Sony to convert eBook Store to EPUB open format
updated 12:55 pm EDT, Thu August 13, 2009
Sony eBook Store goes EPUB
Sony on Thursday announced that, by the end of the year, it will convert all of the content on its eBook Store to the industry-standard EPUB format. Material will typically be copy-protected using Adobe Content Server 4. Sony's Reader was the first e-book device to support the XML-based EPUB, and Sony executives now claim that specific DRM formats limit overall growth in the e-book industry. Owners of other e-book readers should be able to cross-shop for titles through Sony.
Sony's present Readers, the PRS-505 and PRS-700, have received EPUB support via the Adobe Digital Editions 1.7 update. The upcoming PRS-300 and PRS-500 devices will feature support for EPUB and PDF by default. The original PRS-500 should gain a compatibility update sometime in the future.
