Gen3 Can you really switch back and forth between Mobi and ePub?

FizzyWater · 09-02-2011, 04:00 AM

I sold my old Bookeen Gen 3 to a friend who loves it. It deserves to be loved and I couldn't do it.

I've been trying to convince her to let me install (she's a self-confessed technical illiterate) the firmware to upgrade it to read ePub formatted books.

She's terrified she won't like it and will be stuck with it.

I seem to remember when it came out, it was posted here that you could switch back and forth freely between the 1.6 Mobi firmware and the 2.1 ePub firmware.

Is that true? Has anyone done it? If so, is there anything special to doing the switch, beside running the firmware upgrade file?

Thanks for your help!

Billi · 09-02-2011, 05:57 AM

Be brave! Just do it!

It is possible to switch between the mobi and epub firmware without problems and you don't need anything more than the two firmware files.

(To comfort your friend a little bit: ask her if she would upgrade her Gen3 weekly or monthly if Bookeen would offer a new mobi firmware every week or month. I think she would, and the procedure is technically the same if you upgrade mobi on mobi or epub on mobi and back. And because I'm curious I switched from mobi to epub and then back to mobi again and didn't experience any problems.)

FlorenceArt · 09-02-2011, 08:40 AM

I've gone back and forth between epub and mobi a couple of times on my Gen3 and Opus, it works fine.

FizzyWater · 09-02-2011, 10:30 PM

Thanks to both of you. And to Bill's question about what she would say if I asked her if she'd be willing to update her firmware weekly if Bookeen would do it....? Her answer would be "what's firmware?"

If it were my reader, I'd do it without hesitation. But she lives in another state. She's currently working as a consultant in the my office on a four-day week basis, so I'm thinking if I can get my hands on it on a Monday and if there's trouble, I can get it functioning by Thursday. But I want to avoid reformatting it and handing it back to her without a little "beta testing"...I want to be able to answer simple questions if she has any.

So FlorenceArt, can you tell me - is the main interface the same? With the exception of the ebook format, will the steps she takes to find and read a book be the same? That'll make it easier for her to accept.

FlorenceArt · 09-03-2011, 01:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

So FlorenceArt, can you tell me - is the main interface the same? With the exception of the ebook format, will the steps she takes to find and read a book be the same? That'll make it easier for her to accept.

Yes, the interface is exactly the same. You keep your directory structure except that a folder is created for Adobe, I forget what it's called but that's where the Adobe app will put books if you use it to transfer ePubs. Another thing that you probably already told her, but she must be aware that she needs to convert her old books, and will lose her bookmarks in the process. Other than that, I can't think of any difference. Except for the bad formatting of commercial ePubs, which is the reason I keep coming back to mobi (that and the Chambers dictionary that I bought long ago and that would become useless with ePub).

FizzyWater · 09-03-2011, 10:57 PM

Ah, so I'd need to find her another dictionary, if she agrees to switch. I didn't think of that. I don't know how much (or even if) she uses the dictionary lookup. I know I don't use it a lot on the Sony, but I like having the option. I'll have to see if I can find her a freebie or low-cost one to start with...

Thanks!

FlorenceArt · 09-04-2011, 02:17 AM

Unfortunately there is still no dictionary format in ePub, and the Cybook has no other dictionary, built-in or other. So she'll have to do without for the moment.

FizzyWater · 09-05-2011, 03:58 AM

What format is my Sony using for a dictionary then? I use dictionary lookup on it, and it reads ePub...

Billi · 09-05-2011, 06:18 AM

Within the mobipocket file specification there is a special definition of dictionaries so that you can use a mobipocket dictionary on every device with a mobipocket reader software (so your friend could use her Gen3 mobipocket dictionary on a Kindle or on a PC, too).

Epub doesn't have such a definition so every vendor has to implement his own dictionary management into his firmware for himself. So, if you would be able to extract your Sony Reader dictionary you would not be able to use it on your Nook, too, or give it your friend for her Gen3, although they all read epub files.
And until now Bookeen hasn't provided any dictionary support for their epub firmware.

FlorenceArt · 09-05-2011, 08:01 AM

One thing is that she may not have dictionary look-up on the Gen3 as it is, unless you delivered it with a dictionary you installed yourself. So she may not miss it all that much. It's the kind of functionality that you live very well without, until you start using it...

