Where are ebooks?

I believe the Kindle reader only works in the US through its own network.

Dave.

Copyright on the books. I believe that Australia "Belongs" to the UK rather than the US for book copyright.

That's cos you can't watch football on an e-book reader yet

But you can read books on some things you can watch foot ball on

d?

I would expect a bookshop (either on or offline) to be a better place to look rather than Harvey Norman for something like this.

problems with it are:

are not exactly a huge saving over the "real" book. Its a bit over the to= p when you can get a laptop or PDA for a similar price that can easily do t= he same job, and many other things too. (or use the one you already have)

prietary format rather than industry standard publishing formats like PDF. = (which is understandable to prevent copying). This is another BIG dis-incen= tive, as where do you go for files if Amazon goes to the wall, or jacks the= price up to the moon ? (Anything single-source supply now is a HUGE risk,= with the world economic situation - which is only just getting started) an= d/or when the device fails, taking your expensive book purchases with it ? Maybe only yanks are gullible enough to accept a deal like this ?

Maybe I am wrong - but E-Books - that have been around for years - don't seem to have made much of an impact either ? People seem to prefer printed books still ?

Proprietary systems with other consumer media have never been a success, Music, movies, software for example - for the above reasons, as well as excessive costs. Filesharing is probably the most popular method now for almost everything in digital format, like it or hate it. The only thing that has slowed "print book filesharing" is probably the substantial labour involved in scanning and preparing the 100's of pages of a typical novel.

Out of interest a quick search of torrent sites revealed several "cracked" kindle files, and a program that looks like it is used to decode kindle files you already have (didn't download any of them to check as have no use for them).

are not exactly a huge saving over the "real" book. Its a bit over the top when you can get a laptop or PDA for a similar price that can easily do the same job, and many other things too. (or use the one you already have)

proprietary format rather than industry standard publishing formats like PDF. (which is understandable to prevent copying). This is another BIG dis-incentive, as where do you go for files if Amazon goes to the wall, or jacks the price up to the moon ? (Anything single-source supply now is a HUGE risk, with the world economic situation - which is only just getting started) and/or when the device fails, taking your expensive book purchases with it ?

I downloaded a free program for my Nokia phone which enables me to read eBooks. In the last few months I've read The Iliad, The Odyssey, King Arthur and a few other books, all downloaded free off the net. When I have a spare moment or I'm waiting for something I whip out my phone and have a read. Presently I'm reading Moby Dick.

That is obvious from the lack of penetration (bording on zero) eBooks have gained regardless of what format or form they have taken. eBooks are a very niche market and will be for a very long time to come compared to paper books. Also, most people would rather use their iPhone with its small screen than carry around a seperate bigger purpose designed Kindle (you can get a Kindle reader for the iPhone). Kindle 2 is getting closer to the digital book dream, but still no cigar.

Don't forget Audio books, they are quite popular and they have had a nice (albeit small) market for a long time. Computer voice versions will never match a well spoken audio book, particually if it's the original author.

Dave.

--------------------------------------- There may be exceptions:

be

ted?

ks are not exactly a huge saving over the "real" book. =A0Its a bit over th= e top when you can get a laptop or PDA for a similar price that can easily = do the same job, and many other things too. (or use the one you already hav= e)

roprietary format rather than industry standard publishing formats like PDF= . (which is understandable to prevent copying). This is another BIG dis-inc= entive, as where do you go for files if Amazon goes to the wall, or jacks t= he price up to the moon ? =A0(Anything single-source supply now is a HUGE r= isk, with the world economic situation - which is only just getting started= ) and/or when the device fails, taking your expensive book purchases with i= t ?

-------------------------------------

This is another good reason to avoid any digital media like "kindle" or similar where you don't have in your actual possession an unencrypted (non-proprietary) form of things such as books, music or ANY important material whatsover.

(The other issue of course - with proprietary devices/content like the Kindle is that if the device is discontinued, unsupported and eventually fails, your expensive book/music library is GONE.

Another concern is the "sanitising" of parts of existing books at a later date. This could also possibly be done by hackers, or simply in the name of rabid PC.

This sort of move listed in the article link also raises concerns about lists or databases being kept of people purchasing "controversial" texts or books (in any format) that could expose them to potential persecution at any later date.

--------------- Amazon Removes E-Books From Kindle Store, Revokes Ownership Melissa J. Perenson, PC World

Jul 18, 2009 10:08 am

Today, Amazon removed George Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm from its Kindle e-book store. The company also went ahead and removed any digital trace of the books, too-striking them from both users' digital lockers and from Kindle devices. This disturbing, Orwellian move underscores how, in spite of comments otherwise, a purchase in the digital realm can't be compared to physical ownership of content.

I've long considered digital more ephemeral than the physical. It is why I still, for artists I enjoy, purchase the physical CD of an album. It is why I prefer to purchase DVDs and Blu-ray Discs, as opposed to relying on the possibly here-today, gone-tomorrow offerings of electronic distribution. Why my advocacy of the physical? It certainly isn't because I enjoy storing it, that much I can tell you. It's because I have access to it when I want it, where I want it. I don't have to worry about content going out-of-print, nor do I need to keep track of where I have it backed up, in case my hard drive fails.

I've heard one set of theories that posit that the world of digital distribution could theoretically offer unlimited content, for unlimited periods, simply because of the lack of physical distribution costs (production, packaging, shipping, shelf-space, and so on). The other theory, however, is the one that's omnipresent, but more sharply in focus in a tough economy such as the one we're in now. That theory is governed by the basic tenets of business, which look at profit and bottom line. If content isn't generating revenue, then why should a digital distributor maintain the server space to keep up the data, even if all it takes up are more bits and bytes?

Back to the Amazon example. What Amazon did with the Orwell books is different from the above concerns, but it dovetails into the same question of the permanence of digital ownership. Yes, Amazon refunded the money for the books -- but that's not the point. When one purchases something, one acquires the item, and assumes ownership of that item. That item is there.

This unusual maneuver, which Amazon says occurred because Orwell's publisher changed its mind about offering the electronic version of these titles, is all the more unsettling simply because readers already purchased the books and had their ownership of the item revoked. In the Orwell book case, the item was simply no longer there

-- it was as if those Kindle users never owned it.

The implications of the Orwell case are highly unsettling -- for any type of copy-protected content, but especially for printed content. What happens if a controversial book comes out, and a publisher decides to remove it from distribution? Or, a book is banned for whatever reason -- as happened in parts of the world with The Satanic Verses? Neither is a common scenario, but both are examples of the control we, as owners, can potentially lose over the content we've purchased in the digital realm. With physical content, no one, even a disgruntled copyright owner, can take away what you've paid for.

A final thought: If, in this digital realm, we're not truly purchasing content, but rather "borrowing" it at a set price, and according to someone else's changing rulebook, we as consumers we deserve to know this up front, in clear and obvious language (unlike Amazon's clear references to "buying" books, and all the assumptions of ownership that go with buying books). If the rules have changed on us, we deserve to know.

Is it true or did you read it on the Internet?

Isn't 1984 a history book now?

Nope, a classic and one of those books you must read for your development as a rational, full human being for the concepts it discusses.

Its more like a commentary on modern western politics ;)

al

I agree 100%

"Brave new world" by Aldous Huxley is another excellent read while on this subject.