MobileRead Forums
Register Guidelines E-Books Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book Readers > Amazon Kindle
Reload this Page Are You Concerned About Being Locked into Format?

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 10-28-2009, 09:01 PM   #1
geneaber
Connoisseur
geneaber doesn't littergeneaber doesn't litter
 
Posts: 82
Karma: 118
Join Date: Dec 2005
Device: Kindle 2
Are You Concerned About Being Locked into Format?
Kindle Users:

I am struggling between whether to buy a Kindle 2 or a nook. My main hang up with the Kindle is being locked into one format for the following reasons:

1. If Amazon gets tired of subsidizing the price of ebooks and no longer remains competitive on pricing I would be stuck with paying higher prices because they have their own little monopoly on selling content to Kindles.

2. If I ever switch readers, the Kindle format would not port over to another reader. Epub has a lot of appeal to me.

If you are a Kindle user, I would appreciate your thoughts on these issues.

Thanks in advance.
geneaber is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-28-2009, 09:47 PM   #2
Sydney's Mom
Wizard
Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Sydney's Mom's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,205
Karma: 3715777
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Chicago
Device: Kindle 4 (7th Kindle), Fire HD and Samsung Tab 10.1.2
If you are willing to remove the DRM and convert the book, you are not locked into any format. I remove the DRM from books I purchase, and if the books aren't from Amazon, I convert the books to a format the kindle can read. However, it is a bit of work. I love my kindle1, but I also really love library books, and the kindle cannot read ebooks from the library, although I believe the nook will be able to. But you can't beat the Amazon kindle store.
__________________
Thanks to Mobileread, I have all the referral space I can use! Thanks, Debra
I love my Kindles, thanks to MobileRead, I Heart Cabbages and Calibre!
Sydney's Mom is offline   Reply With Quote
 
Enthusiast
Old 10-28-2009, 09:51 PM   #3
RobbieClarken
Addict
RobbieClarken ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RobbieClarken ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RobbieClarken ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RobbieClarken ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RobbieClarken ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RobbieClarken ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RobbieClarken ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RobbieClarken ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RobbieClarken ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RobbieClarken ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RobbieClarken ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 372
Karma: 1002274
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Australia
Device: Kindle
You needn't fear geneaber.

Quote:
Originally Posted by geneaber View Post
1. If Amazon gets tired of subsidizing the price of ebooks and no longer remains competitive on pricing I would be stuck with paying higher prices because they have their own little monopoly on selling content to Kindles.
Most of the books on my Kindle are from ebook stores other than Amazon. Calibre does a superb job of converting ePub to mobi so as long as you don't mind stripping the DRM (which is really quite simple) you can currently buy from any store that sells ePub and read it on your Kindle. (Note that it is possible Adobe will update its ePub DRM in the future but I expect any future DRM will be cracked in no time - especially as ebooks become more popular.)

Quote:
Originally Posted by geneaber View Post
2. If I ever switch readers, the Kindle format would not port over to another reader. Epub has a lot of appeal to me.
Most ebooks from the Kindle store are just mobipocket files for which the DRM can easily be stripped. From my experience, these convert nicely to ePub (again via the incredible calibre). There are some books in the Amazon store that are Topaz format and have a DRM that hasn't been cracked. These are mostly academic books from my experience so you may never run into them (and you can return the ebook if you accidentally encounter one). Regardless, I expect Topaz DRM will be cracked sooner or later.

As for Amazon jacking up its prices: I really doubt this will happen. There is already much pressure on them to keep it down and the ebook market is only getting more competitive.
RobbieClarken is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-28-2009, 09:52 PM   #4
AnemicOak
Bookaholic
AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
AnemicOak's Avatar
 
Posts: 7,487
Karma: 19230583
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Minnesota
Device: AuraHD, Nook HD+, Kindle 2,3,T , Opus, TF101, Nexus7, iPT, iPhone5
I'm not concerned, but I don't buy anything that can't be unDRM'd and therefore converted (Amazon azw, ePub, lit, mobi). If I wasn't able to, or chose not to, do that then I probably wouldn't have purchased a Kindle in the first place.
__________________
~Brian

"The test of any good fiction is that you should care something for the characters; the good to succeed, the bad to fail. The trouble with most fiction is that you want them all to land in hell together, as quickly as possible." — Mark Twain

Get 15GB of cloud space free at Copy.com, plus an extra 5GB free by using this link (I get 5GB free too).
AnemicOak is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-28-2009, 09:53 PM   #5
desertgrandma
Enjoying the show....
desertgrandma ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.desertgrandma ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.desertgrandma ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.desertgrandma ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.desertgrandma ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.desertgrandma ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.desertgrandma ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.desertgrandma ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.desertgrandma ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.desertgrandma ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.desertgrandma ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
desertgrandma's Avatar
 
Posts: 14,227
Karma: 8116698
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Arizona
Device: A K1, Kindle Paperwhite, an Ipod, IPad2, Iphone and an Ipad Mini.....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom View Post
I love my kindle1, but I also really love library books, and the kindle cannot read ebooks from the library, although I believe the nook will be able to. But you can't beat the Amazon kindle store.
Yes, the Kindle can read library e-books (mobipocket format) from the library....by running kindlefix.

