ePub vs Mobi, I don't get it

[JSWolf]

And as we have been finding out from pdurrant, the version of Mobipocket used on the Kindle is crap. It doesn't even follow the Mobipocket standard very well.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

And as we have been finding out from pdurrant, the version of Mobipocket used on the Kindle is crap. It doesn't even follow the Mobipocket standard very well.

I wouldn't go quite that far. In some ways it works better than the original Mobipocket software, or Kindle for Mac/PC.

The real problem is that the various Amazon-supplied Kindle renderers work differently.

I thought that one of Amazon's big advantages (with a relatively simple form of HTML and control over the rendering software) was consistent rendering. But I was wrong.

[arielaco]

Considering this, i guess that a Sony PRS-650 would be a better choice than an kindle 3.
It also has the pearl eink, and some other features, like card readers, and touchscreen.
I don't mind about the kindle wifi because it's said that kindle wifi only works with AT&T hotspots(only US) and i'm from Uruguay(southamerica, between argentina and brazil).
Thanks for clarifying.
I'm right? Is a better deal the Sony?
Thanks in advance.

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

Simple examples of differences that even an end user can appreciate:

In MOBI it's impossible to have text and images side by side.

In MOBI you cannot embed fonts which means it is completely unsuitable for mathematical/foreign language publications

In MOBI you cannot format poetry

In MOBI you cannot have multi-level Tables of Contents

In MOBI you cannot have images that look the same at all resolutions (scalable/vector images)

In MOBI it is impossible to have semantic content, which means for example that you cannot re-use the insert book jacket feature in calibre to convert metadata into a book jacket.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

[GeoffC]

to arielaco

Welcome to mobileread....

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by arielaco

Considering this, i guess that a Sony PRS-650 would be a better choice than an kindle 3.
It also has the pearl eink, and some other features, like card readers, and touchscreen.
I don't mind about the kindle wifi because it's said that kindle wifi only works with AT&T hotspots(only US) and i'm from Uruguay(southamerica, between argentina and brazil).
Thanks for clarifying.
I'm right? Is a better deal the Sony?
Thanks in advance.

Do the things in the list look like things you are likely to want to do?
Which bookstores (Amazon, B&N, everybody else) offer the best selection to your country? Which offer the best price? Those are likely to be the most important questions to consider.

[arielaco]

Thanks

Originally Posted by GeoffC

to arielaco

Welcome to mobileread....

[arielaco]

Mostly i would like to read technical pdfs, like math, physics, and computer related books, programing books, php, perl, linux, html, css, graphic design, etc

I saw at https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...t=98975&page=2 that kindle 3 handles pdfs very well, i don't mind about mobi is a quite old format with many drawbacks if i can read pdfs because pdf is the format in which i have the books.

Regarding to the store, i don't need wifi access to the store, i'll always have a near computer to transfer books to my device.

I don't need kindle wifi and neither the touch interface of the sony ereader, the important thing is the pdf support.

I don't need a very fancy device, because i'm buying this device after stoping printing my documents due to ecological and store issues. I'll kinda buy a color one in the near future(after lowering prices and a second or third gen of color ereader)

Thanks for any advice.

Originally Posted by murraypaul

Do the things in the list look like things you are likely to want to do?
Which bookstores (Amazon, B&N, everybody else) offer the best selection to your country? Which offer the best price? Those are likely to be the most important questions to consider.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by arielaco

I saw at https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...t=98975&page=2 that kindle 3 handles pdfs very well,

I'm afraid you've been misinformed; the Kindle has very poor PDF support. It's pretty much alone amongst eInk device in not supporting PDF reflow, so the only way you can read a large page is to zoom in on it and pan over the page, which is pretty much unusable. It's also virtually unique in not providing support for hyperlinks in a PDF document.

Pretty much any eInk reader is better than a Kindle for PDF.

[Seanette]

Originally Posted by PDowns

One writes "if I didn't have xxx number of ePubs I would get a Kindle, I know I can convert them in Calibre, but it takes too long" and there are several posts along this line. While Kindle owners lament the inability to borrow from e-Libraries because the have all their books in ePub format.

