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Old 04-10-2008, 01:45 AM   #31
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It's because of the mobi format.

PDF files have the page size pre-determined when they are made. If you're trying to view a regular paper size page on a small screen, the whole page will be displayed and it can be very very small text. It can be very hard or impossible to read. I can read some pdf files on my cybook and others I can't. The ones I can read, I have to view in landscape and I see only the top half or bottom half of the page at a time.

Feedbooks provides pdf files specifically sized for reading devices and they work perfectly on my cybook, but that's not what you're going to find at the library.

If you're looking to buy a portable device to read pdf library books you should be looking at something with a larger screen, and something that can read a DRM protected pdf. Harry suggested a Tablet PC.

I guess you missed it when I said I have read that NO EINK READER reads DRM protected pdf files. The cybook doesn't. The files from the library most likely are DRM protected. So to read pdf files from a library you're going to have to use a desktop, laptop, or some other similar device. They are not very good for portable devices, unless specifically made to size for the screen.

Mobipocket files have text that flows so it will fit itself to the screen, regardless of size. It also allows you to change font size. CYBOOK and ILIAD read DRM protected mobipocket files, which is most likely what your library has available. I'm not positive, but I don't think the kindle reads DRM protected mobipocket files. I think any kind of portable pc on which you can run the mobipocket reader should allow you to read DRM protected mobi ebooks.

I checked the Los Angeles Public Library website and they don't have any pdf or mobipocket ebooks available. It's only music, video, or e-audiobook.

edit:
Aapparently I'm wrong about pdf's being read on small screens. DRM pdf's don't work on e-Ink devices, but they will work on handheld pc's and the text may reflow. Read the following posts to learn more.

Last edited by cmbs; 04-10-2008 at 09:41 PM.
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Old 04-10-2008, 02:44 AM   #32
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I'm not positive, but I don't think the kindle reads DRM protected mobipocket files.
It won't read them as they stand, but igorsk has written a small python script which modifies the DRM header such that the Kindle will read it. The Kindle uses a slightly modified form of Mobi DRM which requires a small "tweak" to a "standard" Mobi file in order to be read.
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Old 04-10-2008, 10:01 AM   #33
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It won't read them as they stand, but igorsk has written a small python script which modifies the DRM header such that the Kindle will read it. The Kindle uses a slightly modified form of Mobi DRM which requires a small "tweak" to a "standard" Mobi file in order to be read.
It would be interesting to check that this fix still honors the time limited DRM used on Library books. It would be nice if Kindle supported library books.

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Old 04-10-2008, 10:24 AM   #34
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I'm 99.9% sure that it will do. Perhaps igorsk could confirm?
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Old 04-10-2008, 01:46 PM   #35
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I check books out of the library and read them all the time. The library I use has books in Mobipocket and PDF format. I read the Mobipocket books on my Cybook and I read the PDF books on my Pocket PC (I can also read the Mobipocket books on my Pocket PC)

Both types of books have the same kind of "time bomb" DRM on them - after 21 days the books will not open. I had to activate my Pocket PC through Adobe's website before I could read the PDF books on it. The Pocket PC handles the PDF books very well because the books are all tagged, which means they reflow to fit the Pocket PC's screen size.

The Cybook does not handle DRM for PDF formatted books, nor does it recognized tagged PDF files, so no PDF files reflow to fit the Cybook screen.
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Old 04-10-2008, 02:30 PM   #36
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I didn't know any pdf files would flow. So pdf files in libraries will reflow? Is that something a person could generally assume? If so, that opens a whole world of portable reading I was unaware of.
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Old 04-10-2008, 03:04 PM   #37
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Quote:
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It would be interesting to check that this fix still honors the time limited DRM used on Library books. It would be nice if Kindle supported library books.

Dale
I just tried it. Igorsk's kindlefix.py chokes on the library ebook. Oh, well.
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Old 04-10-2008, 04:08 PM   #38
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I didn't know any pdf files would flow. So pdf files in libraries will reflow? Is that something a person could generally assume? If so, that opens a whole world of portable reading I was unaware of.
You can check any PDF file to see if it has been tagged by viewing it's document properties (File > Document Properties > what does Tagged PDF show?)

If a book is not tagged, it won't reflow to fit a screen. Every library book, as well as every purchased PDF book, I've read has been tagged, so they reflowed to my smaller Pocket PC screen. I've attached a screen shot from my Pocket PC of a PDF book.
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Old 04-10-2008, 04:36 PM   #39
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Originally Posted by ProfJulie View Post
You can check any PDF file to see if it has been tagged by viewing it's document properties (File > Document Properties > what does Tagged PDF show?)

