|
What bothers me most about the Kindle and the Sony 505 (which I got for Xmas), as well as other readers, is the closed system. I know it has been said (written) many times already, but why can't there be a single format that every reader can read? I don't care if the books are DRMed; I just want to be able to go to any bookstore and buy a book without hassle. I also want to be able to comparison shop. The reader isn't going to replace my hardcover book purchases; it is going to be a supplement (much to my wife's chagrin as I already spend $200+ a month on books).
I don't care whether I have Internet access via the reader -- I can load on 25 or so books before I leave on a trip; I don't care if it includes a web browser to let me read my e-mail -- that's what I have a laptop and a desktop for. In fact, I really don't want my reader to be a laptop in disguise. The old saying "jack of all trades, master of none" applies to reader devices too.
Just give me a universal format. Isn't interesting, however, that the ebook format "wars" are reruns of the betamax vs. VHS and the now running Blu-Ray vs HD DVD wars. You would have thought they would have learned that settling on a standard is to all their benefit.
|