Please explain

[james_davis_nicoll]

Why anyone would think that this product is a good idea.

Comments

[drplokta]

The Kindle does not tie you in unless you want it to. It will read HTML, Word and plain text files which you can obtain from any source you like. Since HTML is currently the only sensible format in which to deliver fiction to be read on a range of different devices, that's not very limiting.

[drplokta]

OK, I see that it will only convert HTML and Word if you go via Amazon. That's pretty poor. Still, I expect their file format will be reverse-engineered within days.

[julesjones]

It's basically a "me too", locked into Amazon in ways that suck. As kate_nepveu points out, it's not just the DRM, but the fact that All Your Files Are Belong To Us. And there are a lot of other ebook readers out there already with varying combinations of price point, ease of use, supported file formats, and ability to do other things, not least of which is talk to a Wintel and/or MacOS device.

Admittedly, I still haven't forgiven Amazon for the stunt they pulled with buying Mobipocket, then telling epublishers that Amazon would henceforth only be selling Mobipocket format ebooks -- and listing existing ebooks as "unavailable" in a manner that suggested that they were out of print if the publisher didn't pay the blackmai^W Mobipocket licence fee.

[armb.livejournal.com]

At which point it's merely $100 more expensive than the Sony reader for a wireless connnection that won't work in the UK. (Not, of course, that the latter is a problem for everyone.)

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/19/amazon_ebook_reader_folly/
http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2007/11/oops.html#comment-11829

[kate_nepveu]

Yes, and you have to run them through Amazon's servers before you can read them (except for text files). What if I want to put confidential files on my device? Or to break the DRM on books I already paid for so I can read them on this--is Amazon going to call me a pirate?

[matt-ruff.livejournal.com]

Arrrrr!

[kate_nepveu]

Rar.