Troubleshooting Display maps of Lonely Planet digital guides on Kindle Paperwhite ?

gperrot · 12-03-2013, 04:21 PM

Hello,

I would like to use a Kindle Paperwhite to read my Lonely Planet guides [Link deleted - MODERATOR]. I heard that the reading of maps is really a problem because the maps are very small.

Have you any experience of that and can you confirm it ? (there are two possible formats of digital guides : PDF and EPUB, can you precise which one do you use ?)

If you want a PUB or PDF file for testing, let me know.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Gigi.

PS : I am also looking the Kobo Aura device and I have the same question about this device...

soulfuldog · 12-03-2013, 04:38 PM

PDF wouldn't be ideal, I had a look at one of the previews on my Kindle and it is a little small and not easy to read the maps because they are in black and white. You can change to landscape view and it makes the map much bigger (it splits it over two pages).

Looking at the Lonely Planet website, some of the guides give options for PDF, EPUB & MOBI, and I'd certainly think that either MOBI or EPUB would be a better option if you planned to use any e-reader. PDF files are only really going to be suitable for tablets.

gperrot · 12-03-2013, 04:46 PM

Thanks a lot for your precise answer.
Below are my comments.

Quote:

Originally Posted by l_macd

PDF wouldn't be ideal, I had a look at one of the previews on my Kindle and it is a little small and not easy to read the maps because they are in black and white. You can change to landscape view and it makes the map much bigger (it splits it over two pages).

Looking at the Lonely Planet website, some of the guides give options for PDF, EPUB & MOBI, and I'd certainly think that either MOBI or EPUB would be a better option if you planned to use any e-reader. PDF files are only really going to be suitable for tablets.

1) Why PDF is not as suitable than EPUB or MOBI ?
2) Between MOBI or EPUB, what is the best format ?
3) Have you tried those 2 formats ?
4) No way to zoom on small maps with those 2 formats ?
5) do you have the Kindle Paperwhite 2nd generation, maybe some display problems are solved ?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Gigi

soulfuldog · 12-03-2013, 04:56 PM

MOBI or EPUB would be better because they are designed for ereaders, PDF files are designed for computers (they are larger and don't display so well on the smaller 6" screens of ereaders).

I haven't tried either of them because the samples are PDF only. As to which is better between epub or mobi, I'm not sure there will be any difference between them, but if you get a Kindle you will require the mobi format, the Kobo Aura would use the epub version (although if DRM free, you can easily convert between the two if you only had the epub version but had bought a Kindle). I've no idea if the epub/mobi digital guides sold by Lonely Planet are DRM free though.

You can zoom in on the maps (at least in the PDF format) but it's a bit slow and cumbersome. I have the latest Paperwhite.

Here's two screenshots of a map from the PDF sample, first in Landscape view, second in the standard portrait view. Neither looked anywhere near as clear on my Kindle as the screenshots appear!

oecherprinte · 12-03-2013, 05:28 PM

I have several Lonely Planet guides on my paperwhite2 (from amazon in kindle format). The maps are available in full where you cannot read everything and additionally the maps are shown in quadrants so every map page is additionally partitioned into 4 separate pages, where you can read everything.

gperrot · 12-03-2013, 05:40 PM

Thanks a lot for your answer.

Would you mind to send a picture of both view (full and 4 quadrants) please ?
Do you find kindle paperwhite2 ergonomic in travel situation with those 2 views ? What is the kindle format ? MOBI ? Can I translate kindle format to EPUB if I want to try a Kobo Aura device with the same original file ?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Gigi

Quote:

Originally Posted by oecherprinte

I have several Lonely Planet guides on my paperwhite2 (from amazon in kindle format). The maps are available in full where you cannot read everything and additionally the maps are shown in quadrants so every map page is additionally partitioned into 4 separate pages, where you can read everything.

oecherprinte · 12-05-2013, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gperrot

Thanks a lot for your answer.

Would you mind to send a picture of both view (full and 4 quadrants) please ?
Do you find kindle paperwhite2 ergonomic in travel situation with those 2 views ? What is the kindle format ? MOBI ? Can I translate kindle format to EPUB if I want to try a Kobo Aura device with the same original file ?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Gigi

Sorry for the delay in answering. Actually, on the road I am using my smartphone to look at the guide books. It's great that you can use the kindle guide books on many platforms. My S2 is just easier to use on the road than the bulky kindle. However, when planning the day I use the kindle.

I will try to get some screenshots of a map example.

I guess you can perform any kind of format conversion. However, that would involve getting rid of the DRM which is not legal.

By the way, we had a comparison between kindle and Kobo Aura in our company these day with large and heavily linked ebooks. The result was that kindle was far superior to Kobo when handling these files. Kindle did not introduce any delays when following links while kobo had a 5-10 seconds delay.

gperrot · 12-07-2013, 03:02 AM

No problem for the delay and thanks a lot for your detailed answer.

Would you mind to provide me a recent Lonely Planet guide book you have in order to test it myself ?

Furthermore, do you have the complete results of Paperwhite2 vs Aura comparison ?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Gigi.

Quote:

Originally Posted by oecherprinte

Sorry for the delay in answering. Actually, on the road I am using my smartphone to look at the guide books. It's great that you can use the kindle guide books on many platforms. My S2 is just easier to use on the road than the bulky kindle. However, when planning the day I use the kindle.

I will try to get some screenshots of a map example.

I guess you can perform any kind of format conversion. However, that would involve getting rid of the DRM which is not legal.

By the way, we had a comparison between kindle and Kobo Aura in our company these day with large and heavily linked ebooks. The result was that kindle was far superior to Kobo when handling these files. Kindle did not introduce any delays when following links while kobo had a 5-10 seconds delay.

