Sony Store vs Waterstones first, W H Smiths can be used but the equivalent to Sony Store is Waterstones in the UK... the original comment by the OP was about having to use Waterstones rather than Sony in the UK when Sony Store is specifically for the US and Waterstones for the UK (and likewise other countries have their outlet)... it is basically a non-issue, Sony have negotiated to set up a store for the UK, it's Waterstones... you can hardly complain about not being able to access the US Sony Store which contractually doesn't have the right to sell in the UK...
The real problem, as has repeatedly been commented on, is the publisher/author geo-restrictive publishing agreements which are nothing to do with Sony and actually pre-date eBooks anyway. These agreements are dumb, yes, especially in a world of eBooks but Sony (and all other eReader producers) can't yet force authors/pubs to ignore legally binding contracts... but they definitely could improve on product availability...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leyor
Couldn't help commenting on the following:
1. Regarding the Sony Store vs. WH Smith, I don't know how either stores are as I mostly download Free non drm ebooks from Baen or Gutenberg. However ultimately it's Sony's responsability to negotiate deals etc. with the publishers. They are the ones selling the product and eco system behind it, to us. That means that if we're unhappy with it, we can really only take it to Sony, who then can evaluate wheter its worth negotiating a better deal or pressure said publishers. From a customer perspective, it can't really be anyones fault except Sony's.
However Sony could definitely do a MUCH better job at making their products available to consumers.
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