# B&N to Launch "World's Largest eBookstore" & Their own e-Reader



## Sparkplug (Feb 13, 2009)

> Rumors about Barnes & Noble's plans to develop an eReader have been confirmed in a company statement that launches a new eBookstore and outlines a partnership with Plastic Logic to develop an eReader for an early 2010 launch.
> 
> B&N also notes that they will offer eBooks on devices like the iPhone, iPod Touch and Blackberry as well as PCs and Macs in addition to their Plastic Logic device. It may also be available on other eReaders down the line (opening up is something Amazon also strives for) The new eBookstore includes 700,000 launch titles, public domain books and hundreds of bestsellers priced at $9.99. Pricing and details on the hardware have not been released thus far, but it is clear that the battle is shaping up to be more about where customers will choose to get their content, not the hardware they will get their content on.


http://gizmodo.com/5318896/barnes-and-noble-announces-worlds-largest-ebookstore-upcoming-ereader

Didn't see this posted anywhere else. What do you think? Competition is good, but I wonder if they'll be able to pull it off, since their website book sales have never really made the mark that Amazon's book sales has made.


----------



## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

WOW!!!  After all the bru-ha-ha over the Orwell books at Amazon, if B&N can launch an eBook site that is compatible with Kindles, they could do VERY well!!!  People are looking for other options after Amazon's oopsie..... It doesn't bother me THAT much, but I certainly get why so many are up in arms over it.... I myself am looking at other options as well... but will continue to use Amazon with reservations...


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

More competition is generally better for the consumer.  I guess we'll see what happens next spring.  . .who knows?  Maybe there will be a new Kindle by then too. . . . . . .


----------



## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Well, so far I'm not very impressed. They are selling Jane Eyre for $4.99 on one of their main pages.

You aren't tied to a specific device, as far as I know (I could be 100% wrong on this).

It looks as though the files are protected .prc or .pdb files, which would make a bit of sense if this is basically the Fictionwise operation.

I downloaded the reader for the iTouch. Now if I can locate a free book to try.

For now I'll stick with the Kindle. I like eInk. If something better comes along, I'll think about switching.

Mike


----------



## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> More competition is generally better for the consumer. I guess we'll see what happens next spring. . .who knows? Maybe there will be a new Kindle by then too. . . . . . .


WITH FOLDERS!!!


----------



## lmk2045 (Jun 21, 2009)

Barnes & Noble eBook Link

www.bn.com/ebooks

I did a little exploring on the B&N eBook website and found that Amazon has lower prices.


----------



## geko29 (Dec 23, 2008)

Wonder if they're going to price themselves right out of the market.  The KDX is pretty spendy as it is, and I honestly don't see very many people ponying up that much dough for a first eReader (before they know how great they are in general).  I can't imagine what a 14" electronic paper (that's the diagonal on 8.5x11") device is going to cost, so unless B&N is willing to subsidize them by several hundred bucks apiece, I don't see them making a whole lot of headway here.  And seriously--$5 for public-domain books that are free everywhere else?  Get real here guys.

But of course, I could be completely wrong, and I certainly welcome another competitor.  Sony has pretty much dropped off the radar since the K2 was released, and there needs to be another player out there to keep Amazon's head in the game.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I read 8X11 as the overall size of the device which would likely make the screen size the same as the DX. . .


----------



## love2read (Nov 23, 2008)

I've been searching authors and have also found that Amazon's prices were all lower. I won't have a desire to switch just to pay a higher price for books.


----------



## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

I would hope that if B&N really gets in on the eBook scene, competition would begin for pricing which is nothing but good for us Kindle users!  

(Hey, I can dream, can't I?)


----------



## love2read (Nov 23, 2008)

I hope they discount too. But they don't with their regular book store like Amazon does so it will be interesting to see what happens when Amazon gets some competition.


----------



## geko29 (Dec 23, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> I read 8X11 as the overall size of the device which would likely make the screen size the same as the DX. .


You're mostly right, it seems. 8.5x11" is indeed the dimensions of the device, however, the screen diagonal is 10.7", so it is still 1" larger than the DX's screen, though not the 14" I posted above.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

geko29 said:


> You're mostly right, it seems. 8.5x11" is indeed the dimensions of the device, however, the screen diagonal is 10.7", so it is still 1" larger than the DX's screen, though not the 14" I posted above.


Hmm. . . .that's interesting. . . . I had understood -- and this could be completely erroneous as I totally haven't researched it -- that there were discreet(discrete?) screen sizes that could be made with the e-ink. Having to do with the proper pixelation and all. . .as I say, I could have imagined this. But I thought 6" diag was one and the next 'size' up was 9.7" diag and I would not expect 10.7" diag to be the next size up. Can anyone clear this up for me? (Just point me to an article. ) (I did look back again at the article posted in the OP. . . .don't see where it has any details there. . . .)


----------



## sandypeach (Oct 28, 2008)

KindleKay (aka #1652) said:


> WOW!!! ... if B&N can launch an eBook site that is compatible with Kindles, they could do VERY well!!!


According to the Reuters report I read this morning, the B&N eBooks will be compatible with everything EXCEPT the Kindle and the Sony readers.


----------



## jason10mm (Apr 7, 2009)

Man, I hope this splitting of content stops ASAP. I have a hard time imagining that there is any incentive from the publishing side to do so (they could just release e-books for each reader, or make some sort of uber-DMR compatible with them all) so I have to think that the e-book readers might PAY to keep stuff exclusive (kind of like how AT&T is keeping the iphone exclusive). But I also find it hard to imagine that there is enough money in the e-book business to allow for that kind of payoff (though I suppose looking down the road the future is bright).

I'd rather see competing readers with a universal pool of content, rather than a situation like the video game consoles, with exclusive and multi-platform titles. That just seems like e-book suicide, much like the HD-DVD and Blu-ray war from a few years back.

If there is any "bright side" for consumers, it is that I expect any DRM on e-books to be easily hacked, therefore we will probably have access to everything so long as you are willing to buy for one platform and get the hack so it works on another.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

jason10mm said:


> I'd rather see competing readers with a universal pool of content, rather than a situation like the video game consoles, with exclusive and multi-platform titles. That just seems like e-book suicide, much like the HD-DVD and Blu-ray war from a few years back.


It goes further back than that: VCR vs BetaMax. . . . . . .cassette vs. 8-track. . . . .at the beginning of a new technology there are always competing products and then, eventually, there can be only one.


----------



## Varin (May 12, 2009)

Has anyone found any ebooks and the B&N store that isn't at Amazon? Also, I heard some Barnes and Nobles SPokesperson state that they wanted to have a book store on which the device you read on didn't matter; this pointed exclusion of dedicated e-reading devices save for the Plastic Logic reader seems to fly in the face of that.