WOW! I found it amazingly easy!!!

Same here. Assuming DRM to not be an issue, Calibre is about as easy to use as any software I've seen in almost 20 years of computer usage (granted, I'm probably intermediate-to-advanced in general computer knowledge, even when on the learning curve for some new piece of software). As for time, I've done mass converts of large PDFs and kept right on going with other activities on the same computer with no bog-down problem. One could even start such an operation before leaving the house, going to bed, etc.

[arielaco]

I guess that is good enough for my ambitions, check this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ws6wO9TFYY

I would convert a book if it has some problems or buy the amazon one if it's a commercial book.

Thanks

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm afraid you've been misinformed; the Kindle has very poor PDF support. It's pretty much alone amongst eInk device in not supporting PDF reflow, so the only way you can read a large page is to zoom in on it and pan over the page, which is pretty much unusable. It's also virtually unique in not providing support for hyperlinks in a PDF document.

Pretty much any eInk reader is better than a Kindle for PDF.

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by arielaco

I guess that is good enough for my ambitions, check this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ws6wO9TFYY

I would convert a book if it has some problems or buy the amazon one if it's a commercial book.

Thanks

That example could be a pdf that is size-tailored for the kindle ?

[Steven Lake]

I'm jumping into this conversation late, but my stand behind Epub is based around the fact that epub is an open source format, and thus being a FOSS advocate, I stand behind it 100%. Not to mention it's easier to work with and tweak.

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by arielaco

Mostly i would like to read technical pdfs, like math, physics, and computer related books, programing books, php, perl, linux, html, css, graphic design, etc

I don't think you need an e-reader. I think you need an iPad.

E-readers (i.e., readers with e-ink screens) excel at long-form reading - by which I mean the kind of reading where you read uninterrupted for more than an hour. The kind of reading that you do when you read a novel. This is because most people seem to find it more relaxing to read on an e-ink screen.

But the farther away you move from novel-type reading, the less appropriate e-readers are - they are not in color, which can be a disadvantage for reference-type materials; they refresh slowly; and they may not have the file system you would prefer. The screen size of the iPad is also probably more useful as compared to the screen size of any e-reader other than the KDX.

YMMV.

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by arielaco

Mostly i would like to read technical pdfs, like math, physics, and computer related books, programing books, php, perl, linux, html, css, graphic design, etc

I saw at https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...t=98975&page=2 that kindle 3 handles pdfs very well, i don't mind about mobi is a quite old format with many drawbacks if i can read pdfs because pdf is the format in which i have the books.

Regarding to the store, i don't need wifi access to the store, i'll always have a near computer to transfer books to my device.

I don't need kindle wifi and neither the touch interface of the sony ereader, the important thing is the pdf support.

I don't need a very fancy device, because i'm buying this device after stoping printing my documents due to ecological and store issues. I'll kinda buy a color one in the near future(after lowering prices and a second or third gen of color ereader)

Thanks for any advice.

Hi There,

I own a Nook and a Kindle DX. I am also an IT guy (MS-SQL database administrator for several years) and instead of being passionate about the topic, I've learned that the answer when deciding what ereader to buy is: it depends! ;-)

Like someone else said, reading a PDF with Kindle DX is an "ok" experience but is slower turning pages and there is no TOC. So, keep that in mind. Of course, trying to do the same with a Nook, is way worse, you will need a magnifier, lol ...

Now, for technical books like the one I love and like: MS-SQL, Oracle, MySQL, PHP, etc, which have plenty of tables and graphics, having a Kindle DX is a delightful experience; and I said technical ebook, NOT PDF!

Now, because the weight, size and even the epub factor (with no DRM) a Nook is the way to go. Of course, we can always convert via Calibre, but I think the Nook is more than enough for text only books, like novels.

Ohh, and I forgot to say. If you can, stay away from buying your ebooks from B&N or Amazon. My personal choice for technical books is O'Reilly. Those are DRM free and they have plenty of titles. A bit higher in price than Amazon or B&N but if available you will also get the pdf, mobi and epub version of the same book.