Sharone · 09-28-2011, 01:13 AM

No problems with switching to epub, then back to mobi.
Something to note: I switched to epub after becoming a member of FLP, but the firmware didn't like most of the books that I first tried to borrow and simply refused to read them. Potentially something to do with not-so-perfectly-packaged-epubs.

I think that was 2.1
I went back because in the end, I could not read any of the borrowed epubs. And , I preferred the mobi look.

fani · 09-29-2011, 02:28 AM

I switched to ePub and was very exited that I was able to buy ePub books for my Cybook. But then I was having problems with a lot of books, probably due to low RAM of the first editions of Gen3, so I switched back to Mobi. It is easy to switch back and forth and does not create any problems. If this is a first or second edition of Cybook Gen3, maybe she should stick to Mobi and use Calibre to convert new ePub books that she buys to Mobi.

FizzyWater · 09-30-2011, 01:11 AM

Hmmm, I think it was one of the early ones....

To be honest, the reason I brought it up is because she's not comfortable with much on the computer, and doesn't find it much fun.

So it turns out I get stuck converting all her books for her. I was hoping if I could get her switched to ePub, I could get out of it.

FlorenceArt · 09-30-2011, 02:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

Hmmm, I think it was one of the early ones....

To be honest, the reason I brought it up is because she's not comfortable with much on the computer, and doesn't find it much fun.

So it turns out I get stuck converting all her books for her. I was hoping if I could get her switched to ePub, I could get out of it.

Ah yes, that is a good reason

Maybe she should just buy a Kindle, if she hates fiddling with the computer to be able to read books. That's what I would recommend to my mother, except the Kindle is not really practical for French readers yet.

09-02-2011, 04:00 AM	#1
FizzyWater You kids get off my lawn! Posts: 4,220 Karma: 73492664 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Columbus, Ohio Device: Oasis 2 and Libra H2O and half a dozen older models I can't let go of	Can you really switch back and forth between Mobi and ePub? I sold my old Bookeen Gen 3 to a friend who loves it. It deserves to be loved and I couldn't do it. I've been trying to convince her to let me install (she's a self-confessed technical illiterate) the firmware to upgrade it to read ePub formatted books. She's terrified she won't like it and will be stuck with it. I seem to remember when it came out, it was posted here that you could switch back and forth freely between the 1.6 Mobi firmware and the 2.1 ePub firmware. Is that true? Has anyone done it? If so, is there anything special to doing the switch, beside running the firmware upgrade file? Thanks for your help!

09-28-2011, 01:13 AM	#11
Sharone Enthusiast Posts: 42 Karma: 498109 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: Cybook Gen3, Kindle (3) Keyboard	No problems with switching to epub, then back to mobi. Something to note: I switched to epub after becoming a member of FLP, but the firmware didn't like most of the books that I first tried to borrow and simply refused to read them. Potentially something to do with not-so-perfectly-packaged-epubs. I think that was 2.1 I went back because in the end, I could not read any of the borrowed epubs. And , I preferred the mobi look. Last edited by Sharone; 09-28-2011 at 01:14 AM. Reason: Oops, did not realise the thread was almost a month old

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09-02-2011, 05:57 AM	#2
Billi Wizard Posts: 3,388 Karma: 14190103 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Berlin Device: Cybook, iRex, PB, Onyx	Be brave! Just do it! It is possible to switch between the mobi and epub firmware without problems and you don't need anything more than the two firmware files. (To comfort your friend a little bit: ask her if she would upgrade her Gen3 weekly or monthly if Bookeen would offer a new mobi firmware every week or month. I think she would, and the procedure is technically the same if you upgrade mobi on mobi or epub on mobi and back. And because I'm curious I switched from mobi to epub and then back to mobi again and didn't experience any problems.)

09-02-2011, 08:40 AM	#3
FlorenceArt High Priestess Posts: 5,761 Karma: 5042529 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Montreuil sous bois, France Device: iPad Pro 9.7, iPhone 6 Plus	I've gone back and forth between epub and mobi a couple of times on my Gen3 and Opus, it works fine.

