The Kindle uses it's own proprietary format for books. If you have a non DRM PDF or ePUB file, you can usually convert it to the Kindle format and use it there. But if they have DRM, it's a no go.
I use the freeware program Callibre. It lets me convert any format to the Kindle format so I can read whatever on my kindle. The formatting is a little weird, but I can still read.
@2: All files are either EPUB or PDF and are ADEPT encrypted. Kindle supports only un-encrypted PDF files. While technically it's possible to break the encryption and convert to a Kindle-accessible file it's kind of a legal gray area.
Logging into my Google/Gmail account to purchase/read books creeps me out for some reason. I'll admit about being a tad OC about internet privacy, but it still creeps me out.
Schmidt spooks me as much as Zuckerberg. Make no mistake, Google, like Facebook, is trying to BE the internet instead of being a part of the internet.
I really don't know why Apple was mentioned as they are not a major e-book player. I'm thinking e-books isn't where Apple expects to get the majority of their future earnings from. (SEE: iAd)
@4, "the formatting is a little weird" is kind of a deal-killer for 90% of the populace, including me. In fact, I've pretty much given up on ebooks for this reason. My Kindle hasn't been on in three months.
With a few clicks I was able to get "Popular mechanics Volume 14, Issues 1-6" (from 1910, nearly 1000 pages) into my iPad and it's all very readable. How is this not a great thing?!
I would disagree with the "interface is well-thought-out and smooth" comment though. It seems a bit clunky and definitely doesn't have the polish of, say, an Apple-produced app.
I use calibre as well. It's a great book/document manager tool. You can convert books from anything to anything. It is quite good at managing large collections with its advanced search, tags, etc. It downloads news feeds and dumps them automatically to your ereader. I use it with my nook as well as to keep track of all my documents(recipes, school papers.)
It's free and open-source. Works on Windows/Mac/Linux. Can't say enough nice things about it! Check it out at calibre-ebooks.com
"I really don't know why Apple was mentioned as they are not a major e-book player. I'm thinking e-books isn't where Apple expects to get the majority of their future earnings from. (SEE: iAd) "
Look at the author of this blog post, and all becomes clear.
The Sony Reader Library store is unbearably clunky and sometimes the installation gets broken on Macs for no reason, necessitating a complicated (it really is relatively complicated) uninstall and reinstall. So I think there's a lot of potential for Google to poach Sony users, with amazon intent on pushing Kindle-only eBooks.
Queen Anne Book is selling Google eBooks, too! Eagle Harbor has them as well.
There is a list on indiebound.org with Google eBooks retailers: http://www.indiebound.org/google-ebooks
The Kindle uses it's own proprietary format for books. If you have a non DRM PDF or ePUB file, you can usually convert it to the Kindle format and use it there. But if they have DRM, it's a no go.
Schmidt spooks me as much as Zuckerberg. Make no mistake, Google, like Facebook, is trying to BE the internet instead of being a part of the internet.
I really don't know why Apple was mentioned as they are not a major e-book player. I'm thinking e-books isn't where Apple expects to get the majority of their future earnings from. (SEE: iAd)
I would disagree with the "interface is well-thought-out and smooth" comment though. It seems a bit clunky and definitely doesn't have the polish of, say, an Apple-produced app.
It's free and open-source. Works on Windows/Mac/Linux. Can't say enough nice things about it! Check it out at calibre-ebooks.com
"I really don't know why Apple was mentioned as they are not a major e-book player. I'm thinking e-books isn't where Apple expects to get the majority of their future earnings from. (SEE: iAd) "
Look at the author of this blog post, and all becomes clear.
http://www.2epub.com
There is a list on indiebound.org with Google eBooks retailers: http://www.indiebound.org/google-ebooks