Leaked Kindle and accessories prices, links, images

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by wgrimm

Doesn't anyone think they are being nickled and dimed by this "conversion fee." Why couldn't Amazon make this conversion tool available for its Kindle purchasers. You pay $400 and don't get a conversion tool with it?

You don't need a "conversion tool". You can upload Mobi files directly via USB.

And for the conspiracy theorists, what happens if Amazon starts monitoring the conversion requests for what they suspect are illegal (not paid for) texts?

Excellent news if they do. Anything that catches e-book pirates can only be good, IMHO.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by wgrimm

Doesn't anyone think they are being nickled and dimed by this "conversion fee." Why couldn't Amazon make this conversion tool available for its Kindle purchasers. You pay $400 and don't get a conversion tool with it?

And for the conspiracy theorists, what happens if Amazon starts monitoring the conversion requests for what they suspect are illegal (not paid for) texts?

This is not a conversion fee. They will convert for free and send it to your email address. This fee is for EVDO download.

Dale

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

Anyone up for making a list of tests for the new Kindle owners to run to help us clear up some questions? In return, I would be grateful and award much Karma!

1. Can you get an ebook onto the Kindle via USB? I know there's a cable to put music on and there's talk about what is assumed to be true about ebooks. But I'd like someone to actually put an ebook file on the thing by USB and show that they can then read it on their Kindle.

2. Is an .AZW file exactly the same as an unsecured Mobipocket file or not? I'd like someone to do that test on a Kindle, not the other way around.

3. How about delivery of an ebook purchased on Amazon delivered in some way other than directly to the Kindle. There's talk and I assume you can't do this. Still....

4. Someone suggested using Mobipocket for Windows to take a PDF and convert it to a form that would be read on the Kindle. If I'm not mistaken, someone said it was even possible to use Mobipocket to convert a secure Mobipocket to an unsecure Mobipocket file.

5. You can email yourself a DOC or HTML file and they'll convert it for you. What if the file you send contains images? Will you see them or will you get text only?

6. Are the newspapers you can buy complete editions of the paper copy or are they abridged? An example would be the NYTimes Electronic Edition (full) versus the NYTimes Reader (abridged).

7. If you live in an area reachable by Sprint but not EVDO, do you indeed receive the book using that other thingy (insert technical term).

Any other ideas?

I had not yet thought of the email conversion problems, but otherwise this matches my to-do list.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by HarryT

You don't need a "conversion tool". You can upload Mobi files directly via USB.

Excellent news if they do. Anything that catches e-book pirates can only be good, IMHO.

Not "anything", but other than that I agree. It would be simple and worthwhile to "tag" some copyrighted works and see how they circulate through the system.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Excellent news if they do. Anything that catches e-book pirates can only be good, IMHO.

Why?

And it will not catch anybody at all since it is not illegal to have a copy of a book. The act of obtaining the copy might in some cases be illegal but that is another question.

[bob_ninja]

So in summary we have 2 camps.

The geeks prefer Sony/Cybook/Iliad for support of existing formats including non-DRM formats. The others prefer Kindle for ease of use.

Nevertheless, I think that the original point is spot on. I think that the non-geek camp will still avoid this device except for a small minority that read so much that the high Kindle price is not a problem.

Despite all the comparisons and similarities with music/iPod/mp3/etc. there are also significant differences. For instance, mp3 files were in wide use well before iPod was introduced. MP3 format was already established as a de facto standard and was open enough for a wide plethora of tools and software, including the key ability to move content to and from CDs. The outcome would be very different if iPod didn't support MP3 format from the start.

At this time de facto standard for books is still pBook. As others pointed out all of the electronic formats have issues and there is no standard. We cannot easily move content from pBooks to eReader and back as you could with your CDs. We don't even have any assurance that the DRM formats of today will be around for a long time. People wouldn't put so much effort into converting their musing into MP3 if there were doubts about its future. There are a lot of doubts about all DRM formats for books today.

All this is to say that the situation is far more complex and muddled for books now then it was for music when iPod was introduced. As pointed out, adding yet another DRM doesn't help.

The assertion is that Kindle will be successful simply for the convenience. Fair enough, it has some strong convenience attributes, as discussed. However, if it is more convenient that other devices, we still don't know if it is more convenient than pBooks. After all that is one of the main strengths of pBooks. You don't need any power or special hardware. No DRM, keys, registrations, no company telling you how/when you can use your content, etc. So the missing analysis is if Kindle is more convenient and easier to use than pBooks. I think not considering the high upfront cost of $400. That money buys a lot of paperbacks and magazines!!!