Another thing; minus all those circa 1923 public domain books, their bookstore out is really only about 200,000 books, right?


----------



## Forster (Mar 9, 2009)

Competition is good, but B&N is a day late and a dollar short.  I do not see them gaining any kind of meaningful market share at this point.


----------



## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

That sounds about right Anarel.


----------



## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

geko29 said:


> Wonder if they're going to price themselves right out of the market. The KDX is pretty spendy as it is, and I honestly don't see very many people ponying up that much dough for a first eReader (before they know how great they are in general). I can't imagine what a 14" electronic paper (that's the diagonal on 8.5x11") device is going to cost, so unless B&N is willing to subsidize them by several hundred bucks apiece, I don't see them making a whole lot of headway here. And seriously--$5 for public-domain books that are free everywhere else? Get real here guys.
> 
> But of course, I could be completely wrong, and I certainly welcome another competitor. Sony has pretty much dropped off the radar since the K2 was released, and there needs to be another player out there to keep Amazon's head in the game.


Sony is setting up their store to be mac compatible. (I use my sony with my mac now, just not the econnect store, I use the hubbies computer when I want to shop there. But when I want to visit a library, or do a book from another site, or my own documents I use my mac.) I own the 505, 700 and kindle 1 and DX. Having Sony and Kindle is great! What one store doesn't have the other does. Sony is extremely reliable and the books are always formatted correctly. I can also use it easily with both my local library and the NYC library. I use both brands of readers about equal. I don't think Sony has "dropped off the map". If anyone has a Sony and a mac you can go to the econnect store and there is a link to sign up to be notified when the mac version is available, which will be in a few weeks. As Ann (I believe it was Ann) said "competition is a good thing for consumers". I agree. 
Also, just my 5 cents and the barnes and noble $5 "public domain", you can look on Amazon and see many, many, many books for $5 or more that are free public domain. They are generally just better quality. They have introductions, time lines, author information, footnotes, endnotes, and some even have pictures. Oh, yes, well... you have to pay for that sort of formatting.


----------



## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

Forster said:


> Competition is good, but B&N is a day late and a dollar short. I do not see them gaining any kind of meaningful market share at this point.


I hope your wrong, for the consumers sake. I think it is interesting that so many people on kindle boards go through so much to get books from places other that Amazon, for free, jumping through conversion hoops ect. yet bring the little black rain cloud over something that is seen as competition. It isn't competition to the consumer. It is for the consumer. If it gets a market share then that will benefit kindle users as well as other ebook reader users. More publishers, publishing more ebooks is a good thing.


----------



## Varin (May 12, 2009)

ProfCrash said:


> That sounds about right Anarel.


Knew it! Liars!

Then again, Sony did the same with Google's 500,000.


----------



## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

sandypeach said:


> According to the Reuters report I read this morning, the B&N eBooks will be compatible with everything EXCEPT the Kindle and the Sony readers.


I wonder how they will make it not compatible with Sony. Sony is very open, it takes many different kinds of files. What are they going to put the books in, that all the others take but Sony doesn't? Interesting. But I would think that would be challanging because if I can get a book from a public library on my Sony and so can most other readers except kindle, B&N is going to have to narrow it in some interesting ways to exclude sony.


----------



## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

Anarel said:


> Knew it! Liars!
> 
> Then again, Sony did the same with Google's 500,000.


  So did Amazon when they added all of the Amazon version of free public domains they put in the kindle library, people have selective memories 
lol


----------



## Forster (Mar 9, 2009)

Red said:


> I hope your wrong, for the consumers sake. I think it is interesting that so many people on kindle boards go through so much to get books from places other that Amazon, for free, jumping through conversion hoops ect. yet bring the little black rain cloud over something that is seen as competition. It isn't competition to the consumer. It is for the consumer. If it gets a market share then that will benefit kindle users as well as other ebook reader users. More publishers, publishing more ebooks is a good thing.


Don't get me wrong, I would like to see some real competition both in the readers and ebooks, much better for the consumer. I just don't think it's going to happen especially with the DRM that the publishers are pushing. DRM is the big cog in the wheel to making ebooks truly a cross platform commodity. In the interim Amazon has a very nice e-reader with what I suspect the lion's share of the market. Amazon also has bar none the best e-commerce site as far as ease of use and it has by far the best selection and price for e-books which is why I don't think anyone else will be able to compete with them anytime soon.


----------



## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

I don't think Jeff is feeling as confident as you are. Amazon is feeling pressure in the kindle department. Maybe they were prepared for it, maybe not. But it is good for us.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Red said:


> I don't think Jeff is feeling as confident as you are. Amazon is feeling pressure in the kindle department. Maybe they were prepared for it, maybe not. But it is good for us.


Has there been a public response from Amazon about this?


----------



## Varin (May 12, 2009)

Red said:


> So did Amazon when they added all of the Amazon version of free public domains they put in the kindle library, people have selective memories
> lol


Guilty as charged ^_^; I forgot about that.

I wonder how many public domain books there are at Amazon? Surely the number can't be as large?


----------



## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

In the NYT, it said the new B&N store includes the 500,000 Google public domain books.  

As for costs, here is a sample comparison Amazon vs B&N (All Amazon prices are what I paid at the time of purchase and may not be the current price.)

Shadow Country $9.99 vs $12.80
Matter $9.99 vs $11.99
Snake Charmer $9.99 vs N/A
The Kindly Ones $9.99 vs N/A
Woodsburner $9.99 vs N/A
Schild's Ladder $8.76 vs $8.76
Beyond Recall $9.41 vs $9.60
Off Armagedden Reef $7.99 vs N/A
The Family $9.99 vs $12.79
Let the Great World Spin $9.99 vs $9.99

To sum up this very small sample:

B&N more expensive 4 out of 10
B&N unavailable 4 out of 10
B&N equal price 2 out of 10


----------



## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

No, I'm just guessing from price drops and media attention recently. My husband is president of a large company, and I see how the market, in whatever specialty, is watched by those effected by it. They let little slide past their attention, and the successful ones never are over confident. I suspect he (Jeff) is keeping an eye on the weak side of kindle as any good leader would. The weak side at this moment being, IMO , the bad press, the growing market competitation, and (I don't think) DX is going to take over the textbook market as it is designed at this moment, it will need far to many tweeks in the notations aspect to be usable in the classroom. 
I've spent a lot of money on kindles, and kindle books, and IMO he'd better be watching the weak side!  

