in this case I might not have expressed it clearly, but I was not thinking of so much an ad supported approach but maybe an approach where it is a transaction supported approach if you bring the payment processors into the mix.
Content can be added to the device via some form of wireless. Then at the device owners discretion they could actually make that donation or whatever directly from inside the book (or whatever).
It is at best a half baked idea in my head right now but I just have a sense something is in there....I guess the gist of my idea is to make it almost transparent to the user to make the transaction.
Of course security is an issue. But that can be handled pretty easily with an existing solution. Many companies and other situations which call for added security make use of a keychain device that generates a keycode. This code is then entered either at the time of the login, after submitting your password, or wherever it makes the most sense in the transaction. I have such a key generator for my PayPal account and also use it for my eBay account. So, even should someone have my password, w/o the keycode they cannot get in...the keycode thing could be provided as an accessory used to enable the ability via the reader.
I guess I am describing a universal webstore in your pocket, or at least the ability to complete transactions via the reader device...but that would be over reaching for the idea I have right now...which I suspect I am still not getting across correctly.
I could actually see Amazon eventually moving the Kindle into exactly this sort of position. If they do, it really makes the Kindle even more dominant in the market for the average person...I am a huge user of their Amazon Prime service and would LOVE to be able to order items on the fly via the same device I am using to read my books.
Hmmmm...that was not the direction I saw the idea going when I posted the thread, but it sort of sounds interesting. It does not take a huge amount of processor power or resources to display catalog pages which are so static and basic. Amazon could just port their existing products over to the same code used for the book store now. Not sure if a true shopping cart works but, a one-click thing does.
Anyway, my original idea is to find a way to help out the indie folks because they are where it is all at when it comes to innovative and interesting writing. And there I go with an idea for bigger fish....d'oh!! I think I just killed Kenny!!! again!