They still close after the loan period, automatically.
desertgrandma is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2009, 05:12 AM   #6
rfog
Addict
rfog once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.rfog once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.rfog once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.rfog once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.rfog once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.rfog once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.rfog once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.rfog once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.rfog once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.rfog once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.rfog once ate a cherry pie in a record 7 seconds.
 
Posts: 382
Karma: 1942
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Elda - Alicante (Spain)
Device: PB903, K2, K3, K2i, KDX,KDXG,Nook,DR1000S, Boox6, iPad, Q1U, X51v, TM2
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobbieClarken View Post
There are some books in the Amazon store that are Topaz format and have a DRM that hasn't been cracked. These are mostly academic books from my experience so you may never run into them (and you can return the ebook if you accidentally encounter one). Regardless, I expect Topaz DRM will be cracked sooner or later.
If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch you can send the Topaz ebook to your device and then extract it with one of the multiple tools available to access the ipod/iphone internals (for example Iphone Backup Extractor, that extracts stuff from the iTunes backup of your device).

That ebook will be in AZW because iPod/iPhone cannot read Topaz ebooks. Next step is to deDRM it.
__________________
Visit my Spanish Kindle Blog: http://kindleman.blogspot.com/
rfog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2009, 06:37 AM   #7
Ea
Wizard
Ea ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Ea ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Ea ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Ea ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Ea ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Ea ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Ea ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Ea ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Ea ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Ea ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Ea ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Ea's Avatar
 
Posts: 3,498
Karma: 5169119
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Denmark
Device: Kindle 3|iPad 2|iPhone 4|Sony 600
Yes, I'm concerned for the reasons you mention - and because I have several devices already, which require different formats. That's why I only buy books I can de-DRM so I can convert them to what I need.

I don't plan to buy many books from Amazon. It woud depend on availability and price, i.e. if they are not available elsewhere or are cheaper at Amazon. I don't like the premium they charge international customers (it's more than tax), and that makes me even less likely to want to buy from them.
Ea is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2009, 06:46 AM   #8
RobbieClarken
Addict
RobbieClarken ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RobbieClarken ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RobbieClarken ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RobbieClarken ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RobbieClarken ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RobbieClarken ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RobbieClarken ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RobbieClarken ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RobbieClarken ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RobbieClarken ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.RobbieClarken ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 372
Karma: 1002274
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Australia
Device: Kindle
Quote:
Originally Posted by rfog View Post
If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch you can send the Topaz ebook to your device and then extract it with one of the multiple tools available to access the ipod/iphone internals (for example Iphone Backup Extractor, that extracts stuff from the iTunes backup of your device).

That ebook will be in AZW because iPod/iPhone cannot read Topaz ebooks. Next step is to deDRM it.
I don't think this is right - I bought some ebooks in the past on my iPhone and when I copied them to my PC they were Topaz. The extension may have been azw but the format was definately Topaz.
RobbieClarken is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2009, 11:54 AM   #9
Sydney's Mom
Wizard
Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Sydney's Mom's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,205
Karma: 3715777
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Chicago
Device: Kindle 4 (7th Kindle), Fire HD and Samsung Tab 10.1.2
Quote:
Originally Posted by desertgrandma View Post
Yes, the Kindle can read library e-books (mobipocket format) from the library....by running kindlefix.

They still close after the loan period, automatically.
Yes, but at least Chicago Public Library has very, very few mobi ebooks. And they are getting fewer and fewer. PDF and EPub seem to have the floor.,
__________________
Thanks to Mobileread, I have all the referral space I can use! Thanks, Debra
I love my Kindles, thanks to MobileRead, I Heart Cabbages and Calibre!
Sydney's Mom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2009, 12:10 PM   #10
csdaley
Member
csdaley began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 11
Karma: 10
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: N. California
Device: Kindle
I love my Kindle & I believe that market force will eventually force Amazon to cave on format.
csdaley is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2009, 01:08 PM   #11
Madam Broshkina
Manic Do Fuse
Madam Broshkina inspires wonder wherever he or she goes.Madam Broshkina inspires wonder wherever he or she goes.Madam Broshkina inspires wonder wherever he or she goes.Madam Broshkina inspires wonder wherever he or she goes.Madam Broshkina inspires wonder wherever he or she goes.Madam Broshkina inspires wonder wherever he or she goes.Madam Broshkina inspires wonder wherever he or she goes.Madam Broshkina inspires wonder wherever he or she goes.Madam Broshkina inspires wonder wherever he or she goes.Madam Broshkina inspires wonder wherever he or she goes.Madam Broshkina inspires wonder wherever he or she goes.
 
