Digital eBook reader devices...

[Gavynn]

And we continue to tap our fingers on the table, waiting for the future to get here...

[Rocket Man]

Originally Posted by Gavynn

And we continue to tap our fingers on the table, waiting for the future to get here...

You guys wait for the future. I've got a book to read. :)

[Þorkell]

Originally Posted by tjoneslo

Amazon's just posted their Kindle DX for pre-order: 9.7 inch high resolution screen, reads PDFs naively, and supports some other formats, 4GB internal storage. Includes web browser.

Down sides: It not available yet and really expensive (US$489) plus cell phone charges. I also saw a story where a kindle user annoyed Amazon enough for them to cancel the user's account. Which rendered his kindle into a expensive brick.

One of the few times I've seen a something and said "Ok, I want that..."

And I've already found my reason for not wanting the damned thing

From the Kindle FAQ:

We're not able to offer Kindle DX and associated digital content to international customers due to import/export laws and other restrictions. When you place an order for a Kindle DX, the shipping address must be recognized as a valid U.S. address and the credit or debit card used for the order must be issued by a U.S. bank with a U.S. billing address.

This is the same reason they gave for the Kindle, which has been out for years now. Get your ass in gear and do something about it!

[Rowan]

Originally Posted by Rocket Man

You guys wait for the future. I've got a book to read. :)

For some of us, books are the problem. =(

I love books. So much in fact that I have an extensive collection.

And I've not a prayer in hell's chance of moving said collection when hurricane season rolls around and I'm forced to leave due to mandatory evacuation orders.

For some of us, a reliable portable PDF reader is just the thing we finger tappers are looking for to take our rapidly growing collection of PDF converted books with us, so that if the worst happens, we won't lose 20+ years of accumulated books. =(

So I will continue to tap my fingers against the table, and continue to wait.

But as time goes on I become more and more doubtful. The PDF reader reminds me of Sony and their Memory Stick debacle. So rabid to lock up the market on a format or technology they don't bother giving people what they really 'need'.

Amazon seems to be going the same route. =/

[Ommadawn]

Originally Posted by Þorkell

And I've already found my reason for not wanting the damned thing

From the Kindle FAQ:

[snip FAQ response about we dirty foreigners]

This is the same reason they gave for the Kindle, which has been out for years now. Get your ass in gear and do something about it!

Similarly, Kindle for the iPhone is not available internationally either. So much for the global economy...

[Jürgen Hubert]

Originally Posted by tjoneslo

The older Kindle's it is. See article here. Amazon controls all the books you buy through them, plus manages your subscriptions. If Amazon cancels your account (for any reason they see fit), you no longer have access to you Amazon books or subscriptions. Which, for the older Kindles, was the only content you could have. The newer one with the PDF support, probably not so much.

I assume this means that you can no longer download books from your Amazon account. Downloading them from other sites shouldn't be a problem - and neither should creating your own ebooks.

I've created ebooks for the complete "Suppressed Transmissions" archives, as well as the TV Tropes Wiki - and uploaded them to my Kindle without Amazon getting involved.

[Rocket Man]

Originally Posted by Rowan

For some of us, books are the problem. =(

I love books. So much in fact that I have an extensive collection.

And I've not a prayer in hell's chance of moving said collection when hurricane season rolls around and I'm forced to leave due to mandatory evacuation orders.

For some of us, a reliable portable PDF reader is just the thing we finger tappers are looking for to take our rapidly growing collection of PDF converted books with us, so that if the worst happens, we won't lose 20+ years of accumulated books. (/

I understand your situation, even sympathize with it. As for me, it just seems counter-intuitive that a book should need batteries ... or that a single burglar could walk off with my entire library one fine night. So I'll stick to paper and binding for my own needs, but you do whatever you feel you need to in order to protect your collection.

[Pomphis]

It´s not an either or. One can have both, plus backup copies of the electronic ones. External harddrives are not that expensive.

[Puuka]

I was just looking at ebook readers today. For the price of them, to get a decent sized screen, I can get a low end laptop with more capability for the same or less price. If the prices on them don't come down, I think this will be their downfall.

[furrystarcat]

Originally Posted by Þorkell

And I've already found my reason for not wanting the damned thing

From the Kindle FAQ:
We're not able to offer Kindle DX and associated digital content to international customers due to import/export laws and other restrictions. When you place an order for a Kindle DX, the shipping address must be recognized as a valid U.S. address and the credit or debit card used for the order must be issued by a U.S. bank with a U.S. billing address.

This is the same reason they gave for the Kindle, which has been out for years now. Get your ass in gear and do something about it!

It's the DRM. The encryption technology they use is subject to U.S. Import/Export laws. They could dumb down their encryption, but then it would be SO much easier to bypass. (The encryption strengths you're allowed to export aren't intractable to crack with a brute-force attack.)

For some reason, encryption technology falls into the same export category as assault rifles and nuclear technology, so they can't export the Kindle because it contains embedded encryption technology, and they can't export software to decrypt Kindle files.