Comments on: Why the Kindle platform should be opened http://www.teleread.org/blog/2007/12/27/why-the-kindle-platform-should-be-opened/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:13:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Cat Faber http://www.teleread.org/blog/2007/12/27/why-the-kindle-platform-should-be-opened/#comment-675752 Cat Faber Fri, 28 Dec 2007 01:34:42 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2007/12/27/why-the-kindle-platform-should-be-opened/#comment-675752 I don't know if Bill is right about this being an Adobe hit piece, but there certainly is non-DRM commercial content available for the Kindle. Try Baen Webscriptions--download the Mobipocket format. It's all DRM-free, and includes both midlist titles and newly released bestsellers. If you're willing to pay a premium, you can even buy an e-ARC and read the best-sellers about to be released *before* they come out in paper. There's also Manybooks.com which has *free* Mobipocket format e-books of old classics and modern creative commons copyright works (I got all the Tarzan books, "The Three Musketeers" and "The Princess and the Goblin" for example) and Fictonwise.com's multiformat books (some are available free from Manybooks, so check there first) work on the Kindle. If you don't like DRM, you don't have to buy from Amazon just because you have a Kindle. I don’t know if Bill is right about this being an Adobe hit piece, but there certainly is non-DRM commercial content available for the Kindle. Try Baen Webscriptions–download the Mobipocket format. It’s all DRM-free, and includes both midlist titles and newly released bestsellers. If you’re willing to pay a premium, you can even buy an e-ARC and read the best-sellers about to be released *before* they come out in paper.

There’s also Manybooks.com which has *free* Mobipocket format e-books of old classics and modern creative commons copyright works (I got all the Tarzan books, “The Three Musketeers” and “The Princess and the Goblin” for example) and Fictonwise.com’s multiformat books (some are available free from Manybooks, so check there first) work on the Kindle.

If you don’t like DRM, you don’t have to buy from Amazon just because you have a Kindle.

]]> By: Brian Carnell http://www.teleread.org/blog/2007/12/27/why-the-kindle-platform-should-be-opened/#comment-675098 Brian Carnell Thu, 27 Dec 2007 14:06:10 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2007/12/27/why-the-kindle-platform-should-be-opened/#comment-675098 Bill McCoy claims, "there's almost no supply of non-DRM commercial content, a situation unlikely to change any time soon. " This is, of course, not true at all. This is just an Adobe hit piece on a product that doesn't use their favorited DRMed format. Bill McCoy claims,

“there’s almost no supply of non-DRM commercial content, a situation unlikely to change any time soon. ”

This is, of course, not true at all. This is just an Adobe hit piece on a product that doesn’t use their favorited DRMed format.

]]> By: Nate the great http://www.teleread.org/blog/2007/12/27/why-the-kindle-platform-should-be-opened/#comment-675046 Nate the great Thu, 27 Dec 2007 13:06:28 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2007/12/27/why-the-kindle-platform-should-be-opened/#comment-675046 1, 2, 5 I agree completely. It would be to everyone's benefit if they did this. #3 will never happen, so stop dreaming. The Mobipocket store does not lower prices because then it would be in direct competition with its licensee retailers. #4 The Sony Reader, Ebookwise-1150, Cybook are not open, so why would you expect the Kindle to be open? 1, 2, 5
I agree completely. It would be to everyone’s benefit if they did this.

#3 will never happen, so stop dreaming. The Mobipocket store does not lower prices because then it would be in direct competition with its licensee retailers.

#4 The Sony Reader, Ebookwise-1150, Cybook are not open, so why would you expect the Kindle to be open?

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