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Old 01-22-2010, 02:42 PM   #1
John1997
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Which format to choose

Not sure if this is the best forum to ask this question, but I wanted to buy The Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes. It's a pricey ebook at $40, available from ebooks.com in Adobe Digital Edition, ePub, and Mobireader.

I'm sure it also has nice illustrations, and I'd like to maximize my comprehension and enjoyment while reading.

I have ADE on my slate computer, and that's a good experience, all the illustrations will be clear and in color.

What about the Mobi and ePub formats? I have a JBL as well as the slate, and that would be more portable.

I've seen a lot of discussions about choosing an eReader. Could someone offer thoughts, or point to a particularly good thread, on choosing a format.

Thanks,
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Old 01-24-2010, 12:29 AM   #2
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An Adobe Digital Editions ebook is almost always a PDF (and it certainly a PDF if there is also an Adobe ePub version).

I don't think there is any reason to go with MOBI over ePub.

On your slate, the PDF might be the best choice for a heavily illustrated ebook (or for a technical ebook with page layout designed to aid comprehension) but in general an ePub will be your best choice for reading on a wider range of devices. However, I'm not sure how well ePub works on the JetBook.

For more on various formats, see A Comparison of format limitations based on The Hobbit.

Note that on a PC, Adobe Digital Editions is a relatively poor PDF viewer. If you strip the DRM then you can instead use Adobe Reader or Foxit or whatever you like best. Adobe Digital Editions is better at ePubs, but you can instead try Sony eBook Library or B&N Reader. If you strip the DRM, then Calibre or FBReader are also possibilities for ePubs. FBReader on the PC should be similar to the JetBook for ePubs, although the PC version of FBReader is significantly newer than on the jetBook.
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Old 01-24-2010, 03:32 PM   #3
John1997
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Thanks for your thoughts and for the pointer to your very thorough comparison.

ePubs do look very good on the JetBook Lite. Indeed, with the v0.15 firmware the JBL is a fine reader.

I agree the Adobe Digital Editions is a disappointing pdf reader. I close the Navigation Screen and that helps.

I'll do some more of my own comparisons, but right now I'm thinking ADE pdf for books with illustrations or in which the page layout is important, and epub for most everything else.
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