HarryT · 12-07-2013, 08:38 AM

Moderator Notice
Do not ask for copies of copyrighted material again or you will be instantly and permanently banned from MobileRead. We will not permit these forums to be used to condone, encourage, or facilitate piracy.

gperrot · 12-07-2013, 08:52 AM

Sorry for that ! I didn't want to pirate but I just wanted to make a test of a Kindle device with that kind of documents.

I apologize for that.

Gigi

elemenoP · 12-07-2013, 09:31 AM

Are you in the US? Does your local library have an ebook program? You may want to check. My library carries a huge number of Lonely Planet titles in ebook format.

eP

gperrot · 12-07-2013, 09:39 AM

I am in France and there is no ebook program in my library unfortunately. Thanks a lot for the suggestion !

johnnyb · 12-07-2013, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gperrot

I am in France and there is no ebook program in my library unfortunately. Thanks a lot for the suggestion !

Try a Kindle sample...

gperrot · 12-07-2013, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnyb

Try a Kindle sample...

Thanks a lot for your answer. In fact, I want to test a Lonely planet guide on Kindle and Kobo. Do you know where I can find a sample legally ?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Gigi

soulfuldog · 12-07-2013, 05:02 PM

You can download a free preview sample of the Kindle format from the Amazon website. For example, this link will take you to the Spain Guide on the amazon.fr website, and you'll see the link for a sample on the right under the buy button. If you don't already have a Kindle you can test it on, you can download the Kindle for PC app from Amazon to view it.

I don't think any of the epub stores have samples so can't help you for seeing how the epub would look on the Kobo.

12-03-2013, 04:21 PM	#1
gperrot Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2013 Device: none	Display maps of Lonely Planet digital guides on Kindle Paperwhite ? Hello, I would like to use a Kindle Paperwhite to read my Lonely Planet guides [Link deleted - MODERATOR]. I heard that the reading of maps is really a problem because the maps are very small. Have you any experience of that and can you confirm it ? (there are two possible formats of digital guides : PDF and EPUB, can you precise which one do you use ?) If you want a PUB or PDF file for testing, let me know. Thanks in advance for your help. Gigi. PS : I am also looking the Kobo Aura device and I have the same question about this device... Last edited by Dr. Drib; 12-04-2013 at 07:09 AM.

12-03-2013, 04:56 PM	#4
soulfuldog I ♥ Calibre Posts: 2,073 Karma: 5678911 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis, Voyage, Sony PRS-350, Hudl2	MOBI or EPUB would be better because they are designed for ereaders, PDF files are designed for computers (they are larger and don't display so well on the smaller 6" screens of ereaders). I haven't tried either of them because the samples are PDF only. As to which is better between epub or mobi, I'm not sure there will be any difference between them, but if you get a Kindle you will require the mobi format, the Kobo Aura would use the epub version (although if DRM free, you can easily convert between the two if you only had the epub version but had bought a Kindle). I've no idea if the epub/mobi digital guides sold by Lonely Planet are DRM free though. You can zoom in on the maps (at least in the PDF format) but it's a bit slow and cumbersome. I have the latest Paperwhite. Here's two screenshots of a map from the PDF sample, first in Landscape view, second in the standard portrait view. Neither looked anywhere near as clear on my Kindle as the screenshots appear! Attached Thumbnails

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12-03-2013, 04:38 PM	#2
soulfuldog I ♥ Calibre Posts: 2,073 Karma: 5678911 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis, Voyage, Sony PRS-350, Hudl2	PDF wouldn't be ideal, I had a look at one of the previews on my Kindle and it is a little small and not easy to read the maps because they are in black and white. You can change to landscape view and it makes the map much bigger (it splits it over two pages). Looking at the Lonely Planet website, some of the guides give options for PDF, EPUB & MOBI, and I'd certainly think that either MOBI or EPUB would be a better option if you planned to use any e-reader. PDF files are only really going to be suitable for tablets.

12-03-2013, 05:28 PM	#5
oecherprinte Zealot Posts: 115 Karma: 20 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Kindle3 3G, Kindle Paperwhite 2	I have several Lonely Planet guides on my paperwhite2 (from amazon in kindle format). The maps are available in full where you cannot read everything and additionally the maps are shown in quadrants so every map page is additionally partitioned into 4 separate pages, where you can read everything.

12-07-2013, 08:38 AM	#9
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Moderator Notice Do not ask for copies of copyrighted material again or you will be instantly and permanently banned from MobileRead. We will not permit these forums to be used to condone, encourage, or facilitate piracy.

12-07-2013, 08:52 AM	#10
gperrot Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2013 Device: none	Sorry for that ! I didn't want to pirate but I just wanted to make a test of a Kindle device with that kind of documents. I apologize for that. Gigi

12-07-2013, 09:31 AM	#11
elemenoP Wizard Posts: 1,717 Karma: 3790058 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: NYC Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Sony 650	Are you in the US? Does your local library have an ebook program? You may want to check. My library carries a huge number of Lonely Planet titles in ebook format. eP

12-07-2013, 09:39 AM	#12
gperrot Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2013 Device: none	I am in France and there is no ebook program in my library unfortunately. Thanks a lot for the suggestion !

12-07-2013, 05:02 PM	#15
soulfuldog I ♥ Calibre Posts: 2,073 Karma: 5678911 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis, Voyage, Sony PRS-350, Hudl2	You can download a free preview sample of the Kindle format from the Amazon website. For example, this link will take you to the Spain Guide on the amazon.fr website, and you'll see the link for a sample on the right under the buy button. If you don't already have a Kindle you can test it on, you can download the Kindle for PC app from Amazon to view it. I don't think any of the epub stores have samples so can't help you for seeing how the epub would look on the Kobo.