5 ms·

hah wow. strikes Kindle off "to buy" list

deleted 17y ago
[deleted]
Skeuomorph 17y ago
Sony Reader allows you to categorize your materials, while amazingly, Kindle doesn't have any hierarchy, just a long list. As a bonus, the Sony Reader doesn't have wireless DRM to remotely delete your books. That's not a bug, it's a feature. (I have both devices. The Sony is more usable while the Kindle DX handles full size business and engineering PDFs.)
- evilneanderthal 17y ago
  You know, I had a Sony mp3 player a while back. One day the music library software updated itself and installed DRM retroactively on the device and I could never change the music that was on it; I threw it out after I got tired of hearing the same 12 songs. Yes, 12. 64mb storage =]
  - semiquaver 17y ago
    I'm almost positive that around the time of 64MB storage, Sony was still very against MP3 and refused to support anything but ATRAC3.
- anatoly 17y ago
  You can use pdflrfwin to read full size PDFs on the Reader pretty comfortably. It can rotate the file landscape-wise, and cuts it into 2-3 chunks, smartly merging across page boundaries.
- tdoggette 17y ago
  I still don't buy things Sony makes after their contempt for customers was put on display with the rootkit business.
- rbanffy 17y ago
  I would love a Sony with a 3G modem, a Kindle-like keyboard and a usable mouse. A big bonus if the Linux underneath the book-reader is usable. I wonder what xterm would look like on e-paper...
  - silentOpen 17y ago
    While we're wishing for things... I want a full-size e-paper display so I can edit code/use command lines outside in full sunlight. Think software development in a grove of trees from a hammock.
    - jasonkester 17y ago
      Nothing stopping you from doing that today. Trees are the key, so you end up having to move around a bit to keep the screen in the shade. I do a sizeable portion of my coding outdoors: http://www.expatsoftware.com/articles/2007/04/west-coast-mobile-office.html http://www.expatsoftware.com/articles/2007/04/west-coast-mob... You're right though. Coding in full sunlight on the beach would be a nice thing.
  - hvs 17y ago
    If it is anything like graphics on the version 1 Kindle, it would look like complete crap. E-paper does a beautiful job with text, not so much anything else. Hey, so maybe an xterm would look ok!
zimbabwe 17y ago
The Kindle is absolutely worth buying. Just break the DRM on the books you get, take back-ups, and remember that The Pirate Bay is your friend when Amazon does something stupid. (http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/5003507/1984_-_George_Orwell http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/5003507/1984_-_George_Orwell, for people in a rebellious mood.)
- eli 17y ago
  No thanks. Setting aside the ethics of piracy, I'd rather not have to worry that Amazon is going to push out an update that I'll have to crack just to keep using the device I already bought. I'd rather just live without it until something better and more open comes along. It's like deciding to use Linux instead of pirating Windows.
- reduxredacted 17y ago
  Step 1 - Remove legitimately purchased e-books that the publisher "changed their mind on" Step 2 - Remove books that cannot be identified as legitimately purchased. The "whispernet" functionality is often talked about as this great feature of the Kindle. It's the single biggest reason that I won't buy one.
  - rbanffy 17y ago
    Whispernet is not the problem (although I would prefer a less "world-proof" GSM modem with no tie-in). The problem is the software that has this kind of backdoor. Owners of those titles were robbed by Amazon. Amazon broke into their libraries, took the books and left some money on the table. All through the backdoor they had installed when you purchased your book case.
    - reduxredacted 17y ago
      Good point. It's not really Whispernet, specifically, it's it combined with control. Taking the iPhone Kindle app out of the picture (though it's probably relevant, I just don't know much about it, so I'll leave it alone for the moment)... Whispernet and software that is in the complete control of Amazon gives them a capability it can't have on my Netbook. The thing that always concerned me about the Kindle/Whispernet is that they could use it to control all of the content on the Kindle. Lets say Amazon decides that only Kindle purchased e-books are allowed on the device ... one software update later and your imported PDF files are gone (legally or otherwise). I don't think they'd really be that nasty, but it's not as though the software installed is available for inspection. If the publishers push hard enough and the circumstances are right, who knows? I'm not begging for a GNU/Linux e-book reader. I paid about the price of a Kindle for a low-end Eee PC with a big battery. It lasts about 7 hours (not 9.5 as advertised, but enough). To me, the Kindle is something undefinable. What do I get for $300?. Text to speech on all of my books? Sometimes. The ability to import PDF files? So far. Getting to read the books you purchased... unless... I "get" that Amazon lives at the whims of their publishers. Unfortunately, the book publishers live at the whims of the consumer and the conditions of the marketplace. They should take notes from what's going on with music today. Scanners are cheap, and OCR software is very good with print. Compressed, text-only renditions of a book are tiny and bandwidth to the home is plentiful. Top that off with an inexpensive device that gets acceptable battery life and offers convenience and an acceptable screen for reading text... It certainly sounds a lot like Napster and mp3's to me.
chaostheory 17y ago
what do people think of the foxit's ebook reader entry? http://www.foxitsoftware.com/ebook/ http://www.foxitsoftware.com/ebook/
- zacharypinter 17y ago
  I like it a lot, especially with technical content (http://zacharypinter.com/2009/03/01/technical-content-on-the-eslick-reader.html http://zacharypinter.com/2009/03/01/technical-content-on-the...). However, the SD card is a bit annoying. I really wish somebody would make an ebook reader that's easily hackable, reasonably priced, good on battery life, and displays PDF's well. The eSlick gets 3/4. My ideal device would be one that can read RSS feeds and sync with Dropbox over wifi. Maybe the easy-on-the-eyes netbook screens are the answer?

