Slashdot Mirror
eBooks - What's Holding You Back?
blueZ3 asks: "It seems that the readers of Slashdot are the most likely early adopters of electronic books, but from posts I've seen here, it doesn't appear that many on Slashdot are e-book fans. In the hopes of sparking a discussion, I'd like to ask what keeps you personally from reading e-books?"
"Here are some of my guesses as to why people haven't taken up e-Books:
1. Form factor: They just prefer the feel and 'interface' of a paper book.
2. Lack of a compelling device (or perhaps lack of convergence): They don't own a reader (other than a PC or notebook) and can't take them with them.
3. Lack of content: Books they are interested in aren't available in electronic format
4. Distribution model: They don't like the DRM scheme their favorite publisher offers, or are otherwise unhappy with current offerings.
Maybe lively discussion from a prospective set of customers might spur the creator of the next generation of electronic book devices. Too bad the name 'iBook' is already taken."
What reason do you have for not taking up e-Books? Are they listed above or are there other reasons that you would like to add?
1. Form factor: They just prefer the feel and 'interface' of a paper book.
2. Lack of a compelling device (or perhaps lack of convergence): They don't own a reader (other than a PC or notebook) and can't take them with them.
3. Lack of content: Books they are interested in aren't available in electronic format
4. Distribution model: They don't like the DRM scheme their favorite publisher offers, or are otherwise unhappy with current offerings.
Maybe lively discussion from a prospective set of customers might spur the creator of the next generation of electronic book devices. Too bad the name 'iBook' is already taken."
What reason do you have for not taking up e-Books? Are they listed above or are there other reasons that you would like to add?
I'd like to ask what keeps you personally from reading e-books?
Lack of content and overreaching DRM. The selection of devices doesn't help either.
I'm a big fan of Baen's online books. They're quick to purchase, and simple to download to a Palm Pilot. And should you need to file again, you can easily redownload it from your "personal library" feature on Baen's site. Not to mention that they give away free books to get you hooked on new series.
Downloading to my Sony Clie was the perfect way to read eBooks, too. The backlight was pure white, the fonts were crisp, and the scroll-wheel on the side meant that I could hold the device in a pistol-grip in my palm rather than balancing it between my thumb and finger-tips so that I can thumb the up/down buttons on the front. (Sony screwed this up in later models, BTW. They replace the up/down buttons with a wheel, and eliminate the wheel on the side.)
The Clie wasn't so good for technical books (the layout is screwed), but for fiction it was great! I could stand on the bus and read without the difficulties of trying to turn the page on a paperback with one hand. Plus, the Clie fit in my pocket much easier than a paperback, and wouldn't lose its place when I needed to stash it away quick so that I don't miss my stop.
The only real problem I had was that I ran out of content. Baen has some great books, but they're no Simon & Schuster. I looked into other sites, but it was just too much pain and anguish for me to want to bother with. Most sites had a poor selection (though I have noted that selection has been improving lately), limited you to DRM formats (most of which don't work on a Palm Pilot), overcharged for their titles, and just generally hassled the consumer as if he was a theif who should feel honored to have limited access to stuff he paid for.
Thanks, but no thanks.
More publishers should pay attention to Jim Baen. Not only does he release titles you buy in open formats; not only does he give away free books; but he bundles CDs with many hardcover books that are chock-full of eBooks (such as the entire Honor Harrington series). In addition, the license on the CDs state that you can make copies and give them away to friends and family. No restrictions, as long as you're not making a profit.
Now THAT, is how you grow a business. Not by treating the customers like criminals, but by treating them like valued friends. =)
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
Let's see. First is the ridiculously high upfront cost for a device that even allows me to read an ebook (yes, I know about cheap PalmOS devices and Project Gutenberg--I'm talking about commercially available ebooks). Second is that DRM-laden ebooks typically cost the same or more than an equivalent dead-tree version. Third, I like being able to walk up to my bookshelf and grab a book to loan to a friend. Don't get me wrong, there are some things that I think ebooks are perfect for (namely, a reference library). But when points 1, 2, and 3 are taken into account, I'll continue purchasing the dead-tree variety.
