>The Kindle is very proprietary
No, it really isn't.
"it requires a Windows application to convert files to Amazon's proprietary format"
No, it doesn't.
"It also doesn't support EPUB, which is very common in places like Project Gutenberg"
Plain text files are even more common and the Kindle supports those as a native format, also EPUBs convert to mobipocket pretty much flawlessly.
There's very little I can't read on my Kindle if I care to. There are a couple formats that it doesn't support directly, but in a year and a half that hasn't been a problem.
Having used both extensively I've found a dedicated e-ink device FAR superior to any mobile device I've been able to try. There really is no comparison.
An iphone/ipod/treo whatever might be good enough, but it's definitely not as good.
The funny thing is publishers complained for years about the physical cost of books, and used it as a base for low writer royalties. Once that was taken out the equation by ebooks, then suddenly it's all about the cost of editing and layout and so on. Someone along the line wasn't telling the truth, and I'm not inclined to start believing the publishers now.
Sorry to reply to my own post, but I forgot another big plus. I can watch shows and movies recorded on my Media Center PC on the xbox, rather than sitting at my computer desk. I like that a lot.
keep the xbox and use it as a media extender. I rarely game, almost never, but I use my 360 to play Netflix streaming movies, DVDs, and downloaded videos. It works great.
But we as a society get to draw the public interest line, not Google. I wouldn't give relief from copyright laws to Microsoft, or Google or any other corporate entity.
Why is this post marked as a Troll? It's a legitimate viewpoint and one I agree with. I'll take function over form every time. Give me a good, fast, stable browser with a UI that isn't flashy, cluttered or distracting.
It's just as easy to copy content to the Kindle, easier actually since it also has the wireless option. And honestly the Sony isn't any more open than the Kindle, you can't even strip the DRM from Sony's LRF format.
PDF is only portable for larger screen devices, like desktops and laptops. It's a nightmare for ebooks and smaller devices. As for Word, I'm still plugging along with my ancient copy of Word 2000. It still works, even under Vista 64. I see no reason to change an old work horse at this point.
Yes, I knew what story your were referring to and it still wasn't arbitrary, of which on definition is... "Determined by chance, whim, or impulse, and not by necessity, reason, or principle: stopped at the first motel we passed, an arbitrary choice." Close enough to random for me.
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>The Kindle is very proprietary
No, it really isn't.
"it requires a Windows application to convert files to Amazon's proprietary format"
No, it doesn't.
"It also doesn't support EPUB, which is very common in places like Project Gutenberg"
Plain text files are even more common and the Kindle supports those as a native format, also EPUBs convert to mobipocket pretty much flawlessly.
There's very little I can't read on my Kindle if I care to. There are a couple formats that it doesn't support directly, but in a year and a half that hasn't been a problem.
Some of them saw it coming. They were ignored by the Bush administration and mocked on Fox News.
They get decided whichever way is more profitable for the corporation and more expensive for the consumer, such is always the way with US health care.
Also, this wasn't a "discovery." This was all announced and well known to anyone who bothered to read the information Amazon provided on launch day.
Having used both extensively I've found a dedicated e-ink device FAR superior to any mobile device I've been able to try. There really is no comparison. An iphone/ipod/treo whatever might be good enough, but it's definitely not as good.
The funny thing is publishers complained for years about the physical cost of books, and used it as a base for low writer royalties. Once that was taken out the equation by ebooks, then suddenly it's all about the cost of editing and layout and so on. Someone along the line wasn't telling the truth, and I'm not inclined to start believing the publishers now.
Sorry to reply to my own post, but I forgot another big plus. I can watch shows and movies recorded on my Media Center PC on the xbox, rather than sitting at my computer desk. I like that a lot.
keep the xbox and use it as a media extender. I rarely game, almost never, but I use my 360 to play Netflix streaming movies, DVDs, and downloaded videos. It works great.
It's a horrendous abuse of copyright, on par with the Sonny Bono Public Domain Theft Act.
But we as a society get to draw the public interest line, not Google. I wouldn't give relief from copyright laws to Microsoft, or Google or any other corporate entity.
It's good if you want to read books for free, bad if you're a copyright holder who just saw your rights usurped.
Why is this post marked as a Troll? It's a legitimate viewpoint and one I agree with. I'll take function over form every time. Give me a good, fast, stable browser with a UI that isn't flashy, cluttered or distracting.
It's just as easy to copy content to the Kindle, easier actually since it also has the wireless option. And honestly the Sony isn't any more open than the Kindle, you can't even strip the DRM from Sony's LRF format.
I'll go back to watching the news on that tv-box-thing before I'll pay Murdoch a bloody red cent.
PDF is only portable for larger screen devices, like desktops and laptops. It's a nightmare for ebooks and smaller devices. As for Word, I'm still plugging along with my ancient copy of Word 2000. It still works, even under Vista 64. I see no reason to change an old work horse at this point.
So, why did my comment get modded down for stating a simple fact? Slashdot: Where reality gets modded down.
Insightful? Really!?
Also, the book cost 99 cents and Amazon refunded his money.
The company that sold it didn't have the rights to it in the US. The legal publisher complained and Amazon pulled the book.
I don't think the guy has a legal leg to stand on. Amazon removed an illegal book, and the guy still has his annotations, useless or not.
I'm suddenly, and for the first time, ashamed of my heritage.
I didn't get it from answers.com. And it does not prove me wrong, the definition I pointed to is just as valid as the one you're claiming.
Yes, I knew what story your were referring to and it still wasn't arbitrary, of which on definition is... "Determined by chance, whim, or impulse, and not by necessity, reason, or principle: stopped at the first motel we passed, an arbitrary choice." Close enough to random for me.
It wasn't on a "whim." Stop spreading FUD.
Thanks to the Sonny Bono's "Public Domain Theft Act", aka. "Keep Mickey From Falling Into the Public Domain Act."