deleted 17y ago

[deleted]

Sony Reader allows you to categorize your materials, while amazingly, Kindle doesn't have any hierarchy, just a long list. As a bonus, the Sony Reader doesn't have wireless DRM to remotely delete your books. That's not a bug, it's a feature. (I have both devices. The Sony is more usable while the Kindle DX handles full size business and engineering PDFs.)

evilneanderthal 17y ago
You know, I had a Sony mp3 player a while back. One day the music library software updated itself and installed DRM retroactively on the device and I could never change the music that was on it; I threw it out after I got tired of hearing the same 12 songs. Yes, 12. 64mb storage =]
- semiquaver 17y ago
  I'm almost positive that around the time of 64MB storage, Sony was still very against MP3 and refused to support anything but ATRAC3.
anatoly 17y ago
You can use pdflrfwin to read full size PDFs on the Reader pretty comfortably. It can rotate the file landscape-wise, and cuts it into 2-3 chunks, smartly merging across page boundaries.
tdoggette 17y ago
I still don't buy things Sony makes after their contempt for customers was put on display with the rootkit business.
rbanffy 17y ago
I would love a Sony with a 3G modem, a Kindle-like keyboard and a usable mouse. A big bonus if the Linux underneath the book-reader is usable. I wonder what xterm would look like on e-paper...
- silentOpen 17y ago
  While we're wishing for things... I want a full-size e-paper display so I can edit code/use command lines outside in full sunlight. Think software development in a grove of trees from a hammock.
  - jasonkester 17y ago
    Nothing stopping you from doing that today. Trees are the key, so you end up having to move around a bit to keep the screen in the shade. I do a sizeable portion of my coding outdoors: http://www.expatsoftware.com/articles/2007/04/west-coast-mobile-office.html http://www.expatsoftware.com/articles/2007/04/west-coast-mob... You're right though. Coding in full sunlight on the beach would be a nice thing.
- hvs 17y ago
  If it is anything like graphics on the version 1 Kindle, it would look like complete crap. E-paper does a beautiful job with text, not so much anything else. Hey, so maybe an xterm would look ok!

zimbabwe 17y ago

The Kindle is absolutely worth buying. Just break the DRM on the books you get, take back-ups, and remember that The Pirate Bay is your friend when Amazon does something stupid. (http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/5003507/1984_-_George_Orwell http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/5003507/1984_-_George_Orwell, for people in a rebellious mood.)

eli 17y ago
No thanks. Setting aside the ethics of piracy, I'd rather not have to worry that Amazon is going to push out an update that I'll have to crack just to keep using the device I already bought. I'd rather just live without it until something better and more open comes along. It's like deciding to use Linux instead of pirating Windows.
reduxredacted 17y ago
Step 1 - Remove legitimately purchased e-books that the publisher "changed their mind on" Step 2 - Remove books that cannot be identified as legitimately purchased. The "whispernet" functionality is often talked about as this great feature of the Kindle. It's the single biggest reason that I won't buy one.
- rbanffy 17y ago
  Whispernet is not the problem (although I would prefer a less "world-proof" GSM modem with no tie-in). The problem is the software that has this kind of backdoor. Owners of those titles were robbed by Amazon. Amazon broke into their libraries, took the books and left some money on the table. All through the backdoor they had installed when you purchased your book case.
  - reduxredacted 17y ago
    Good point. It's not really Whispernet, specifically, it's it combined with control. Taking the iPhone Kindle app out of the picture (though it's probably relevant, I just don't know much about it, so I'll leave it alone for the moment)... Whispernet and software that is in the complete control of Amazon gives them a capability it can't have on my Netbook. The thing that always concerned me about the Kindle/Whispernet is that they could use it to control all of the content on the Kindle. Lets say Amazon decides that only Kindle purchased e-books are allowed on the device ... one software update later and your imported PDF files are gone (legally or otherwise). I don't think they'd really be that nasty, but it's not as though the software installed is available for inspection. If the publishers push hard enough and the circumstances are right, who knows? I'm not begging for a GNU/Linux e-book reader. I paid about the price of a Kindle for a low-end Eee PC with a big battery. It lasts about 7 hours (not 9.5 as advertised, but enough). To me, the Kindle is something undefinable. What do I get for $300?. Text to speech on all of my books? Sometimes. The ability to import PDF files? So far. Getting to read the books you purchased... unless... I "get" that Amazon lives at the whims of their publishers. Unfortunately, the book publishers live at the whims of the consumer and the conditions of the marketplace. They should take notes from what's going on with music today. Scanners are cheap, and OCR software is very good with print. Compressed, text-only renditions of a book are tiny and bandwidth to the home is plentiful. Top that off with an inexpensive device that gets acceptable battery life and offers convenience and an acceptable screen for reading text... It certainly sounds a lot like Napster and mp3's to me.

chaostheory 17y ago

what do people think of the foxit's ebook reader entry? http://www.foxitsoftware.com/ebook/ http://www.foxitsoftware.com/ebook/

zacharypinter 17y ago
I like it a lot, especially with technical content (http://zacharypinter.com/2009/03/01/technical-content-on-the-eslick-reader.html http://zacharypinter.com/2009/03/01/technical-content-on-the...). However, the SD card is a bit annoying. I really wish somebody would make an ebook reader that's easily hackable, reasonably priced, good on battery life, and displays PDF's well. The eSlick gets 3/4. My ideal device would be one that can read RSS feeds and sync with Dropbox over wifi. Maybe the easy-on-the-eyes netbook screens are the answer?