Sony Converts eBook Store to EPUB Format

Sony announced its plan to convert its eBook store to the industry-standard EPUB format by the end of the year. Adopting an industry-standard format and Adobe Content Server 4 (ACS4), cross platform server software solution that copy protects downloadable eBooks, allows Sony to make its eBook store compatible with multiple devices and its Reader devices open to multiple sources for content. Sony's Reader was the first dedicated reading device to support the EPUB format, the International Digital Publishing Forum's (IDPF) XML-based standard format for reflowable digital books and publications. The standard was developed with the participation of more than 60 companies and organizations and was unanimously approved by IDPF members. Current Readers from Sony, models PRS-505 and PRS-700, supported EPUB and reflowable PDF documents via Adobe Digital Editions 1.7 software. Recently announced digital readers - the Reader Pocket Edition (priced at about $199), and the Reader Touch Edition (about $299) - will both support the EPUB and PDF formats out of the box when they go on sale later this month. Sony will also provide an update path for owners of the first edition Reader, model PRS-500. Through the eBook Store from Sony users can access new releases, best sellers and more than one million free public domain books from Google. The Google titles, already in EPUB format are optimized for the Reader. From Sony's eBook Store, Reader owners with a store account can download and transfer any of these titles to their Reader, while new eBook Store users can access available titles after setting up an account and downloading Sony's free eBook Library software. http://ebookstore.sony.com