Amazon Kindle

[OwlHoot]

I don't like the idea of Amazon having a link to the thing. It wouldn't feel like you really owned the ebooks.

In theory, they could delete ebooks you had already bought, for example if there was a fuss over some graphic novel.

Also, presumably you can't import your own ebooks onto it, or export any you had bought.

[TykeMerc]

This is why ebook readers will never replace real books.

With real books you had the dewey decimal system, alphabetisation and the ability to make piles several feet high.

I used to think the same then I was loaned a Kindle on holiday, read a couple of books, ordered one and it arrived the day I got back home.
I've loved books for as long as I can remember and have god knows how many on my shelves, the Kindle (to my total surprise and in the face of my cynicism of the hype) has proven to be as nice to read as a book, but vastly more convenient to have especially when travelling.

[oracleslave]

Can you delete your local copies without losing the capability to re-download? That would be my move.

I can remove them from the device until I am ready to reference/read them. That kinda defeats the purpose for me though as one of the attractions of the device is being able to select anything from my full library in an on demand fashion.

From what I see from the demo of the software, the suggestion by Tykemerc re Caliber is a good one for managing books via a pc and controlling what is loaded to the reader at any one time. It doesn't solve my issue though.

[oracleslave]

Also, presumably you can't import your own ebooks onto it, or export any you had bought.

I can confirm this is not the case given that I have uploaded 2450 books given to me by somebody else.

[amcdonald]

I don't like the idea of Amazon having a link to the thing. It wouldn't feel like you really owned the ebooks.

In theory, they could delete ebooks you had already bought, for example if there was a fuss over some graphic novel.

Also, presumably you can't import your own ebooks onto it, or export any you had bought.

It's not in theory, they have deleted ebooks!

Well there was ironically the 1984 debacle, where people who bought the kindle download had there copies completely redacted when Amazon found they didnt have the right to sell it after all

I'd be pretty annoyed if I bought a digital download, and they decidedly to delete it later

So no you don't own the ebooks you just purchase the right to use them until such time as Amazon decide they you can't, it's all a bit Applesque if you ask me

[TykeMerc]

I don't like the idea of Amazon having a link to the thing. It wouldn't feel like you really owned the ebooks.

In theory, they could delete ebooks you had already bought, for example if there was a fuss over some graphic novel.

Also, presumably you can't import your own ebooks onto it, or export any you had bought.

You can add ebooks, and numerous other doc formats to a Kindle directly without going via Amazon, there's a standard micro USB cable and attached to a PC it appears as an external drive (3Gb ish). You can copy from it too of course.

[shaunbhoy]

Oddly enough, I was going to ask the panel for a bit of a critique of the Kindle today, having had the device highly recommended to me yesterday by one of my sisters.
I used to read all the time, but latterly have almost given up as I keep forgetting my reading specs etc. and getting tired eyes from small print which causes me to fall asleep before too long. Old age creeping up I suppose. Still at least I still have most of my marbles. Now.......what was I saying?
FWIW, I would have been inclined to only save a proportion of my favourite books on there permanently. Certainly nowhere near 2500.
Others I would probably delete after reading as I would deem it very unlikely that I would wish to re-read many of them. In fact, the only ones I can ever remember reading more than once were the "Flashman" books, and even then there was a gap of about 20 years.
Must get hold of one myself soon.
Is it not possible to download them from the Kindle onto your Laptop hard drive to save space on the Kindle then?

[oracleslave]

Is it not possible to download them from the Kindle onto your Laptop hard drive to save space on the Kindle then?

It is possible but the overhead of constantly managing what I include on the device is something I was looking to avoid.

[shaunbhoy]

It is possible but the overhead of constantly managing what I include on the device is something I was looking to avoid.

Oh right. Fairy nuff then.

[TykeMerc]

It's quite possible to drag and drop them Kindle-PC/PC-Kindle, the books are simple files. If you've bought from the Kindle store then you can re-download them too if they go astray.

The text is scalable too which would be handy in the reading spec scenario.

I'm not enthusiastic about many gadgets, but in the case of the Kindle I would replace mine without debate if it got lost or damaged, I've managed to source lots of the stuff I have in paperback and hardback and a fair bit that I'd been looking for ages for in paper format. Irreplaceable? No. Rather not do without? Yes no debate.