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Does Anyone Use an eBook Device?

Posted by Cliff on from the buzzword-friendly dept.

Vulgrin the MAD asks: "I've been interested in ebook / datapads for a while. I can't wait to get rid of all of this paper I need to lug around. While the Palm Pilot is great, I'm also looking into ebook style devices like the Rocket Ebook. Has anyone used these devices and what are your thoughts on this technology? Do you think its in prime time yet, or should we let it get settled down some more? Also, how long do you think it'll be before 90% of all works are published electronically, along with paper? "

2 of 7 comments (clear)

  1. No Fair Use? No Sale. by Detritus · · Score: 2
    I would love to have books available in digital format. If you saw the piles of books in my home, you would understand why. That said, I refuse to buy any product that tracks book purchases by user, locks the book to a single computer, or prevents the user from giving or lending the book to someone else. I should be able to buy an electronic book anonymously and do anything with it that I could do with a paper book.

    I haven't seen an electronic book system that meets my requirements. The trend seems to be to push "intellectual property control" at the expense of everything else.

    --
    Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat
  2. Got One, Its Neat, But it's Closed by Crutcher · · Score: 2

    This is a "Ready-for-Prime-Time" Technology (Rocket's eBook), run by a "Not-Quite-Ready" company. I own one, that I bought from a friend, but it is not an open protocol, and I can't use it unless I use their sync software on platforms they support, which should not be an issue for the purchased books, because the encryption is internall (each eBook has it's own key).

    They work fine for reading material though.
    ---
    "Elegant, Commented, On Time; Pick any Two"

    --

    -- Crutcher --
    #include <disclaimer.h>