This guy's the limit!
e-books, what's holding me back?
I think there's a general misconception by the idiots making decision in their conference rooms about rolling out these products. They clearly have misidentified their priorities as technology first, customer experience second (if that). Invariably the emphasis is wrapped around protecting content to the detriment of any pleasure and easy-to-use experience for customers. As long as the e-book industry continues down this path (and all other future e-media) the long term impact is negative for the content providers. It only takes one or two disasters (reader stops working, customer can't get the "rights" transferred to new reader, etc.) for customers to pretty much wash their hands of the experience.
Other than that, it's all good.
I know this list closely matches the article's prediction... but it bears repeating... (I actually wrote up my list before going to the "read more", unaware the read more had the list.)
I, personally, like real books to ebooks. The portability of the paper book is a lot better than my laptop. There a few pound difference between them. Also, books require no batteries or AC power.
My favorite part about books, it that you can put them on your bookshelf. That way people think that you're deep and intuitive because you read pretty, leather-bound books. It also creates an ambience that ebooks just can't.
There are a few reasons in my case:
1) Paper is easier on my eyes.
2) Paper makes it easier to rapidly flip pages.
3) Most of the e-books I have are PC based. This means that I have to keep switching windows if I am reading a technical book while I am working.
E-Books are nice because I can carry them around without all of the bulk of paper, so I usually keep a few with me if I'm working on something away from my bookshelf, but otherwise, I tend to stick with paper.
Everything I need to know I learned by killing smart people and eating their brains.
I look at a computer monitor all day. When I relax with a book, I want a non-screen-refreshing, non-light-emitting way to read. It really makes my eyes feel better that way.
The answer is give up on mainstream eBook products.
I have several gripes with eBooks.
The first is that many are just PDF conversions of regular books, and you have to have a large, high-resolution screen to view everything in full detail. I want something that fits on a small screen.
Second, paper is much easier to read. If I stare at a computer screen, intently focused as I tend to be when I'm reading for absorption and retention, for the amount of time it takes to read that in a paper book, not only have I wasted more time with scrolling and futzing with controls and commands, but I also have a lot more eye strain. With a book, minor adjustments are innate motor functions, and there's no refresh rate to contend with and no strain from backlighting.
Third, books are much more durable than any eReader device will ever be able to claim to be. Stuff it in the front pocket of your bag or backpack and the eReader will have a broken screen in a few weeks. The book will simply develop some dents or curvature.
...DAMN there goes the battery.
I'm definitely in the book-as-UI camp. Books have pages, which I prefer to turn versus using a scrollwheel, and they work wherever there's sufficient light.
I will have to agree with Yagu on a couple points.
1) Price - non-free eBooks are way too expensive. Free eBooks are not as comprehensive in selection.
2) Device - the Sony eBook Reader looks to be the end-all, be-all of eBook readers, so I was going to look into that when it arrives in April. It would be interesting to see if the new Origami devices can handle multiple eBook formats. Although since it has a full OS on there you could just up your favorite eBook ready software.
Anyways, once these two things are fixed, I could get heavily into eBooks instead of paperback.
On a side note, I did buy the reader from eBookWise and I like it. It is only greyscale and only reads a few formats (not including PDF or images), but it is nice for simple eBooks and Word Docs. I got this until something better comes along.
Z
2+2=5 for extremely large values of 2
Burning e-books with offensive material isn't as satisfying as burning paper books that offend me!
I'm a librarian who specializes in audio/blended learning, so I guess I'm supposed to be an advocate of this sort of thing. And of course, I msut concede that there are benefits to books being available in formats other than paper, and that they are helpful to people who learn differently, etc. etc. The truth, however, is that I absolutely hate not having a physical book in front of me. Many of the reasons behind this have been listed above; there are the DRM restrictions as well as the expense of purchasing a portable reading device to contend with. Additionally, considering that I spend 8+ hours a day at work staring at a computer screen, I sometimes find it somewhat refreshing to not be tethered to technology for a little while and to just relax on the window-seat with a book, a cat, and a cup of tea. I'm certainly not technophobic, but the portability and permanence of a normal, paper book is just something I don't know that I feel can be replaced.
