I bought 2 Kindles last week as gifts and today I downloaded the iPhone app and browsed a few samples of the e-books. I found one that I liked and purchased it. I'm happy with the purchase, but have one observation that I didn't expect. It seems you can't enlarge the pages using the 'pinch or squeeze' method that we use on the iPhone. The book I purchased is an Oracle eBusiness Security book and it has a number of images that are not readable on the iPhone. So that was a disappointment.
I also tried downloading the book to the computer from the Amazon site but received an error stating it couldn't be downloaded currently, but to check back in 24 hours.
My questions:
1) Can you download the ebooks to read on your computer once you've purchased them?
2) Am I doing something wrong with regard to the enlarging of pages on the iPhone. Should this be working?
The reason I didnt purchase a Kindle for myself, is because I'm not an avid reader in the sense of reading novels and other regular books. I do like to purchase technical books, but I use them more as a resource.
You can buy various eBook readers in the UK now (for example the Sony Reader) and download ebooks from waterstones.com
I think Amazon want to prove the concept works for them before rolling it out internationally.
While I'm pretty sure that Amazon does want to prove the concept, your example doesn't prove your answer with respect to UK availability. It isn't as if UK rights can't be acquired, but separate effort is needed to get them. Copyrights are sublicensed, divided and sold off by country and have to be negotiated and licensed on a country by country basis with whoever holds those rights in the country in question. I think the system should change, but those contracts are in place and it is going to take some time to dismantle to make it easier to get worldwide rights. I imagine that Sony started their rights acquisition sooner.
jenk, I think you're missing the point. I don't think that Amazon is in the business of building "Kindles" for its own sake. They are building Kindles so that they can sell their e-books. And if they can do that freely to the iPhone users without having to convince them first to get a Kindle, that's a good thing, not a bad thing.
Let's face it. A Kindle still costs money to produce. An iPhone app is almost inexpensive, and an e-book is even cheaper than a CD. So they have little to invest and a huge market to grab. It's a no brainer.
Quoted for truth. Besides kindle's larger screen is definitely going to be much more enjoyable to read than the iphone screen, this is to create more avenues to sell their product, they aren't worry about hardware most people probably won't buy anyways.
While I'm pretty sure that Amazon does want to prove the concept, your example doesn't prove your answer with respect to UK availability. It isn't as if UK rights can't be acquired, but separate effort is needed to get them. Copyrights are sublicensed, divided and sold off by country and have to be negotiated and licensed on a country by country basis with whoever holds those rights in the country in question. I think the system should change, but those contracts are in place and it is going to take some time to dismantle to make it easier to get worldwide rights. I imagine that Sony started their rights acquisition sooner.
I understand your point but what I was saying is that the UK rights to sell certain books as eBooks has already been granted to several UK eBook distributors.
Are you suggesting that each retailer/distributor has to negotiate their own eBook rights in the UK?
I'm not in the book business but surely if the book rights owner has granted rights to Waterstones or WH Smith to sell their book as an eBook in the UK then the same selling rights will be available to Amazon UK? It has nothing to do with Sony - they just make the hardware.
I understand your point but what I was saying is that the UK rights to sell certain books as eBooks has already been granted to several UK eBook distributors.
Are you suggesting that each retailer/distributor has to negotiate their own eBook rights in the UK?
I'm not in the book business but surely if the book rights owner has granted rights to Waterstones or WH Smith to sell their book as an eBook in the UK then the same selling rights will be available to Amazon UK? It has nothing to do with Sony - they just make the hardware.
Maybe I didn't understand that relationship. I don't know, there may be a quick way in if Amazon makes an arrangement to sell books through those services. I thought eReader books could only be bought using a Sony branded channel.
The current Amazon model is that Amazon controls the book selling, because that's where they're trying to make their money. I don't think they will let just anyone sell Kindle format books. I'm pretty sure that Amazon would have to sell through those distributors. If they don't sell through those distributors and they want to sell on their own (and those distributors get a cut of each sale), then they need to negotiate those rights directly with the publishers.
Maybe I didn't understand that relationship. I don't know, there may be a quick way in if Amazon makes an arrangement to sell books through those services. I thought eReader books could only be bought using a Sony branded channel.
The current Amazon model is that Amazon controls the book selling, because that's where they're trying to make their money. I don't think they will let just anyone sell Kindle format books. I'm pretty sure that Amazon would have to sell through those distributors. If they don't sell through those distributors and they want to sell on their own (and those distributors get a cut of each sale), then they need to negotiate those rights directly with the publishers.
