Ebooks

Guys, I'm not lying it can be confusing figuring out what device supports which formats and trying do decide on what format to use yourself. I'm wobbling between LRF and RTF myself, and I've tried PDF. It's not easy.

I'm going to list the 5 main ebook devices and discuss the formats they support and some of the pros and cons.

Sony PRS-500/505 (RTF/DOC/PDF/TXT/LRF/EPUB)

RTF - Is a format that does not require conversion software. Anyone with Open Office, MS Word, or the Mac equivalent of Word can create a RTF document. The key things to keep in mind is you'll have to input the metadata information if you want to know the title and author when it's loaded onto your Sony PRS. In Word, you go to File - Properties - and insert the Author and Title and any other information you want into the fields. If anyone knows how to do this with Open Office please let me know so I can add directions here.

RTF is good because it reflows to fit the margins of the Sony PRS. You can also adjust the font in your RTF file to the size you prefer. I normally go for size 20 Arial.

RTF isn't perfect however. It will not support hyperlinks (so no Table of Contents) Images are not supported either. (So no Book Covers) Also if you change font size it can take a bit to reflow the entire story, so for any story over 2000 pages don't hit the re-size button unless you planned on doing something else in the 5-10 minutes it takes the reader to finish reflowing to the larger font size.

This is the format of choice on the Ebook Library because from RTF anyone can easily convert the file to their format of choice. Which is handy for those who prefer mobi/prc/lrf.

DOC - The box says the reader supports .doc format however what it really does is convert the file to RTF in the Sony Connect Software library manager. (same pros/cons of RTF for this file format)

TXT - Do I really need to talk about this format? You lose all italics, bolds, hyperlinks, images, and any other types of formatting in the story but the device will read it.

PDF - Many people assume PDF is a good format to use with ebooks. Which is true and not true. On computers PDF is fine for reading ebooks. The problem is when you move that same PDF ebook to your device...The text turns super tiny and it's almost impossible to read. PDF is a format created in order to retain original formatting of documents mostly used for businesses. So the ebook has to be formatted specifically for your device screen size if it's not it'll look like crap. At the moment, only the Sony PRS-505/700 support PDF reflow but it's not perfect. I found to get the best results using pdf's is to use these settings in Word page setup.

3.47 width
4.54 length

.01" Top
.02" Left
.02" Right
.001" Bottom

(header/footer .0")

However, I still had trouble figuring out hyperlinks and I was never quite happy with the way the text flowed on my screen.

Another item of notice. PDF only works on certain devices that support it like the Irex Illiad, Sony PRS, Cybook, and the
HanLin eBook. Last time I checked if you have a PDF document and want to read it on the Kindle you'd have to email the document to Amazon and have them convert it for you.

In recent news, if you have a Sony PRS you can now buy secure PDF novels and transfer them to your device. So you're not locked into the Sony Connect Store to buy novels.

LRF - This is the format of choice for me. It does support hyperlinks (Table of Contents), images, and using Calibre I'm able to adjust the settings and enter the metadata information. LRF also takes up less space than RTF on your internal/external memory card.

The downside of LRF is it'll only work on the Sony PRS line of devices.

EPUB - I'm not too familiar with this format yet. However, what I do know is it has all the same benefits of LRF and then a few extras.

For one, it'll support a multi-level Table of Contents. Another advantage is Calibre will support conversions to this format so there is no need to hunt around for yet another format converter. Also, EPUB is the publishing industry's attempt to find a common format that is secure and yet open enough that it can be added to any device. However, at the moment it looks like Sony is the only e-ink device that supports EPUB but you can still buy secure EPUB novels and transfer them to your Sony. (at least that's what I've heard)

LRX - You'll see this file type if you buy books from the Sony ebook store. It's their DRM format and as of yet there is no crack. So don't buy from the store. I'm not lying the formatting is CRAP. The fonts are too small and the margins are HUGE so you lose most of the screen space. This format can only be read on the Sony PRS and on the ebook library software.

Amazon Kindle (TXT/mobi/azw)

Mobi/PRC - These two file types are rather interchangeable. These two types support Table of Contents, cover images, and there is a program that can create mobi/prc files. It's called Mobipocket Creator. (I've only ever used the reader and took one look at the creator and ran the other way. If anyone knows how to use creator I'd love if you could write a Creator how-to and post to the community)

Mobi is a nice format because first it's crackable and it has all the same benefits as the LRF. From what I can tell the only difference between them is the name and that you can't read LRFs on the Kindle and the PRS will not read mobi formatted ebooks. That's DRM in a nutshell and truly it makes me want to shoot people.

If you'd like to know how to crack mobi formatted ebooks email me. Though before people tar and feather me, keep in mind I can't read mobipocket novels at all on my device the only way to do so is to crack the DRM, upload it to Calibre, and convert the mobi to LRF. I do buy ebooks from BooksonBoard now that I can crack the format.

AZW - this is the equivalent of LRX. Except AZW can only be read on the Kindle. Now what I find interesting is that Amazon owns mobipocket.com which supports .mobi/.prc formatted ebooks. So why would they come out with a format that can only be read on the Kindle??? hmmm

I don't think it's a secret but I really hate the Kindle and Amazon making exclusive deals with authors so that the only place you can buy their ebooks is at Amazon.com.

There are three other main devices. And since I've already discussed the formats I don't think I need to go into detail again on them.

Cybook (RTF/TXT/HTML/MOBI/PDF)
Illiad (HTML/TXT/MOBI)
Ebookwise (TXT/HTML)

For more information here is the link to the E-book Reader Matrix. This is a comprehensive comparision matrix of the major devices on the markets.

Coming up Next - Table of Contents