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http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix

Please take a look here http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix and discover all the file formats your Sony does //not// support.

By the way, does your Sony support PDF reflow? My Hanlin v3 does ;-)

Concise and to the point comparison of all e-readers in the market: http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix

I can recommend to check out the E-Book reader matrix. Myself I bought a Bookeen Cybook Gen3. The specification is similar to the well known Sony reader (800x600 resolution). In contrast to Sony they make the GPL source code of the non-proprietary parts available. I didn't try to build from source though.

I've got one and I'm happy with it. Though Interead (as a company) is B_A_D, the device (with latest firmware) is nice. http://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=213

It is almost two years I am in love with my E-reader.

http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Hanlin_V3

- E-ink has perfect size, it fits big pocket (and it is really readable)
- good to read in the bed or on the beach
- most of my reference library for the job is there (in html)
- open (I could add my own SW or fix it, if needed), with SW updates flowing
- battery life: it takes 10 days between charging, and device is never switched off
- it is dedicated device and does the job
- perfect match if I could link it with 3G phone via USB.
- on meetings, I take notes on the paper

I am monitoring progress, and I plan to buy new E-reader, but
- bigger screens are vulnerable (we are waiting for plastics instead of glass)
- all added functionality increases power consumption and size
- if I need 3g, wifi, divx: another device
- I watch movies on TV with beer and remote: can not do it on PC
- if I want laptop, I use laptop.

So, no new device impressed me enough to get one.
I expect one to two years: new technology with bending screen could make a difference.
So far, it is nothing new: just incremental progress. Nothing worth going for.

On the other hand, it is niche product. Biggest shop in Ljubljana reported to sell only 100 devices in the year.
(lack of slovenian E-books).

I am in this particular niche:
While SW become user friendly, I am still machine friendly. (Aged over 50, learned FORTRAN in 1974).

73
Iztok

I'm going to second this. HD2's big high res screen combined with AlReader is now my preferred ebook reader. Sure it doesnt have an eInk screen but with a nice dark grey background and just off-white font colour, it gives me zero eye-strain. Fonts and colours are fully configurable so use what works for you.

Thought this would be a nice time to throw out a website:
http://www.mobileread.com/
is a great community of e-book fanatics. Lots of research comparing different models, a nice flea market for deals, and the forums attached to Calibre, an awesome book-managing software.

These are what's easily available in Canada. There are tons more, but all have to be shipped in for a extra $ (including the Kindle).

Eink Readers

• Sony's portable reader ebook line are available (current models are the 5" screen PRS300 and the 6" screen PRS600). Look around on Dell.ca or Ncix, they sometimes go on decent sales (e.g. ~200+ for the PRS300). Sadly, the PRS500 (imo, the best one) has been discontinued, though you might find some on clearance every now and then. There is a 9" model, the PRS900 "Daily Edition" but for whatever reason, it's not available here (yet?).
• Astak Mentor (6") and EZ Reader Pocket-Pro (5") ebook readers, from Newegg.ca. The 5" is the newer and more featureful version.
• Foxit E-slick 6" reader from Newegg.ca
• Amazon Kindle can be shipped in via amazon.com, but overpriced and crippled without whispernet, imo.

Non-Eink Readers

• Aluratek Libre Ebook Reader is sold by Costco & Dell. Uses a 5" reflective LCD screen which is much nicer on the eyes than Eink (higher contrast), but much less battery time. Cheaper too (sometimes down to $150 on sale), fwiw.
• Ectaco 5" Jetbook-lite - exactly the same unit as the Libre above, but cheaper (~$125 right now at Newegg.ca

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/ is a good place to go for ebook discussions.

If you're not opposed to Chinese made, check out the SmartQ V7 : http://en.smartdevices.com.cn/Products/SmartQ7/200905/27-3.html.

Also, http://www.mobileread.com/ is a focused e-reader forum.

Not as vaporware as the CherryPal Africa turned out to be. CherryPal actually takes orders for their $99 netbook but nobody has ever received the actual product. And some people did not even got their money back.

Here is a great guide to setting up Calibre to work with Stanza to import your own books.

I might give this a try myself...

I would say it is well past the experimental stage:

http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/EBook_Lending_Libraries

It just isn't to the widespread stage yet (presumably because not all that many people have ebook readers).