What's holding me back? Everything. That such a product exists is completely beyond me. The disadvantages above are just a few of an infinitely-long list of complete flaws. They really are a dumb idea, when there is *NOTHING* wrong with a book, which are just *PERFECT*. They are a proven and timeless form of communication that will *never* be obsoleted, just as we will never live on the moon, drive flying cars or have robotic teachers at our children's schools. Wake up. There is technology that improves our lives (iPods) and there is technology of uninspired science fantasy that not only would never actually function, but more importantly we will never need (keys fitted with an RFID tag - I am perfectly capable of finding my keys myself, the RFID tag could never tell me I left them at the coffee shop, but if I *was* worried about losing them I would use a code).
So answer my question: Why the asdf would I ever want an 'eBook'?
Its a simple matter of resolution. Typical photographic and typographic prints are 300+ dpi. A LCD screen is usually between 72-100 dpi.
It's just impossible for people to read from a monitor without increasing their stress. You just can't stare at a florescent light or itty bitty neon lights or itty bitty LED lights for hours on end without your brain realizing there's got to be something better to look at.
Either they can figure out a way to light a screen with natural sunlight, or they can create true electronic ink. No reflection like cheap LCD. No backlighting like expensive LCD. No light emission like LED/plasma. We need the ambient light to bounce off a primarily white surface and refract naturally into our eyeballs.
It someone hands me a tablet approximately the size of a paperback, let's say maybe 5" x 4", makes it as thin and light as possible (1" and 5 lbs would probably be the maximum allowed) and gives me a way to load any kind of rich-text format onto it, I will buy one...I'll buy ten...I will throw piles of money at them, and spent the next few weeks of my life copying every single digital document I have onto whatever memory card the device uses.
I have been trying to replace the book in my life for about ten years. I tried Palm (to small, too dim)...I tried PocketPC (too small, too bright)...I tried laptops...(to huge, too bright) I tried Tablet PCs...(ugh, what a turd that design is).
My only hope is that new portable reader Sony has been working on that they are releasing in Japan. If Lik-Sung offers one, I'll probably buy it. Of course, I may have to wait for someone to crack whatever stupid eBook format it uses to allow me to load my own content.
Or maybe Apple will create a real iBook and do for literature what they did for music. Pleeeeeeeeeease?
-JoeShmoe
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-- I wonder which will go down in history as the bigger failure: the War on Drugs or the War on Filesharing
I use to have the Rocket eBook many moons ago. It was actually excellent to read at night or in dim lighting... no need for a booklight!
- However, you couldn't read outside because of the glare.
- You couldn't read in the bath or on the beach because... well, the thing was friggin $300.
- You couldn't get "used" books on it for cheaper.
- Books cost about as much for it as they did hardback, which is expensive.
- I dropped it once and had to pay $75 to get the screen replaced. I drop a book and its fine.
- Not all books were available for it (when they actually made books for it that is)
I don't see eBooks replacing books any time soon.
The perfect ebook reader would be something like a hybrid of the Young Lady's Illustrated Primer in Neal Stephenson's book Diamond Age and Nintendo's GameBoy SP.
An ebook reader should have:
That's just some of the things I would like in an ebook reader.
"All you have to do is be fragile and grateful. So stay the underdog." Chuck Palahniuk, Choke
I rarerly purchase any books new, mostly because I enjoy the experience of used book stores. There is nothing quite like paying 1/8th of the cover price or less for a good book.
As a geek, books are something I turn to when I am trying to escape from the daily grind. Since my daily grind involves computers, I like to step away from the screen to escape.
Also, I have never had to reboot a book.
I'm a happy pessimist. I expect and prepare for the worst, when it doesn't happen I am pleasantly surprised.
The question is -- why should I switch? The only reason I can think of is to read off-copyright books for free, instead of having to go to the library. There's no price advantage for current books, no space concern (a full bookshelf makes me look smart), no portability advantage, certainly no readability advantage. So why should I switch?
