DearAuthor's e-reader Xmas shopping guide

[Alexander Turcic]

Oh, ho, ho. With stores already full of tinsel and Christmas trees, it's a good time to start thinking about buying gifts for your nearest and dearest. To help you out on your little shopping frenzy, Jane of the excellent DearAuthor blog compiled a list of currently available e-book devices, which includes a careful comparison of prices and features. Her personal recommendation:

The Sony Reader for PC users and the Bookeen for Mac users but only because Bookeen supports the Mobipocket format. The problem with DRM is that it prevents consumers from actually buying the best device for their dollar. At $299, there doesn't appear to be a sufficient reason to spend $50 more to buy a device from France that will have to be serviced in France if there are any problems. A PC user can avail herself of the Lit books (using a lit conversion program) that is available at nearly every ebook store but a MAC user cannot.

[da_jane]

I had some readers correct me that about the MAC issue. As you guys probably already know, mobipocket can't be run on MACs. However, I have been given to understand that you can download the book and then transfer it to the Bookeen and read it even if you can't read the mobipocket on the MAC. Right?

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by da_jane

I had some readers correct me that about the MAC issue. As you guys probably already know, mobipocket can't be run on MACs. However, I have been given to understand that you can download the book and then transfer it to the Bookeen and read it even if you can't read the mobipocket on the MAC. Right?

Yes, provided you first registered the device you are transferring to.

[kovidgoyal]

You can read lit files on your MAC as well using libprs500.

[JeffB]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

You can read lit files on your MAC as well using libprs500.

Just a minor pet peeve...

MAC is the acronym for Media Access Contol, which is a semi-unique network identifier applied to most network cards.

Mac is the short form for "Macintosh", which is a line of personal computers made by Apple, Inc.

[NatCh]

I always use the term MacPuter.

[Goshzilla]

Additional cons for the eBookwise is that the LCD screen is not easily readable out of doors;

The screen is not color, it has the same kind of background contrast as a handheld calculator. So it is readable out side in full sunlight. Perhaps it is the glare, which from my understanding there is no glare reducing screen cover large enough that could be purchased.

[Leaping Gnome]

With stores already full of tinsel and Christmas trees, it's a good time to start thinking about buying gifts for your nearest and dearest.

No, really, it's not. I am holding tight to my "buy nothing for Christmas until after Thanksgiving" principle. I cannot believe that places had Christmas decorations up before Halloween this year. Places are already playing Christmas music. I am already sick of it and it is the first week of November.

[NatCh]

Heh, I usually try to get my Christmas shopping mostly done over the summer, and totally shun the "Holiday Shopping" thing. Sadly, that didn't work out this year, I think it may have had something to do with moving and stuff.

[Ravenflight]

"There doesn't appear to be sufficient reason to spend fifty dollars more"??? Did she even use the devices? Let's forget about the fact that Bookeen supports half a dozen formats with more on the way, and my Sony supports basically one (if you eliminate the useless PDF support). Let's look at how with the Bookeen device you can look up words from within the book your reading using your choice of dictionaries? That feature right there is worth every penny of 350.00 to me.

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by da_jane

I had some readers correct me that about the MAC issue. As you guys probably already know, mobipocket can't be run on MACs. However, I have been given to understand that you can download the book and then transfer it to the Bookeen and read it even if you can't read the mobipocket on the MAC. Right?

Yes, you can download the mobipocket ebooks right from the Mobipocket (or Fictionwise or other Mobipocket retailer, whereever you purchased it from) site and open it up on the Cybook. This is true for Mac users and Linux users. I note that Sony's Connect software *also* won't run on a Mac or Linux computer which means, in the case of people who purchase a PRS5xx, S-O-L. *That* might be sufficient reason to by a Cybook.

Derek

[kovidgoyal]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

Yes, you can download the mobipocket ebooks right from the Mobipocket (or Fictionwise or other Mobipocket retailer, whereever you purchased it from) site and open it up on the Cybook. This is true for Mac users and Linux users. I note that Sony's Connect software *also* won't run on a Mac or Linux computer which means, in the case of people who purchase a PRS5xx, S-O-L. *That* might be sufficient reason to by a Cybook.

Derek

However, thanks to me, you can create, view and transfer SONY LRF files on Linux and Mac.

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

However, thanks to me, you can create, view and transfer SONY LRF files on Linux and Mac.

And I use, thanks to you, Libprs just for that purpose. Of course, for those who want to buy a title, Mobipocket's still the way to go. Are you working on a way to convert Secure Mobipocket to LRF? Hmmm??? Gonna be buying a PRS505 to add to my collection soon.

Of course, I also wouldn't mind seeing FBReader on the PRS or the Cybook...

Derek

[kovidgoyal]

Since I live in the US writing DRM crackers is not something I want to do And the next ebook format I'll work on will be epub.

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

Since I live in the US writing DRM crackers is not something I want to do And the next ebook format I'll work on will be epub.

Now that has possibilities...

Derek