Anyone heard if the BBeB format is open/documented? And even better, if anyone has created an open source converter? If these things take off, it would be nice to have the ability to generate files for them from our collection. If there is an open source converter, there is a chance we could do such a thing right on the server. Josh ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ian MacLean" <imaclean@gmail.com> To: "Project Gutenberg Volunteer Discussion" <gutvol-d@lists.pglaf.org> Subject: Re: [gutvol-d] Ebook reading devices Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2006 17:54:27 +0900
Have you seen the just announced ebook reader from Sony using a high res e-ink display ?:
http://blogs.reuters.com/2006/01/04/glimpse-at-new-sony-reader/ http://products.sel.sony.com/pa/prs/reader_features.html
They claim to have done away with the ridculous restrictions built into their previous reader ( the libre ) and it *should* be able to ready txt and pdf, html although these will need to be converted into Sony's proprietry BBeB format before being transferred to the device.
Another product out soon that will use the same e-ink technology is the irex ER0100 : http://www.epaper.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=56&Itemid=2
which apparently will be able to display PDF, XHTML, or TXT without conversion.
Both these devices will probably be as expensive as the Cybook but with much higher readability of e-ink displays.
Ian
On 1/13/06, Robert Sutherland <robsuth@robsuth.plus.com> wrote:
Just to bring my enquiry of 8 June 05 uptodate, I continued my email/online enquiries as far as I could, but found no product among the DVD portable readers that would deal with text, nor was any of the manufacturers interested in producing one. Apart from the French reader Cybook (which I think is too expensive for the task and market although otherwise for the most part ideal) there seems still to be no special ebook reading device available in UK or the EU generally: laptops are still too big and heavy, and PDAs still have far too small a screen My enquiries confirmed my strong impression that there are protectionist interests holding this back, presumably in the interests of proprietary issues of ebooks. That is really rather to bury the head in the sand, especially now that Google are to set up their Library - if PG and Google are going to be fully useful a new device is inevitable. Can PG and Google not take a hand themselves to enable production of something they undoubtedly will need?
Robert Sutherland ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _______________________________________________ gutvol-d mailing list gutvol-d@lists.pglaf.org http://lists.pglaf.org/listinfo.cgi/gutvol-d
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