***edited to add, I have to learn to quote in my posts, people post so quick here   , the above was in answer to Ann


----------



## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

Geemont, give them a break, they are barely developed, OMG


----------



## rikkileigh (Jan 30, 2009)

For a long time I have refused to shop B&N. They mark things up to mark them down and the bottom line is regular retail. Oh boy 40% off DVD's that are inflated. Don't trust them. In Boston their stores are in high rental areas. High rent means no deep discounts.
Dianne


----------



## MarthaT (Mar 3, 2009)

I doubt it will catch on that well


----------



## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

Red said:


> Geemont, give them a break, they are barely developed, OMG


They may be barely developed, but it is still good to get a sample benchmark on day 1 to compare against day 30, 60, 120, or 364. There may be improvement, but maybe there won't be. It would be better to have a larger sample, of course, but I'm not going that far.


----------



## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

I am concerned about the sentence I bolded:


> The company plans to offer 700,000 titles initially and up to 1 million within a year. That includes the more than half-million books Google Inc. recently made available for free. *It will sell all other trade and traditional titles for $9.99 each.*


Now Amazon says that NYT best-sellers will sell at $9.99 or less. B&N doesn't seem to be saying that. If they are selling "all other trade" for $9.99, then I have no motivation to even search their site - unless Amazon's copy is more, of course.


----------



## Varin (May 12, 2009)

Geemont said:


> They may be barely developed, but it is still good to get a sample benchmark on day 1 to compare against day 30, 60, 120, or 364. There may be improvement, but maybe there won't be. It would be better to have a larger sample, of course, but I'm not going that far.


Geemont, that's a good idea!

You should make a thread where people get together and compare books that they've bought at Amazon to ones at and B&N store. To get more data.

I would be willing to help out, and I'm sure others would, too.


----------



## akpak (Mar 5, 2009)

KindleKay (aka #1652) said:


> WITH TAGS!!!


Fixed.


----------



## akpak (Mar 5, 2009)

sandypeach said:


> According to the Reuters report I read this morning, the B&N eBooks will be compatible with everything EXCEPT the Kindle and the Sony readers.


Sigh... That's a bunch of $*#&. B&N could do fine with their own reader, since people in the stores will be able to touch n feel the device. If they made the books compatible for Kindle, they'd just sell more books!

Retarded. I downloaded the app, downloaded one of the free books. Fine enough for reading on the computer, but we all already know that's not what we want.

I think I'll send them some "feedback," and then wash my hands of them.


----------



## ak rain (Nov 15, 2008)

more available formats, more acceptance from public will raise the expectations of public. this will improve ereaders and ebooks. competition can be good.

I have not converted any ebooks for my kindle, not sure I want to start. the B&N would not transfer without conversion -- is this correct?
Sylvia.


----------



## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

There are a lot of misinformation articles out there. When I first saw this it was on the Google news page. Selected article (of the minute) in the SciTech area - from PCWorld:

Barnes & Noble: Please Avoid These Kindle Mistakes
Todd R. Weiss
Jul 21, 2009 10:11 am
Now that Barnes & Noble has unveiled its plans for an e-book reader and an e-book store to take on rivals such as Amazon.com and Sony, we want to get them out the door on the right track.
So here are the top five features we'd love to see them include so that the new Barnes & Noble e-reader doesn't have the same glaring shortcomings that many of us found in Amazon's original Kindle and new Kindle 2.
1) Please include great and easy file handling from the start. Amazon's Kindle 2 still hasn't gotten this right, which is very frustrating. The Kindle 2 still doesn't have integrated PDF reading capabilities. That means it requires a kludgy conversion process where the user has to send a PDF or other document file to themselves to be able to convert it so it can be read on the device. Not cool. Imagine how useful an e-book reader can be (Sony's Digital Reader PRS-700 reader includes this) if it can natively read various common document formats. Eureka! Don't disappoint us, Barnes & Noble.
2) The new Kindle 2 finally added USB support after the original Kindle came without it. Don't put us through that, please. Just give us USB capabilities from the start. It means one less bulky power adapter to have to lug along and less aggravation for users.
3) Get the price lower from the start. Amazon's new lower $299 price for the Kindle 2 is nicer, but it's still probably too high for consumers to wildly embrace these e-readers. Yes, it's $60 less than it was earlier this year, but if you get the price to the right spot from the start, say maybe a loss-leading $99, all the catching-up that would follow would be the Kindle 2 trying to catch up with your new success.
4) Please give us a backlit screen. The Kindle 2 still doesn't have one, which makes it hard to read in dimly lit places. The Sony e-reader has one. We like it. Give us one on your new reader, Barnes & Noble!
5) Be DRM friendly with your new reader. Digital Rights Management is a very emotional issue. Musicians, filmmakers, and authors deserve to be paid and shouldn't have to give up their profits due to illegal distribution of their works without payment. At the same time, a consumer who legally buys such a work should have reasonable rights to use it on any compatible device he or she owns without having to purchase it separately for other devices. If I buy a printed book, I can read it in an airplane or in a car or in my living room, without having to buy separate copies for each. The same should go for my e-reader or computer or other device. Consumers have rights, too.
That's it for now. Thanks, Barnes & Noble, for bringing us more options in the e-reader marketplace. Now get to work and make us all proud.
(Todd R. Weiss is a freelance technology journalist who formerly wrote for Computerworld.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TechManTalking)

to which I replied:

This is a poorly written, poorly researched and ill-conceived article full of inaccuracies.
1. PDF file reading is a much more technical issue than is presented here. The New Kindle DX does read PDFs natively. Sony's 500 does not show PDFs, Only the 700. And most people do not purchase an ereader for this purpose. 
2. Apparently the author's point (which is never made) is that the battery can be recharged through the power connection of the USB. Kindle to computer connection was always there.
3. No-one has a $99 ereader. And if you look at all the technologies in the Kindle why would you expect that low of a price? Text to speech, eink, free wireless connection for downloads, etc.
4. Those who read a lot have been applauding both the Sony 500 and the Kindles for the use of eink rather than the eyestrain of trying to read on backlit screens. Only the Sony 700 uses backlit. Paper books are not backlit. But if you must have it, then use the Amazon app on your iphone.
5. We would all like to see a solution to the DRM issue. There are too many different DRMs and even with the software reader for computers, MOBIsoft, you can only read on the software copy whose registered SN is associated with the books that you have bought.

It seems a shame to have a topic that is worthy of writing with so many mistakes. If this is meant to be personal opinion, then the publication should consider a better informed author.

Just sayin.....


----------



## Varin (May 12, 2009)

geoffthomas said:


> There are a lot of misinformation articles out there. When I first saw this it was on the Google news page. Selected article (of the minute) in the SciTech area - from PCWorld:
> 
> Barnes & Noble: Please Avoid These Kindle Mistakes
> Todd R. Weiss
> ...


