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New Nook STR does not support eReader PDB; wrong files sent to Mac users, by John Schember
May 29, 2011 | 10:50 am
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By Paul Biba
Barns and Noble has announced and is pre-selling the new Nook second generation Simple Touch Reader (STR). Looking at the specifications the eReader PDB format is not listed as being supported. Only EPUB and PDF are listed. My concern is the fact that I still get books in the PDB format from B&N and this new Nook isn’t going to be able to read them.
I sent and email to B&N’s customer service asking for clarification. The email is as follows:
The new Nook STR has EPUB and PDF listed as the only supported ebook formats. How will I be able to read eReader PDB formatted books distributed by you on this device? Just the other day I purchased Toll the Hounds by Steven Erikson and received this book as an eReader PDB file. Will I not be able to read large parts (including this title) of the B&N sold books on the new Nook?
B&N’s response is as follows:
Dear John Schember,
Thank you for writing to us about NOOK books.
We truly appreciate your taking the time to share your feedback
concerning NOOK 2nd edition’s compatibility with .pdb NOOK Books.Unfortunately, the 2nd edition of our NOOK is designed only in EPUB and
PDF format NOOK Books.Customer feedback is critical to the success of our business, and we
rely on suggestions such as yours to help us determine what our
customers value most. We have forwarded your suggestion to the
individuals responsible for NOOK Books for consideration and possible
implementation.Once again, thank you for your email.
Visit www.bn.com and click on the options that appear in the upper
right-hand corner to view information about your order.We look forward to your next visit.
Sincerely,
Maik
Customer Service Representative – Digital Support
Barnes & Noblehttp://www.bn.com/
Visit our NOOK Support site for the latest updates and downloads at:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/support/
The Nook STR does not in fact support the eReader PDB format.
This in itself shouldn’t be much of an issue as I’ve heard B&N has moved their offerings to be 100% EPUB and any PDB books can be re-downloaded from your B&N library as EPUB. This would be fine except I’m still receiving books (new purchases) in the PDB format!
I started a thread on MobileRead about this issue. The user Jane12 figured out what’s happening.
Apparently eReader PDB files are still sent to users who download to their computer using a Mac. Jane12 suggested I try changing my user agent (in my web browser) to say I’m on Windows. A re-download of Toll of the Hounds and I get an EPUB file. Change my user agent back to say I’m using Apple’s OS X and a re-download give me an eReader PDB file.
For what ever reason B&N gives Mac users eReader PDB files and Windows user EPUB file. On top of that their new device doesn’t read eReader PDB files. I foresee a lot of upset Mac user when they find out they can’t read books they’ve purchased from B&N on their B&N device. Especially when B&N defaults to giving Mac users books in a format they are not willing to support in their latest Nook (but support in the first generation model).
John’s original post can be found here.
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Comments:
“So, you’ve stepped up your response to personal attacks… For one thing I don’t run this blog and I’m not affiliated with Teleread. I’m an independent third party and this is a republishing (with permission) of an article I wrote on my personal blog (linked at the end of the article).”
Hmm. Let’s see. You responded with “why can’t you understand”. I responded in kind. If you read my post and comprehended it then you’d know that I understood you just fine. If you consider this a personal attack, so be it.
“How do you you understand that B&N gives books that can’t be read by Mac users when you follow it with saying the exact opposite?”
*sigh* I did not follow it with the exact opposite. I explained things pretty clearly. Yes, if you download the book with the web browser on a Mac you’ll get a file that’s incompatible with the B&N reader. THIS IS NOT THE SAME THING AS B&N SELLING YOU A BOOK THAT’S INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE READER. Why not? Because they didn’t sell you that file. They sold you a license. You can download the book again, in any of the ways outlined, and get a file that IS compatible with the reader. Is this a pain? Sure. Is it confusing for folks that don’t understand the technology? Absolutely. You DO have a right to complain. But you WERE NOT SOLD A BOOK THAT DOES NOT WORK ON YOUR DEVICE. YOU ARE NOT OUT ANY MONEY.
“Then email B&N support and don’t get an answer about how to read the book you just bought on the device.”
B&N support is sometimes lacking, at best. I don’t know if I’d bet they don’t have a response to this, however. In any event, there IS A SOLUTION. Download the book with your NOOKcolor (yes, I know *you* refuse to do this, but that’s not anyone’s problem but your own). I don’t mean you have to do this first. I mean you can do it at any point. Downloaded a PDB already? No problem, just download the book using your NOOKcolor now, at no cost, and you’ll get a version of the book that works on the device.
“The Nook Color can’t read eReader PDB files and have been out for about six months now. “Likely in the (near) future” doesn’t cut it especially when this has been an issue for half a year.”
I don’t think it cut it from the very beginning. I clearly indicated I thought this “fix” was a dumb idea, and find it even dumber that it’s not yet reverted to normal. Seriously, I get your complaint. I understand the frustration, and I sympathize. I just won’t stand for the spreading of falsehoods, whether it’s done intentionally or not.
