jetBook supports ePUB, MOBI, PRC and RTF formats

[Kris777]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Most people here at MR are tech savvy enough to handle a device without DRM. But you take the average person and nope, it just doesn't work that way.

Why you think that the average person read DRMed books? I don't read it and I know people who has both Sony and jetBook and they don't read it too. Google scanned 500,000 books and all of them DRM free. Why they scan it if nobody read it? Many visitors download ebooks from www.gutenberg.org and purchased Multiformat books from Fictionwise website and many of them have no any idea about DRM, DRM removal etc.

[Nita]

Sorry to interrupt you active and emotional discussion, but I can answer you as an average person . I know nothing about all this stuff you are talking about... now I'm looking for ereader and as an average person who knows nothing about formats, the formats are the last thing I will think about... I have a lot of friends who knows all about this stuff and there will be no problem to transfer anything to anything. And the point is not that I don't understand as average person how to transfer formats but that I don't care and will not even try and make it my problem and all I care about is book which I would like to read. I will not even download anything to ereader I will ask my friends. The design, the size, the screen, the simplicity of operation while reading important for me, not the formats.

So, sorry guys, but you can not discuss an average person, just because you are very computer oriented people and don't understand us

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Nita

So, sorry guys, but you can not discuss an average person, just because you are very computer oriented people and don't understand us

I may not be considered an average person when it comes to eBooks and readers and DRM and such. But I know plenty of people who would be considered average people. My mother is a good example. Given what she reads, if she had a reader, most of what she would read would be eBooks that do have DRM. So she would need a reader that would support some sort of DRM and allow access to the books she likes. So if she did have a reader and didn't have me to help, she'd be looking at a paperweight if she was to have purchased anything that did not support some form of DRMed format.

The thing is, until DRM is gone, we have to be able to deal with it and that means that readers need to have support for DRM in order to cater to the average person.

[acj412]

Yes, Google has scanned 500,000 books. But they're all old books, in the public domain! None of them will have a publish date later than the 1920s. I don't know a lot of people who spend the majority of their time reading Joyce, Dickens, Hardy, etc. I mean, kudos to those who do, and for those people the Jetbook may be a good device. But the average person does not. Or, at the least, the average person will not be just satisfied by those books, but want to read some modern books as well.

As far as DRM-free new books, I think most would agree that fictionwise has the best selection. Take a look at their best sellers. See how many of them are actually DRM-free. Take a look at the New York Times bestseller list. Let me know if any of those books are DRM-free at fictionwise or elsewhere. Look at any bestseller list and see how many of those books are in the public domain, and thus available on Google.

The average person wants bestsellers, that's why they become bestsellers. So, the fact that bestsellers are NOT available without DRM (sadly) proves that the Jetbook will not be satisfactory to the average reader. It can only satisfy people who primarily read classics and people who know how to rip DRM.

[astra]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I do think that the only way to get rid of eBook DRM is to bombard the publishers with messages telling them we do not want DRM.

While I understand your point, I am sure it is absolutely useless.
You can bombard them with emails, cry, swear, whatever i.e., whine...BUT as long as your fill in their purse, they will not give a damn about your whining. Period. They will NOT care.

(Why would they care if you give them your money? What is a point for them to care about a non-existent issue (since you are paying then there is no problem), while the issue might rise if they DO remove DRM and people will pirate books and stop paying. What is a point (for them) in removing DRM then? Let customers whine and pay.

[sirbruce]

If you don't buy their ebooks, they won't stop to ask why you aren't buying them. They'll just decide the market isn't mature enough yet and stop selling ebooks.

[astra]

Originally Posted by sirbruce

If you don't buy their ebooks, they won't stop to ask why you aren't buying them. They'll just decide the market isn't mature enough yet and stop selling ebooks.

eBooks were out there before they started to sell them, ebooks will be out there even if/after they stop to sell them.

[Kris777]

Originally Posted by astra

While I understand your point, I am sure it is absolutely useless.
You can bombard them with emails, cry, swear, whatever i.e., whine...BUT as long as your fill in their purse, they will not give a damn about your whining. Period. They will NOT care.

(Why would they care if you give them your money? What is a point for them to care about a non-existent issue (since you are paying then there is no problem), while the issue might rise if they DO remove DRM and people will pirate books and stop paying. What is a point (for them) in removing DRM then? Let customers whine and pay.

I agree with it. It is only one solution - don't buy DRMed books. In this case publishers will see that they loose money on DRMed book and get profit from DRM free books and will produce more and more DRM free books.

[Justy]

Originally Posted by Kris777

I agree with it. It is only one solution - don't buy DRMed books. In this case publishers will see that they loose money on DRMed book and get profit from DRM free books and will produce more and more DRM free books.

The only problem with this is that most publishers, as far as I know, only provide either DRM or non-DRM eBooks. Therefore, without checking with other publishers they will never know exactly why their DRM eBooks aren't selling, unless someone writes them to let them know. I don't think anyone is suggesting letter-bombing the publishers about DRM, but a well worded explanation about why they lost $xx in eBook sales might be noted if several people send similar messages.

Then there are people like me who can no longer stand the idea of reading a paper book, but still want/need to be able read the latest book by my favourite author. In this case the publisher is getting $ for their DRM eBooks, but the publisher still doesn't know that over 60% of my eBook collection is legally acquired DRM free.

