Comments on: Sony Reader tip: How to deal (sort of) with the small print in Wowio’s PDFs of free e-books http://www.teleread.org/blog/2007/07/30/sony-reader-tip-how-to-deal-more-or-less-with-the-small-print-in-wowios-pdfs/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:36:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Matt Robinson http://www.teleread.org/blog/2007/07/30/sony-reader-tip-how-to-deal-more-or-less-with-the-small-print-in-wowios-pdfs/#comment-501792 Matt Robinson Mon, 20 Aug 2007 17:48:35 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=6894#comment-501792 A feature I didn't know about that helps with reading PDF's is that you can change the orientation of the reader to horizontal by holding the size button down until it changes. Then only half the PDF page is displayed at once which makes the text size quite a bit larger and more readable. I found out about this from the Sony Support site http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/model-home.pl?mdl=PRS500&LCID=LCTR_Showcase:ITPD:Reader:Home:btnSupport It's still much nicer to have reflowing text, but if you don't have the time to fiddle with every WOWIO download this is a nice alternative that doesn't require any extra software. A feature I didn’t know about that helps with reading PDF’s is that you can change the orientation of the reader to horizontal by holding the size button down until it changes. Then only half the PDF page is displayed at once which makes the text size quite a bit larger and more readable. I found out about this from the Sony Support site http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/model-home.pl?mdl=PRS500&LCID=LCTR_Showcase:ITPD:Reader:Home:btnSupport

It’s still much nicer to have reflowing text, but if you don’t have the time to fiddle with every WOWIO download this is a nice alternative that doesn’t require any extra software.

]]> By: Bill Monks http://www.teleread.org/blog/2007/07/30/sony-reader-tip-how-to-deal-more-or-less-with-the-small-print-in-wowios-pdfs/#comment-481415 Bill Monks Tue, 31 Jul 2007 06:17:17 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=6894#comment-481415 Sorry about this, I just had another thought. I can't use Wowio because I'm not in the US - how do the ads work? If they're text within the ebook then I suppose they get carried over when you convert to text but if they're pictures they'd be lost in translation. Sorry about this, I just had another thought. I can’t use Wowio because I’m not in the US - how do the ads work? If they’re text within the ebook then I suppose they get carried over when you convert to text but if they’re pictures they’d be lost in translation.

]]> By: Bill Monks http://www.teleread.org/blog/2007/07/30/sony-reader-tip-how-to-deal-more-or-less-with-the-small-print-in-wowios-pdfs/#comment-481410 Bill Monks Tue, 31 Jul 2007 06:12:11 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=6894#comment-481410 With PDFs I can usually just copy and paste the text into Notepad and save off as a text file. In Adobe reader just ctrl-A, ctrl-C, then open Notepad and ctrl-V Maybe the Amber application works with DRMed PDFs and I'm missing the point. With PDFs I can usually just copy and paste the text into Notepad and save off as a text file. In Adobe reader just ctrl-A, ctrl-C, then open Notepad and ctrl-V

Maybe the Amber application works with DRMed PDFs and I’m missing the point.

]]> By: Tamas Simon http://www.teleread.org/blog/2007/07/30/sony-reader-tip-how-to-deal-more-or-less-with-the-small-print-in-wowios-pdfs/#comment-480989 Tamas Simon Mon, 30 Jul 2007 22:05:10 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=6894#comment-480989 Guess what... the Tower of eBabel can actually help to create a non-DRM business model. The only thing needed if for ebookstores to let people "go back" and download their purchases again and again in different formats. So readers would be encouraged to buy (as opposed to download pirated copies) because if they do so they can then switch devices - thereby switching formats - and they would not need to worry about losing their collections. - of course this would be only one of the incentives, there would be others such as book forums etc. Guess what… the Tower of eBabel can actually help to create a non-DRM business model.
The only thing needed if for ebookstores to let people “go back” and download their purchases again and again in different formats.
So readers would be encouraged to buy (as opposed to download pirated copies) because if they do so they can then switch devices - thereby switching formats - and they would not need to worry about losing their collections.
- of course this would be only one of the incentives, there would be others such as book forums etc.

]]> By: David Rothman http://www.teleread.org/blog/2007/07/30/sony-reader-tip-how-to-deal-more-or-less-with-the-small-print-in-wowios-pdfs/#comment-480905 David Rothman Mon, 30 Jul 2007 20:34:54 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=6894#comment-480905 Gerry and Tamas... <p>G: The perfect response! Thanks. Meanwhile I'll keep encouraging people to try Wowio in the here and now, while knowing that better things are on the way---as I'm sure they'll be once you see for yourself why PDF makes me scream in pain (hyperbole allowed).</p> <p>T: Alas, E Ink machines won't have the six-inch size forever. In fact, the iLiad already doesn't---its display is larger. I guess such a logo wouldn't hurt, but I'd prefer that the real focus be on the reflowable epub format. It'll make life easier both for Wowio (where Gerry works) and readers alike.</p> <p>Thanks,<br /> David</p> Gerry and Tamas…

G: The perfect response! Thanks. Meanwhile I’ll keep encouraging people to try Wowio in the here and now, while knowing that better things are on the way—as I’m sure they’ll be once you see for yourself why PDF makes me scream in pain (hyperbole allowed).

T: Alas, E Ink machines won’t have the six-inch size forever. In fact, the iLiad already doesn’t—its display is larger. I guess such a logo wouldn’t hurt, but I’d prefer that the real focus be on the reflowable epub format. It’ll make life easier both for Wowio (where Gerry works) and readers alike.

Thanks,
David

]]> By: Tamas Simon http://www.teleread.org/blog/2007/07/30/sony-reader-tip-how-to-deal-more-or-less-with-the-small-print-in-wowios-pdfs/#comment-480874 Tamas Simon Mon, 30 Jul 2007 20:03:51 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=6894#comment-480874 Daivd, I think it's good idea to advocate for an .epub logo I think we can go beyond this and advocate that people and companies who put PDFs online should offer different page sizes; namely one for eReaders. The screen sizes of the eInk based devices are the same, so we could come up with some suggestion that works well on all (SONY Reader, Irex Iliad, CyBook etc) A logo would be a good promotional tool for this too... something like "PDF for eInk" Daivd, I think it’s good idea to advocate for an .epub logo
I think we can go beyond this and advocate that people and companies who put PDFs online should offer different page sizes; namely one for eReaders.
The screen sizes of the eInk based devices are the same, so we could come up with some suggestion that works well on all (SONY Reader, Irex Iliad, CyBook etc)
A logo would be a good promotional tool for this too… something like “PDF for eInk”

]]> By: Gerry Manacsa http://www.teleread.org/blog/2007/07/30/sony-reader-tip-how-to-deal-more-or-less-with-the-small-print-in-wowios-pdfs/#comment-480862 Gerry Manacsa Mon, 30 Jul 2007 19:44:50 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=6894#comment-480862 My Sony Reader is on order (via the $49 Sony Card offer that you found), so I hope to see for myself soon! My Sony Reader is on order (via the $49 Sony Card offer that you found), so I hope to see for myself soon!

]]>