Developer: Adobe Systems

Release Date: June 2007

Introduction

Adobe DE (Digital Editions) is a Flash based eBook reader for the desktop computer and Sony Reader. Along with reading ePub formatted books, DE can also read PDF files and both of these with or without DRM protection.

Adobe has been a great supporter of ePub; in fact they are also a member of the IDPF, helping to develop the book format itself. When they released their Digital Editions, it was the first eBook reader that could read ePub books.

DE is available for both Windows and Mac computers with Linux currently in development and installation is a very simple process. During installation you will be asked to authorise your computer. You do have the option of refusing this, but any DRM encrypted eBooks you buy will not be transferable to any other computers or devices.

The visual look of DE is quite different to most computer software as it has a dark, brushed metal, grey interface. Personally I like the look, especially as it helps to emphasise the white pages, where the actual reading is done.

Adobe are also wanting to expand DE into other markets, with a current localisation that includes three different languages; English, French and German.

Reading Your Books with Digital Editions

To add your eBooks to the DE library you can use either the add dialog, or just drag-n-drop onto the program. All your books are stored in the Library View and double clicking on a title opens it in the Reading View.

The books I’ve tried have all displayed without any problems and with several different font sizes available you can select a text size that is comfortable for your eyes.

Although the built in font style makes for a pleasant read, there is currently no option for changing to an alternate style. I think however, this will not be an issue for most people.

A couple of useful features of DE include the ability for full-text search and more interestingly, multiple bookmarks; a great feature that will be very useful for anyone who enjoys making extensive notes on what they read.

Sony Reader (PRS-505 and PRS-700)

Along with the desktop version, Adobe has worked closely with Sony to include DE with their very popular Digital Reader PRS-505 and the PRS-700; their first touch-screen reader.

If you have a Sony Reader then Digital Editions comes pre-installed (some earlier releases of the 505 need a firmware update), meaning you just need to transfer your books directly from either the Sony software or your desktop version of Digital Editions.

Conclusion

This is a solid eBook reader with a pleasant interface that provides a good solution to read both commercial and free ePub eBooks, with or without DRM.

You might find some sites around the internet who will make an effort to point out the faults of Adobe Digital Editions and although it's certainly not perfect, Adobe have made many big improvements since the first release and I am sure there will be many more in the future.

You can download the latest version of Adobe Digital Editions from www.adobe.com/products/digitaleditions/