Rug Burn Junky on 22/10/2009 at 02:24
Quote Posted by Renzatic
Can be? They already have been.
Assume I said "...can already be adapted(sic) by existing devices..."
I pretty much agree with you, I just don't think that the e-ink is (a) such a killer app that it's anything more than a luxury, or (b) likely to be superior to standard screen types in the very near future.
Don't get me wrong, I think the Kindle is a great product, just think having a dedicated e-reader is going to be seen as a novelty in the very near future.
frozenman on 22/10/2009 at 02:31
Quote Posted by Renzatic
Problem is, the book is so damn big, your back started giving out before you even got down the stairs from your hip little studio apartment to hop on your bike.
I don't understand this argument 'Wah wah books
are so big it's just ludicrous!' I also believe it's a corollary to idea that 'People are getting lazy and out of shape at a ridiculous rate.' A BOOK is too heavy???
I don't know how to decide on the e-book issue. It seems like a lifestyle thing. Personally I enjoy the physical feel of page-mass accumulating from front-of-book to end-of-book as I read more, the page-size to font-size to page-thickness ratio.
Renzatic on 22/10/2009 at 03:18
Quote Posted by RBJ
I pretty much agree with you, I just don't think that the e-ink is (a) such a killer app that it's anything more than a luxury, or (b) likely to be superior to standard screen types in the very near future.
If I were one of those people who could read a novel on a cellphone or stare at an LCD screen for hours, I'd agree with you. Tragically, I'm not. If I get engrossed in a story and spend an hour or so with it on an LCD, I'll be glareblind, dry eyed, and suffering from a huge headache by the end. It sucks...oh so badly, and is the main reason why I like e-ink so much. After spending a couple of hours reading a borrowed Kindle, I didn't suffer from any eyestrain whatsoever.
That's the reason why I like the thing so much, and why I'm defending it even though I don't own one nor have any plans to buy one in the near future. If it ever come to the point where I absolutely have to choose an electronic platform to get some random book I'm interested in, I'm gonna want something with a screen like a Kindle to read it on.
Also wotz surprise eggs?
june gloom on 22/10/2009 at 04:38
Since I'm morally and philosophically opposed to the very
idea of Kindle and its ilk, I have never and will never use one, so someone tell me what happens if your Kindle or other e-reader breaks? Do you have to buy all those books all over again thanks to DRM?
Or, say, suppose the company that sold you the e-reader (
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/technology/companies/18amazon.html?_r=1) decided they didn't want you reading that book?
Fuck ebooks. Sure, it's a lifestyle thing, but books are low-tech and low-cost. By reading an actual book, you don't need to spend hundreds of dollars you don't really have on a glorified PDA. I hope this shit never achieves mass popularity, or I'll probably end up in jail for murdering someone reading Twilight on their Kindle while yelling at the Starbuck's cashier for fucking up their latte.
Matthew on 22/10/2009 at 09:26
God forbid that we could have two different ways of reading books, after all. One must obviously triumph over the other.
Kolya on 22/10/2009 at 09:52
I think you'll get more street credibility by reading an actual book. Think about it: With just an 8 pound "War & Peace" you can pummel someone to deth. Now try that with your Kindle/nook/whatever. :D
the_grip on 22/10/2009 at 11:26
dethtoll you seem to have the crude pieces necessary to build the next Theodore Kaczynski
gunsmoke on 22/10/2009 at 12:00
Quote Posted by Matthew
God forbid that we could have two different ways of reading books, after all. One must obviously triumph over the other.
QFT. This is no different than an iPod making access to an entire library of music portable, and nullifying the need to carry possibly hundreds of CD's around.
And I, for one, am thrilled to finally have what appears to be an excellent alternative to the kindle. I will be asking for this for Christmas. I already have dozens of e-books, so I have plenty to catch up on when I do get it.
Matthew on 22/10/2009 at 12:23
Quote Posted by dethtoll
what happens if your Kindle or other e-reader breaks? Do you have to buy all those books all over again thanks to DRM?
Just to answer this question: it depends on the model. I personally buy most of my eBooks from Fictionwise (recently bought by Barnes & Noble, in fact) in eReader format - this basically locks the book to your credit card number so that you have to enter it when you first download the book in order to unlock the file. Other than that I'm not aware of any additional DRM on it, save for the program inserting your name on a page at the front of the book ('From the Library of XYZ').
They also let you download your purchased eReader files from their site as often as you like, though I would presume that you could use a previously-unlocked backup on your own computer to restore any lost files (never had to try as yet).
gunsmoke on 22/10/2009 at 12:30
Quote Posted by Matthew
I would presume that you could use a previously-unlocked backup on your own computer to restore any lost files.
I have been led to believe that by a friend who is a big e-book buyer. He could be full of shit, though. I hope it's true, though, as it sounds like Steam and I love how Steam functions.