Nice rebuttal, although I do have to correct you on one point- the sony prs 700 isn't backlit- no e-ink reader at this time can be because light cannot be sent through it; the sony prs-700 has side lighting, that is, small lights built into the sides of the case above the screen.


----------



## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

B&N could make a lot more money on this if the ebooks were kindle-compatible.  I'm not buying a different ereader just to buy ebooks from them.  Their prices on books, overall, have been higher than Amazon's.  I like to browse in B&N but even before I bought my kindle, I often came to the conclusion that I could buy the book I want at lower price at Amazon.  I have the B&N membership card that I have paid $25 a year for, yet books are usually still priced lower at Amazon.


----------



## Forster (Mar 9, 2009)

Anarel said:


> Nice rebuttal, although I do have to correct you on one point- the sony prs 700 isn't backlit- no e-ink reader at this time can be because light cannot be sent through it; the sony prs-700 has side lighting, that is, small lights built into the sides of the case above the screen.


Ah, so nothing a Mighty Bright doesn't solve on the Kindle. I'm assuming the side lighting on the prs-700 sucks up the readers battery power?


----------



## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Here is a better article that provides some real info, from ars technica.
Notice the discussion of B&N "cobbled together service" and the library of 700,000 titles and how useful they may be.

Hands on: Barnes & Noble playing catchup with new e-books
Barnes & Noble has jumped into the e-book market in a big way, offering users a library of over 700,000 books. It got the jump on Amazon by partnering with Google to provide users free access to public domain books that have been scanned by the search giant.
By John Timmer | Last updated July 21, 2009 12:44 PM CT
•	Text Size 
•	Print this article 
•	Leave a comment 

A year ago, it wasn't even clear that traditional book retailer Barnes & Noble had an e-book plan. But, over the past few months, the company has picked up several small e-book companies, and on Monday it announced the end results of its efforts: dedicated readers for phone and desktop platforms, an exclusive deal with an upcoming portable reader, and a massive library of over 700,000 books, most of them free. Despite the impressive numbers, B&N is still playing catch up with Amazon in a number of areas. 
In the library department, B&N's 700,000 books dwarfs Amazon's capacity, which the company claims includes over 300,000 works (minus two from George Orwell). But all of Amazon's offerings are commercially-produced works that are still in print. B&N has gotten to its figure by partnering with Google, gaining access to out-of-copyright works that have been scanned as part of the Google Book Search service. On the plus side, these are available for free; readers who have been itching to catch up on the classics will love this service. On the downside, B&N may end up paying for a lot of bandwidth to satisfy a user base that won't be paying them anything. 
These numbers suggest that Amazon continues to have a significant lead in terms of books from current authors, and we were able to find a few differences in availability (all in Amazon's favor) with just a couple of quick searches. The other obvious difference is price. Amazon's iron fist was obvious from the fact that everything we looked for was at the $9.99 price point. B&N's price for the same works was consistently higher, in one case more than double. This may mean that B&N has a healthier relationship with publishers that will stand it in good stead in the long run but, in the meantime, the advantage with consumers will clearly be Amazon's. 

B&N's iPhone app has a nice, modern interface.
For now, B&N's service comes without dedicated reading hardware. That will change early next year, as the company announced that it will be the exclusive bookseller for the Plastic Logic device that's planned for release then. Until that point, however, B&N can compete based on the number of platforms it supports, as it's offering downloads for Windows and Mac OS, as well as Blackberries and iPhones. 
We took a quick look at the Mac and iPhone software. In what is undoubtedly a legacy of the acquisitions that power the B&N service, books come in a DRMed form of the Palm Doc (.pdb) file format. Protected works can be unlocked using the purchaser's credit card information. 
On the iPhone, purchasing works requires a trip to B&N's website through Safari. Once a work is purchased, however, the downloading and unlocking all take place within the dedicated reading application as long as the user has provided it with account information. The application itself comes bundled with two of the free works, so users can try it out without paying for anything. Overall, the app has a nice interface that's in keeping with offerings from other iPhone developers. It provides a decent reading experience and customization options. 
The desktop application, in contrast, is an abomination. Menu items are laid out nearly at random, and the reading area doesn't use Mac OS X's built in text handling system, so jagged edges make frequent appearances in the type. There's no concept of a library; it will simply reload the last book read and, when users are ready to switch, they have to navigate to a new .pdb file. Worse still, there's no sort of network synchronization. If you read on the phone, you're on your own to figure out how to pick up where you left off if you switch to your laptop. Notes and bookmarks can be made on any platform, but they'll be inaccessible if the same text is viewed on a different device. 

In contrast, the desktop application reeks of a System 7 era Hypercard stack.
Inset: note the jaggies in the text
There are a few nice touches—for example, you can set up an e-book as a reference, and the app will use it for word lookups—but, overall, it has a feel of a rush-job that's saddled with lots of legacy code. B&N admits that the app came from Fictionwise, one of the companies it acquired in order to launch the e-book service. Hopefully, they'll pay whoever did the iPhone app to produce a desktop version. 
The rough patches notwithstanding, the impressive aspect of this announcement is not so much in what it says about B&N's service as what it says about the e-book market in general: a company could go from what's essentially a standing start to a massive operation in less than a year. And, if the Google Book settlement ever goes through, it could make building a massive library of this sort even easier. All of that means that, despite a significant first-mover advantage for Amazon and Sony, the e-book market may get extremely competitive in the next few years.


----------



## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Blocking other ereaders is stupid.  There's already a market out there and they refuse to take advantage of it.  Instead they are trying to build their own market from the ground up.  With "business sense" like that and the "I'm taking my ball and going home!" attitude I really hope they fail miserably.  Nobody makes CDs or DVDs that are only compatible with one type of player, why should they do it with books?  As for them being able to sell the reader cheaper... well I would certainly hope they could sell it cheaper.  They'll make the money back on selling free books for $5   And yes I know there's a BetaMax vs. VHS argument... and HDVDs vs. Blu Ray... and I guess video games and their multitude of formats... but still...  I'm going away now before I argue against my own point some more.


----------



## Varin (May 12, 2009)

Forster said:


> Ah, so nothing a Mighty Bright doesn't solve on the Kindle. I'm assuming the side lighting on the prs-700 sucks up the readers battery power?


Yes. Also, in my opinion, as well as a good number of other people who have used the PRS-700... it really lights up just the sides of the screen in a weird way, leaving most of the text in the middle barely touched by the light. I'm sure if you youtube it you can see for yourself.