[Kris777]

Originally Posted by Justy

The only problem with this is that most publishers, as far as I know, only provide either DRM or non-DRM eBooks. Therefore, without checking with other publishers they will never know exactly why their DRM eBooks aren't selling, unless someone writes them to let them know. I don't think anyone is suggesting letter-bombing the publishers about DRM, but a well worded explanation about why they lost $xx in eBook sales might be noted if several people send similar messages.

Then there are people like me who can no longer stand the idea of reading a paper book, but still want/need to be able read the latest book by my favourite author. In this case the publisher is getting $ for their DRM eBooks, but the publisher still doesn't know that over 60% of my eBook collection is legally acquired DRM free.

Maybe Fictionwise has this statistics - how many DRMed and non DRMed books they sell. If this information will be available for publishers - it may help.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Nita

I know nothing about all this stuff you are talking about...

all I care about is book which I would like to read.

Well... that is the exact point I think Jon is trying to make. Because you don't know or care about all this "techie" stuff and just want to read the book you want to read. Well, then you have a problem if the reader you choose doesn't work with the book you choose. At that point you will care, and probably be quite upset it doesn't "just work". As you have a right to be.

Originally Posted by Nita

I have a lot of friends who knows [sic] all about this stuff and there will be no problem to transfer anything to anything.

So basically your argument for why it doesn't matter is that your "friends" will do all the work for you?

Once again, we are saying the reader SHOULD be made for people like you that don't need to get their nerd/geek friends to do all that "stuff".

BOb

[Nita]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Well... that is the exact point I think Jon is trying to make. Because you don't know or care about all this "techie" stuff and just want to read the book you want to read. Well, then you have a problem if the reader you choose doesn't work with the book you choose. At that point you will care, and probably be quite upset it doesn't "just work". As you have a right to be.



So basically your argument for why it doesn't matter is that your "friends" will do all the work for you?

Once again, we are saying the reader SHOULD be made for people like you that don't need to get their nerd/geek friends to do all that "stuff".

BOb

my point is that most average people will not even consider to buy ereader unless they have somebody to relay on.
and at this point the format does not matter.

and about that fantastic idea that reader should be made for people like me... such stuff always requires support for average people without technical education, unless everything preprogrammed.

[pitcher23]

Originally Posted by Nita

my point is that most average people will not even consider to buy ereader unless they have somebody to relay on.
and at this point the format does not matter.

and about that fantastic idea that reader should be made for people like me... such stuff always requires support for average people without technical education, unless everything preprogrammed.

I disagree. The Kindle and, to a lesser extent, the Sony PRS are marketed to make purchasing and reading e-books as easily as possible. Once a customer gets past setting up his or her Amazon account, won't even need a computer to purchase and read. Although you need to use Sony's software and manually download your e-book to your device, Sony made it fairly simple that a layperson could do it with little hassle.

A device like the Jetbook, with no support for DRM books, may be attractive for tech savvy people who know how to convert a best seller, but like Wolf has stated numerous times, your average person who walks into BB&B and buys this reader, will go home expecting to buy the latest best seller and find out that they cannot. I just hope BB&B is ready for a lot of returns.


I don't know many people who are not tech savvy who buy products because they know their friends and family will set everything up for them. That a home store like BB&B sells it and advertises that it is easier and better than the Kindle and Sony will lead the customer as thinking it is easy as pie to setup and use.

[kelly1010]

Ok....this has been quite an interesting and powerful thread. I am one of those who likes Romance AND Bestsellers. I want to buy an ebook, load it on my ereader, and start reading. I don't have the time or the patience to try and convert. I may not necessarily LIKE DRM, but there's really not alot I can do about it. I am GLAD I didn't buy Jetbook because I would've been really upset at how misleading their information was and how they left out the fact that their reader doesn't except drm'ed books. It most DEFINITELY would've gone back to the store. Luckily, the Jetbook wasn't even on my list of readers I was considering. I do know someone who bought one from fry's and who had alot of trouble setting it up. When she was trying to explain it to me, I couldn't really understand why. But now I know exactly why she was having trouble, and I hope she returned it like she said she was going to.

I don't mean to bash the Jetbook. I really have no experience with it. And I'm sure for those who like the classics, or the multi-format books on Fictionwise. (which I didn't find a single author I had even heard of), the Jetbook is probably great for you. But personally, I have to say NO THANKS, Jetbook.

And this is only MY opinion.

[Kris777]

Originally Posted by pitcher23

I disagree. The Kindle and, to a lesser extent, the Sony PRS are marketed to make purchasing and reading e-books as easily as possible. Once a customer gets past setting up his or her Amazon account, won't even need a computer to purchase and read. Although you need to use Sony's software and manually download your e-book to your device, Sony made it fairly simple that a layperson could do it with little hassle.

A device like the Jetbook, with no support for DRM books, may be attractive for tech savvy people who know how to convert a best seller, but like Wolf has stated numerous times, your average person who walks into BB&B and buys this reader, will go home expecting to buy the latest best seller and find out that they cannot. I just hope BB&B is ready for a lot of returns.


I don't know many people who are not tech savvy who buy products because they know their friends and family will set everything up for them. That a home store like BB&B sells it and advertises that it is easier and better than the Kindle and Sony will lead the customer as thinking it is easy as pie to setup and use.

It will be interesting to hear the opinion of average person who already purchased jetBook in BB&B store on this forum .