Hobbies And Interests
eReader Overview
Amazon, Sony, Apple, and Barnes and Noble are some of the better-known companies that offer their own models of eReaders. These eReaders offer a wide range of features, such as Web browsers, apps and streaming movies. You can also choose from a variety of designs. For example, while some eReaders offer full-color touchscreens, others have purely black-and-white screens that more closely resemble the pages of an actual book.
ePub Format
According to an October 2010 article in "PC Magazine," there is no single format that is universal to all eReaders. However, there is a type of file known as ePub that will allow you to share books between different eReaders under certain circumstances. The ePub format is managed by the International Digital Publishing Forum and is a free and open eBook standard. When a book is produced and saved with the ePub extension, it may be transferred from one eReader to another as long as both devices accept the format.
Digital Rights Management
In addition to being saved in the ePub format, books must have the appropriate level of Digital Rights Management, or DRM, to be shared. Companies and individuals can enact DRM to protect online content from being shared among multiple users. According to a March 2010 article on Gizmodo, many eReader manufacturers use the ePub format, but they have also implemented DRM technologies that prohibit you from moving books you have purchased to or from other eReaders.
Sharing Books
As long as you have two eReader models that accept the ePub format without DRM restrictions, you can freely move books between devices. To share books, simply transfer them from one eReader to a computer then to the other eReader. You can access ePub-formatted books for your eReader through a few outlets. Google Books and Project Gutenberg are two sites that allow you access to free and paid ePub books. Barnes and Noble and other retailers that sell eReaders also have sites where you can access ePub books.