Classic B&N ebooks still more expensive than Kindle. Will they lower prices? - Page 2

Superlucky · 10-21-2009, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vgiridar

All these devices look very attractive but I hesitate to buy just for one reason. Do they have password protection for purchases (Can anyone confirm this for Kindle, Sony Readers). Without password protection, losing a device could mean lot of additional loss besides accidental purchases by random clicks by kids at home. Does any of these devices have a password protection to switch on the device?

My 505 doesn't, but I don't really see the need without wireless. The device itself can't be use to gain information or make purchases. Purchases at the Sony store require my username and password, neither of which are on my Reader. If someone finds my 505 all they'll get is the books.

emoorman · 10-21-2009, 01:23 PM

I am currently reading on a Moto Q smart phone with eReader software. eReader.com is a B&N company. One thing I like about them is all my books are right there on their site, as well as on my PC. They are downloadable any number of times. If my phone, or ereader, is lost or stolen, I can get a new one and download all the books again. Is this true for Amazon or Sony?

I am hoping that the nook will be able to read the eReader type files and have the same re-download feature as the ereader.com site.

How about other online book stores that sell books in ADE epub or pdf? Will I be able to read them on the nook?

Superlucky · 10-21-2009, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emoorman

I am currently reading on a Moto Q smart phone with eReader software. eReader.com is a B&N company. One thing I like about them is all my books are right there on their site, as well as on my PC. They are downloadable any number of times. If my phone, or ereader, is lost or stolen, I can get a new one and download all the books again. Is this true for Amazon or Sony?

Yes. Purchased books can be re-downloaded any number of times.

wallcraft · 10-21-2009, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emoorman

I am hoping that the nook will be able to read the eReader type files and have the same re-download feature as the ereader.com site.

How about other online book stores that sell books in ADE epub or pdf? Will I be able to read them on the nook?

There was a follow-up press call this morning, teleread has a post on it as does jkOnTheRun (13 Things you Need to Know about the Barnes & Noble Nook):

Quote:

E-books readable with any currently shipping eReader version should work on the Nook. The company is going to verify this works.

Jim Lester from Adobe said here:

Quote:

Yes you can sideload (via USB) current ACS4 protected content (both PDF and ePub) - as well as unprotected PDF and ePub.

Note that B&N ebook store ebooks might not work on your smart phone (so you may need to continue to buy from eReader.com or FictionWise). It is going to be complicated working out where to buy ebook from for a while.

whitearrow · 10-21-2009, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vgiridar

All these devices look very attractive but I hesitate to buy just for one reason. Do they have password protection for purchases (Can anyone confirm this for Kindle, Sony Readers). Without password protection, losing a device could mean lot of additional loss besides accidental purchases by random clicks by kids at home. Does any of these devices have a password protection to switch on the device?

The Kindle doesn't, but if you lose it, you can very quickly deregister it from your account, so it can't be used to make purchases.

As for kids, well, I'd keep it out of their reach for a variety of reasons. Besides, if you keep the wifi off, they would have to very deliberately turn it on, THEN go to the store before they could "accidentally" buy anything. (And even then there is a "buy this by accident? cancel this order" screen.) Amazon has also been pretty liberal about letting people return books if they're notified about the problem within a few days of purchase.

juj1n · 10-21-2009, 03:03 PM

Just read this on the conference summary:

Quote:

Another question was on pricing. The Barnes and Noble reps stated they were comfortable with the $259 price for the reader, and didn't see that being adjusted for competitive reasons. They did announce their intention to be "competitive" on ebook pricing. Whether this means matching Amazon's $9.99 standard price for many books was not explicitly stated.

Do you think that there is anything we can imply from this?

Gideon · 10-21-2009, 03:24 PM

I think eInk means a lot less to the average consumer. I hardly ever read on my iPhone, I will in a pinch, but generally avoid it and yet TONS of people are using it as an eReader and seem quite happy with it.

I love eInk, but if Apple came out with a big tablet like iPod Touch I'd probably switch just for the convenience factor. And most people barely know what eInk is... but since it will also let me use various stores, etc... that's also attractive as I don't have to worry about the format of my ebooks as much. And I'm someone who knows about DRM and eInk and open source and all that jazz...

