Savory for Kindle 2 automates PDF and EPUB conversions, doesn't make James Patterson any more enjoyable

We've seen surprisingly few Kindle 2 hacks 'round these parts, and therefore few apps that run on the beloved e-reader itself. One notable exception is Savory, which monitors the device's Documents directory for files sporting either the .epub or .pdf extensions -- when one of these guys rears its ugly head, it's converted to a Kindle filetype. The only hitch is that the program (as currently available) chokes on image-based PDFs -- according to the author, images in PDFs are fine, as long as there is some text to extract. Sure, the software doesn't do anything that Amazon doesn't already do for free -- but it does make the conversion quick and painless. Ready to give it a go? Hit the read link for the files, and you'll be mere moments away from all those terrific Left Behind books someone scanned and posted on The Pirate Bay. You're welcome.

[Lazarpandar @ Apr 5th 2009 4:28AM]

lol @ kindle 2
has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?

[WREX @ Apr 5th 2009 4:46AM]

"has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?"

That's what happens when you use babel fish people.

[A.C.E.R. @ Apr 5th 2009 5:19AM]

I always wondered what my questions looked like on pediy.com and now I know

[giuliop @ Apr 5th 2009 5:51AM]

"has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?"

Yes.

[Riley @ Apr 5th 2009 7:30AM]

I feel like I've been literarily raped

[Ignatius @ Apr 5th 2009 10:04AM]

My brain hurts after attempting to read that.

[Josh Ladella @ Apr 5th 2009 4:20PM]

Favorite comment of the day. Could only be better if you used rändöm ümläuts.

[spoonman @ Apr 5th 2009 8:16PM]

And it all started off so well...

[SLow rAM @ Apr 7th 2009 12:37AM]

Hehe, I enjoyed that. Must be time for bed..

[Kaitian @ Apr 5th 2009 3:40AM]

$41,916? What?

[Miguel @ Apr 5th 2009 3:42AM]

http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/26/the-41-916-kindle-book-is-just-1-click-away/

[GroovDude @ Apr 5th 2009 6:21AM]

Ya! I'll buy 3 ^_^

[auricom @ Apr 5th 2009 10:40AM]

I wouldn't even wanna click in to see the book details like above for fear of accidentally buying it ... eeks!

but then again my cc credit line doesn't go that high..

[MaxSMoke @ Apr 5th 2009 6:16AM]

You do know the Sony model reads PDF natively. Not conversion, and they work great. I was using my Sony Reader to keep all of my service manuals, as well as a host of public domain works.

Screw the online store feature. I can't imagine why anyone would want to pay full price for a book, game, song, or movie, that is in digital format only. You don't own what you can't resell.

[Mark Anderson @ Apr 5th 2009 6:32AM]

I just don't understand people who buy James Patterson's books.

An ongoing tragedy if ever there was one.

[projectpete19 @ Apr 5th 2009 8:41AM]

its ok, stick to your Mary Higgins Clark and I will stick to my James Patterson

[Cargojack @ Apr 5th 2009 8:57AM]

I have a Kindle 1. It is great. I buy the occasional book from Amazon, but, both Amazon and Gutenberg.org have loads of books in public domain for free. yes, Amazon sells books of $0. Obviously, none of it is new, but, one can still derive pleasure from reading Mark Twain, John Locke and Shakespeare on a Kindle.

[m.edgar @ Apr 5th 2009 10:04AM]

What I've always wondered: when reading pdf's on an e-ink device like the Sony reader, the Illiad or heaven forbid the Kindle, does it get rid of the top/bottom and left/right margins?

All the programs on my palmpilot and now my winmob device can't seem to manage something so obvious (there's only this shit zoom mode) and IT SUCKS. Digital paper don't need no stinking margins, idiots! The screen bezel functions as margins already!

[adam @ Apr 5th 2009 10:38AM]

Erm, wouldn't "Left Behind books someone scanned and posted on The Pirate Bay" be exactly the sort of "image-based PDFs" that you claim this program chokes on?

[ZeroCorpse @ Apr 5th 2009 10:53AM]

I don't know why this would even be necessary. Calibre will convert PDF files into MOBI files that work fine on the Kindle. It even inserts the metadata and handles bulk conversions.

And yes, the Sony Reader does read PDF natively, but it's slllllloooooww in rendering a PDF. It's far better to convert to a faster format, unless you want to wait for the damn thing. Besides, you can't use the Sony Reader to hop on Wikipedia or other text-based web pages while on the go, and that little experimental feature makes the Kindle a very attractive choice. That's not even considering the ease of purchasing books for the Kindle when you're nowhere near a computer.

What makes the Kindle a better choice, however, is the customer service. To put it bluntly: Sony's customer service sucks ass, while Amazon Kindle support is getting a very good reputation. The warranty on a Kindle is better. They'll cross-ship, they're very knowledgeable, and they react quickly. I've heard more than a few people complaining that Sony's not much help when you have a problem with your Sony Reader, and they're really hesitant to deal with returns, repairs, or exchanges.

Both e-readers are good. Kindle has certain advantages, and Sony has other advantages. Some of the other e-readers on the market are comparable (or better) than the Sony (the BeBook and CyBook are both pretty decent), but so far, Amazon has the edge with their wireless transfer of books, better customer service, and the ability to offer the world's biggest bookstore with the leverage to get publishers to embrace e-books. Slowly but surely, Amazon is getting the industry to change its ideas about e-books. Sony doesn't really care about the publishers' end of the business, and neither do any of the other manufacturers. They're making the hardware and leaving the rest up to end-users and publishers who feel like doing it all themselves. The Sony e-book selection is a joke, and their prices outright suck. Why is it they're asking the same price as the dead tree version for many of their e-books?

Amazon has the right idea. Digital transfer of the book, a lowered price, and an online archive where you can store your library and retrieve it from any Kindle you own. They're making it easy for end users to access content.

@m.edgar: If you convert to mobi for the Kindle, a pdf will be properly formatted (more or less) and won't have huge margins. I can't speak to the margins on the Sony Reader, but in the formatting process I'm sure most e-readers do their best to switch to bare text with limited formatting.

[Jon @ Apr 5th 2009 11:16AM]

What the Funk is wrong with James Patterson ?? Wow You dropped the ball this time : )

[Joseph @ Apr 5th 2009 2:43PM]

Serious. James Patterson is a good writer (well minus his more kid friendly stuff which is kinda meh)

[drathos @ Apr 6th 2009 11:13AM]

He's got good characters and stories, but I hate his writing style.

[LloydChiro @ Apr 5th 2009 11:28AM]

The good news is that the price of that book has dropped to $42.00. Too bad for the early adopters!

[Joe @ Apr 5th 2009 4:00PM]

For $41,000, the author will drop by your house and explain the entire contents of the book to you himself over a cup of coffee.

[Ben @ Apr 5th 2009 7:34PM]

I hope he brings the coffee.

[dosguy @ Apr 6th 2009 2:34PM]

I might be interested in one of these gizmos if they ever make one that'll display color.