You can't disable it, though you can change the screensaver with a hack.
http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kindle_2_Screen_Saver_Hack

Plenty of reasons:
#1 e-Ink saves power over the Netbook LCD screen.
#2 eBook reader is easier to use and has twin screens to simulate a book which usually has two pages open at once. Netbooks only have one LCD screen.
#3 Not everyone wants to learn how to use a Netbook computer with Windows, Linux, etc in order to read books. Last thing someone wants is a Windows BSOD while reading an eBook, or have the screen saver come up due to inactivity.
#4 Eventually when mass produced the eBook readers will come down in price as technology advances and becomes cheaper due to spreading out the cost from thousands to millions of unit sales.
#5 eBook sellers want the DRM features to control how their book is accessed and used.
#6 The eBook reader is more compatible with the library system of checking out books. I expect libraries to carry eBooks and either one checks out an eBook via the library's web site or visits the library and checks out the eBook from their wireless network.
#7 The eBook reader is platform agnostic and should work with any operating system it hooks up to and accesses to convert eBooks over to it.
#8 Just like the iPod made music and videos sales over the Internet popular and profitable, so too will the eBook reader make eBooks over the Internet popular and profitable. The company that can do with eBooks what Apple did with music and video media should be the winner in this category. No iPods and iPhones are not as suitable as eBook readers with e-Ink, but yes Apple should strive to develop their own e-Ink based eBook reader.

I think the big problem is this, as read from another website post about the Hanlin eReader, "In China, we don't want V2 to affect the sales of V8 in our local market, because in China nobody would like to pay more 50 dollars to buy a product only for supporting PDF and DOC formats"

This is very logical and very difficult to argue with. Why would I purchase a device, an eReader, costing greater than $50 per unit, just to read books? Especially when the books could be read on my PC, laptop, net book, Linux hand held (Nokia N800, N900, Android, etc...). And if they can not be read on other devices, than the data format is hardly open platform agnostic as you put in #7 above. Let's face it, many of us want to know why .doc is even mentioned when .odt is not. As for .pdf, yes it works, but I am betting money that any vendor that is DRM focused, is not going to sell a book in just .pdf format. DRM is your #5 point above.

#1 battery life is a valid point, however I can purchase an extra power cord or get an external battery pack to extend any device as long as the power cord is not vendor locked-in and proprietary.

#2, not real important to me and as others pointed out, can become a UI issue as well. While it would be better to have a little larger screen than provided by the Nokia Nxxx hand helds, those do work. I am sure some sort of expandable screen or virtual screen will be created and this will be a non issue in the future. I can even imagine having the screen appear in my mind, thus unlimited screen size and 3D to boot.

#3, This is FUD! It is no more difficult to learn Linux (ubuntu, Fedora, SUSE, Debian, etc.) or Mac OSX than to learn Windows Vista or Windows 7. Even Windows users have to learn a new user interface from one version of Windows to another. And your average windows user is no better at tweaking their windows configuration. Linux and Mac OS X is very plug and play, has been for years. This has been pointed out in many forums and is very old news. There are even reports of ex Windows users being put on an Ubuntu Linux PC and not having any problems at all. The fact is to learn ubuntu is no more di

One brand: Hanlin Get it, use it, forget the rest.

Supports all common formats, ARM9 running Linux. No DRM, no wifi connecting on your back to delete your stuff, simple usb mass storage transfer...

Was interested so did a little searching. The Linux OS is Wolf Linux, not real familiar with it, though I am sure others may be. Before you can develop with Wolf Linux here is what the company said, "We will provide the SDK of all of our products based on Linux OS, not only provide it to OEM and ODM, but also to personal cooperators. But the cooperators need to sign a cooperation agreement with us, which will relate to the management of version and DRM."

So much for no DRM. I noted that the guy said In China, we don't want V2 to affect the sales of V8 in our local market, because in China nobody would like to pay more 50 dollars to buy a product only for supporting PDF and DOC formats..

Seems like the Chinese are a bit smarter than us Americans... not paying more than $50 for a product that will only support and read .pdf and .doc formats. Makes sense to me. If your Smart hand held device/phone,whatever is not limited, tethered, restricted why on earth would you buy a separate device (Kindle, Hanlin, eBook Reader) just to read .pdfs, .docs or worse yet some proprietary vendor lock-in file format? This device, like the Kindle, does not let you use .odt open source file formats used by OpenOffice.org Writer either.