----------



## jason10mm (Apr 7, 2009)

geoffthomas said:


> The other obvious difference is price. Amazon's iron fist was obvious from the fact that everything we looked for was at the $9.99 price point. B&N's price for the same works was consistently higher, in one case more than double. This may mean that B&N has a healthier relationship with publishers that will stand it in good stead in the long run but, in the meantime, the advantage with consumers will clearly be Amazon's.


Wow, this is a really backhanded way to treat Amazon. I was under the impression that Amazon reached the $9.99 point by cutting out THIER OWN SHARE, while the publisher still gets whatever they would have at the "retail" price. Thus Amazon is being incredibly generous, not "iron fisted" and would enjoy the same "healthy" publisher relationship that B&N may have. Methinks the writer of this article is both poorly informed and not a little biased, both of which are all too common a failing of journalists these days.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I would note that, in the post immediately above this, quoting member geoffthomas, that he, in his post, was quoting an article from "ars technica". Geoff's whole post is several posts up on this same page: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,11618.msg222928.html#msg222928


----------



## Athenagwis (Apr 2, 2009)

Can I read these on my Kindle?  I know I would probably have to transfer them over, but I think I read somewhere that their format is .pub (or something), but that that could be converted to a PDF, which I assume could then be converted to the Kindle's native file?  Or are these DRM'd for the reader you download?  Has anyone tried it?  

Rachel


----------



## geko29 (Dec 23, 2008)

They're DRM-ed .pdb files (Palm database/reader files), and as such, aren't compatible with the Kindle unless you break the copy protection and convert the file.  Which, of course, would be illegal.


----------



## Xopher (May 14, 2009)

Since B&N acquired Fictionwise, and eReader, it would make sense that the eReader format would probably be the native format for their new device. It would be great if it supports other formats as well. The nice thing is that there are eReader apps out already for many different devices. There is already the iPhone app and the BlackBerry app came out recently as well (the B&N marketed BlackBerry eReader app came out this week). So, not only will B&N have their new device out, they will have a small upper-hand in multi-device capabilities.

I'm really happy with my KK, but the PL reader does intrest me.


----------



## Athenagwis (Apr 2, 2009)

So they can't be converted to PDF?  Or they can, but they are still DRM'd?  Thanks for your help!

Rachel


----------



## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Today we find this "article" on ChannelWeb:

"The Channel Wire
July 22, 2009
Barnes & Noble E-Reader Maker: We're Not Interested In Kindle Audience

Plastic Logic, the maker of Barnes & Noble's new e-reader said that the book retailer has no intention of challenging Amazon's widely popular Kindle device. 
The new device will be aimed at an entirely different audience, said Daren Benzi, vice president of business development at Plastic Logic, in an interview with Fox Business News. 

"We're actually targeting a different type of customer, the business professional, while Amazon has been targeting the leisure book reading customers," Benzi said. 

Holding up a model of the Plastic Logic e-reader Barnes & Noble will be selling, Benzi pointed out that the size of the device is larger than Amazon Kindle's DX model so that business executives can more easily read newspapers, magazines and other content. 

Benzi also provided further details about the device. The e-reader will use Plastic Logic's flexible screen technology, will feature an intuitive user interface instead of buttons, and will weigh in at just 13 ounces. 

Barnes & Noble expects to roll out the device early next year, but the company hasn't set a price, Benzi said. 

When Barnes & Noble disclosed plans for its new e-reader, it simultaneously announced that it will provide over 700,000 books in electronic form that could be read on various electronic devices such as the RIM BlackBerry, Apple's iPhone and Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac laptops and desktops. 

E-books from the "world's largest e-book store," as Barnes & Noble calls itself, will be accessible through AT&T's 3G network, according to The New York Times. Access will also be available via Wi-Fi, unlike Kindle, which is carried on Sprint's network. 

Posted by Michele Masterson at 10:12 AM"

So the story continues.
I would point out that all this is good for ebooks and ereaders in general.  The more the pot is stirred the richer the soup.  And the more that the aroma draws a crowd.  Some of the crowd buys and there is more acceptance.  It is interesting that PL points out that their reader (no price mentioned yet) is even bigger than the DX.  It is targetted at newspaper and magazine readers.
So the K2 (and sony) for books.
The DX for tech books, PDF files and professional papers.
and now PL declares that they are perfect for the newspaper and magazines.
Hmmmm.
And where is there the most "profit"?


----------



## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

Not convertable..

Do you think they will be more available or cheaper than Amazon?


----------



## Athenagwis (Apr 2, 2009)

No I just like options.  And I hate exclusivity among the devices because ti means eventually one will win out over the other.  It would be nice to have one device that can read the books where ever you get them from, even if they are DRM'd.  Like if I could put my Kindle ID in B&N and be able to buy books there too.  Just like I can buy a DVD from anywhere and be able to play it on my DVD player.  I know it'll never happen, but if B&N's device takes off bigger then the Kindle, then it's potential for my Kindle to become obsolete.

Rachel


----------



## akpak (Mar 5, 2009)

So far they're not cheaper than Amazon. Also, B&N doesn't have more books. Most of their "700,000" books are from Google's public domain library, for which they're charging $5.

With time, someone *will* break the copy protection and allow them to be converted, but again... Illegal. Irritating. I want to be able to use the stuff I PAY for in the way that I want.


----------



## RamTheHammer (Apr 17, 2009)

The big thing I see is that the B&N e-reader will have native PDF, DOC(X), XLS(X), PPT(X), TEXT, RTF, HTML, JPEG, PNG, BMP, and ePub support as well as FOLDERS! These are a big deal for me so I will seriously consider the reader.

OOPS - just noticed I posted this to the e-book thread - meant to go to the reader thread. Sorry


----------



## stevene9 (Nov 9, 2008)

Athenagwis said:


> Just like I can buy a DVD from anywhere and be able to play it on my DVD player.


Not really true. You can buy any North American DVD anf play it. DVDs have region codes (as well as different formats -NTSC/Pal). Australia is NTSC like the US, but is not region#1, so if you buy a DVD from Australia, it will not play on a normal US DVD player.

Steve


----------



## Jasonmh (May 7, 2009)

RamTheHammer said:


> The big thing I see is that the B&N e-reader will have native PDF, DOC(X), XLS(X), PPT(X), TEXT, RTF, HTML, JPEG, PNG, BMP, and ePub support as well as FOLDERS! These are a big deal for me so I will seriously consider the reader.


I am seriously considering it too, for some of the same reasons. If only it would work with ebooks from Amazon.. i'd buy 2.


----------



## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

I'm going to merge this with the other BN thread.