If a book is not tagged, it won't reflow to fit a screen. Every library book, as well as every purchased PDF book, I've read has been tagged, so they reflowed to my smaller Pocket PC screen. I've attached a screen shot from my Pocket PC of a PDF book.
Actually ActiveSync will automatically tag PDF files when they are moved to the device. It does a pretty good job but not quite as good as the smart tagging done in Adobe Framemaker or professional Acrobat versions. Once Activesync has added the tagging the file can be moved around and the tagging will not be lost.

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Old 04-10-2008, 04:59 PM   #40
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So are you two saying that generally speaking a person could read borrowed library pdf files on a smaller screen like some kind of hand held pc? I really thought you needed a large screen like a laptop, and this is good to know if I'm understanding correctly. I keep wondering why in the world libraries would choose only pdf files when they're so very not portable, but apparently they are portable. Yes?

'Course, now I can add it to the list of things the cybook ought to be able to do.

Last edited by cmbs; 04-10-2008 at 05:03 PM.
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Old 04-10-2008, 05:05 PM   #41
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Actually ActiveSync will automatically tag PDF files when they are moved to the device. It does a pretty good job but not quite as good as the smart tagging done in Adobe Framemaker or professional Acrobat versions. Once Activesync has added the tagging the file can be moved around and the tagging will not be lost.

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Yes there is an option in ActiveSync that will automatically tag PDF files, but unfortunately, there is no feature in Windows Mobile Device Center (the syncing software that is used on Vista computers), so the only way to tag those files is if you have the full version of Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer (I've never used Adobe Framemaker). Unfortunately, you can't tag protected files, but like I said before in my earlier reply, all the library books I've checked out are already tagged and so they reflow just fine on my pocket pc. I recently got a UMPC, which has a 7 inch screen, and tagged PDF files work fine on that too.

There are some problems using Adobe Reader for Pocket PC to read DRM protected books:

Sometimes the online activation for the device fails. I have only been able to activate one (out of 4) pocket pcs.

You can only use Adobe Reader 7 (or Adobe Acrobat 7) on your computer if you hope to transfer DRM books to a Pocket PC. The newer Adobe Reader 8 and Adobe Acrobat 8 use Adobe's Digital Editions software (a separate application) and there is no way to move PDF files to Pocket PCs.

Last edited by ProfJulie; 04-10-2008 at 06:03 PM.
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Old 04-10-2008, 06:16 PM   #42
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Yes there is an option in ActiveSync that will automatically tag PDF files, but unfortunately, there is no feature in Windows Mobile Device Center (the syncing software that is used on Vista computers), so the only way to tag those files is if you have the full version of Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer (I've never used Adobe Framemaker). Unfortunately, you can't tag protected files, but like I said before in my earlier reply, all the library books I've checked out are already tagged and so they reflow just fine on my pocket pc. I recently got a UMPC, which has a 7 inch screen, and tagged PDF files work fine on that too.

There are some problems using Adobe Reader for Pocket PC to read DRM protected books:

Sometimes the online activation for the device fails. I have only been able to activate one (out of 4) pocket pcs.

You can only use Adobe Reader 7 (or Adobe Acrobat 7) on your computer if you hope to transfer DRM books to a Pocket PC. The newer Adobe Reader 8 and Adobe Acrobat 8 use Adobe's Digital Editions software (a separate application) and there is no way to move PDF files to Pocket PCs.
Between Microsoft and Adobe they are trying to kill the only good eBook features PDF files have it would seem.

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Old 04-10-2008, 06:22 PM   #43
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So are you two saying that generally speaking a person could read borrowed library pdf files on a smaller screen like some kind of hand held pc? I really thought you needed a large screen like a laptop, and this is good to know if I'm understanding correctly. I keep wondering why in the world libraries would choose only pdf files when they're so very not portable, but apparently they are portable. Yes?

'Course, now I can add it to the list of things the cybook ought to be able to do.
Reflow is a good and essential feature of PDF but is not very well supported outside of Adobe. (The only product outside of Adobe that I know that can reflow a PDF is PalmPDF). Is does let you read PDF files on smaller devices. On PPC devices the reader itself is about 8 Meg so it is a complicated program. However it is not perfect. It sometimes really messes up when images are merged into the text but in those cases you can temporarily turn reflow off and pan around in the data to read it. Reflow will not work at all if the eBook is made of images such as books made from scanned images often are.

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Old 04-10-2008, 10:54 PM   #44
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I was looking at some pdf's I have and some say tagged:no and still they will reflow. So I'm still quite confused about it all. If it would save it in reflow mode, I could put it on my cybook like that. But it won't (or at least I can't figure out how).

Last edited by cmbs; 04-10-2008 at 11:00 PM.
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Old 04-11-2008, 11:15 AM   #45
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Reflowing doesn't work on a Cybook. The Cybook does not recognize the tags and it does not have an option to reflow PDF documents.
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