I also came across references to Wolfenstein Linux, the posts I saw were dated, circa 2002, which might explain the slower USB in the device, USB 1.1. The Linux kernel was rewritten, between 1.0 and 2.0 I believe to optimize it for faster USB access. Regardless here is information on USB and Linux. It is my understanding the the new kernels are backwards compatible with the older versions of the USB drivers. Regardless, why use an embedded Linux that does not support at least USB 2.0. Not sure which kernel version is in Wolf Linux, but believe a 2.6.x kernel or better would be better.

The Hanlin's processor is only a 200 mhz processor, and the SD supposedly only supports up to 4GB. I think I would want better than only 4GB today, especially since I have seen sales on 16GB and 32GB Micro SSD cards for under $20 per

To add insult to injury, the Hanlin does not have WiFi, why you think that is a good thing I am not quite sure. The Nokia N800 has WiFi and bluetooth and can be picked up used for under $200. Faster processor, GPS, and more. If you must have cellular than get the N900 and have all three, WiFi, Bluetooth and Cellular.

I believe the bluetooth, in addition to working with a full sized foldable keyboard can be used with Linux software to work as a remote for some LCD TVs and Home built Linux DVD/Recorders.

Probably wise to heed the Chinese and not pay more than $50 dollars for a separate device only for reading .pdf and .doc files.

Assuming Google starts allowing you to root the Android, something they prefer people not do right now, any eReader would have to offer feature better than the Nokia N800, N900 and Android phones running Linux. That is the new minimum.

I know you can get the public domain Google Books for free via the Sony store, I have no idea why they wouldn't offer them through themselves in the same way, unless it is because of a stupid deal with Sony.

In any case, since Sony is doing ePub now, you don't need a Sony reader to buy (or download for free) ebooks from their store.

There are also writers like Doctorow and Lessig that publish under the GPL and host their books in many formats on their websites. I wish someone would set up a list of these writers with links.

Check out Mobile Read, they have regular uploads of free e-books (non-public domain, about 500 in there now, as I recall) as well as a great community of e-book enthusiasts.

The IREX Digital Reader is likely the closest thing right now:
http://www.irextechnologies.com/irexdr1000

But generally speaking it seems like the devices just aren't quite there yet. I'm betting it's a few generations until we get to the really good stuff.

Early "smartphones" sucked too, and these days they are genuinely useful. :)

Also check out the E-book Reader Matrix, seems to be updated fairly often:
http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix

A sidenote on the Kindle: Available in Finland: Yes. Books available in Finnish: No. Same goes for 3G wireless... If the local press is to be believed anyway. I'm going for a more open device, thank you very much...

There are enough of them

http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix

http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix#Larger_Devices

Or at least, it is compared to the Kindle. Sony will read PDF files and EPUB files. (EPUB is an open standard; an EPUB file is really a zip file, containing a few XML documents that describe where everything is, and then either XHTML or DAISY/DTBook content).

It's VERY easy to copy content to the Sony readers (shows up like a USB hard drive, or copy content to an SD card and insert). There's no remote-kill like the Kindle.

If you're worried about finding DRM free content, check out Baen's Webscriptions or Fictionwise (look for the "multiformat" books; all DRM free).

Finally, if you REALLY don't want to go with Sony, there are lots of other good readers out there, some of which run Linux, and give you source for the software.

"If this was anything except 1984, this wouldn't have been news at all." I completely disagree. Let's not give up the right to keep the information we buy entirely

You're confusing "wouldn't" with "shouldn't". Of course it should be news no matter the book. But the objective truth is that not only "wouldn't" it be news, it "wasn't" news when they did it to Ayn Rand books.

If this was anything except 1984, this wouldn't have been news at all.

Bullshit.

Then how come it wasn't news when the exact same thing happened with several Ayn Rand books a month earlier?

If you get your phone from a telecommunication provider it comes with SIMlock. If you get your E-Book reader from Amazon it comes with DRM. If you get your music player from Apple ....

There's plenty of good E-Book readers to choose from (unless you want one with Windows on it). Most of them support both DRM as well as DRM-free formats.

This is the same concept as an n800, but much larger screen :

the smartq7.

It's not very readable in direct sunlight though.

Mobileread.com is a site that only deals with problems like this. Very interesting read if you're into reading books.

There are excellent reviews of the device at UMPC Portal here http://www.umpcportal.com/2009/05/smart-devices-q7-7-pad-for-189, and at Mobileread forums here http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48934. You can find one online for under $200. It comes with a version of Ubuntu Linux, FBReader and Evince are in the standard install. The Mer Project over at Maemo.org is currently porting Maemo to the device, they have a thread here http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=27433, discussing ports for the Smart Q5 and Q7.