Thanks for understanding

~Luv


----------



## Athenagwis (Apr 2, 2009)

stevene9 said:


> Not really true. You can buy any North American DVD anf play it. DVDs have region codes (as well as different formats -NTSC/Pal). Australia is NTSC like the US, but is not region#1, so if you buy a DVD from Australia, it will not play on a normal US DVD player.
> 
> Steve


Okay fine then I would like any book I can buy in the US (online or otherwise) to work on my Kindle DRM'd or otherwise, I don't care I just want to have buying options.

Rachel


----------



## RamTheHammer (Apr 17, 2009)

Athenagwis said:


> Okay fine then I would like any book I can buy in the US (online or otherwise) to work on my Kindle DRM'd or otherwise, I don't care I just want to have buying options.


I agree. DRM has to become standardized. Not sure how to do that but that's why the designers get paid -- to figure out those issues!


----------



## liannallama (May 29, 2009)

Came across this article today and thought you would like to read. It will be interesting to see how it goes. I would be thrilled if they sold their books without DRM as suggested in the article. Maybe they could put some pressure on Amazon and publishers.

http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=138050


----------



## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Im going to merge this with the other thread on this topic.

Thanks for understanding.

~Luv


----------



## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

the later news releases said that the B&N "service" will be available through AT&T.
And there was no mention of it being FREE.
Which you will remember you get with WN from Amazon - Free.
Sure it is priced into the $359 (now $299) price.
And with the price of the sony - there is no such online downloading.
And the new proposed offering it appears that the online downloading will cost you.
And they PL has already said that they do not intend to release the price of the device until it is going to ship - early 2010.
Considering that it is advertised as being eink and larger than the KDX, I would be surprised if the price is as low as $299.

Just my opinion.


----------



## cleee (May 15, 2009)

Red said:


> I hope your wrong, for the consumers sake. I think it is interesting that so many people on kindle boards go through so much to get books from places other that Amazon, for free, jumping through conversion hoops ect. yet bring the little black rain cloud over something that is seen as competition. It isn't competition to the consumer. It is for the consumer. If it gets a market share then that will benefit kindle users as well as other ebook reader users. More publishers, publishing more ebooks is a good thing.


Getting books from multiple sources is a good thing but having to purchase different e-readers to take advantage of the offerings of a bunch of companies is just not feasible for most people.

Look at the video game industry. Nearly all games that are available for Xbox are also available for the PS3. There are a couple of exclusive titles for each system but nearly every game released is available no matter which system you own. I think e-books should be the same.

I was heartbroken to find a long, sought-after book in an online bookstore in what was called .pdf format. I was smiling with delight as it downloaded and I emailed it to my free kindle address and got an error message. It turned out that this particular book could only be read with something called Adobe Expressions or something like that. I have no use for books that can only be read on my computer and was so incredibly disappointed. I wouldn't have cared how much the book was or if I had to put in a super secret lengthy password every time I wanted to read it but alas that was not an option. So I have the book I want, in e-format, and it's useless to me.

Using a proprietary format on an e-reader limits your audience and as more and more e-readers are introduced, the entire market becomes more fragmented. They need to go the route of the music industry and settle on formats that will be cross compatible with other devices. If they do that, then features of the device (Kindle, Sony, B&N) will be the selling point and these companies will put more effort into the actual design of the device.

I love my Kindle so much and would never give it up but I'd be really disappointed if a bunch of books that I want were only available for the B&N device. I fear that's going to happen at least for a while.


----------



## akpak (Mar 5, 2009)

So far I haven't found a single book on B&N that wasn't either available on Amazon Kindle, or was public domain from many other sources.

I wouldn't worry about your faves "defecting" to B&N. 

Now if they land Harry Potter, we'll be in trouble...


----------



## thesocialfrog (Jul 22, 2009)

I will stick with my Kindle since I just got it today,lol. But I guess it is good to have others out on the market so people have options. I happen to like Amazon and trust Amazon with my purchases. I only take issue with the fact that some books need to come down in price, and we need folders,lol.


----------



## Annie (May 28, 2009)

I skimmed a lot of the thread, but truthfully, I don't think prices will ever be able to compete with Amazon. That's the only reason why I would stay with the Kindle. Not to mention, I think it's one of the best eReaders out there. I'm not a touch screen person at all, so I already know the B&N reader wouldn't suit me.


----------



## Robert Walker (Jul 21, 2009)

All I know is that B and N highlighted my new novel DEAD ON released just today on their online ads, and while they were pushing the hardcover hardcopy, the Kindle version pops up whenever you go seraching for Dead On or Dead On Writing, my how-to take on writing fiction.
Anyone see that USA Today is now listing bestselling Kindle books  A first - history making and here is what I know about that:

Conversation: Book Buzz From USA TODAY
Subject: Book Buzz From USA TODAY

· Starting today, USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Books list becomes the first 
major list to include Amazon Kindle e-book sales. The move reflects both the 
growth of e-book sales and Kindle’s role in that market. “Since 1993, USA 
TODAY’s Best-Selling Books list has always evolved to reflect the ways our 
readers buy books,” says Susan Weiss, managing editor of the Life section. 
“Adding Kindle to our group of contributors makes sense given the growth 
in the e-book platform.” E-books, for all devices, claimed 4.9% of sales in 
May, according to book audience research firm Codex-Group. . That’s up from 
3.7% in March. This week, Barnes & Noble announced the launch of its own 
eBookstore. with 700,000 titles.

rob walker, d'Author


----------



## jason10mm (Apr 7, 2009)

Wow, interesting that B&N would target the "business professional" with their hardware but shun the Kindle with all their recreational books! I suspect Amazon is probably blocking them from using DRM compatible for the Kindle (does anyone else put out DRM's stuff that works with the kindle other than perhaps Mobi?) or at least asking for a licensing fee B&N isn't willing to pay. The B&N reader also sounds VERY expensive, but every challenge means Amazon has to counter, which is good for us.

I still think that barring a pay-out from an e-book reader manufacturer (or seller, such as Amazon or B&N), the vast majority of publishers who bother to put out an e-book will do so for every platform (either with an uber-file if possible, or seperate files) as unlike video games, the base source is just a text file, so it should be an easy thing to adapt it to each platform. I have a hard time thinking B&N will cough up however many millions it would take to get Harry Potter as an exclusive, for example, as I think any return for it would take years to manifest. I don't think hardware readers will become the profitable part of the e-book scenario anytime soon, the money is in the e-book sale, so why limit the audience you can sell to?

And would it really be illegal to BUY a B&N e-book, and then "break" it for use on the Kindle? Well, maybe illegal, but I wouldn't consider it unethical, you did buy it, after all! Still, probably not something to discuss in detail on this site.


