How common are Topaz ebooks? - Page 3

slayda · 02-19-2009, 12:37 PM

I'm admittedly ignorant on this but is it easy to determine whether an Amazon ebook is AZW or Topaz before buying it?

desertgrandma · 02-19-2009, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slayda

I'm admittedly ignorant on this but is it easy to determine whether an Amazon ebook is AZW or Topaz before buying it?

supposedly, if you download a sample, and there is a "1" or"2" after the .azw, you have a topaz format.

Corrections, anyone?

pilotbob · 02-19-2009, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slayda

I'm admittedly ignorant on this but is it easy to determine whether an Amazon ebook is AZW or Topaz before buying it?

on the web site, they give a page count but not a file size. This is when viewing the book info from a normal browser on a PC, not via the Kindle.

BOb

FizzyWater · 03-01-2009, 02:27 AM

Looks like all the books in the Dorchester "Shomi" line are Topaz, if you go by the "no filesize" clue.

pilotbob · 03-01-2009, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

Looks like all the books in the Dorchester "Shomi" line are Topaz, if you go by the "no filesize" clue.

Is this what you mean?

http://www.amazon.com/Wired-Shomi/dp...5936843&sr=1-1

If so, I just got a sample, and it is indeed topaz.

BOb

FizzyWater · 03-01-2009, 11:20 PM

Yep. I actually considered trying to buy (for cheap) a barely functioning Kindle, just to buy the books I can't get at Fictionwise or BooksOnBoard (or Mobipocket or ebooks.com, etc.) I've been watching a few titles in this Shomi line, but I've only seen them on Sony's site or Amazon's. I don't want to buy either, if I can't "liberate" it to read on any device.

bwaldron · 03-02-2009, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

Yep. I actually considered trying to buy (for cheap) a barely functioning Kindle, just to buy the books I can't get at Fictionwise or BooksOnBoard (or Mobipocket or ebooks.com, etc.) I've been watching a few titles in this Shomi line, but I've only seen them on Sony's site or Amazon's. I don't want to buy either, if I can't "liberate" it to read on any device.

Yes, most of the Kindle-exclusive ebooks seem to be Topaz format (which I also avoid like the plague).

whitearrow · 03-02-2009, 09:18 PM

Can Tor be asked about this? they generally seem pretty customer-friendly -- maybe if they knew that Topaz was harder to read, they'd be less likely to use it?

AnemicOak · 03-02-2009, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

Looks like all the books in the Dorchester "Shomi" line are Topaz, if you go by the "no filesize" clue.

Yep, they appear to be. Other Dorchester titles are .azw, but not those. I wonder how that gets decided. Hopefully someday soon Dorchester will open their books up to more than Amazon and Sony.

AnemicOak · 03-03-2009, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whitearrow

Can Tor be asked about this? they generally seem pretty customer-friendly -- maybe if they knew that Topaz was harder to read, they'd be less likely to use it?

Anyone got an email addy? The only one I can find is for their webmaster and I don't think that'd get me very far. I was set to buy three Tor books today (a trilogy), but books 1 & 3 are topaz. I checked out the samples and they look horrible, like low rez scans or something.

whitearrow · 03-04-2009, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Anyone got an email addy? The only one I can find is for their webmaster and I don't think that'd get me very far. I was set to buy three Tor books today (a trilogy), but books 1 & 3 are topaz. I checked out the samples and they look horrible, like low rez scans or something.

You might try pnh@panix.com and tnh@panix.com -- those are for Patrick and Teresa Nielsen-Hayden, they are editors at Tor (and write for Making Light and Boing Boing). If they can't help, I imagine they could point you to the right person. They edited several of the free ebooks that Tor gave away last year -- none in Topaz, btw.

I would buy several Juliet Marillier books, but I don't want Topaz either.

da_jane · 03-04-2009, 04:30 PM

I don't think it's a Dorchester thing, I think it's whomever they are using as a fulfillment service. I can't recall who it is right now either.

kevindorsey · 03-04-2009, 05:19 PM

I try to avoid topaz books.

Solari · 03-06-2009, 03:47 AM

Here's a good blog entry on the Topaz format, including how to identify it:

http://www.latenightcode.com/devblog...ations-part-i/

Ray

badgoodDeb · 03-06-2009, 04:59 PM

I've been reading a book, even though it *is* in topaz format (it's a good book, darn it!). I realized that with the K2, at least, they are pre-loading the pages. While you read a page, the next one must be loading, because next-page is quite fast. Prev-page takes a while, leafing through lots of pages takes a while --- but actually *reading* the book isn't too bad, cuz the page turns go quickly.

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02-19-2009, 12:37 PM	#31
slayda Retired & reading more! Posts: 2,764 Karma: 1884247 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: North Alabama, USA Device: Kindle 1, iPad Air 2, iPhone 6S+, Kobo Aura One	I'm admittedly ignorant on this but is it easy to determine whether an Amazon ebook is AZW or Topaz before buying it?

03-01-2009, 02:27 AM	#34
FizzyWater You kids get off my lawn! Posts: 4,220 Karma: 73492664 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Columbus, Ohio Device: Oasis 2 and Libra H2O and half a dozen older models I can't let go of	Looks like all the books in the Dorchester "Shomi" line are Topaz, if you go by the "no filesize" clue.

03-01-2009, 11:20 PM	#36
FizzyWater You kids get off my lawn! Posts: 4,220 Karma: 73492664 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Columbus, Ohio Device: Oasis 2 and Libra H2O and half a dozen older models I can't let go of	Yep. I actually considered trying to buy (for cheap) a barely functioning Kindle, just to buy the books I can't get at Fictionwise or BooksOnBoard (or Mobipocket or ebooks.com, etc.) I've been watching a few titles in this Shomi line, but I've only seen them on Sony's site or Amazon's. I don't want to buy either, if I can't "liberate" it to read on any device.

03-02-2009, 09:18 PM	#38
whitearrow Guru Posts: 808 Karma: 2260766 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: Kindle Oasis 2	Can Tor be asked about this? they generally seem pretty customer-friendly -- maybe if they knew that Topaz was harder to read, they'd be less likely to use it?

03-04-2009, 04:30 PM	#42
da_jane Evangelist Posts: 405 Karma: 692 Join Date: Sep 2006 Device: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 \| Kindle Paperwhite \| iPad Mini	I don't think it's a Dorchester thing, I think it's whomever they are using as a fulfillment service. I can't recall who it is right now either.

03-04-2009, 05:19 PM	#43
kevindorsey Evangelist Posts: 488 Karma: 258 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: kindle	I try to avoid topaz books.

03-06-2009, 03:47 AM	#44
Solari Nameless Being	Here's a good blog entry on the Topaz format, including how to identify it: http://www.latenightcode.com/devblog...ations-part-i/ Ray

03-06-2009, 04:59 PM	#45
badgoodDeb Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,536 Karma: 64201357 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Harrisburg outskirts Device: Palms, K1-4s, iPads, iPhones, KV, KO1	I've been reading a book, even though it is in topaz format (it's a good book, darn it!). I realized that with the K2, at least, they are pre-loading the pages. While you read a page, the next one must be loading, because next-page is quite fast. Prev-page takes a while, leafing through lots of pages takes a while --- but actually reading the book isn't too bad, cuz the page turns go quickly.

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