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Old 08-30-2007, 03:03 AM   #1
HappyMartin
Martin Kristiansen
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Posts: 1,546
Karma: 8480958
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Johannesburg
Device: Kindle International Ipad 2
Boy am I now confused

I have been watching in a vague way the the development of ebook readers for a few years. By vague I mean the press releases and so on in Time, Fortune and other magazines. The latest press releases for the Iliad got me all excited and I was hot to buy one. It is expensive and so I thought that more research was needed. Perhaps that was my first mistake.

I want to be able to read outdoors in bight daylight as I would a normal book. I often go places where there is no electricity and for time periods of a couple of weeks. I need to be able to read Pdf manuals in the field.

The world of DRM took me by surprise. I would never buy a pirated movie or music nor would I pirate the same. I don't pirate or crack software. I would never steal a book. I do however buy a lot of books and I lend them to friends. My wife and I often read the same books. When I am finished with a book I will give it away or swop it at a second hand book store. Al this is I believe legal. If I buy an ebook however my wife cant read it unless I give her my reader, is this correct? I will also not be able to sell this book or give it away. This would seem reasonable if the price difference between ebooks and normal books was greater than it is. I am also concerned about books being automatically erased after a period of time. Do Mobipocket books expire? What books have this nasty characteristic? If I buy a new reader what of all the books I downloaded for my old reader?

I am wondering at the moment if I should just give up on the whole idea. I am simply not interested in getting involved in something that sounds as complicated as ebooks. I want to buy a book, stick it on a reader and read it. I am a digital photographer and spend enough time on the computer negotiating formats.

Am I missing something? The whole idea of ebooks sounds like a dream come true on many levels. The convenience, no paper, cool little devices. Will I be able to lose myself in a good read with an ebook or will I lose myself in the technology? HELP
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