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Known Participant
June 30, 2008
Question

Can we put these new eBooks on our PDAs?

  • June 30, 2008
  • 35 replies
  • 4212 views
I used to be able to buy ebooks in pdf format and put it on my pda/cell phone and read them through Adobe Reader Mobile. But these new ebooks don't work at all. Is there any way we can read these on our PDAs and cell phones. That used to be the biggest benefit to me - that you could take all these books around with you and read anytime you had to wait.
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    35 replies

    Participant
    January 15, 2009
    Hi

    Ok i have just discovered the wonders of digital editions. I got a zire 31 palm for christmas and just bought two books from waterstones which were in epub format. I was told on the site i would need to install digital editions which i did. When i looke at the digital editions website it said i would be able to transfer my ebooks to my palm and read them using adobe for palm os as long as i activated both my computer and palm on their website which i did. However when i try to put my new ebboks onto my palm via adobe for palm os (latest edition) it says it does not support this format. Is this something i am doing wrong of is there still problems with digital editions which is preventing me from doing so?

    Is there any way of getting my ebooks (epub) onto my palm or is it just waiting for adobe to get their act together?

    Thanks is advance for any responses
    Participant
    January 13, 2009
    On Windows XP based computers you can use earlier reader editions like 7 or 8, and that will sync quite easily with the adobe mobile reader 2.0, but none of that works once you upgrade to Vista. Now my HP handheld won't synch with my vista computer without upgrades and the vista computer requires ADE which won't allow me to transfer ebooks to my handheld pc. Does anyone have any idea when ADE will be updated so we can transfer ebooks to our handhelds?
    Even libraries have ebooks to check out and the most common format is adobe--but again, what good is that when it isn't portable!?
    Known Participant
    August 26, 2008
    I like beating a dead horse! Keeps the pressure up! Anyway, for all you iPhone users out there I just found what looks like a decent substitute. You can actually get real books with it too. It's http://ereader.com.

    On your iPhone you can go to the App Store and search on "ereader" and it's the first one that comes up. It says "Fictionwise" but they have non-fiction as well. (that was my first fear)!

    Anyway, I'm reading a book on it now and it's passable. It has a couple of weird quirks, like you can't scroll. But you can turn pages really easily just by tapping the right side of the screen. Another weird thing is it's hard to tell where in the book you are. There are no scroll bars or page numbers... so that's a little disorienting. They'll probably change that in a newer version.

    Anyway, if you're like me and you just have to read on your phone or PDA check that out. At least I can put a few books on my phone now and have something to read when I have to wait in line and stuff!
    Participant
    August 21, 2008
    Not to beat the dead horse too much more, but I like others would like to know how or when I can use Adobe Digital 1.5 to read ebooks on my axim (which operates using windows mobile). When I bought my ebook it only came in adobe digital format (later it was released in other formats, but that doesn't help me now).

    I have bought other pdf format ebooks in the past and thought nothing of it. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I could not put it on my axim. Thankfully I only have the one ebook, and I haven't lost hundreds of dollars worth of ebooks like others, since I usually use mobipocket or ms reader. However, I truly do like the adobe digital format, and would love to be able to use in on my pda.

    If nothing else, at least see if you can upgrade the program so that I and others can use it on our windows mobile pdas and smartphones (btw my cell actually operates using palm... but again... that doesn't help me).

    Thank you.

    MJ
    Participant
    August 19, 2008
    It looks like someone might have to look into a class action lawsuit to get Adobe's attention with this mess!
    Participant
    August 18, 2008
    I think the thread got off the topic a bit. If adobe would just let folks know UP FRONT when they are "updating" to digital editions, that previously purchased books will be unavailable, AND that you cannot put these books on ANY OTHER portable device other than the Sony thingie.

    If I had known that prior, I would have purchased the e-book in a different format, and I would still be a satisfied customer. The "back alley" way of making the digital editions download seem necessary was what put us off, adobe.
    Participant
    August 13, 2008
    I, too, purchased an e-book that was offered in ".pdf" format. That was all. There was no indication that I was purchasing a Digital Editions book with a label like "Digital Editions .pdf" or ".etd" or anything in the confirmation e-mail; nor was there anything anywhere on the site that said as much. I was directed to the DE download page which was also vague about it's limitations (I'm sure it's in the fine print somewhere, so no one at Adobe can be held liable for anything at all, but it's not readily available while you're trying to access your legally purchased ebook). Of course, I downloaded and installed the program, thinking I'd be able to read it on my iPod touch (which I've had great success with regarding true .pdf's), only to experience the same frustrations shared by a majority of Adobe's customers here. DE is a pervasive mess. Any ebook sellers who use Digital Editions, knowing its failures, are being extraordinarily negligent to their paying customers. I emailed the vendor I purchased the ebook from and explained the problem, requesting a response, and hopefully, some fair and, at least, usable solution, but was completely ignored. And charged a ridiculously high price for a book I am only allowed to read as Adobe sees fit. I might be able to open the book outside DE, but it wants a password to unlock it which appears to have been set by Adobe. None of mine work. All this with, again, no warning from any of the parties involved. After reading the posts here, I'm afraid to remove Digital Editions in the event that my system and previous purchases will somehow be compromised. Shame on you, Adobe. You should be more responsible with your products and disclosures, and not hide behind the fine print...wherever it is.
    August 5, 2008
    Dave,

    Assuming that you have Digital Editions installed on all the machines, and that you have authorized you Digital Editions installations with the same AdobeID, you will be able to transfer purchased eBooks between those machines.

    However besides computers running Windows (XP or Vista) or Macintosh OS X (10.4 or 10.5) we currently only support one other device: the Sony Reader PRS 505 running the latest version of the firmware. Most Tablet PCs are running XP or Vista so you should be able to transfer content to your Tablet PC.

    --
    Jim Lester
    Adobe Systems
    August 5, 2008
    Before I started a new topic thread, could you tell if this is the same question I am having here.

    Basically, I'd like to know if the eBook purchased in Digital Edition or an ebook activated in DE will be allowed to be open in another PDF software let say in Tablet PC?
    July 30, 2008
    Great, I love problems that solve themselve :). However I agree that we have had some design challenges with the discovery of the Digital Editions application itself. There should be a shortcut to Digital Editions placed on your Desktop, on line or offline you will always be able to launch Digital Editions and read your content.

    --
    Jim Lester