----------



## Guest (Jul 23, 2009)

jason10mm said:


> And would it really be illegal to BUY a B&N e-book, and then "break" it for use on the Kindle? Well, maybe illegal, but I wouldn't consider it unethical, you did buy it, after all! Still, probably not something to discuss in detail on this site.


An interesting question. The courts have ruled for decades in favor of consumers to convert one media to another for personal use (for example, making a copy of a video, copying your CDs to your computer, transfering audio to your Ipod, etc).

The problem comes when you try to share the file. If I buy a CD, the courts have affirmed my right to copy it to my computer, my Mp3 player, or make a *gasp* cassette tape for my own use. The second I give a copy to another person, however, I'm breaking the law.

So the issue isn't are you breaking the law is you crack the code and read it from your Kindle instead of the Plastic Logic. The issue comes if you break the code and then share the file with other Kindle readers.


----------



## geko29 (Dec 23, 2008)

bardsandsages said:


> So the issue isn't are you breaking the law is you crack the code and read it from your Kindle instead of the Plastic Logic. The issue comes if you break the code and then share the file with other Kindle readers.


Unfortunately, you're incorrect. The DMCA makes it a crime to circumvent or attempt to circumvent ANY encryption or copy-protection method applied to a digital file. Fair use is dead.


----------



## RamTheHammer (Apr 17, 2009)

geko29 said:


> Unfortunately, you're incorrect. The DMCA makes it a crime to circumvent or attempt to circumvent ANY encryption or copy-protection method applied to a digital file. Fair use is dead.


Since you can make a backup copy of the file you are correct.You do not have the right to "crack" the files protection.


----------



## Guest (Jul 23, 2009)

geko29 said:


> Unfortunately, you're incorrect. The DMCA makes it a crime to circumvent or attempt to circumvent ANY encryption or copy-protection method applied to a digital file. Fair use is dead.





> (1) Circumvention permitted. - Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a)(1)(A), it is not a violation of that subsection for a person to circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title, if -
> 
> (A) the technological measure, or the work it protects, contains the capability of collecting or disseminating personally identifying information reflecting the online activities of a natural person who seeks to gain access to the work protected;
> 
> ...


There are actually several dozen excemptions to DRMA, and more are added yearly. There is a specific excemption, for example, that allows circumvention if the DRM prevents the text from being adjusted into specialized formats (i.e. large text format for those with poor eyesight, read-aloud functionality, etc).

Further, in Chamberlain vs Skylink, the courts said the DRMA does not fundamentally change the expectations of consumers, not does it grant new rights to copyright holders. It is not enough to prove someone circumvented a DRM. The copyright holder must also prove that the act enabled an actual violation of copyright law. The DRMA does NOT override existing precedent in regard to copyright law.

In United States v. ElcomSoft and Sklyarov, the jury acquitted ElcomSoft of violated the DRMA by creating software that allowed users to circumvent DRM. ElcomSoft argued that their software did not violate the DRMA because users had to have a legally obtained copy of the ebook to use the software. The software was designed to allow legal users to use their ebooks under fair use laws.

In short, regardless of the wording of the DRMA, the courts have still upheld the right of a legal purchaser of copyright material to use that material how they see fit.


----------



## stevene9 (Nov 9, 2008)

I don't know about anyone else but I went to the B&N site in the hopes of finding titles that Amazon doesn't have. On books that were in both sites I found that B&N was almost always more expensive than Amazon (I mostly looked at sci fi books). This may be picky but I also don't like having their book pictures and info so big, you can't fit as many on your screen at a time. Makes it much harder to skim through. I am not an Amazon defender, I just want the tiles I want at the best price possible. I would eagerly get another ebook reader if it satisfied those criteria, but sadly B&N doesn't.

Steve


----------



## Greg Banks (May 2, 2009)

> Look at the video game industry. Nearly all games that are available for Xbox are also available for the PS3. There are a couple of exclusive titles for each system but nearly every game released is available no matter which system you own. I think e-books should be the same.


Yes, they are available for multiple platforms, but you can't take a disk bought from one and pop it into the other. If you own both systems, you'd have to buy the game twice to play on them both. That's really no different than Kindle/Kindle Store vs B&N/Plastic Logic. Just more inconvenient, perhaps.


----------



## geko29 (Dec 23, 2008)

bardsandsages said:


> There are actually several dozen excemptions to DRMA, and more are added yearly. There is a specific excemption, for example, that allows circumvention if the DRM prevents the text from being adjusted into specialized formats (i.e. large text format for those with poor eyesight, read-aloud functionality, etc).


First, you seem to be talking about a different law (which I can't find). I'm referring to the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act), United States Code 1201. Secondly, every single one of the exceptions you list refers to copy protection that has the capability to transmit personal information about you to another party. Even in those cases, the exemptions you posted ONLY allow the removal of the call-home functionality. It explicitly states that you may NOT modify the file if one of the effects is to modify the way the work is accessed (ie, who has the capability of opening it). For the record, here's the most recent list of exemptions, published in 2006:



> 1. Audiovisual works included in the educational library of a college or university's film or media studies department, when circumvention is accomplished for the purpose of making compilations of portions of those works for educational use in the classroom by media studies or film professors.
> 
> 2. Computer programs and video games distributed in formats that have become obsolete and that require the original media or hardware as a condition of access, when circumvention is accomplished for the purpose of preservation or archival reproduction of published digital works by a library or archive. A format shall be considered obsolete if the machine or system necessary to render perceptible a work stored in that format is no longer manufactured or is no longer reasonably available in the commercial marketplace.
> 
> ...


I read the briefs on both the cases you posted, and Chamberlain vs. Skylink looks like it might hold some promise. However, right in the Electronic Frontier Foundation's summary on ElcomSoft, there's this information on USC 1201:



> Copyright law is specifically designed to grant limited control to authors. However, the effect of the DMCA's anti-circumvention provisions is to override this principle by granting complete control to authors who use technological protection for their works, in the process eroding the public's right to freedom of expression.
> 
> This is because publishers can wrap encryption and other technologies around their digital works and can use the prohibition on circumvention to enforce whatever use restrictions they specify. Restrictions that disable the ability to print, loan, convert or space-shift electronic files are practically enforced by the technical protections, while the DMCA's anti-circumvention provisions enforce them as rule of law. This is true even when those who wish to make those uses would be completely justified in doing so under existing copyright law if the work were not in digital format.
> 
> The DMCA's anti-circumvention provisions also set no restrictions on the quality or complexity of the security that needs to be used to qualify as a technological device protected under these provisions. As a result, circumventing any level of protection can trigger the criminal penalties of the DMCA, even if, hypothetically, all a user does is get around a simple transposition code, like Rot13, which merely transposes a letter by 13 places in the alphabet. Also, as there is no independent vetting of whether a work protected with such technological protection is actually subject to copyright protection, the act of providing a tool for circumventing a technological device which is "wrapped" around a public domain work is still a violation of the anti-circumvention provisions of the DMCA.


