Kindle-- still proving why I made the right decision never buying one

[Hellmark]

Partly because people don't know there are other devices. I keep getting asked if my 505 is a kindle. And partly because people don't know about the business practices at Amazon. They just know the amazon PR line on what it can do, and that's about it.

[NASCARaddicted]

Originally Posted by jplumey

Great! Then why should you complain about their business practices? That's the beauty of capitalism and competition. If this kind of behavior from Amazon was so important, it would drive away their business. Since their Kindle business is booming (according to speculation, grant you), it's safe to say that most people have other things to worry about. For most people, Amazon's actions have mended the situation.

So just because I don't have a Kindle and don't buy ebooks from Amazon, I can't complain ? I don't think so ...

You see: imagine Amazon would have gotten away with it, without anyone complaining about it ... then other companies would follow. And this is not limited to ebooks.
What about games and computer programs ... imagine: you bought this program. On every start, this program checks for updates. But at the same time, it also receives an activation code, because you have to re-activate the program at every start. But then, the company decides to stop the program ... and the next time you start it, the program doesn't work anymore ...

And when it comes to Amazon itself: don't forget, not everyone is a computer pro. A novice person might think the ebooks is gone, because there was a problem with his Kindle, like a broken memory or something like that. He wouldn't even know that Amazon can remove the ebook from your Kindle ...

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by jplumey

Can someone who disagrees with Amazon's NEW policy (not the older one that happened MONTHS ago), please explain to me how YOU would handle the situation in their shoes?

IMO, I think the people complaining about the new policy are making a bit of a knee jerk reaction. According to the NEW policy, they would not delete the Orwell eBooks. The article tries to imply that they would, but it isn't true if you actually read the exceptions. None of them cover the Orwell scenario.

[N0NJY]

Things I don't like about my Kindle DX:

1) I can't buy books from Sony or most other sites.

2) DRMing books I do buy (I can't share them with my wife on HER kindle, we arent on the same account)

3) they can 'delete things' off my book. I paid for it, it's mine. Amazon, keep your nose out of it unless I ALLOW you to look at it. Sorry, it's mine. I didn't buy a license to use it, I bought an electronic device to use.


Things I like about my Kindle DX:

1) It WORKS

2) I CAN bye books from Amazon

3) I can copy ANY book that is in PDF, RTF, TXT or PRC formats (the ones I've tested thus far) and read them fine

4) Reads PDFs (albeit with tiny text, so I just turn it sideways and enlarge it... kinda sucks, kinda works)

5) I can buy a book on the fly without going to my computer to do so, connecting the device and being stuck downloading through special software (SONY!)

All that said, I think it's lame when people attack something they don't own, use and will never use. Your personal reason are just that, personal. I don't care (unless I ask you to tell me why)... then I would HOPE you have some personal experience with a device before you "put it down".

For the record, Iliad was my first choice and I still will get one should I come by an extra thousand bucks, accidentally or by winning the lotto or something. Otherwise, likely I'll stick with the kindle awhile.

[Kali Yuga]

Ehh, the whole "zomg Amazon baleeted books and are evil" thing has been done to death. You are welcome to go with another vendor because of it, and there are plenty around -- though I still find it hilariously ironic that anyone regards Sony as the savior of their digital freedoms. Anyway....

Originally Posted by Hellmark

Actually, it only leads in the US. Globally, the kindle is a drop in the bucket.

True, but....

The US book market made $36 billion last year; the UK was about $3.5 billion (£2.3bn), France $5.5 billion (€4 bn), Germany $14 billion (€9.6bn). Global book sales were estimated at $119 billion.

Also, certain aspects of market share can be deceptive. E.g. Kindle's share of ebook purchases hasn't sat stagnant at 45% for ages; it's been rising, and apparently went from 23% in Q1 2009 up to 45% in July 2009. During that time, Sony went from 4% to.... 6%. And as a benchmark, the iTunes music store has a US market share in the 50% and higher range.

And let's face it, it's only a matter of time before the Kindle makes it to international markets. Sony had a multi-year advantage, and the Kindle still managed to sweep past 'em -- both in sales and mind share -- quickly and, I suspect, with a fraction of Sony's marketing budget.

It's a bit early to pick any winners or losers, but I expect the Kindle will do very well in any market where Amazon has a strong presence.

[DawnFalcon]

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

though I still find it hilariously ironic that anyone regards Sony as the savior of their digital freedoms.

Outside Sony Music, their record is pretty good, you realise?

[Kali Yuga]

Originally Posted by DawnFalcon

Outside Sony Music, their record is pretty good, you realise?

I don't suppose you care to actually back up that claim? The only thing I can think of is supporting Linux on the PS 3, and moving to ePub. Two things in what, a 20, 30 year history?

Aside from the cluster-reproductive-act known as the Sony Rootkit Scandal, keep in mind that Sony has spent a few decades pushing proprietary formats, including Memory Stick, Mini Disc, UMD, Betamax and so forth. Not to mention that Sony is a huge international corporation (poorly managed and/or extremely difficult to manage), just as concerned with profits as anyone else.

[DawnFalcon]

Sure, here's an example, from Sony Imagelabs: http://opensource.imageworks.com/

[Solicitous]

Originally Posted by brecklundin

Your analogy is completely incorrect, Amazon is NOT a legal authority and has no right to seize any one's property no matter what the situation, even if they are acting in good faith. It is up to the courts to rule the property as stolen. The police have the job to enforce the laws and function as directed to by LEGAL RULINGS not at the behest of a corporation or private party. Even if the police decide on their own the bike is stolen, it will not be returned to the person claiming loss, it will go into the evidence locker until such time as it is either proven to have been stolen, and if not, then returned to the person(s) from whom it was seized.

I actually never implied that Amazon was a legal authority, all I implied was the difference taken between the Police and Amazon in the process of repossession. Amazon took without any warning, the Police at least notify you at the time that property is being repossessed. Absolutely nothing in my initial post indicated any hint of legal authority, it was merely stating the perceived processes taken from a consumer perspective in removing said items of question from the consumer.

[Kali Yuga]

Originally Posted by DawnFalcon

Sure, here's an example, from Sony Imagelabs: http://opensource.imageworks.com/

Sony is a multi-billion dollar company founded over 60 years ago with a history of proprietary formats, format wars, blocking user functionality (e.g. virtualization on Vaios) and aggressive DRM enforcement, and as evidence to the contrary, all you present is a couple of open source plugins and apps targeted for a highly specialized niche? Launched in the middle of 2009?

I think I can rest my case.

[ardeegee]

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

Sony has spent a few decades pushing proprietary formats, including Memory Stick, Mini Disc, UMD, Betamax and so forth.

Memory Stick-- at the time it came out, it was one of the (physically) smallest types of flash memory, thus able to fit in more compact devices than Compact Flash or Smart Media.

Mini Disc was (possibly still is) wildly popular in many parts of the world (just not the US),

UMD-- I'm not a gamer, but I don't know about other practical solutions for storing that amount of data on a portable gaming system for a reasonable price at the time. I doubt carts could be made with the same capacity for the same price or less. And broadband internet wasn't nearly as common then as now, so downloads were less feasible (which also goes back to the much higher price of portable internal storage back then.)

Betamax was a superior format to VHS, the problem was that it was more expensive.

[braver]

And, now that Kindle went global, this thread is officially declared "bwahaha."