What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
for fiction and some nonfiction, books are just better. just face it and move on. when people read fiction they tend to read one at a time. you can create a paper thin diplay thats as good as any lcd display, sell it for 10$, and have a battery that lasts forever but if its just for fiction no one will buy it. evfar.
but fur everything else... a document distribution and management framework combined with a flash based tablet that runs on AA batteries and linux, 7 inch screen. call it the NOTWEN (newton backwards). it needs wireless, bluetooth, bittorret, email, pdf reader, and mp3/ogg player, boot from SD and storage on a USB flashdrive. set up an effective gui for subscribing to online document libraries and getting updates to docuements delivered automaiticaly (RSS/bittorrent??). users will be able to set up corporate and personal document libraries and the device will mesh them together to help them manage access to written documents. its a PDA and a document organizer. my boss will get one and he wil leave it on his desk for weeks useing it as a digital picture frame, then he will pull it from the cradle and plug in his usb flash drive and read docs while riding to some meeting or use it to listen to podcasts.
no sig today, come back tomorrow
I got this copy of The Hobbit when I was 16. I bought this copy of Dune at Haslams in St. Pete. I stole Thomas Covenant from my roommate in college. That history does mean something to me. Provides a continuity.
Easier, much, on the eyes, also.
I generally buy books after I've read them, If they entertained me, then I reward the author (and publishers) by buying the book. Otherwise I don't bother. I borrow books from people, or get them out of a library, it's rare that I buy books that I haven't already read (unless I have book tokens to waste, or there is a special offer on books by a favourite author).
This is what eBooks are lacking, I can't borrow them from other people, I can't go and get the out of the library for free. I have to buy them and THEN enjoy them, the amount of money isn't directly related to the amount of enjoyment I get out of them.
I do the same thing with all my media, I rent DVDs, then if the film is worth it, I buy it (it generally has to be awesome to get me to do this).
I borrow CDs off friends, and generally rip them to my computer, where they will sit for a while and get played occasionally. After a while I either buy the album, or delete the files. I buy a lot of music un-heard as well though so it's a slightly different case.
eBooks came too late, and they are DRMd so that I can't try them out without breaking the law, at the moment it's still much more convenient (they don't need re-charging, they are much less affected by variable light levels, smaller - I have a laptop, not a PDA) to get an actual book. And having a bookshelf which is overflowing, actually makes you look quite educated!
Other reasons include the fact that generally I read a book to get away from technology for a while - If I'm going to have a gadget in front of me I'm going to want to play with it, tweak it, work on it, take it apart, customise it, generally mess around with it, install linux on it, you get the idea. Books are more focussed in this respect
.sigs are for losers
Every book that they list as 'Multiformat' is DRM free. Any book they list as 'Secure' has DRM. Simple.
The multiformat books are avalible in the DRM formats, but the DRM isn't used.
'Sensible' is a curse word.
To misquote the dead professor in _I, Robot_ (the movie):
``That, detective, is the wrong question.''
Why *should* I take up ebooks? What is the compelling case? Until there is a compelling case *for* switching, the reasons against aren't crucial, IMO.
I don't see the compelling case. There are environmental issues, but the biggest ones there have more to do with our book economy, which encourages inrcedible amounts of waste. If we only printed books that were worth having, instead of mass marketing thousands of worthless titles a month and having to dispose of the rest, there would be *far* less waste. (Yes, I realize we can have a huge debate about how to determine what books should be printed, and that ebooks would solve this; my point is simply that there are other ways to solve it as well.)
For me, personally? I like having some things online. But sometimes I want those things in paper as well as online, so offer me paper, digital, or both.
When ebooks have the convenience and price of paper books, ask me again.
Having said that, I will now answer the wrong question. 8^) Not exhaustively, but just some major issues for me off the top of my head.
I can read a book in the bathtub. Are any of the ebook readers waterproof? None I've heard of. (Then again, I don't pay that much attention. That compelling case thing.)
I can drop a book almost anywhere but into a fire or vat of acid and it'll survive. But the ebook isn't as hardy. (At least anything I can afford.)
I can loan, give or resell *any* book easily. With the legal nigtmares today over DRM, copyrights and everything else, I have no ieda what I can do with ebooks, and the rules change from title to title.