#2: http://www.teleread.org/2009/06/22/device-limits-fuzzy-on-downloads-for-kindle-books-if-so-should-the-ftc-investigate/

And a Kindle wielding friend of mine was complaining that newspaper subscription he uses is limited to one device, too. Which is insane.

#3: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44350&highlight=amazon+banning

This dude now has a $350 door stop.

#5: Yes, my bad.

#6: That still doesn't change the fact that until this problem is addressed (and Amazon has enormous leverage here, while I personally don't), Kindle will not be able to replace books for me.

The 505 has a much smaller screen than the DX though, which while fine for novels makes it less suitable for journal articles.

You might be interested in MobileRead's ebook comparison matrix.

My point is not that you should buy one to hurt amazon, just that you can use the kindle and avoid DRM. I don't care whether I stick it to the man or not, I just want the best value for my dollar. And currently the Kindle DX is that.

If you need the large screen, fair enough. But currently that is like saying that the only phone worth getting is an iPhone, because you have listed being made by Apple as a show stopping requirement. The cheapest of two, the other one being an over priced model from a company that has not really shifted that many units due to being over priced and not particularly good.

The Kindle DX is by far the cheapest and best Eink reader of that size at the moment.
Go compare them yourself: http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix
The only other current options are the iRex products. The reviews for those read like a horror show, and they're quite a bit more expensive.

Again, the only other one in the newest sub segment. I really hope you are not considering reading text books or manuals in PDF on this..

Using the kindle also gives me the option of buying ebooks from others vendors, or Amazon if I decide. There's many books I probably won't reread, and a copy on my Kindle and iPod touch are enough for me, no matter whether I can download it again later or not.
So yes, I use it much like I did the iPod before it went completely non-DRM.. Buy the music I want in the least restrictive content available.

To each their own. I think you are very unwise, but that is just my opinion. I waited to get the right reader for me, And I waited until they hit a price I deemed acceptable. Personally, I don't see the Kindle DX as acceptable just yet, and I definitely don't see the terms of use as being anything near that.

My point is not that you should buy one to hurt amazon, just that you can use the kindle and avoid DRM. I don't care whether I stick it to the man or not, I just want the best value for my dollar. And currently the Kindle DX is that.

The Kindle DX is by far the cheapest and best Eink reader of that size at the moment.
Go compare them yourself: http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix
The only other current options are the iRex products. The reviews for those read like a horror show, and they're quite a bit more expensive.

Using the kindle also gives me the option of buying ebooks from others vendors, or Amazon if I decide. There's many books I probably won't reread, and a copy on my Kindle and iPod touch are enough for me, no matter whether I can download it again later or not.
So yes, I use it much like I did the iPod before it went completely non-DRM.. Buy the music I want in the least restrictive content available.

I beg to disagree here

1) Amazon owns Mobipocket [1].
2) Over time Mobipocket has developed software readers for 12 devices [2].
3) The AZW book format - including DRM - is identical with Mobipocket save one byte [3].

So if Amazon wanted more software readers one call at Mobipocket and a week later they would have some. Which is probably the way they got the iPhone reader: http://www.teleread.org/2008/12/04/is-amazon-sitting-on-the-mobipocket-iphone-client-after-all/

Martin

[1] http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3833
[2] http://www.mobipocket.com/en/DownloadSoft/default.asp
[3] http://igorsk.blogspot.com/2007/12/mobipocket-books-on-kindle.html

Good riddance. I switched from AvantGo years ago to Plucker on the Palm, fed by Sunrise XP. The combination is a bit harder to set up initially but you're no longer limited to the feeds that AvantGo offers.

I had a look at the E-Book Reader Matrix. I decided to buy a Bookeen Cybook. It's cheaper than the Kindle and it supports DRM-free formats as well. I am using it to read TXT, PDF, and Mobipocket documents. It's not a free software device though. The applications for displaying PDFs, MobiPocket, ... are proprietary. However you can download the source code of the customised ARMLinux (as required by GPL) from their website. The battery charge supposedly allows for 8000 page flips. But you can't help people looking at you strangely when you do anything intellectual.

THERE IS NO REMOTE KILL FLAG.

