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Novelists On the E-Book Experience
An anonymous reader writes "How is reading different on a Kindle, a Nook, or an iPhone? The NY Times asked two writers what they thought. Joseph Finder, the author of thrillers, misses the indices compiled by humans and finds it annoying the way that all of the fonts are the same. Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher novels, actually likes the simplicity because he can concentrate on the words themselves. And then there's the issue of monopoly, which must give the authors the willies."
To be clear, and this FUD has been going around since the thing came out, you can use non-DRM formats on the Kindle. TXT and MOBI/PRC files can be read no problem -- the device mounts as a flash drive, you copy them over and they appear readable on the home screen. You can also get DOC and HTML files converted for free. The lack of ePub could be a frustration if a good DRM-free ePub store appears, but given that the spec leaves room for any DRM scheme to I expect that it will be just as fractured as anything else.
The real problem isn't the devices, its the stores. There is no source that I know of for new, legal novels without DRM. I don't think we'll see this until publishers get scared of Amazon or someone else dominating the market and pulls an Amazon Music Store -- offering DRM free MOBI or ePub in order to get into the market with the largest installed base.
Since when did the kindle not appear as a mass storage device?
I copy all my kindle books to disk to prevent Amazon from "repossessing" them and to crack them to allow speech to text.
I'd miss browsing on the free cell connection if Amazon tossed it, but I've got a browser on my phone, even if the battery life is shorter.
Kindle works as a mass storage device too, in fact that is the default when it is connected to a computer the thing is mounted like a thumb drive. I agree very convenient to have a lot of material with you. I'm usually reading a few things at a time, having to chose which book to bring with me is no longer an issue, I just bring all of them.
All the readers except the Kindle allow you to access the reader as a mass storage device and move the files off it.
Um... the Kindle can be used as a mass storage device. You know, with the USB cable that they ship it with.
I love how people make bold advice based on 2-year old information.
There are now about seven or eight manufacturers of ebook readers, and 20 or so models to choose from. The majority of those support ePub format, including anything that has been released in the last year or two, and ePub is quickly becoming the format of choice among ebook retailers.
Except for the Kindle, interoperability is here. Go out and buy an ebook reader - if there is a particular format you want you can hunt down the device that will do it, but really all you need to do is look for ePub and Digital Editions (so you can buy those nasty DRM titles, which are the majority).
It almost looks like Amazon is positioning themselves to be the Macintosh of ebook readers - except since within the next year or so they won't have any great benefits over the other readers, they'll tank. Having access to Amazon's ebook store would be great, as I think they are the largest individual retailer for ebooks.
Security is mostly a superstition... Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. - Helen Keller