An ecosystem for reading ebooks – The e-ink reader saga Part 5

From Small labs Inc.

I love the Kindle – but I don’t like how Amazon provides a good ecosystem and the cool features only for the books we buy from them. I understand why they do it – profit, monopoly etc… . And I really like their ecosystem. But as a reader, I would love a alternative ecosystem which works for .epub, and whatever other format e-books we buy from elsewhere (non-Amazon stores).

OK, what ecosystem am I talking about here? What exactly am I looking for?

I buy a e-book. It is in a .epub format (for this scenario).

1. I want to store the book in the cloud for easy access, anywhere from any internet connected device (like how Amazon does this)
2. I want to be able to sync the book between all my devices which have access to the cloud location (like the Whispersync)
3. I want to be able to read the book on multiple devices
   1. On my smart phone (like the Kindle native apps)
   2. On tablets (like the Kindle native app)
   3. On E-ink readers (like the Kindle Paperwhite, Boyue, Kobo)
   4. On any browser (Chrome, Firefox)
4. I want to be able to take notes and mark highlights when I am reading the books (all Kindle apps and Cloud Reader allow this)
5. I want the last read position, my notes, and highlights to sync over devices when connected to the Internet ( like Whispersync with apps and Cloud Reader)
6. I want to be able to see all the notes and highlights I made (Kindle Your Highlights page)
7. I want to be able to download these notes/highlights off the cloud (how to do it?)
8. I want to be able to search all my notes, highlights of all the books I have read. and edit them on the cloud – Missing
9. I want to be able to keep these notes/highlights public or private as I choose – Missing

So, is this possible today for non-Amazon bought DRM free e-books?

This issue has been on my mind for a while – here is a previous post on the highlights part of this. It is something I have been thinking about for a few years at least…

So, is this possible? And is it possible to set this system up for my Boyue? In the next installment, I will talk about my set-up.

(An Aside: Maybe I should stop this mockery of the fantasy epics I read too many of?)