So you have a ebook device. When will you upgrade?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by clabot451

E-paper technology - double a4 touchscreen display - 32 levels of gray - 65k colours - wifi - bluetooth - long duration battery (12k pages) - faster refresh rates (less than 0,15 sec) - no built-in drm - universal reader upgradable - lightweight - 4 giga built-in memory - expansion ports - 25:1 contrat ratio - target price 400 euros:

No built-in DRM = no ebook support for the average person. That means it won't sell.

[astra]

Originally Posted by clabot451

E-paper technology - double a4 touchscreen display - 32 levels of gray - 65k colours - wifi - bluetooth - long duration battery (12k pages) - faster refresh rates (less than 0,15 sec) - no built-in drm - universal reader upgradable - lightweight - 4 giga built-in memory - expansion ports - 25:1 contrat ratio - target price 400 euros:

Laptop?

[rlauzon]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

No built-in DRM = no ebook support for the average person. That means it won't sell.

DRM = no eBook that anyone wants to pay money for. That means it won't sell.

Any eBook reader who's sole format is DRMed is doomed to fail. Any eBook reader that doesn't support open eBook formats is doomed to fail.

And you are wrong: no DRM support doesn't mean that the eBook reader won't sell. It means that the Content Cartel won't sell it.

[athlonkmf]

Originally Posted by astra_lestat

Laptop?

Duration of 12k page refresh not supported

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by athlonkmf

Duration of 12k page refresh not supported

Only if you spend the time turning the pages in the 3-4 hour battery life. Of course, you won't get any reading done, but you will get the pages turned.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rlauzon

DRM = no eBook that anyone wants to pay money for. That means it won't sell.

Any eBook reader who's sole format is DRMed is doomed to fail. Any eBook reader that doesn't support open eBook formats is doomed to fail.

And you are wrong: no DRM support doesn't mean that the eBook reader won't sell. It means that the Content Cartel won't sell it.

The reader can still support non-DRM formats. But it would need at least one DRM format in order to allow people to purchase books you cannot get otherwsie. The average person would just go to some online shop, purchase a book, and happily go off and read on his/her reader. And if it had open formats as well then it would make the geeks happy too.

[rlauzon]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The reader can still support non-DRM formats. But it would need at least one DRM format in order to allow people to purchase books you cannot get otherwsie.

If the eBook has DRM on it, it's not a "purchase". It's a "rental". No one purchases eBooks that have DRM on it.

[tribble]

Originally Posted by rlauzon

If the eBook has DRM on it, it's not a "purchase". It's a "rental". No one purchases eBooks that have DRM on it.

Thats finickiness. You still "purchase" the ebook, even if you cant do anything you like with it. "rent" would imply, you would pay a regular amount over the period you have the book. So neither word really fits the actual act. Legally you purchase. But you are still right, when you say DRM sucks

[NatCh]

I'd say it's closer to a software license type of arrangement than a rental.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by rlauzon

If the eBook has DRM on it, it's not a "purchase". It's a "rental". No one purchases eBooks that have DRM on it.

Not so. You are buying the medium (the file) and a licence to run it on your specific device. Computer software works the same way.

It's not too far removed from buying a paper book. You are buying the sheets of paper, but not the "ownership" of the contents. You can't go out and re-publish that content and sell it for yourself. Generally speaking, you have no rights at all over that content.

[Adam B.]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It's not too far removed from buying a paper book. You are buying the sheets of paper, but not the "ownership" of the contents. You can't go out and re-publish that content and sell it for yourself. Generally speaking, you have no rights at all over that content.

I'm not a proponent of DRM, but it's also very similar to paper in that you aren't able to transfer it to another medium (easily).

Technically speaking, given the various tools out there, you can do more with a DRM'ed electronic copy of a book, than you can a dead tree version.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Adam B.

I'm not a proponent of DRM, but it's also very similar to paper in that you aren't able to transfer it to another medium (easily).

Technically speaking, given the various tools out there, you can do more with a DRM'ed electronic copy of a book, than you can a dead tree version.

I honestly don't see what all the fuss is about DRM .

Generally with a paperback book, I'll buy it, read it, and then toss it away. Very few books are "keepers" for me. If I buy a DRM'ed book, I'm not going to lose too much sleep over whether or not I'll be able to read it in 10 years time - I almost certainly won't want to.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rlauzon

If the eBook has DRM on it, it's not a "purchase". It's a "rental". No one purchases eBooks that have DRM on it.

Do you buy movies on DVD?

[NatCh]

Oh, don't encourage him, JSWolf!

[rlauzon]

Originally Posted by tribble

Thats finickiness. You still "purchase" the ebook, even if you cant do anything you like with it. "rent" would imply, you would pay a regular amount over the period you have the book. So neither word really fits the actual act. Legally you purchase. But you are still right, when you say DRM sucks

No. Legally when I purchase, I have certain rights. Those rights are taken away by DRM.

"Rent" is probably the wrong term. I use it because it's simple and people recognize that it means "you don't own" when you use it.

The correct term is "license". When you pay money for an eBook, you are not purchasing the eBook. You are purchasing a license (a very limited license) to use the eBook. Interestingly, that's pretty much the same license you get when you check out a book at the local library - for free.