Breaking news!!!!! Sony to sell Epub only - Page 10

mtravellerh · 08-13-2009, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wallcraft

They can't drop support for LRF/LRX in their Readers, because they are still selling LRX ebooks and because maintaining customer loyalty is important for selling new devices. So the new devices have to support "legacy" ebooks, probably for years to come.

Well, they won't support LRF/LRX. Neither will 505/700 after the update. Same goes for 500. Wanna bet?

JSWolf · 08-13-2009, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahi

I suspect that unless they stop using Adobe's software... and develop their own, ePubs will probably continue looking as well-nigh unreadable as they do today.

- Ahi

I disagree. ePub is very well readable on my 505. And the page number at the right side doesn't bother me a bit even if text and the page number clash. I can easily read what word it is without bother. ePub is more readable in a lot of cases then LRF.

HarryT · 08-13-2009, 10:33 AM

The 500 may be an issue, due to the small size of its ROM. ISTR that Sony said that the ePub firmware wouldn't "fit" into the 500 when they released the firmware update for the 505.

JSWolf · 08-13-2009, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

Well that sucks

Not to worry, ahi is incorrect.

igorsk · 08-13-2009, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mtravellerh

Well, they won't support LRF/LRX. Neither will 505/700 after the update. Same goes for 500. Wanna bet?

They don't need to face the exclusivity dilemma others had with EPUB vs. Mobi so I don't see why Sony would remove LRF support. Also, PRS-300 and PRS-600 still support it even though they're new models.

JSWolf · 08-13-2009, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahi

Well, in fairness I could be wrong.

Also, I'm sure in a few more minutes the posts will start flooding in telling you that irrelevant page numbers displayed in the (therefore wasted) margin is not so bad, and that ePub in fact looks better than anything else out there because you can include your own fonts.

- Ahi

ePub is better then LRF because if you do want your own fonts, it doesn't slow down like LRF does. LRF with embedded fonts is slow.

krischik · 08-13-2009, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by igorsk

They don't need to face the exclusivity dilemma others had with EPUB vs. Mobi so I don't see why Sony would remove LRF support. Also, PRS-300 and PRS-600 still support it even though they're new models.

HarryT answered that 2 post above: at least for the 500 the Flash-ROM is to small to hold both. And I suspected that much on page 9.

HarryT · 08-13-2009, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wallcraft

The Opus is rendering the in-line page numbers differently from other devices with mobile ADE. It is using an almost invisible page number in the body of the text, which it gets away with because the page number is also in the title bar. On my EZ Reader (Hanlin V3), the page number is very prominent and it can obscure a word. On the other hand, the full screen view on the EZ Reader (no title bar) is otherwise a good thing. For screenshots of the two devices (on different pages) see Just got my Cybook Opus posts #50 and #51.

Just so we can all see what we're talking about, here's a photograph of my Opus. If you look very, very closely, you can just see the page number at the top right corner. Sorry, but to my mind anyone who thinks that makes the book "unreadable" is nuts

.

lilac_jive · 08-13-2009, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by igorsk

Adobe's EPUB compatible devices list includes upcoming PRS-300 and PRS-600 but not PRS-500. This seems to suggest that we are unlikely to get a PRS-500 firmware with EPUB support. Still, I wonder what else could the "update path" be... an exchange program like the one for the 505 doesn't really sound like it.

It says in the press release that the 500 will get a firmware update so it can read ePub.

HarryT · 08-13-2009, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

It says in the press release that the 500 will get a firmware update so it can read ePub.

It doesn't actually say that (unless I've missed something, in which case I apologise) - it just says there will be an "update" available for PRS-500 owners. That could refer to something like a trade-in offer. We'll have to wait and see.

lilac_jive · 08-13-2009, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

It doesn't actually say that (unless I've missed something, in which case I apologise) - it just says there will be an "update" available for PRS-500 owners. That could refer to something like a trade-in offer. We'll have to wait and see.

I need to reread it, if I can find it. I thought it was pretty clear 500 would get ePub support.

Quote:

Sony will also provide an update path for owners of the first edition Reader, model PRS-500, so early adopters of the Reader will be able to enjoy this benefit as well.

Hrmm...I guess it is a little vague.

wallcraft · 08-13-2009, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by krischik

Did BeBook not do precisely that only from Mobipocket to ePUB? Remember: you don't have to update!

And they could just convert all LRX into ePUB and let you re-download.

BeBook does not have an ebook store.

I agree that conversion of all titles by Sony from LRX to ePub is a possible approach. I can't see any advantage to this for Sony over providing LRX reading firmware.

wallcraft · 08-13-2009, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Sorry, but to my mind anyone who thinks that makes the book "unreadable" is nuts

.

It obviously does not make the ebook unreadable if the page number is in the margin, but an ePub does not have to have a wide right margin (or any blank right margin at all). In some ebooks the page number is over the text (note that it can be anywhere vertically on the screen, but always near the right edge) and you can't easily read the word underneath the page number. On the Opus, it may be possible to read the word underneath the page number since the page number is so faint.

griffonwing · 08-13-2009, 11:02 AM

Holy Crappola! This thread started 10:48pm last night (according to my time), and by 9:50am, has already reached the bottom of Page 10! This thread is on fire!

As for the subject, this is great news indeed! I greatly applaud Sony in this decision, and look forward to Amazon countering it with the same. I've never seen any sense or reason to say "you can only read this book on my device, so if you want to read this book, buy my device".

Sony has seen the light. Will Amazon open their eyes? Or will they turn their faces and wiggle back into the darkness...

Hellmark · 08-13-2009, 11:03 AM

The advantage would be to sony, who would not have to have two copies of each book, and keep track of which version you originally bought. They just convert, and business as usual after that.

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08-13-2009, 10:33 AM	#138
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	The 500 may be an issue, due to the small size of its ROM. ISTR that Sony said that the ePub firmware wouldn't "fit" into the 500 when they released the firmware update for the 505.

08-13-2009, 11:02 AM	#149
griffonwing Suave Swabby, Savvy? Posts: 1,602 Karma: 520350 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Harrison, ARrrr, USA - southern Ozark mountains Device: Slate Blue PEZ (Astak Pocket Pro), CVSCX-9300 Quad-band watch phone	Holy Crappola! This thread started 10:48pm last night (according to my time), and by 9:50am, has already reached the bottom of Page 10! This thread is on fire! As for the subject, this is great news indeed! I greatly applaud Sony in this decision, and look forward to Amazon countering it with the same. I've never seen any sense or reason to say "you can only read this book on my device, so if you want to read this book, buy my device". Sony has seen the light. Will Amazon open their eyes? Or will they turn their faces and wiggle back into the darkness...

08-13-2009, 11:03 AM	#150
Hellmark Wizard Posts: 2,549 Karma: 3799999 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: O'Fallon, Missouri, USA Device: Nokia N800, PRS-505, Nook STR Glowlight, Kindle 3	The advantage would be to sony, who would not have to have two copies of each book, and keep track of which version you originally bought. They just convert, and business as usual after that.

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