Do you know what Mobi and ePUB are? These are file types for use with Amazon’s Kindle, for example, or Saraiva’s Lev. People who have come across these file extensions have probably downloaded them to their devices from the internet before.
E-readers are small devices that have their main function of displaying a screen for reading. At first, they only recognized ePUB and PDF, but now they’re capable of handling more file formats, such as Mobi, TXT, and PRC.
Learn the main differences between epub and Mobi formats, as well as which e-readers are able to read this formatting.
Differences between ePUB and Mobi
The ePUB format
ePUB, or Electronic Publication as it’s more commonly known, is a format that was designed to have fluid content. This means that the text can be customized to better suit the device being used for reading.
ePUB is a format that many people are aware of and use it for their readers. It’s also a common format for ebook readers
In 2007, EPUB became the official format of the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), replacing the standard Open eBook. It’s an open-source format, which means its design is freely licensed and grants users permission to use and change it as they see fit.
Due to the popularity of digital reading, this format is one of the most popular devices. Most digital reading devices, including Apple’s iBooks, Saraiva’s Lev, and Aldiko on Android devices, recognize this format. The current version of Kindle recognizes ePUB files for reading as well.
The Mobi format
The Mobipocket format, or Mobi, was established in 2000 and is based on the Open eBook Standard code.
The Mobi format was acquired by Amazon in 2005, and it’s an exclusive format because it offers a better reading experience. You can read your books with no distractions or formatting issues. It offers all the features of the Kindle like dictionary lookup, highlighting, and the ability to change the font size while reading.
With the Mobi format, users can still add blank pages and hand annotations to the pages. Images that makeup Mobi files are in GIF format, which stores Less Color Variation information.
The most suitable format for reading
It’s difficult to find a format that is adaptable in so many ways as ePUB is. Even though Mobi has wonderful options for editing, the format cannot provide the same level of flexibility as ePUB can.
Sometimes we may need to send PDF files instead of ePUB or Mobi. Although these are formats for desktops, they are not good formats for e-readers. Luckily, there are websites that offer a format conversion service for these purposes if needed.
ePUB is a good option for most people, as the layout will remain high-quality no matter how much zooming in the reader does. The only disadvantage ePUB has is that it can’t be edited or customized to fit your needs as Mobi books can. It’s up to the reader to decide which format best suits them.
What format do you prefer? Let us know in the comments which format you prefer, and also what e-reader you use most.
