Quote:
Originally Posted by pilotbob
We (US) have both GSM and CDMA networks nation wide depending on the carier. But all the carriers claim to be working toward 4G LTE? I think lts is just generic term not a technology (Long Term Evolution).
AM I  ??? |
I guess we're all
But just to weigh in on the mobile phone debate, I'm interested to hear both networks are nationwide now, as not long ago it was the case that the type of coverage depended on region, and of course carrier.
I bought my first digital GSM mobile in Australia in 1995, and coverage in cities was complete and between population centres was not bad. I went to Europe in 1998 and my phone worked, no problems, even with my Aussie SIM (roaming). I slipped in a Euro SIM and it still worked. I went to other countries and it still worked. I bought newer GSM phones and it worked everywhere, every time.
Except the US - because their GSM was a different frequency band. So enter the newer phones, tri-band GSM to cater for the fact the the GSM phones that work anywhere in the world don't fit the fragmented US standard(s). Now we have 4-band... 'nuff said...
Anyway, we're here to talk about eReaders, and I'm yet to hear any convincing argument as to why the Sony can't be shipped outside the US. I'm not talking about the one or two resellers that do it, at huge cost, and the limited expansion into Canada and UK. I'm talking about having a product for everyone to see on the Web for a few years, advertising it for sale on the web, but not shipping outside the US.
Apart from the obvious "we don't want to..." answer (after all, that's Sony's right), or the more tenuous "it doesn't make business sense...," I just don't get it. What legal issues are there for a device with no wireless (PRS-500/505) and no dangerous components (e.g. explosives, chemicals, etc.)?
And what does Sony care if it ships to
Pigsknuckle, Arkansas for $10 or
Lederhosen, Germany for $50? Being in business I figured they wouldn't care if they got paid in greenbacks, euros, rubles, dinars, rupees or even those cursed $CDN to the north! It's all revenue and sales to them.
DVD region coding is evil but almost understandable from a pure greed and market tyranny point of view. But we're talking eBooks here! I can buy any paperback in a bookstore in Timbuktu (provided they have an English language section) that I can buy in the US. In fact, I can often have a more diverse selection outside the US! But those same books can't be bought as freely in e-format outside the US (Sony and Amazon online stores are restricted to US credit cards and postal addresses, even though nothing is mailed), and heaven forbid I should wish to read them on a mobile eReader!
I'm sure someone can explain it all to me. Meanwhile I'm gonna ignore Sony and Amazon Kindle (especially now that it's Oprah's choice!) for the rest of my life and settle back and read my BeBook...