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On iPhone, Searching For Kama Sutra = Porn
heychris writes "Eucalyptus, an ebook app for iPhone, has been rejected from the App Store for 'objectionable content.' What's so objectionable? The Kama Sutra, available from Project Gutenberg, which is available on other ebook readers as well. Not only that, but the screenshot shows that you would have to search for Kama Sutra to get it; it's not built in to Eucalyptus. The author is reasonable but frustrated, while Herr Gruber is more succinct." I wonder how good the now-cheap Nokia 810 is as an e-book reader.
I happen to own a nokia n810, and I believe that it's ebook reading ability, particularly pdf, is excellent. It is probably my primary use for the device.
I have an N810 and LOVE IT. I installed Evince which lets me rotate PDFs left or right so I have a full page visible on the 800x480 screen, and it's wonderful to read a book on. The fact that I have a full Gecko based browser and full xterminal everywhere is just icing on the cake.
jX [ Make everything as simple as possible, but no simpler. - Einstein ]
I couldn't agree more. Continuing to buy iPhones and other Apple products only encourages them to continue behaving as they have. Since when is it up to a company to censor products, especially when the censorship is so unevenly applied as to allow other eBook readers to access the Kama Sutra?
Unfortunately, the simple fact of the matter is that people will not boycott Apple over such behaviour. In fact, many of their hordes of minions will probably be more likely to buy, claiming that Apple is "family friendly."
I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
From the summary: "I wonder how good the now-cheap Nokia 810 is as an e-book reader."
I have an N800, which is very close in specs. It's okay as an e-book reader, but nothing to write home about. I'm using FBReader.
As a general purpose internet laptop killer, it's awesome, though. Especially if you couple it with a bluetooth keyboard. I've written novels on it, VNCed, SSHed, played some games, diagnose networks, listened to podcasts, and even played Ur-Quan Masters on it.
I barely touch my laptop anymore unless I need something that genuinely calls for a larger screen, like a spreadsheet or balancing my checkbook. The fun stuff, I leave to the N800.
Heres a related article:
http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/05/easter-eggs-may-get-apps-approved-but-could-hurt-app-store.ars
From the article:
Jelle Prins created an iPhone app called Lyrics that allows a user to search for the lyrics to any song--even NWA's "F*ck Tha Police" or Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name." Of course, Apple promptly rejected the app citing the "objectionable content" clause of the iPhone developer's agreement
What. The. Fuck?
So an application which does not specifically prohibit iphone users from searching for 'objectionable content' gets rejected?
This isn't just about apps that *contain* 'objectionable content'.
Its about apps that *permit* the user to *search* for 'objectionable content'.
To me, and I'm sure to most reasonable people, this is in itself objectionable.
In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
I'm OK with Apple doing idiotic stuff like this. History has shown that, in the long run, the "walled garden" approach does not have a lot of longevity. Apple should know this better than anyone, seeing as they've tried it repeatedly. In the end cheap and open always wins.
I'm willing to bet that once Android phones are really available, you're going to see the smartest developers moving over. Not because Android is technically superior-- it may not be-- but because no one wants to PAY for a SDK and pour loads of time into developing and refining applications, only to have it blocked by Apple for some arbitrary or unknown reason. Couple that with Apple's long history of incorporating good ideas into their own platform at the expense of developers, and I think their App Store will eventually marginalize itself.
Right now, the iPhone is really the only slick thing out there (I speak as a Blackberry user and administrator, which is a platform that works but not well), but how long do you think this will be the case?
Apple's nuts on this. I went to Apple's Bug Reporter to complain about this. You may have to be a registered developer to do this. If so and you are one, please burn some Apple karma and let them know that their approval process is nuts.
Dull? It contains sentences about how you have to painfully slap your girl before sex, so she gets in the mood.
It also contains some fetishes, that still are seen as perverse nowadays.
I don't know about you, but I think even nowadays that does not count as "dull". ^^
Oh, and it's not about sex only. Much is about foreplay. So it's more a book for girls, who still enhance their sex with their imagination. :P
Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.