Is eInk going to be superior for just reading over almost any LCD device? Probably. But high bit-rate lossless music files are supposably better than your average mp3, too... but the mp3 is small and I can play it on everything. Which one does better?

So.. that's why I think Apple will clean up. I don't plan on buying another Kindle, really.. not unless the Apple Tablet comes out and it really sucks.

daffy4u · 10-21-2009, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vgiridar

All these devices look very attractive but I hesitate to buy just for one reason. Do they have password protection for purchases (Can anyone confirm this for Kindle, Sony Readers). Without password protection, losing a device could mean lot of additional loss besides accidental purchases by random clicks by kids at home. Does any of these devices have a password protection to switch on the device?

Take a look at the Kindle Myths link in my sig and you see a section on what happens if a Kindle is lost or stolen and how difficult it is for a thief to do more than buy books and how easy it is to get the cost of those books refunded De-registering a Kindle as soon as you are aware it's missing will save a lot of hassle, you can always re-register it, if you find you just misplaced it.

llreader · 10-22-2009, 03:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gideon

Is eInk going to be superior for just reading over almost any LCD device? Probably. But high bit-rate lossless music files are supposably better than your average mp3, too... but the mp3 is small and I can play it on everything. Which one does better?

A very good point.

Superlucky · 10-22-2009, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gideon

I think eInk means a lot less to the average consumer. I hardly ever read on my iPhone, I will in a pinch, but generally avoid it and yet TONS of people are using it as an eReader and seem quite happy with it.

E-ink doesn't just mean readability. Dedicated reading devices have weeks-long battery lives. I can't imagine wanting to drag a clunky back-lit device around and having to worry about power issues. It's not the same market.

jedavis1 · 10-22-2009, 03:02 PM

Someone mentioned that the transflective-doohickey can operate in back-light situations as well as reflective and that it should "be similar" to e-ink devices concerning battery. This isn't necessarily true. The great thing about e-ink technology isn't the readability, it is the ability to keep an image when there is not power running through the matrix. On or off, the screen doesn't change unless the matrix is charge and commanded to change. To my understanding any display besides e-ink still needs a charge to hold the pixels to what they are. True, the back light is a big draw on electricity, but the matrix itself still takes a lot of energy to display and keep that display static or moving. Even with back light off, a typical device running a screen will deplete within 24 hours. I can have my Sony on the same page without it changing for weeks. THAT is why I have an e-ink device. I don't want to have to worry about if I plugged in my reader last night... It had have a charge, will it be enough? With e-ink half a charge will last me a week... two maybe...

Gideon · 10-23-2009, 12:48 AM

That's one of the reasons I love my ereader, too.

But remember... the fact that you're on this forum means you're pretty much not a normal consumer.

Your normal consumer is reading the new Dan Brown book (if he/she reads at all, probably doesn't), watching Celebrity Dances Your Pants Off blah blah, etc...

Quality isn't the primary concern. So if we're going to play conjecture it's important we don't project too much.

I'd get the Apple Tablet because that's the level of functionality and usefulness that would make me, who loves eInk and the long power supplies, give up those things for the extended usage. So what do you think the average person would do?

Kris777 · 10-23-2009, 01:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by llreader

Rumor is that it will use the Pixel Qi transreflective screen, which works in both backlit and reflective mode.

http://thethirdscreen.wordpress.com/...in-six-months/

In reflective mode it would be similar to an eInk screen.

Why Pixel Qi doesn't produce 5" or 6" screens for eBook readers? I think the cost must be cheaper if compare with e-ink screens.

llreader · 10-23-2009, 02:52 AM

Kris777: My take is that they are targeting the laptop (and somewhat the desktop) market, because that is a lot bigger. eReaders are not a big market right now, and their technologies might not be best suited to reading books. I can believe (no inside information) that their screens would be a good fit for an Apple tablet because they can work in "normal" screen mode, and a tablet is more than a book reader.

juj1n · 11-17-2009, 07:57 PM

it's almost 2 weeks away from launch and they still haven't made any changes to their ebook prices... I wonder if there's any hope.