In fact for the wider public the main question is why bother with ANY eReader including Kindle. If you are using simple transient content that you don't care to keep for a long time but simply need somehting to read on the bus or train then there is no need to spend $400 upfront just to be able to access the same old paperback/magazine you'd get on paper. After all paperbacks are not much bigger than Kindle. And you can sit on it, throw it, jump on it,... and there won't be a broken screen, etc.

Why bother with DRM and registrations, etc. I can walkup to any bookstore or magazine stand and by pContent for cash. Doesn't get much easier than that.

So I think that Amazon DOES need to attract everyone including us geeks because we are the pathfinders that find a way/reason to switch to new tek and show it to the wider public. For every sale to a geek you get several spinoff sales to others as we evangilize our toys.

So yes, this is the wrong approach and Amazon has created yet another dead end gizmo that will piss off a lot of people when they drop the support in the future.

P.S.: Sorry, should've been in " Amazon Kindle might be the worst thing that could happen to e-books?" posted in the wrong place

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by astra_lestat

I agree with the statement.

I don't know what is a reason behind JSWolf's point of view but mine is simple - you cannot read PDFs on 6" screens. So, supporting PDFs would not attract business customers because they would not be able to read any of their A4 formated PDFs on Kindle.

My point of view is the Kindle is designed for reading books. It's not designed for reading technical documents. It's that simple really. And why do it in a way that won't work well anyway? And because the Kindle is a US device (at present) you should be saying letter and not A4. The US doesn't do A4 (we know better).

[Nate the great]

I disagree with you bob. I am a geek and I prefer the kindle. Part of the reason that I like it is I can post from it, like I am doing right now.

[Alisa]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

I disagree with you bob. I am a geek and I prefer the kindle. Part of the reason that I like it is I can post from it, like I am doing right now.

I'm a geek and I went with the Kindle, too. (Still waiting on mine.) I had a really hard time justifying any ebook reader that didn't let me search text. I would've even been willing to give up excerpting and annotating if I could just search. Add that to the title selection and convenience and I was sold. I do really wish it was more open and I hope we can influence Amazon in that regard.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by bob_ninja

So in summary we have 2 camps...

Well, more or less. It looks a bit more gray to me than that.

Nonetheless, you make good points. Especially regarding the comparison between books and music; MP3s caught on so readily, not just because of how great iPods and iTunes were, but specifically because they made personal music more portable and customizable. E-books won't make it because of Amazon or Kindle (or Sony, or anybody else), they'll make it on superior utility, or they'll forever be a niche market.

Fortunately, there is room for high portability, searchability, and viewing customization to take off with the public, so superior utility is only a matter of time. The Kindle and Sony readers are merely the next versions in the long-term development of readers, and their experience in the market will guide future development.

If those are solved, history has shown us that even DRM can be put up with (or hacked around), but won't be a serious hindrance to enjoying content.

[yvanleterrible]

Me too. Black or white is not the question since eveything is grey.

I am not a geek. I am nothing... but happy that there are so many eink devices. If I could I'd have them all, each with their strengths and weaknesses.

Every time a new one comes along, I just wish I could get it. Even if it is not as appealing design wise, the Kindle gets my vote for a good machine. I'm just a little thrown aback by the decision to lock it with so much DRM.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

I'm just a little thrown aback by the decision to lock it with so much DRM.

Honestly it's no more DRM 'locked' than the Sony.

[Alisa]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Honestly it's no more DRM 'locked' than the Sony.

I think you can read Connect Store books on your computer but I don't think there are any other mobile devices for them, right? So that is slightly less locked. I do hope Amazon releases reader software for people's computers but I don't think that's a huge deal for most of us. I think it's mostly people's disappointment talking since so many of us hoped that it would be .mobi.

[yvanleterrible]

I don't use Connect with my 500, I just hope one can do so with the Kindle and Amazon. The other point I don't like is that we do not know if someone else than Amazon will sell the Kindle. At least outside the US, someone crafty at shopping can get a 500.

I'd prefer an unlocked machine, all the pussyfooting around DRM is a drag with any machine.

[tompe]

Isn't the important point that the Amzon book shop is locked to one DRM. So in a way you are supporting this when you buy a Kindle. And a DRM that only allow a reader of a specific type.