eBooks?

[kewl!o]

I have a Sony PRS-500 (eBook reader). The reader will let you view any PDF file, but I believe the Sony eBook files are a proprietary format (probably just ownership checking and such added to PDF).

Does anyone know if the iPhone will support reading eBooks? The display certainly looks capable, so I assume it would be a matter of agreements (apple-Sony).

Mark

 

[ColsTiger]

I have a Sony PRS-500 (eBook reader). The reader will let you view any PDF file, but I believe the Sony eBook files are a proprietary format (probably just ownership checking and such added to PDF).

Does anyone know if the iPhone will support reading eBooks? The display certainly looks capable, so I assume it would be a matter of agreements (apple-Sony).

Mark

Sounds like a good idea, but Sony likes to make stuff that only works for Sony products.

 

[kewl!o]

eBook format info

Sounds like a good idea, but Sony likes to make stuff that only works for Sony products.

Thanks for the reply. I did some more research and found out that the format Sony uses is BBeB (BroadBank eBook). Apparently, there is no "standard" eBook format. The Sony Reader supports:

DRM-free Text: BBeB Book (LRF), PDF, TXT, RTF, DOC
​

DRM Text: BBeB Book (LRX); Titles from major publishers and most small publishers can ONLY be read in Sony's proprietary format (BBeB); For example, such copy-protected ebooks in Adobe format cannot be read on the Sony device
​

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Reader)
​

Sony does describe how to format a PDF file for the Reader (http://www.learningcenter.sony.us/assets/itpd/reader/CreatingPDFsReaderGuide.pdf), but it basically just gives the page dimensions and recommmended font sizes to use with no information about the BBeB formatting.

I did find some tools for working with the BBeB format, but they are all from PDF->BBeB and not the other way around (http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Sony_Portable_Reader#Downs:). This forum states that the Sony format will be "opened" soon, which would allow eBooks to be read on the iPhone.

 

[jackjeff]

iPhone LRF reader

I'm currently working on an App which would be able to read LRF on the iPhone.

For the moment I am at the point where I roughly read 50% of the LRF format, in a one month work (on w-ends only). I think I'll need another month to read the rest of the format and layout the pages. Another month for the UI... So basically I think this could be available in September.

I will probably not support advanced formatting features which are never used (except in Japanese or Chinese langauges maybe...)

I might later add support for CHM or MOBI or Reflowed PDF (I have an idea that would work on most simple PDF documents...)

And I still have not received any confirmation for my subscription in the iPhone Developper program

 

[Marianne]

I'm currently working on an App which would be able to read LRF on the iPhone.

For the moment I am at the point where I roughly read 50% of the LRF format, in a one month work (on w-ends only). I think I'll need another month to read the rest of the format and layout the pages. Another month for the UI... So basically I think this could be available in September.

I will probably not support advanced formatting features which are never used (except in Japanese or Chinese langauges maybe...)

I might later add support for CHM or MOBI or Reflowed PDF (I have an idea that would work on most simple PDF documents...)

And I still have not received any confirmation for my subscription in the iPhone Developper program

THANK YOU for working on this! i'm an ebook fan and currently have a Kindle (though i plan on selling it and going back to paper books until real ebooks are possible on my iPhone without hacking)...

i'll add a vote for .mobi support in the future, pretty please!

 

[jackjeff]

THANK YOU for working on this! i'm an ebook fan and currently have a Kindle (though i plan on selling it and going back to paper books until real ebooks are possible on my iPhone without hacking)...
i'll add a vote for .mobi support in the future, pretty please!

I don't know what you mean by hacking, but I would not be able to support the MOBI format with DRMs for obvious legal reasons. But it looks like mobipocket will support the format themselves on the device.

See: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23992

 

[Marianne]

I don't know what you mean by hacking, but I would not be able to support the MOBI format with DRMs for obvious legal reasons. But it looks like mobipocket will support the format themselves on the device.

See: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23992

i meant hacking my iPhone, as in jailbreaking it so it can run 3rd party applications. there are existing ebook applications for the iPhone, but i don't want to jailbreak my current iPhone to use them...

i don't expect any ebook reader software to support the drm'd .mobi or other file formats without express authorization from the publisher. but there are plenty of free .mobi books available - TOR is sending out a free ebook each week if you're on their mailing list and they provide them in .mobi format, and there are tons posted in the mobileread forums too. when i mentioned my vote for the .mobi format, i was expressly thinking of the non-drm'd ebooks i know i can get...

 

[jackjeff]

i meant hacking my iPhone, as in jailbreaking it so it can run 3rd party applications. there are existing ebook applications for the iPhone, but i don't want to jailbreak my current iPhone to use them...

My goal is to put the application on the Apple Store, so no jailbreak However I may charge a little to cover my fees.

I'm reading TOR ebooks too, but I convert them to LRF (I have a sony reader).