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10-21-2009, 01:23 PM	#17
emoorman Obsessive Reader Posts: 74 Karma: 515292 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Shalimar, FL (in the panhandle) Device: Kindle PW, Nokia 1520	I am currently reading on a Moto Q smart phone with eReader software. eReader.com is a B&N company. One thing I like about them is all my books are right there on their site, as well as on my PC. They are downloadable any number of times. If my phone, or ereader, is lost or stolen, I can get a new one and download all the books again. Is this true for Amazon or Sony? I am hoping that the nook will be able to read the eReader type files and have the same re-download feature as the ereader.com site. How about other online book stores that sell books in ADE epub or pdf? Will I be able to read them on the nook?

10-21-2009, 03:24 PM	#22
Gideon Wearer of Pants Posts: 1,050 Karma: 7634 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Norman, OK Device: Amazon Kindle DX / iPhone	I think eInk means a lot less to the average consumer. I hardly ever read on my iPhone, I will in a pinch, but generally avoid it and yet TONS of people are using it as an eReader and seem quite happy with it. I love eInk, but if Apple came out with a big tablet like iPod Touch I'd probably switch just for the convenience factor. And most people barely know what eInk is... but since it will also let me use various stores, etc... that's also attractive as I don't have to worry about the format of my ebooks as much. And I'm someone who knows about DRM and eInk and open source and all that jazz... Is eInk going to be superior for just reading over almost any LCD device? Probably. But high bit-rate lossless music files are supposably better than your average mp3, too... but the mp3 is small and I can play it on everything. Which one does better? So.. that's why I think Apple will clean up. I don't plan on buying another Kindle, really.. not unless the Apple Tablet comes out and it really sucks.

10-22-2009, 03:02 PM	#26
jedavis1 Zealot Posts: 103 Karma: 148 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Huntington, IN US Device: Sony PRS-505	Someone mentioned that the transflective-doohickey can operate in back-light situations as well as reflective and that it should "be similar" to e-ink devices concerning battery. This isn't necessarily true. The great thing about e-ink technology isn't the readability, it is the ability to keep an image when there is not power running through the matrix. On or off, the screen doesn't change unless the matrix is charge and commanded to change. To my understanding any display besides e-ink still needs a charge to hold the pixels to what they are. True, the back light is a big draw on electricity, but the matrix itself still takes a lot of energy to display and keep that display static or moving. Even with back light off, a typical device running a screen will deplete within 24 hours. I can have my Sony on the same page without it changing for weeks. THAT is why I have an e-ink device. I don't want to have to worry about if I plugged in my reader last night... It had have a charge, will it be enough? With e-ink half a charge will last me a week... two maybe...

10-23-2009, 12:48 AM	#27
Gideon Wearer of Pants Posts: 1,050 Karma: 7634 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Norman, OK Device: Amazon Kindle DX / iPhone	That's one of the reasons I love my ereader, too. But remember... the fact that you're on this forum means you're pretty much not a normal consumer. Your normal consumer is reading the new Dan Brown book (if he/she reads at all, probably doesn't), watching Celebrity Dances Your Pants Off blah blah, etc... Quality isn't the primary concern. So if we're going to play conjecture it's important we don't project too much. I'd get the Apple Tablet because that's the level of functionality and usefulness that would make me, who loves eInk and the long power supplies, give up those things for the extended usage. So what do you think the average person would do?

10-23-2009, 02:52 AM	#29
llreader Mesmerist Posts: 331 Karma: 506558 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Spain Device: PRS-600 Silver. Much nicer than I expected.	Kris777: My take is that they are targeting the laptop (and somewhat the desktop) market, because that is a lot bigger. eReaders are not a big market right now, and their technologies might not be best suited to reading books. I can believe (no inside information) that their screens would be a good fit for an Apple tablet because they can work in "normal" screen mode, and a tablet is more than a book reader.

11-17-2009, 07:57 PM	#30
juj1n Connoisseur Posts: 95 Karma: 350 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: Lots!	it's almost 2 weeks away from launch and they still haven't made any changes to their ebook prices... I wonder if there's any hope.

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