Previously purchased Kindle books are not having text-to-speech disabled remotely. The disabling only applies to books bought after the flag was implemented:

From mobileread forums:

"Here's an interesting twist. I just downloaded about 7 books from my Kindle's Archive that are currently listed as having TTS disabled, which I had purchased prior to the implementation of the TTS prohibition, and have found that all them still work just fine with the TTS feature."

There are a few problems with tablets. Most important ones IMO are: power consumption and comfort of reading.

Maybe you should try something like Hanlin V3 . Cheap, reliable, and comfortable. Of course it runs linux, and you can get some free OS/software from OpenInkpot

Here's a review of the current Astak model with links for more information. This device appears to display PDF files adequately.

> Does anyone know if there are any plans to add full PDF support to the orriginal Kindle and Kindle 2?

I doubt it. The Kindle/Kindle2 screen is 6" diagonally, and you just can't see an 8.5x11 formatted PDF well enough on a 6" 167 ppi e-ink screen. There are a number of mechanisms for converting PDF to Kindle's format already, and they're mostly free. You can send the PDF to [username]@kindle.com and it will be converted and delivered directly to your Kindle for a fee... Or, send it to [username]@free.kindle.com and it will be converted and mailed back to you, where you can copy it on via the USB interface for FREE.

The best conversions for PDFs with images / detailed or complicated formatting is to do something which involved converting the PDF to 1/2 page images and displaying them in landscape on the Kindle. There are a few options for this here at Mobipocket.

Until e-ink displays can hit 1280x1024 at a reasonable price point, they're just not worth it.

A screen's resolution alone is not an indicator of reading comfort or font size. Even a high-resolution display will look coarse if its physical dimensions are large. The spec to look for is pixels-per-inch (ppi): http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix

I own five BeBooks and I love them. They read HTML, PDF, DOC, RTF, TXT, MOBI, EPUB, FB2, LIT, all without conversion. The device runs on GNU/Linux and you can even replace the factory firmware with OpenInkpot, an ebook ereader OS built by hobbyist free software programmers. BeBook is actually an OEM version of Jinke eReader V3, that is being sold in the US as EZ Reder (you can find more OEMs at the mobileread wiki).

Well, there are quite a few readers http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_devices with much less draconian DRM or even completely without DRM:

Sony Reader PRS-700, Sony Reader PRS-505, Bokeen Cybook Gen3, IRex Digital Reader, IRex iLiad, The Jinke/Hanlin, Ganaxa GeR2, Soribook, Readius, Hanvon N510 , Hanvon N516, astak EZ Reader, Astak Mentor, the new 5" models from several manufacturers and quite a few clones and rebranded OEM versions of above mentioned devices.

After reading that post and subsequent comments including the Amazon letter he received, there is no question in my mind: Amazon is guilty of theft.

The facts are these: He returned some items (that were not books or e-books) and had his account banned. Along with his purchase account, his Kindle account was also banned. If that meant he could continue using the books he already had, fine. But because of DRM, he cannot access the books he already purchased!

Ian says:

3) I am now unable to access archived copies of the Kindle books I've purchased legally, and have no other way to legally purchase DRM'ed books on the device.

4) I also have no access to videos I have purchased from Amazon.

By making legitimately purchased information unavailable to him, Amazon is stealing (this is traditional theft -- taking something away from someone without the person's permission). If you do not agree with this, consider this scenario: Barnes & Noble is dissatisfied with your behaviour as a customer, so they ban you from all of their stores. And then they come to your house and take away all the books in your library because they claim you no longer have a right to access them.

Be very afraid of the cloud. Companies will be able to do anything they want with your information.

register your Kindle's PID

How do you find your Kindle's PID when Amazon makes sites delete information about KindlePID?

Myth:

If you buy a Kindle, you are locked into Amazon's Kindle store.

Truth:

There are many sources for books that can be read on the Kindle.

Some Free Sites (Public Domain / Creative Commons)

MobileRead.com (look for .mobi books you can download to your computer or download the MobiGuide and get your books via Whispernet) Feedbooks.com (books can be downloaded to your computer or if you download their Kindle Guide you can get your books via Whispernet - they even have a video on how to use the guide) Manybooks.net (when you download to your computer, look for Kindle format or Mobipocket) 1001Books (download books to your computer or directly from your Kindle browser)

Some Pay Sites

Fictionwise.com (look for .mobi books but NOT Secure Mobipocket books) BooksonBoard.com (register your Kindle's PID and you can download any .mobi from their Overdrive servers - to learn more about this see the Visual Kindle Guide wiki) Baen.com (great site for Sci-Fi books which offers free as well as low cost books)

So your Kindle is still somewhat useful. I would hope that more competition arises and Amazon removes its Kindle services from its e-book services so as to avoid a nasty inevitable anti-trust suit.