> I don’t think it cut it from the very beginning. I clearly indicated I thought this “fix” was a dumb idea, and find it even dumber that it’s not yet reverted to normal. Seriously, I get your complaint. I understand the frustration, and I sympathize. I just won’t stand for the spreading of falsehoods, whether it’s done intentionally or not.
I’m not spreading falsehoods. I even gave ways around the issue in the article. My point is a regular user following a B&N suggested method for getting their books can easily end up in a situation where they cannot read the book they just purchased. Even trying to ask B&N for help cannot resolve the issue. I had to go to a third party web site to even find out about the work arounds in the first place.
Posters responding to you think they have lost money and B&N has ripped them off. That’s understandable when even this last post, the closest I’ve seen come to the complete truth, still says “where they cannot read the book they just purchased”. They can read the book. More importantly, they can read it on their NOOK. What they can’t do is use the file they downloaded on a browser on the Mac to sideload and read on the NOOK. Bad, but not the same as “they can’t read the book”. The situation is bad enough without scaring your readers into thinking they’ve lost money.
John you make complete sense to me and thank you or your excellent article. This behaviour by B&N, admitted in their response to you, is just another in a long line of arrogant abuse of customers by these big companies.
Redownloading to the Nook-whatever is no different than what has to be done on Amazon. On the K4PC one downloads in mobi/topaz format, and in the various Kindles, in another format. Unless you deDrm them, one can NOT download to K4PC and sideload over to a Kindle and expect to read that ebook. One can download to a PC (and I assume Mac) in the Kindle format for a registered Kindle and sideload it from there – vs downloading it directly on the Kindle – but that version can NOT be read by K4PC.
To much whining about nothing.
> Redownloading to the Nook-whatever is no different than what has to be done on Amazon. On the K4PC one downloads in mobi/topaz format, and in the various Kindles, in another format.
No. This is completely wrong. K4PC uses the same formats as the Kindle. It is Amazon’s DRM that prevents you from reading a file downloaded with K4PC on a Kindle. They lock the file to a specific reader.
> One can download to a PC (and I assume Mac) in the Kindle format for a registered Kindle and sideload it from there.
With B&N, they are giving Mac users files that cannot be sideloaded onto the Nook. B&N gives users instructions for side loading content with every purchase confirmation. When this fails because the files B&N sends to Mac users cannot be read on the Nook, B&N support tells you that you can’t read the book you just bought.
I’m one of the fools with thousands of dollars invested? in pdb ebooks from PeanutPress/ereader/fictionwise.
If they are allowing B&N shoppers to download purchased DRM’d books in multiple formats (pdb and epub), then I’m furious that my books from ereader and fictionwise can’t also be downloaded in both formats.
When the Nook color came out with no pdb support, I thought that it was probably the publishers who wouldn’t allow downloading previously purchased books in the new epub format , but I don’t see how that can be the case if the books from the B&N site are treated differently from the books from the ereader/fictionwise sites.
I do have the ereader android app on my phone, but it’s almost useless. It’s a beta version, and I don’t think it’s being supported any longer; I’ve had it for almost a year, and I’m pretty sure it hasn’t been updated since then. The fictionwise site still shows it as being a beta version. It doesn’t have a sort function, and doesn’t remember what book you’re reading, so every time you open the app you have to page through your entire library to find the book you’re reading.
As a long time ebook reader, with over 2000 ebooks in Secure eReader PDB format, it looks like I won’t be buying a Nook anytime soon. I was used to reading on a small screen (old Palm PDA/smartphones) and thought the original Nook was too bulky for me. I like the new Nooks and Kindles, but for now I’ll have to stick with my gadgets that can still use the old eReader program to read my PDB files.
There are only two eink ereaders that can still read PDB files. The now discontinued Nook and the Ectaco Jetbook Lite. I doubt that any in the future will support it.
Fictionwise is anyway on its last legs, businesswise there seems no sense for B&N to keep it open for much longer.
I’m not sure if this has been covered, but these are my two cents. You can use the Stanza application on a Mac to download protected (Secure) PDB eBooks that you purchased from Fictionwise/eReader. You can then transfer them to the Stanza app on an iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad via iTunes on the Mac. You can read them on the Mac or on the iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad. You’ll find a discussion of this at lexcycle.com web site, http://www.lexcycle.com/faq
Unfortunately, you cannot transfer these files to the new nook. I’ve tried everything I can think of as have others. B&N doesn’t seem to care, but at least if you no longer have your Palm device, you can still read your Fictionwise (and eReader) eBooks on some new devices. Hope this helps some of you.
Oops! The Secure eReader files downloaded by Stanza on an iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad cannot be read on the Mac Stanza application, but only on the iPhone, etc. Sorry, I spoke too soon. But at least you can still read all those eReader and Fictionwise books you bought. Don’t have one of these devices? Buy a used iPod Touch. They’re cheap now, and that’s all you need, really—unless you want a big screen, then buy a 1st gen iPad, they’re cheap now too and good enough for reading eBooks.