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Losing my e-Book religion
IainB:
Then again, you might consider something I spotted in my reading list last December:
Mount a Nook in Your Dash to Control the Stereo and Monitor Your Engine
The story appealed to me as I like doing digital electronics projects like that.
At the time, I was becoming interested in the Nook - I think it was your comments about the Nook that had made me seriously consider getting one for my daughter Lily, but she said she prefers to have hardcopy books for now.
(She's a school librarian and likes books. She's also quite at home using computer technology - e.g., she's an avid SIMS3 player, and she uses Google Earth for geography and mapping, and Microsoft OneNote for making notes and writing her self-illustrated stories.)
wraith808:
@wraith808:[/b] I am sorry if you didn't like my comment - I wasn't sure you would. And I do apologise if you feel offended in any way. It was meant in good faith and intended to help. I really dislike seeing people being made a victim of and always want to help, but when they seem to invite victimisation I find it terribly frustrating.
What struck me as odd was the apparent act of complaining about risks that eventuated - "There is something seriously wrong with this" - without articulating things more clearly. It seemed that you were demonstrating the behaviour of an external locus of control, whereas the unpleasant outcome (which you described at some length) apparently arose from your own (i.e., internal) buying decision(s). Whether wittingly, you had already effectively accepted the potential risks by the act of purchase, and established a legally binding contract with the suppliers - for both the hardware and the media to be loaded into it.
-IainB (February 22, 2012, 02:49 AM)
--- End quote ---
What this arises from is my prior buy-in to the ecology, and to make clear my problems with the buy-in at this point, i.e. there are definite advantages- but from a customer service side let me show the problems that I encountered, so that my recommendations are leavened with experience, as such things might be. Of course you're putting some measure of control in the hands of the supplier. You do that no matter what sort of transaction you enter into, where your statement caveat emptor came from. This has been a problem from the beginning of time with any sort of transaction entered into- the inherent problems between two sides that have competing interests.
The part I take exception to is blaming the buyer for hidden limitations of the purchaser, i.e. that the card that is used to unlock the book must be authorized whenever the book is downloaded. eReader on Fictionwise used a similar unlocking mechanism, but the card was used to hash the book, so that the book could (and still can for the books in my collection) only be opened if you know the card number. It doesn't communicate home and has no internet ties, so even though that card is long gone, since I have the card number, I can still utilize those books. *That* I have no problem with- it's like a password.
And as far as not articulating, that, I believe, is incorrect also:
In the end, there was no way until it was under the limit that either of us could download any book... even if a) we used a gift card to pay, b) we were gifted a book, c) we were getting a free book, or d) we were downloading a book we already owned.
-wraith808 (February 21, 2012, 03:10 PM)
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I even bolded it for emphasis. Your ability to read the book is based on their system and their whim, even if you already own it. Re-emphasized later.
Because if I buy something and I can't access it because of your BS limitations when I want to access it, even though your service is still going- that's the deal breaker for me.
-wraith808 (February 21, 2012, 03:10 PM)
--- End quote ---
I'm not complaining to say to them to fix it. I'm working through the problems and informing others. I didn't ask a question- I stated an issue. I think you think that I expect you to sympathise or help or say 'there, there'. This was an informative post for others that follow the road.
And I'm not changing hardware, as I again state:
Other than buying books for her, that might be my last Barnes and Noble purchase.
-wraith808 (February 21, 2012, 03:10 PM)
--- End quote ---
I'm using my iPad, which I originally purchased to mitigate any possible issues of either terms of use (this situation) or availability of content (some authors have historically not been available on both platforms- this has since been changed).
superboyac:
I'm not going to weigh in on who is worse in regards to B&N or Amazon. What I would like to do is encourage the OP to look at what's available in Android tablets before blindly buying the Kindle Fire. The Android Market has both the Nook & Kindle apps (as well as a slew of other ereader apps) and they all work on every Android tablet.
-Innuendo (February 21, 2012, 05:51 PM)
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Oh, I don't plan to get a proprietary device again. My iPad has the Kindle app (and has had it already installed- just never used). I just plan to buy a cheap book, see if I need a CC, and if there is a need for the CC, I'll stick with the devil I know. Because I'm a reader, and I enjoy the format, and several novelists release their books in one DRM format or another. So if the choice is not to read or read in the short term, though it might seem short sighted, I'll read.
-wraith808 (February 21, 2012, 09:33 PM)
--- End quote ---
I came to the same conclusion with my ipad experiment. Just too much hastle. I want to say I've spent more time trying to get a pdf from one app to another than I have actually spent reading the pdf.
Even jailbroken, there are a lot of painful moments. I found out how you can move files around in the iOS file system, but it's not the most convenient thing in the world.
I hope that Sparx tablet that 40hz posted a couple of weeks ago turns out to be good. And, of course, I still have high hopes for a good Windows 8 tablet.
And i've even done an experiment with myself lately. Since I've been using all these different devices, for several weeks I had them all right next to me in my evening reading area. Laptop, ipad, android tablet, and books. When the tablets were new, I used them primarily. But I quickly got annoyed by how slow it was to do anything really good, AND uncomfortable. But it was somewhat convenient.
Now, I thought that using a tablet for internet browsing would be perfect, but because there's no keyboard, I quickly went back to the laptop. Especially for those moments in documentaries when you want to pause and search the net a little. Laptop is still way better for that.
Then for reading, I eventually started reaching for the laptop again. And books still are good. And wraith, I know I questioned you on this before, but the Kindle really is far easier on the eyes than the tablets. I didn't realize it until reading it for about 15 minutes. That e-paper is lovely.
So my tablet experience has not been very positive. The place I use it the most is the coffee shop, GPS in my car, or when I need to check something real quick on the move (how most people use their smartphone). So it's useful and definitely part of my ecosystem now, but of all my tools, it's the one I can do without.
Carol Haynes:
At least in the UK Amazon doesn't let you gift Kindle Books - you can give someone a gift voucher they can use to purchase a book but they need their own account. I'm pretty sure you have to have an active payment on an Amazon account even if you are making payment by gift card but I am not 100% on that.
Also as far as I know you can't have independent Kindle accounts on a single Amazon account so if you purchase books for yourself on the same account as your daughters Kindle you will end up with her library and she will end up with yours.
UPDATE: My second point looks wrong - it looks like you can tell your Kindle account which devices to upload individual books too.
Innuendo:
I think the biggest problem has with Amazon is the fact that he's trying to download books he has already paid for & yet Amazon wants to authorize his card again for the purchase. There's no sane reason for them to do that.
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