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narve · 08-30-2007, 01:14 PM

I feel like I have to share my feelings as well. Hopefully without turning this into a DRM/Anti-DRM discussion.

1) I totally love Fictionwise and the other ebook vendors. One of the best things is that my books are always available on my virtual bookshelf, I don't need to manage my files, carry them on a stick, put them on a web server or whatever. I can do that (I am a computer professional), but is is a hassle. Easier to download them whenever I want. And of course "instant satisfaction": If I buy a book, I have it within 2 minutes. No waiting 2-10 days for Amazon... no huge bookshelf, never again "not enough space for more books".

2) I feel most PDFs work OK. Some zooming/moving first, and then they work. The settings are stored, so next time you open your manual they are displayed the same way. Far from perfect, and not all PDFs are OK, but almost all of them work out OK. Also some apps are available to convert the PDFS to a more suitable format.

3) Lots of books are available without DRM.

4) If you spend some time learning/surfing, you can always remove the DRM. I would not feel even remotely "illegal" if I removed the DRM from content I have bought. In many countries it is legal (and only in US is it _really_ illegal).

To sum up: The iLiad did not fulfill my "technical" expectations, and I haven't got around to using it to its full potential. Mostly because I've been busy reading lots and lots of books and enjoying it all the time

I think I've bought my last "dead tree" book... at least I prefer the digital ones!

08-30-2007, 01:14 PM	#19
narve iLiad fan Posts: 210 Karma: 3864 Join Date: Oct 2006 Device: iRex iLiad	I feel like I have to share my feelings as well. Hopefully without turning this into a DRM/Anti-DRM discussion. 1) I totally love Fictionwise and the other ebook vendors. One of the best things is that my books are always available on my virtual bookshelf, I don't need to manage my files, carry them on a stick, put them on a web server or whatever. I can do that (I am a computer professional), but is is a hassle. Easier to download them whenever I want. And of course "instant satisfaction": If I buy a book, I have it within 2 minutes. No waiting 2-10 days for Amazon... no huge bookshelf, never again "not enough space for more books". 2) I feel most PDFs work OK. Some zooming/moving first, and then they work. The settings are stored, so next time you open your manual they are displayed the same way. Far from perfect, and not all PDFs are OK, but almost all of them work out OK. Also some apps are available to convert the PDFS to a more suitable format. 3) Lots of books are available without DRM. 4) If you spend some time learning/surfing, you can always remove the DRM. I would not feel even remotely "illegal" if I removed the DRM from content I have bought. In many countries it is legal (and only in US is it _really_ illegal). To sum up: The iLiad did not fulfill my "technical" expectations, and I haven't got around to using it to its full potential. Mostly because I've been busy reading lots and lots of books and enjoying it all the time I think I've bought my last "dead tree" book... at least I prefer the digital ones!