MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Is Wifi a deal-breaker for you?

Worldwalker · 04-11-2011, 10:03 AM

It's not a deal-breaker per se, but I wouldn't pay extra for a device with WiFi, and I'd turn it off if I had it. Given the capability of Amazon, for example, to (at the very least) delete books from the Kindle, I'm leery of letting any vendor have unmonitored, uncontrolled access to my device. As there's no reason to believe "off" really means "off" from a device point of view, I'd be far more comfortable not having it at all.

I don't buy DRM-locked ebooks, so the capability for impulse purchases isn't an issue for me (which is also probably better for my wallet). My Sony 505 contains a couple of thousand public domain books, plus an assortment purchased from places like Baen, so I'm never lacking in something to read. They all go through my computer anyway for metadata editing, collection assignment, etc., and then calibre takes care of loading the ones I need (I also tend to buy books that don't work well on my Reader, like some of the O'Reilly PDFs).

So ... I would only buy an ebook reader with WiFi or 3G if 1) my 505 failed, 2) I was unable to replace it with a similar unit, and 3) I could be fairly sure that a company is not monitoring my reading, approving my books, etc. I bought the 505 because it was exactly what I needed, and the availability of devices that do other things doesn't make it any less exactly what I needed.

also: what Elfwreck said.

04-11-2011, 10:03 AM	#28
Worldwalker Curmudgeon Posts: 3,085 Karma: 722357 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: PRS-505	It's not a deal-breaker per se, but I wouldn't pay extra for a device with WiFi, and I'd turn it off if I had it. Given the capability of Amazon, for example, to (at the very least) delete books from the Kindle, I'm leery of letting any vendor have unmonitored, uncontrolled access to my device. As there's no reason to believe "off" really means "off" from a device point of view, I'd be far more comfortable not having it at all. I don't buy DRM-locked ebooks, so the capability for impulse purchases isn't an issue for me (which is also probably better for my wallet). My Sony 505 contains a couple of thousand public domain books, plus an assortment purchased from places like Baen, so I'm never lacking in something to read. They all go through my computer anyway for metadata editing, collection assignment, etc., and then calibre takes care of loading the ones I need (I also tend to buy books that don't work well on my Reader, like some of the O'Reilly PDFs). So ... I would only buy an ebook reader with WiFi or 3G if 1) my 505 failed, 2) I was unable to replace it with a similar unit, and 3) I could be fairly sure that a company is not monitoring my reading, approving my books, etc. I bought the 505 because it was exactly what I needed, and the availability of devices that do other things doesn't make it any less exactly what I needed. also: what Elfwreck said.