IMNSHO.