Madam Broshkina's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,304
Karma: 151512
Join Date: Oct 2006
Device: Sony 500, 505, 350, Kindle 3, DXG, nook, Irex DR800SG, iPad
When I buy an eBook I am more concerned that I can read the book now on the device that I currently have. I do not usually tend to reread books so I do not ask myself will I be able to read it 5 years from now. I have although de-drm'd all my Kindle Books and converted them to LRF because I prefer to read on my Sony 505 or 300.
__________________
Madam Broshkina is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2009, 03:14 PM   #12
Sydney's Mom
Wizard
Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sydney's Mom ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Sydney's Mom's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,205
Karma: 3715777
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Chicago
Device: Kindle 4 (7th Kindle), Fire HD and Samsung Tab 10.1.2
Quote:
Originally Posted by csdaley View Post
I love my Kindle & I believe that market force will eventually force Amazon to cave on format.
I love my kindle as well. Thanks to Mobileread I do not feel stuck to a single format.
__________________
Thanks to Mobileread, I have all the referral space I can use! Thanks, Debra
I love my Kindles, thanks to MobileRead, I Heart Cabbages and Calibre!
Sydney's Mom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2009, 05:58 PM   #13
geneaber
Connoisseur
geneaber doesn't littergeneaber doesn't litter
 
Posts: 82
Karma: 118
Join Date: Dec 2005
Device: Kindle 2
I appreciate everyone's comments. Now I just need to make up my mind.
geneaber is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-29-2009, 11:05 PM   #14
krazy4katz
Groupie
krazy4katz ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.krazy4katz ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.krazy4katz ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.krazy4katz ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.krazy4katz ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.krazy4katz ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.krazy4katz ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.krazy4katz ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.krazy4katz ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.krazy4katz ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.krazy4katz ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
krazy4katz's Avatar
 
Posts: 166
Karma: 1044784
Join Date: Feb 2009
Device: Kindle 1 and Kindle 3 (KK)
Good luck with your choice. My feeling was that Amazon is in the market to sell books, so if the format changes, Amazon will change with it. That is why Amazon allows their books to be read on iPhones and now computers. For this reason, I was not worried about my Amazon books being unreadable in the future. This may also be true for Barnes & Noble, although they do have to justify spending the money on stores. In contrast, Sony sells devices, not books, so I would be more worried about books specific for their readers.

At least, that is my rationale.

k4k
__________________
krazy4katz
krazy4katz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-30-2009, 01:02 AM   #15
JMikeD
Evangelist
JMikeD is as sexy as a twisted cruller doughtnut.JMikeD is as sexy as a twisted cruller doughtnut.JMikeD is as sexy as a twisted cruller doughtnut.JMikeD is as sexy as a twisted cruller doughtnut.JMikeD is as sexy as a twisted cruller doughtnut.JMikeD is as sexy as a twisted cruller doughtnut.JMikeD is as sexy as a twisted cruller doughtnut.JMikeD is as sexy as a twisted cruller doughtnut.JMikeD is as sexy as a twisted cruller doughtnut.JMikeD is as sexy as a twisted cruller doughtnut.JMikeD is as sexy as a twisted cruller doughtnut.
 
JMikeD's Avatar
 
Posts: 442
Karma: 15000
Join Date: Jul 2008
Device: Various and sundry
Quote:
Originally Posted by rfog View Post
If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch you can send the Topaz ebook to your device and then extract it with one of the multiple tools available to access the ipod/iphone internals (for example Iphone Backup Extractor, that extracts stuff from the iTunes backup of your device).

That ebook will be in AZW because iPod/iPhone cannot read Topaz ebooks. Next step is to deDRM it.
I have one that looks the same on the iPod Touch as it does on the Kindle, the same crappy font and scanned look. So it looks as though the Topaz format *is* being shown on my iPod Touch.
JMikeD is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

« Previous Thread | Next Thread »
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Becoming a little concerned. church mouse Amazon Kindle 76 09-09-2010 05:55 PM
Kindle Owner concerned about my new Iliad Zeluiz22 iRex 11 03-03-2008 05:30 PM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 09:47 PM.

Contact Us - FAQ - Guidelines - Privacy - Archive - Top

MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.