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Cybook Gen3 now able to read public library books, at least with tweak—plus Sony Reader and Kindle bargains
April 10, 2008 | 8:50 am
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By David Rothman
Cybook Gen3s can now read public library books, at least with the right tweak, and MobileRead provides the nuts and bolts here. The newest Cybooks may even come with a firmware fix for this particular problem.
Will the just-published tweak solve the problem at all libraries? I don’t know. When I get a chance, I’ll try the fix and see how it works with the offerings of the Fairfax County, VA, library. Meanwhile here’s a list of some libraries offering e-books, including those in the Mobipocket format that the Cybook uses. Let us know if the fix works with an e-library you use.
At a cosmic level, the real issue is why this problem should have arisen in the first place. It’s another example of the hassles of eBabel and DRM.
And speaking of E Ink readers and public libraries: If you own a Sony Reader and want to enjoy public library books, you’re out of luck. Sony has yet to include software that can cope with DRMed PDF books of the kind that libraries carry. Supposedly Adobe Digital Editions will soon be usable on the Sony Reader PRS-505 and address this issue—and also enable the Reader to read Adobe DRMed .epub, the IDPF’s standard. Libraries would do well to lean on vendors to use .epub rather than proprietary formats, regardless of the company-specific DRM. Ideally that problem can be solved in time.
Other Sony news: “JR.com has the Sony PRS-505/LC Digital Book Reader for $279 with $100 in free books included, according to Techbargains. That price seems to compare well with alternatives. Anyone know of better possibilities? And is the $100 deal unique at this time?
And on the Kindle front: I’m seeing a buy-it-now Kindle on eBay for $300, $100 less than the new price of the hard-to-buy machine. It’s used but supposedly in good condition. The number of Kindles has dwindled on eBay, suggesting that the gougers have sold out their wares. At any rate, if you bid on a Kindle on eBay, you might want to see if you can aim for less than $300. If you can’t, there’s nothing wrong with waiting, or with buying another machine.
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Comments:
Thanks for sharing this. I didn’t know the cybook worked with public libraries. Do they just work with Mobipocket titles?
I hope the Sony Reader has something soon. PDF is the equivalent of WMA for audio. It works, but the format is prone to DRM that create serious problems. Open formats are best.
Hi, Jeff. As far as I know, Mobi is the only DRMed format that the Cybook Gen3 works with. But that could still make a lot of library-goers happy, at least among e-bookers, given how many use Mobi. Here’s hoping that .epub and other things–which I’ll describe in a forthcoming post–can make e-books more attractive to libraries and patrons than the present mess! And that Adobe’s .epub capable reader will materialize sooon. Couldn’t agree with you more on open formats!
Note: The Cybook will work with nonDRMed formats, including, I understand, .epub in the near future. See current specs.
Thanks,
David
I picked up a couple of PRS-500s at the Sony Outlet store for $150 each. Yes they’re the older screen, and yes they aren’t going to get the software updates promised for the 505, but for only $150 I’ll live with those issues.