Re: [tlug] Amazon Kindle

[Curt Sampson <cjs@example.com>]

On 2007-11-26 13:29 +0900 (Mon), CL wrote:

> Which brings us to the question I wanted to ask before I started 
> thinking too much -- it appears that as an e-book, neither the Iliad nor 
> the Word Gear have access to content anywhere near the number of titles 
> nor the breadth of information that Kindle does.

Actually, the Word Gear reads PDF natively, apparently, which helps a
lot. You can argue both ways about stuff you have to convert though
Amazon is truly part of what's available for the Kindle.

> And, if I understand your other point correctly, Amazon is willing to
> convert content for a minimal charge upon request as it expands the
> library and adds to potential revenue ... or, did I misunderstand your
> comment on that part?

They are.

For the moment. 

I would be a bit hesitant about a system like this for two reasons.
First, for the proprietary stuff, if Amazon decides to stop supporting
their format well, you lose everything you've bought. In my case, given
that a year or two of my book purchases amounts to several thousand
dollars, that could really hurt. Second, there's no guarantee that
they'll keep converting everything you send; they may decide, for
example, that they'll no longer convert PDFs of commerical works that
they also sell, on the basis that you might be trying to convert a
pirated copy.

cjs
-- 
Curt Sampson       <cjs@example.com>        +81 90 7737 2974   
Starling Software     <office-admin@example.com>
Mobile sites and software consulting: http://www.starling-software.com