Comments on: Sony e-reader: Some fine print about formats–especially PDF

By: Sven Neuhaus

Sven Neuhaus — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 11:02:31 +0000

Jennifer: Not before someone writes a converter (to BbeB format – Sony will release the specifcation for it) or hacks the Sony Reader and develops an application for it that can display those formats.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 22:00:50 +0000

My question is not about the ereader but whether the 50,000+ books will be available to the rest of us schmucks in ereader or mobipocket or MS Lit format??

By: Richard

Richard — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 16:29:38 +0000

The spec sheet is contradictory and Sony needs to clarify. Either native acrobat files are supported, or acrobat files require conversion. This is a binary question, but the spec sheet pretty much says it both ways.

By: David Rothman

David Rothman — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 16:24:11 +0000

OK, if you say “solely,” yes, that could be new! I recall reading that Sony’s MP3 players handled the proprietary format and MP3. But just MP3? Yes, Branko, that is interesting. – David

By: Branko Collin

Branko Collin — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 16:08:09 +0000

IIRC, Sony at some point started offering MP3 alongside their encrypted format. When did they start offering products that solely play MP3?

By: David Rothman

David Rothman — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 15:23:07 +0000

Hi, Branko. Actually Sony was doing unencrypted MP3 in other products. Still, let us be grateful for whatever crumbs Sony throws toward consumers . – D

By: Branko Collin

Branko Collin — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 14:51:27 +0000

More from the footnotes: "3 Plays unencrypted MP3 files." Wow! Who would have thunk? Sony finally and without reserve supports the format that was almost its undoing. I still won't buy from the company though that is responsible for the distribution of thousands, if not millions of hacker tools to the computers of unsuspecting customers.

By: David Rothman

David Rothman — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 14:02:49 +0000

Thanks for your observations, Terry. If there is indeed native support of PDF, as claimed in the main part of the spec sheet, then Sony should modify its footnote. I’ll also be curious as to whether the Reader can handle encrypted PDF. Stay tuned. – David

By: Terry

Terry — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 13:38:23 +0000

I saw the foot note as well but I had a different understanding of it. From what I’ve seen on the site, and I don’t claim to be an expert here, but there is native support for BBeB Book, PDF, JPEG and MP3. The blog and news feed support is what requires the conversion.

Terry