Alternative ways to format ebooks for the reader

tcv · 11-12-2006, 11:21 AM

As some of you know, I've been looking at the Reader for a few weeks now, thinking I might buy one. Sometimes, I don't want one, then I change my mind. Meanwhile, I continue to shop.

I have been looking at alternatives, too, like a UMPC or some such. Yesterday, I looked at the Sony PSP. Yes, it's a capable media device -- games, videos, audio, etc. -- but what about ebooks?

So, I set upon looking for ways to get ebooks onto the device and ran across a couple of ideas that may pertain to the Reader.

First there's PDF2PSP. This homebrew app essentially takes a PDF and outputs it to correct-sized JPEGs which you can then place on the reader and view through the image viewer. Since this is an open source product, it's possible it can be modified to output correct sized images for the Reader.

Next up is PaperlessPrinter . With this, you can print any document into various formats, including RTF, PDF, JPEG, BMP, and others. This is a commercial product.

---

I think the PSP is a bust for me mainly because it's ... ahmmm ... too much of a cat-and-mouse game. The hackers figure out a way to run their own apps, then Sony pushes an update to the device that breaks that ability. My understanding of the situation today is that if you want to run homebrew applications, you will have to downgrade your firmware from whatever it came with to something that doesn't have as many nice features in it. Kind of lame. I am still looking at this, though. There is a huge hacking community behind the device, moreso than I thought possible, really.

fireproof · 11-12-2006, 03:48 PM

What about just reading HTML formatted ebooks on the PSP? They won't remove the web browser, you can count on that

Baen and several other publishers make their wares available in HTML (and there's always psp.manybooks.net, for public domain stuff).

tcv · 11-12-2006, 07:48 PM

That's true, but I was more interested in the idea of using these tools to get the content on the Sony Reader.

11-12-2006, 11:21 AM	#1
tcv Addict Posts: 330 Karma: 596 Join Date: Oct 2006	Alternative ways to format ebooks for the reader As some of you know, I've been looking at the Reader for a few weeks now, thinking I might buy one. Sometimes, I don't want one, then I change my mind. Meanwhile, I continue to shop. I have been looking at alternatives, too, like a UMPC or some such. Yesterday, I looked at the Sony PSP. Yes, it's a capable media device -- games, videos, audio, etc. -- but what about ebooks? So, I set upon looking for ways to get ebooks onto the device and ran across a couple of ideas that may pertain to the Reader. First there's PDF2PSP. This homebrew app essentially takes a PDF and outputs it to correct-sized JPEGs which you can then place on the reader and view through the image viewer. Since this is an open source product, it's possible it can be modified to output correct sized images for the Reader. Next up is PaperlessPrinter . With this, you can print any document into various formats, including RTF, PDF, JPEG, BMP, and others. This is a commercial product. --- I think the PSP is a bust for me mainly because it's ... ahmmm ... too much of a cat-and-mouse game. The hackers figure out a way to run their own apps, then Sony pushes an update to the device that breaks that ability. My understanding of the situation today is that if you want to run homebrew applications, you will have to downgrade your firmware from whatever it came with to something that doesn't have as many nice features in it. Kind of lame. I am still looking at this, though. There is a huge hacking community behind the device, moreso than I thought possible, really.

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11-12-2006, 03:48 PM	#2
fireproof Enthusiast Posts: 45 Karma: 16 Join Date: Mar 2004 Device: Palm Tungsten\|TX, Sony Reader^H^H^H^H, iLiad, iPhone	What about just reading HTML formatted ebooks on the PSP? They won't remove the web browser, you can count on that Baen and several other publishers make their wares available in HTML (and there's always psp.manybooks.net, for public domain stuff).

11-12-2006, 07:48 PM	#3
tcv Addict Posts: 330 Karma: 596 Join Date: Oct 2006	That's true, but I was more interested in the idea of using these tools to get the content on the Sony Reader.

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