6 ms·

Sometimes it's just better to pirate the books even if you've paid for them. The formatting and error correction is usually better and they stick to epub and mo

Sometimes it's just better to pirate the books even if you've paid for them. The formatting and error correction is usually better and they stick to epub and mobi standards. As an aside: I was helping a friend out who owned a Kindle recently and shocked to learn it can't read mobi or epub. Why would anyone buy such a crap e-reader?

arkades 7y ago
It reads mobi, just not ePub. And I use it because it’s got the best hardware experience of the bunch, IMO.
- superkuh 7y ago
  Do some? I was under the impression you couldn't load .mobi files on to it and they had to be converted to amazon's proprietary format.
  - arkades 7y ago
    I’m not familiar with any models not loading mobi. The only caveat is that there is a sub-format of mobi that’s fixed rather than reflowable (like, a PDF vs. a TXT), and that’s never been supported. But I’ve only come across those once in a blue moon in the wild. ePubs seem more popular than mobi though, so I think that’s where most of the “converting for kindle” happens.
  - dunnevens 7y ago
    .mobi predates Kindle, but it was the first format on the original Kindles. Amazon bought the company which made it. Amazon no longer uses the original mobi format, but keeps it for backwards compatibility. Most non-Amazon sources for Kindle books still use mobi.
pavel_lishin 7y ago
My kindle can read .mobi file sfine.
kranner 7y ago
Kindles are awesome e-readers. They can read .mobi files, the battery time is in weeks and the e-ink display is very easy on the eyes.
- superhuzza 7y ago
  Yes but they don't support epub, which is frustrating (at least mine doesn't). Easy problem to fix but it seems the majority of ebooks online follow this format.
  - captn3m0 7y ago
    Installing KOreader after a jailbreak let’s you read whatever you want. (And connect to OPDS servers)
- BeetleB 7y ago
  What you described is equally true of Kobo, Nook, and pretty much every e-ink based reader. And they all support more formats than the Kindle does.
eswat 7y ago
I’ve had both a Kindle and Kobo. The latter seemed like the better device because it felt less-tethered to bloatware I don't care about that the Kobo has (Pocket, gamification, etc.) and has decent GoodReads integration. Kindle does support mobi, but you have to convert epub files (this can't be done through your Kindle email address' convert ability for some reason).
- genghizkhan 7y ago
  Err, I might not be reading this right, but don’t you mean the former?
- extra88 7y ago
  > Kindle does support mobi, but you have to convert epub files (this can't be done through your Kindle email address' convert ability for some reason). I think the reason is they don't want to make it too easy to buy ebooks elsewhere and read them on the Kindle. Having to use something like Calibre to convert epub to mobi before sending it to a Kindle is just enough hassle and requires enough comfort with technology to make most stick with the easier option of buying ebooks from Amazon.
Tijdreiziger 7y ago
AZW3 is basically EPUB, you just need to run your EPUB files through Calibre. (Not that this excuses the lack of EPUB support.)
zokier 7y ago
> Why would anyone buy such a crap e-reader? The point, and imho only point, of Kindle is the tight integration to Amazon store. It is very much dedicated single purpose device for reading Amazon content. I have one and its great; I browse Amazon store on my computer, select a book, and with one click buy the one I want and have it automatically delivered to my Kindle. No need to think about files and formats or copying and converting stuff around.

arkades 7y ago

It reads mobi, just not ePub. And I use it because it’s got the best hardware experience of the bunch, IMO.

superkuh 7y ago
Do some? I was under the impression you couldn't load .mobi files on to it and they had to be converted to amazon's proprietary format.
- arkades 7y ago
  I’m not familiar with any models not loading mobi. The only caveat is that there is a sub-format of mobi that’s fixed rather than reflowable (like, a PDF vs. a TXT), and that’s never been supported. But I’ve only come across those once in a blue moon in the wild. ePubs seem more popular than mobi though, so I think that’s where most of the “converting for kindle” happens.
- dunnevens 7y ago
  .mobi predates Kindle, but it was the first format on the original Kindles. Amazon bought the company which made it. Amazon no longer uses the original mobi format, but keeps it for backwards compatibility. Most non-Amazon sources for Kindle books still use mobi.

pavel_lishin 7y ago

My kindle can read .mobi file sfine.

kranner 7y ago

Kindles are awesome e-readers. They can read .mobi files, the battery time is in weeks and the e-ink display is very easy on the eyes.

superhuzza 7y ago
Yes but they don't support epub, which is frustrating (at least mine doesn't). Easy problem to fix but it seems the majority of ebooks online follow this format.
- captn3m0 7y ago
  Installing KOreader after a jailbreak let’s you read whatever you want. (And connect to OPDS servers)
BeetleB 7y ago
What you described is equally true of Kobo, Nook, and pretty much every e-ink based reader. And they all support more formats than the Kindle does.

eswat 7y ago

I’ve had both a Kindle and Kobo. The latter seemed like the better device because it felt less-tethered to bloatware I don't care about that the Kobo has (Pocket, gamification, etc.) and has decent GoodReads integration. Kindle does support mobi, but you have to convert epub files (this can't be done through your Kindle email address' convert ability for some reason).

genghizkhan 7y ago
Err, I might not be reading this right, but don’t you mean the former?
extra88 7y ago
> Kindle does support mobi, but you have to convert epub files (this can't be done through your Kindle email address' convert ability for some reason). I think the reason is they don't want to make it too easy to buy ebooks elsewhere and read them on the Kindle. Having to use something like Calibre to convert epub to mobi before sending it to a Kindle is just enough hassle and requires enough comfort with technology to make most stick with the easier option of buying ebooks from Amazon.

Tijdreiziger 7y ago

AZW3 is basically EPUB, you just need to run your EPUB files through Calibre. (Not that this excuses the lack of EPUB support.)

zokier 7y ago

> Why would anyone buy such a crap e-reader? The point, and imho only point, of Kindle is the tight integration to Amazon store. It is very much dedicated single purpose device for reading Amazon content. I have one and its great; I browse Amazon store on my computer, select a book, and with one click buy the one I want and have it automatically delivered to my Kindle. No need to think about files and formats or copying and converting stuff around.