Myth:

If you buy a Kindle, you are locked into Amazon's Kindle store.

Truth:

There are many sources for books that can be read on the Kindle.

Some Free Sites (Public Domain / Creative Commons)

MobileRead.com (look for .mobi books you can download to your computer or download the MobiGuide and get your books via Whispernet) Feedbooks.com (books can be downloaded to your computer or if you download their Kindle Guide you can get your books via Whispernet - they even have a video on how to use the guide) Manybooks.net (when you download to your computer, look for Kindle format or Mobipocket) 1001Books (download books to your computer or directly from your Kindle browser)

Some Pay Sites

Fictionwise.com (look for .mobi books but NOT Secure Mobipocket books) BooksonBoard.com (register your Kindle's PID and you can download any .mobi from their Overdrive servers - to learn more about this see the Visual Kindle Guide wiki) Baen.com (great site for Sci-Fi books which offers free as well as low cost books)

So your Kindle is still somewhat useful. I would hope that more competition arises and Amazon removes its Kindle services from its e-book services so as to avoid a nasty inevitable anti-trust suit.

That's true. And the main reason is that most displays are simply not high-quality to enough to offer you the reading experience that paper gives you. However, that's changing: high-quality displays that are thin enough to roll up are in the works and some are even available now, albeit for a high cost.

I've been wanting an ebook reader for the longest time. I actually realized in high school that a reflective instead of emissive display was the pilotal tech missing... (Before I heard about e-ink.)

But most current readers are either tiny screens or underpowered feature- or processing-wise. But I hope to eventually have a DRM-free O'Reilly zoo with me on my commute... One can dream. :)

Good ebook matrix:
http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix

Looks interesting - any chance you'd be willing to post an epub version?

Would you mind uploading it (or allowing someone else to upload it) to Mobileread?

Where did you hear that there is no native support for PDF's?

You can easily load PDF's to the Kindle.

These are not equivalent. "Native" support means that you could put a .pdf file directly on the Kindle (via USB), and the Kindle would be able to open it. What the Kindle actually does is, you can email a .pdf document to something@kindle.com, and Amazon's software will attempt to reflow and convert the .pdf document into .azw format. The Kindle does NOT support .pdf natively.

This python script creates a hash to make the Kindle think that .mobi files (Secure Mobipocket books, a competitor of Amazon's for this market) are native Amazon books. After you get a hash from kindlepid.py, you run kindlefix.py on your .mobi file with your hash, and it produces a .azw file which the Kindle then thinks is one of its own book formats.

This is incorrect in several ways. First, the non-DRMed .azw format is almost exactly the same as the non-DRMed .mobi format. It simply has a different extension. The encryption used for DRM may be different, but the Kindle is certainly capable of opening DRMed .mobi files natively. You can bet that Amazon is paying a licensing fee to Mobipocket.

Now, here's how mobipocket DRM works. Your device (Kindle, Bookeen, etc.) has a unique ID number. When you buy an ebook from a site (ie. Fictionwise), you input this ID which is then incorporated into the encryption of the file. Thus, that device will be able to open that file. Any file can be viewed by up to 6 different devices. For most devices, the ID is known to the user. With the Kindle and Amazon, all of the above is handled automatically, so the user does not NEED to know the ID when buying from Amazon.

The script in question, kindlepid.py, simply reads the ID number of the Kindle in question and prints it out for the user. It's worth noting that the official Mobipocket Desktop software version 6.0 could also do this, at least for the Kindle v1.

Now, using the ID, it is possible to buy encrypted .mobi ebooks from other vendors (ie. Fictionwise) with the Kindle added as an "approved" device. The Kindle can read these files, but won't unless a "read-approval" bit is flipped in the file. This can be done by a second script, kindlefix.py.

What's curious and kind of ridiculous about this situation is that if either of these scripts is circumventing DRM, it would be the second script, kindlefix. However, the DMCA takedown notice apparently targeted the FIRST script, kindlepid, which only prints information that you could already get using official Mobipocket software. That's why Amazon's whole approach in this case seems ridiculous at best.

In any case, I think that from Mobileread's point of view this was probably the best response.

