Kindle Reader for Windows just announced

[Wario]

[QUOTE=Elsi;634613]I am curious about a couple of things:

1 - my PC/laptop/netbook doesn't have 3G connectivity, so I'm going to assume that the "Whispersync" mentioned in the announcement will work over normal Internet connection
QUOTE]

This is a good point, it make me think that Amzon are only allowing people to view ebooks via the web?

All the other provides that give you ebooks on the PC are using their own file types, will Amzon go this way too?

So many questions, (when the software out?)

Time to wait a see ......

[charleski]

Originally Posted by zerospinboson

If this means we can buy books at Amazon's price level and then strip the DRM, I'm all for it.

This was exactly my thought on hearing the news.

[Ankh]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

I'll posit that it's only mainstream if a significant number of people do it.

Yes, Microsoft Reader has been around for almost ten years. But who actually uses it to read ebooks? The main reason most folks I know of get ebooks in MS Reader format is because it's dead easy to strip the DRM and put them into the format they want to read them in.

A lot of folks simply aren't comfortable reading extensively on a PC screen. One reason dedicated readers are popular is the eInk screen.

The last time I've checked, "Microsoft" was not a humanitarian organization. If their Reader is still alive after almost a decade, they surely made some money out of it.

I don't know how many people are still using it, but I am guessing that for all MS OSes (and it is not only Windows, but Windows Mobile and WinCE, as well) it is still a very viable option. That application was the best reader available for my late WebDT375, nothing could even touch their ClearType clarity, clean interface and feature set. And I do Linux for living, so no Microsoft bias on this side. But I do wish there was a version of MS reader for my Sony 505.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Ankh

The last time I've checked, "Microsoft" was not a humanitarian organization. If their Reader is still alive after almost a decade, they surely made some money out of it.

Since they never charged for it, it's hard to see how.

Some of what Microsoft is more indirect, and not a direct money maker. MS Reader, for example, was among other things an outgrowth of display technology and typography research, which got incorporated in other MS products.

I don't know how many people are still using it, but I am guessing that for all MS OSes (and it is not only Windows, but Windows Mobile and WinCE, as well) it is still a very viable option. That application was the best reader available for my late WebDT375, nothing could even touch their ClearType clarity, clean interface and feature set. And I do Linux for living, so no Microsoft bias on this side. But I do wish there was a version of MS reader for my Sony 505.

Clear Type was the win for MS here. Viable option? Well, in the sense that it's available, and books are available in .LIT format, yes. But I strongly suspect the actual number fo folks using it is a small fraction od the total number of ebook readers.

And I didn't assume you had an MS bias. I just assume very few folks actually use MS Reader to read ebooks these days.
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Dennis

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Since they never charged for it, it's hard to see how.

They never charged the end user for the reader. But, remember you have to activate your reader to MS Passport, er Live ID. I assume the vendors that can create/encrypt .LIT files have to pay some licensing fee to Microsoft.

BOb

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

They never charged the end user for the reader. But, remember you have to activate your reader to MS Passport, er Live ID. I assume the vendors that can create/encrypt .LIT files have to pay some licensing fee to Microsoft.

Possible. I don't really know. But I suspect the revenue involved will be trivial in overall terms for MS.

My fundamental point is that I don't believe MS Reader and the LIT format ever gained much traction as an end user solution for reading ebooks. Who actually uses MS Reader these days to read ebooks? Who buys books in LIT format, for any reason save that it's easy to strip the DRM and convert to a preferred format?

I don't know anyone...
______
Dennis

[DawnFalcon]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

They never charged the end user for the reader. But, remember you have to activate your reader to MS Passport, er Live ID.

Only if you want to read DRM'ed books.

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Since they never charged for it, it's hard to see how.

Some of what Microsoft is more indirect, and not a direct money maker. MS Reader, for example, was among other things an outgrowth of display technology and typography research, which got incorporated in other MS products.


Clear Type was the win for MS here. Viable option? Well, in the sense that it's available, and books are available in .LIT format, yes. But I strongly suspect the actual number fo folks using it is a small fraction od the total number of ebook readers.

And I didn't assume you had an MS bias. I just assume very few folks actually use MS Reader to read ebooks these days.
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Dennis

Actually, I use it all the time, when I read on my PC...guess I'm in the very few

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Actually, I use it all the time, when I read on my PC...guess I'm in the very few

The few, the proud, the .... oh wait....

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by kennyc

The few, the proud, the .... oh wait....

...oddballs? *grin*.

[=X=]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Possible. I don't really know. But I suspect the revenue involved will be trivial in overall terms for MS.
My fundamental point is that I don't believe MS Reader and the LIT format ever gained much traction as an end user solution for reading ebooks. Who actually uses MS Reader these days to read ebooks? Who buys books in LIT format, for any reason save that it's easy to strip the DRM and convert to a preferred format?
I don't know anyone...
______
Dennis

I do. I use it for TTS, annotaiting text, highlighting text, and bookmarks.

And on top of that it is easy to convert to any format.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by =X=

I do. I use it for TTS, annotaiting text, highlighting text, and bookmarks.

Okay, I sit corrected. I've seen two folks thus far chime in to say they use it.

And on top of that it is easy to convert to any format.

And that's the main reason I know that most folks grab LIT files by preference: easy to strip DRM and convert to something else as desired.
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Dennis

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Actually, I use it all the time, when I read on my PC...guess I'm in the very few

Possibly, but I'm curious. How often do read on the PC, as opposed to your Astak or Curve? And are there particular things you are more likely to read on one device than another?

(In my case, for instance, my primary reader is a PDA. I can read PDFs on it, but it's not a generally happy experience, so I normally read those on the PC, if there is something only available in PDF format. Those are usually computer tech stuff read while working on the machine in any case.)
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Dennis

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Possibly, but I'm curious. How often do read on the PC, as opposed to your Astak or Curve? And are there particular things you are more likely to read on one device than another?

(In my case, for instance, my primary reader is a PDA. I can read PDFs on it, but it's not a generally happy experience, so I normally read those on the PC, if there is something only available in PDF format. Those are usually computer tech stuff read while working on the machine in any case.)
______
Dennis

It depends on what's going on in my life at the time. I seldom read on the Curve, that gets used for breaks at work, mainly. The Astak is my main reader, on the couch and in bed. But, on days when I know I've got lots of stuff to do on the computer, MS Reader gets opened, and usually stays opened for when I take breaks from whatever it is I'm doing on the computer. (Usually schoolwork or sometimes I read while IM'ing with friends, multitasking.) I have one friend I chat with who reads the same type of thing I do, and we've done "internet read-ins" where we're reading the same book at the same time and discussing it via IM client. I use MS Reader for that, nearly exclusively. I am one of these strange people who can't eat unless I have something to read, and most of the time when I eat alone it's in front of the computer, so MS Reader gets used then, too.
When/if I get the Archos 9 after the first of the year, MS Reader will be used a LOT on it.

[Barcey]

Originally Posted by Abecedary

Nice idea, but I'd much rather have Kindle for Mac. At least then I could more easily read at work during the slow times.

According to this article Amazon is working on a Mac version.

http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/chri...le-become-open