Txtr app lets you read Adobe-DRMed ePub on your iPhone or iPod Touch
You can read Adobe-DRMed ePub on your iPhone or iPod Touch via an app from Txtr, the e-reader hardware company. Download it via the App Store or iTunes and share your impressions with fellow TeleRead community members. My impression is that the app lets you access material from your private bookself on the Txtr server. I wanted test the app, but need to move on. Here’s the word to TeleRead from Txtr’s Josch Bach:
“We are very busy with our eReading platform, and of course, there is an App for it. We might do not feel much love for DRM, but we support it, because a lot of content is not available without. As a more or less accidental by-product, we now have the first iPhone App that works with Adobe-DRMed ePubs. So, if somebody has a Sony-Reader or uses Adobe Digital Editions on their desktop, and want to read their eBooks on an iPhone, too: here is a solution. The txtr App is free and can be activated with any AdobeID.”I can recall reading of an earlier arrangement allowing the reading of DRMed ePub on an iPhone, but I think that was a German language one, so the Txtr app may be an English-language first. Congrats, guys! And, yes, let’s hope that someday DRM will vanish, a great way to boost competition in e-book apps and open up new software options for e-book-lovers.
Update, 11:29 a.m.: Fran Toolan from NetGalley tells us that the app wouldn’t work with NetGalley’s ACS4 files. Something proprietary causing problems? Further update, 12:48 p.m.: Fran has it working now.
January 15th, 2010 at 11:08 am
That is GREAT news!
January 15th, 2010 at 11:13 am
Can hardly wait to try it. Sony take note!!!
January 15th, 2010 at 11:57 am
The txtr App assumes that you already have the ePub.
The ACS4 (or ACSM) file does not contain the actual document, but the rights information that allows you to read it. To obtain the document that belongs to this file, you will have to ‘fulfill’ it, for instance using Adobe’s Digital Editions. (Make sure you use the same AdobeID as in the txtr App.) By activating the ACS4 file, you download an encrypted version of the document, that can in turn be read by the txtr App.
You can import your ePubs to the txtr App via txtr.com.
January 15th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Joscha – thanks for the tip. I have a couple Adobe IDs and probably entered the wrong one. Trying this again…
January 15th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
Will this work with Library books from Overdrive?
January 15th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
Excellent question, DE, and I’m checking with OD and Adobe. David
January 15th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
It won’t work with library books – you need to be able to fulfill directly to the device where you intend to read it and txtr does not allow you to fulfill from an arbitrary server.
January 15th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
Big thanks for the update, Peter. I hope Txtr, OverDrive and/or Adobe can update us if that changes. Reading library books on an iPhone or iPod Touch would be awesome. David
January 18th, 2010 at 10:31 am
Txtr works perfectly, albeit it needs a few refinements, with all my ADE books (ePub & PDF).
ePub is best. Now my question is this: why the devil can’t Sony put out an iPhone app that does the same?
If Txtr can so Sony should.
It would certainly be nice when Overdrive works too.
Good going Txtr. Keep up the good work.
This development is huge for those of us with large collections.
January 21st, 2010 at 1:39 pm
Works great with the university press books BiblioVault fulfills. Great app!
Very nice work, txtr! Thank you!
January 28th, 2010 at 9:13 pm
Looks like Overdrive will be releasing an iPhone app this year: http://www.librarytechnology.org/ltg-displaytext.pl?RC=14438
Note that they have partnered with Txtr in Germany. Not sure if that’s related or not.