Where did you hear that there is no native support for PDF's?

You can easily load PDF's to the Kindle.

These are not equivalent. "Native" support means that you could put a .pdf file directly on the Kindle (via USB), and the Kindle would be able to open it. What the Kindle actually does is, you can email a .pdf document to something@kindle.com, and Amazon's software will attempt to reflow and convert the .pdf document into .azw format. The Kindle does NOT support .pdf natively.

This python script creates a hash to make the Kindle think that .mobi files (Secure Mobipocket books, a competitor of Amazon's for this market) are native Amazon books. After you get a hash from kindlepid.py, you run kindlefix.py on your .mobi file with your hash, and it produces a .azw file which the Kindle then thinks is one of its own book formats.

This is incorrect in several ways. First, the non-DRMed .azw format is almost exactly the same as the non-DRMed .mobi format. It simply has a different extension. The encryption used for DRM may be different, but the Kindle is certainly capable of opening DRMed .mobi files natively. You can bet that Amazon is paying a licensing fee to Mobipocket.

Now, here's how mobipocket DRM works. Your device (Kindle, Bookeen, etc.) has a unique ID number. When you buy an ebook from a site (ie. Fictionwise), you input this ID which is then incorporated into the encryption of the file. Thus, that device will be able to open that file. Any file can be viewed by up to 6 different devices. For most devices, the ID is known to the user. With the Kindle and Amazon, all of the above is handled automatically, so the user does not NEED to know the ID when buying from Amazon.

The script in question, kindlepid.py, simply reads the ID number of the Kindle in question and prints it out for the user. It's worth noting that the official Mobipocket Desktop software version 6.0 could also do this, at least for the Kindle v1.

Now, using the ID, it is possible to buy encrypted .mobi ebooks from other vendors (ie. Fictionwise) with the Kindle added as an "approved" device. The Kindle can read these files, but won't unless a "read-approval" bit is flipped in the file. This can be done by a second script, kindlefix.py.

What's curious and kind of ridiculous about this situation is that if either of these scripts is circumventing DRM, it would be the second script, kindlefix. However, the DMCA takedown notice apparently targeted the FIRST script, kindlepid, which only prints information that you could already get using official Mobipocket software. That's why Amazon's whole approach in this case seems ridiculous at best.

In any case, I think that from Mobileread's point of view this was probably the best response.

At the current growth rate, 30 years from now the e-book MIGHT have gotten up to 10% of the market share, making it competitive with audiobooks. As it stands, in the last nine years, the e-book has yet to break 1% of the total book market. I know - I've been following e-book sales recently.

Has a modern, viable e-reader been available at a reasonable price for the last 9 years? The Kindle was only introduced a little over a year ago. It's still a luxury item when you consider that you can buy a netbook for the same price. But as these things do, the technology will improve and the price will come down.

3. Just plain better: the printed book takes it easily. It is completely self-contained, and easy to use. Any part of it can be referenced at any time, and you don't need any equipment to use it.

Alternatively, an e-book can be downloaded instantly and for free instead of having to go out and buy it or wait for it to be shipped. I don't have to dedicate space to store each book. I can copy them around and thus preserve perfect working copies instead of having them worn down over time. No heavy books. Easy search. So instead of keeping track of many books I have one device to keep track of, that's self-contained and easy to use.

E-readers just need to come down in price. People are willing to pay a fair amount for a quality movie experience in their home. An e-reader will have to be considerably cheaper for mass adoption. Personally I would love one at $100, but with a screen the size of a magazine. I expect within 5 years that should be available. These guys are on the right track.

Have you looked at the Sony PRS-505? Both my fiancee and I own one (I bought one for her as a present, and borrowed it so often that I ended up buying my own), and it satisfies most of what you're asking for. It's not technically "open", but there are examples of people modifying it anyway, and it doesn't require any proprietary software to be installed on your PC. You plug it in, and it shows up as a drive, same as a USB key would. Put the books in the right folder and you're done.

It supports quite a few formats natively, and there's a wonderful open-source program named calibre that will convert/format many other things to the best formats for it. Battery life is great, reading 3-4 hours a day it'll easily last over a week without charging. I'd at least give it a look, I don't really have any complaints about mine.

One thing to note is that Sony has put out a new model, the PRS-700, but it's generally considered to be inferior to the 505. They modified the screen to add touch capabilities and a backlight, and it's not nearly as nice to read on.