09-02-2011, 10:30 PM	#4
FizzyWater You kids get off my lawn! Posts: 4,220 Karma: 73492664 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Columbus, Ohio Device: Oasis 2 and Libra H2O and half a dozen older models I can't let go of	Thanks to both of you. And to Bill's question about what she would say if I asked her if she'd be willing to update her firmware weekly if Bookeen would do it....? Her answer would be "what's firmware?" If it were my reader, I'd do it without hesitation. But she lives in another state. She's currently working as a consultant in the my office on a four-day week basis, so I'm thinking if I can get my hands on it on a Monday and if there's trouble, I can get it functioning by Thursday. But I want to avoid reformatting it and handing it back to her without a little "beta testing"...I want to be able to answer simple questions if she has any. So FlorenceArt, can you tell me - is the main interface the same? With the exception of the ebook format, will the steps she takes to find and read a book be the same? That'll make it easier for her to accept.

09-03-2011, 10:57 PM	#6
FizzyWater You kids get off my lawn! Posts: 4,220 Karma: 73492664 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Columbus, Ohio Device: Oasis 2 and Libra H2O and half a dozen older models I can't let go of	Ah, so I'd need to find her another dictionary, if she agrees to switch. I didn't think of that. I don't know how much (or even if) she uses the dictionary lookup. I know I don't use it a lot on the Sony, but I like having the option. I'll have to see if I can find her a freebie or low-cost one to start with... Thanks!

09-04-2011, 02:17 AM	#7
FlorenceArt High Priestess Posts: 5,761 Karma: 5042529 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Montreuil sous bois, France Device: iPad Pro 9.7, iPhone 6 Plus	Unfortunately there is still no dictionary format in ePub, and the Cybook has no other dictionary, built-in or other. So she'll have to do without for the moment.

09-05-2011, 03:58 AM	#8
FizzyWater You kids get off my lawn! Posts: 4,220 Karma: 73492664 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Columbus, Ohio Device: Oasis 2 and Libra H2O and half a dozen older models I can't let go of	What format is my Sony using for a dictionary then? I use dictionary lookup on it, and it reads ePub...

09-05-2011, 06:18 AM	#9
Billi Wizard Posts: 3,388 Karma: 14190103 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Berlin Device: Cybook, iRex, PB, Onyx	Within the mobipocket file specification there is a special definition of dictionaries so that you can use a mobipocket dictionary on every device with a mobipocket reader software (so your friend could use her Gen3 mobipocket dictionary on a Kindle or on a PC, too). Epub doesn't have such a definition so every vendor has to implement his own dictionary management into his firmware for himself. So, if you would be able to extract your Sony Reader dictionary you would not be able to use it on your Nook, too, or give it your friend for her Gen3, although they all read epub files. And until now Bookeen hasn't provided any dictionary support for their epub firmware.

09-05-2011, 08:01 AM	#10
FlorenceArt High Priestess Posts: 5,761 Karma: 5042529 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Montreuil sous bois, France Device: iPad Pro 9.7, iPhone 6 Plus	One thing is that she may not have dictionary look-up on the Gen3 as it is, unless you delivered it with a dictionary you installed yourself. So she may not miss it all that much. It's the kind of functionality that you live very well without, until you start using it...

09-29-2011, 02:28 AM	#12
fani Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2008 Device: Cybook Gen3	I switched to ePub and was very exited that I was able to buy ePub books for my Cybook. But then I was having problems with a lot of books, probably due to low RAM of the first editions of Gen3, so I switched back to Mobi. It is easy to switch back and forth and does not create any problems. If this is a first or second edition of Cybook Gen3, maybe she should stick to Mobi and use Calibre to convert new ePub books that she buys to Mobi.

09-30-2011, 01:11 AM	#13
FizzyWater You kids get off my lawn! Posts: 4,220 Karma: 73492664 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Columbus, Ohio Device: Oasis 2 and Libra H2O and half a dozen older models I can't let go of	Hmmm, I think it was one of the early ones.... To be honest, the reason I brought it up is because she's not comfortable with much on the computer, and doesn't find it much fun. So it turns out I get stuck converting all her books for her. I was hoping if I could get her switched to ePub, I could get out of it.