I don't get eyestrain from spending hours with books, as a rule. I might get a headache or cramps form sitting in one position, but that's easily solved. That's not the case with any sort of digital display I have used.
In many cases, I can spend more money and buy a book that should outlast several generaltions of my family and appeals to several of my senses, or I can buy a cheap paperback that will fall apart after a couple of readings and has less sensory appeal, or I can buy something inbetween. I like that flexibility.
I like the smell of a new book. Build that into your reader, OK?
A book is stone simple for serial reading, and not that hard (if less handy) for jumping around in. Any ebook UI will have to be as easy to use for the base case (serial reading, saving your spot, etc), and better for the other case (reread earlier section, find random stuff). Both are fairly easy to do, but being able to do both well and easily isn't as easy.
I can grab a book to use as a writing surface. I do this a lot, as it turns out.
I can take a book almost anywhere. I can read almost anywhere. While there might be places an ebook works better (rainproof it and you will have started on that compelling case), there are still plenty a book wins for me. Remember that bathtub thing? And a book won't normally slow you down getting through airport security, whereas electronic devices sometimes do (I have experience with this!)
In short, while there are a couple of advantages to ebooks, they don't even begin to make a compelling case for me. Perhaps the above will help you understand why.
But the general user cant do it my way.
REader : Nokia 770 Absolutely AWESOME display, and right size for reading.
Content: I read non drm files. Legally and illegally. If I find a book I want that is not availabel in a non drm version I either torrent for a cracked copy or get it in audiobook version from audible and crack that DRM myself. (Yes it is easy to crack audible drm.)
Why do I do it this way? If I have to pay $300+ for a reader then I might as well get a reader that can do other things. my Nokia 770 does all that. Books? DRM is what I can not stand. I was burned big time with DRM on the franklin ebook reader as the content is locked to the reader and if you send your unit in for repair and they give you a refurb ALL your content has to be bought again.
So I made the decision to simply break the law. it works great.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
What's great about the iPod? It lets me listen to a large personal collection of music and is very small. The equivalent of my iPod in previous technology would be a portable CD player plus 200 CDs. So the iPod is smaller, longer lasting, and drastically lighter. Do eBooks have any similar advantage over paper books?
What eBooks do share with the iPod are the drawbacks:
One area where eBooks might have potential is as a replacement for magazines. If the eBook were cheap and durable, then having the equivalent of twenty magazines in my backpack would provide convenient entertainment. And magazines are already filled with advertisements, so the downloads should be cheap and DRM-free. For this purpose, the ideal eBook format might be 8 by 10 inches, 1/8" thick, 8 ounces, and durable.
AlpineR
Actually, the CD's are a marketing device. I've had Baen send me a stack of CD's to hand out at conventions, and I've also burned numerous CD's that John Ringo and I handed out at those conventions as well. The look on Ann Crispin's face when John stood up and announced that we had a stack of those CD's at one of her panels at DragonCon was hilarious... Even more amusing was when she broke down and asked for one - and someone took theirs out of the back of their book and gave it to her, saying they could get another copy later... There have been several CD's released that did NOT come with books, but were instead solely marketing materials, and Jim personally confirmed that those could also be redistributed. Heck, after _Sister Time_ is finished, my wife may do an online book signing in Second Life for _Cally's War_, John Ringo has already said he has no problems with the idea, my wife's just been too busy trying to avoid busting her deadline too much to do anything about it. Yes, the inference is correct, my wife is one of the Baen authors :-)
I'll never have to worry about the condition of my books. It will never require a truck to move my library. I'll never worry that a fire will entirely wipe out the collection of literary treasures that I have amassed over decades, and letting go of most of my books will remind me that people and their ideas are more important than the objects that record them. There are a long list of things that motivate me to switch.
Do I treasure books? Yes, I do. Are there some books that I will keep? Yes, there is a small number of books that I revisit frequently and have special significance in my life. In a way, moving most of my collection to digital will make me appreciate the books that I do have even more. Like the value of a real owl in Blade Runner.
Maybe those reasons are no good for you, but I personally have plenty.