I'm hoping it'll eventually get ironed out, but it certainly hasn't yet. A good example would be Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Reimerdes, in which the court states that fair use is NOT a viable defense to violation of the DMCA's anti-circumvention provisions, and no copyright violation need occur to run afoul of the law:



> Defendants, however, are not here sued for copyright infringement. They are sued for offering and providing technology designed to circumvent technological measures that control access to copyrighted works and otherwise violating Section 1201(a)(2) of the Act. If Congress had meant the fair use defense to apply to such actions, it would have said so. *Indeed, as the legislative history demonstrates, the decision not to make fair use a defense to a claim under Section 1201(a) was quite deliberate.*


----------



## Hopeful76 (Jun 24, 2009)

I like Barnes and Noble a lot as a bookstore. Before I had a Kindle, they were my favorite because they seemed to have books I couldn't find anywhere else.

However, I'm used to my Kindle and I like it's small size (K2) and wouldn't be interested in buying B&N's reader for the same reason I didn't buy a DX: I have no interest in a device that large.

I actually read a good number of research articles for my job (often in PDF format), but am perfectly happy to read them on my office computer or laptop. For me, my Kindle is for my _fun_ reading, and the K2 is the perfect size for that.


----------



## Athenagwis (Apr 2, 2009)

Anyone see this presentation?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50x8h7fF4DU&feature=player_embedded

It actually looks pretty dang cool! If this is the right price, I think it will really give Kindle a run for their money. The oganization of it and the touch screen looks cool. It might be a little big for just everyday reading, but this would be great for work/school uses!

Rachel


----------



## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

I'm going to merge this with the other thread.

Thanks for understanding.


----------



## KindleMom (Dec 11, 2008)

Athenagwis said:


> Anyone see this presentation?
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50x8h7fF4DU&feature=player_embedded
> 
> ...


Yep, pretty dang cool. If the price isn't too bad and there are parental controls, I will buy these for my kids. I think the Kindle is too fragile for kids, their backpacks and friends. The large glass screen worries me quite a bit.


----------



## Buttercup (Oct 28, 2008)

Am I the only one who thinks that thing is ugly and cheap looking?


----------



## mwb (Dec 5, 2008)

Buttercup *member #83* said:


> Am I the only one who thinks that thing is ugly and cheap looking?


Nope. I'm not impressed either.

I can see the potential in the technology, but the demoed product doesn't excite me.


----------



## lmk2045 (Jun 21, 2009)

No. I was not impressed.


----------



## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

It doesn't look cool at all.  Hard to tell, since I'm not seeing it in real life.


----------



## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

Well I'm impressed in the sense that it is a cool device. It is sharp, functional, and has a lot of progressive features. It looks like the DX without the occassionally complained about keyboard. I don't know that I'd buy it because I'm going to guess the price is going to be higher than the DX, unless things change drastically in the market between now and the beginning of the year. But, I'm willing to wait, watch, and see what unfolds. I think they will probably price me out of this device. I, unlike previous posters, don't think it is "ugly", actually it looks a lot like the DX. Unless you look close and notice the non butons ect.


----------



## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Got an email from B&N today that they are selling ebooks now.  Can't find a place on their website to complain about not being able to get them for my kindle.  Saw one ebook that I already have for 9.99.

They promote it as being available for ipod, itouch and computer.  Yeah, right!  I'm not reading a book on any of those things.


----------



## KindleMom (Dec 11, 2008)

mlewis78 said:


> They promote it as being available for ipod, itouch and computer. Yeah, right! I'm not reading a book on any of those things.


That's more flexible than Kindle books are. B&N books also can be read on a Blackberry. I wish Kindle books could be read on a Blackberry. I don't think I'd use it often, but it would be nice when one of my kids was using my Kindle. I could let them read on the Blackberry while I read on the Kindle. 

But yeah, until we know more about the reader we can't really make a fair judgement. Pricing could be a huge negative.


----------



## Elmore Hammes (Jun 23, 2009)

Just to see what might be involved, I e-mailed B&N at the address on their FAQ page for "How do publishers contact Barnes & Noble to join the eBooks program" this afternoon. I got an auto-reply that delivery failed to the given e-mail address.

Have any other independent authors contacted them (successfully or otherwise)?


----------



## jrector (May 24, 2009)

This is good news, thanks.


----------



## stargazer0725 (Feb 10, 2009)

Did anyone get the email this morning from B&N offering their eReader software and "6 free Ebooks: Last of the Mohicans, Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Little Women, Dracula & a Dictionary"?  I had to laugh, because they can be found for free all over the internet.


----------



## Greg Banks (May 2, 2009)

> I wish Kindle books could be read on a Blackberry.


Me too, and I expect that will come soon enough.



> Have any other independent authors contacted them (successfully or otherwise)?


I hadn't even thought of that before. Think I'll mosey on over there and check it out.


----------



## KCFoggin (Nov 5, 2008)

I got the email as well and laughed when I saw what books they were offering free.  They'll never compete with Amazon.  My thoughts anyway.


----------



## B-Kay 1325 (Dec 29, 2008)

First and foremost I love my KK Aurora and cannot see anything replacing her without a complete shutdown.  Having said that I also received the email regarding the "free ereader download" from B&N today and had it catch my interest.  I have a netbook and am very seriously considering downloading the program to it.  I thought that in the unlikely event that my Aurora was not able to perform her function that this could be a viable backup until a replacement Kindle can be obtained.  I also thought that if Amazon didn't have a book I wanted that this could also be another alternative and besides what have I got to lose?  Even if I do download the program and never use it I haven't lost anything.  I think that any progress in the ebook world is a very good thing for those of us who have pioneered this industry.


----------



## akpak (Mar 5, 2009)

Techdirt has a story today questioning why B&N's free books are DRM'd (can't copy or print them out, convert them, or indeed read them on anything but B&N's software reader):
http://techdirt.com/articles/20090730/0257115712.shtml


----------



## KindleMom (Dec 11, 2008)

akjak said:


> Techdirt has a story today questioning why B&N's free books are DRM'd (can't copy or print them out, convert them, or indeed read them on anything but B&N's software reader):
> http://techdirt.com/articles/20090730/0257115712.shtml


LOL!


----------



## lmk2045 (Jun 21, 2009)

Wow! They are clueless.


----------