The entertainment/publishing industry really like making life complicated.
What we really need is a 7" iPod Touch plus more books on the App Store. Heaven!
Comments
they've everything worked out, Apple & Amazon, down to a tee!
One of the best business models out there, trust me!
Hopefully in my lifetime.
Even if it only had one function, to present e-book/magazine material for reading, I'd be all over an Apple iRead?.
Even if it only had one function, to present e-book/magazine material for reading, I'd be all over an Apple iRead?.
If that's all you want, just get a Kindle.
(Mine arrived a few mins ago. Bought it on impulse three days ago. So now I get double the fun with the iPhone app!)
I also tried downloading the book to the computer from the Amazon site but received an error stating it couldn't be downloaded currently, but to check back in 24 hours.
My questions:
1) Can you download the ebooks to read on your computer once you've purchased them?
2) Am I doing something wrong with regard to the enlarging of pages on the iPhone. Should this be working?
The reason I didnt purchase a Kindle for myself, is because I'm not an avid reader in the sense of reading novels and other regular books. I do like to purchase technical books, but I use them more as a resource.
2 immediate thoughts
1) no pinch to shrink/grow... just 5 "aA" icons indictaing 5 levels of font size. Images don't grow.
2) no search
Those are pretty inexcusible, but I have to think that's a V1 thing. At lest it better be.
Otherwise, I like it quite a bit and will do until a proper version using Apple features comes along.
Yeah, that's very sad. Copyright issue or what ?
I don't think so.
You can buy various eBook readers in the UK now (for example the Sony Reader) and download ebooks from waterstones.com
I think Amazon want to prove the concept works for them before rolling it out internationally.
I don't think so.
You can buy various eBook readers in the UK now (for example the Sony Reader) and download ebooks from waterstones.com
I think Amazon want to prove the concept works for them before rolling it out internationally.
While I'm pretty sure that Amazon does want to prove the concept, your example doesn't prove your answer with respect to UK availability. It isn't as if UK rights can't be acquired, but separate effort is needed to get them. Copyrights are sublicensed, divided and sold off by country and have to be negotiated and licensed on a country by country basis with whoever holds those rights in the country in question. I think the system should change, but those contracts are in place and it is going to take some time to dismantle to make it easier to get worldwide rights. I imagine that Sony started their rights acquisition sooner.
jenk, I think you're missing the point. I don't think that Amazon is in the business of building "Kindles" for its own sake. They are building Kindles so that they can sell their e-books. And if they can do that freely to the iPhone users without having to convince them first to get a Kindle, that's a good thing, not a bad thing.
Let's face it. A Kindle still costs money to produce. An iPhone app is almost inexpensive, and an e-book is even cheaper than a CD. So they have little to invest and a huge market to grab. It's a no brainer.
Quoted for truth. Besides kindle's larger screen is definitely going to be much more enjoyable to read than the iphone screen, this is to create more avenues to sell their product, they aren't worry about hardware most people probably won't buy anyways.
While I'm pretty sure that Amazon does want to prove the concept, your example doesn't prove your answer with respect to UK availability. It isn't as if UK rights can't be acquired, but separate effort is needed to get them. Copyrights are sublicensed, divided and sold off by country and have to be negotiated and licensed on a country by country basis with whoever holds those rights in the country in question. I think the system should change, but those contracts are in place and it is going to take some time to dismantle to make it easier to get worldwide rights. I imagine that Sony started their rights acquisition sooner.
I understand your point but what I was saying is that the UK rights to sell certain books as eBooks has already been granted to several UK eBook distributors.
Are you suggesting that each retailer/distributor has to negotiate their own eBook rights in the UK?
I'm not in the book business but surely if the book rights owner has granted rights to Waterstones or WH Smith to sell their book as an eBook in the UK then the same selling rights will be available to Amazon UK? It has nothing to do with Sony - they just make the hardware.
I understand your point but what I was saying is that the UK rights to sell certain books as eBooks has already been granted to several UK eBook distributors.
Are you suggesting that each retailer/distributor has to negotiate their own eBook rights in the UK?
I'm not in the book business but surely if the book rights owner has granted rights to Waterstones or WH Smith to sell their book as an eBook in the UK then the same selling rights will be available to Amazon UK? It has nothing to do with Sony - they just make the hardware.
Maybe I didn't understand that relationship. I don't know, there may be a quick way in if Amazon makes an arrangement to sell books through those services. I thought eReader books could only be bought using a Sony branded channel.
The current Amazon model is that Amazon controls the book selling, because that's where they're trying to make their money. I don't think they will let just anyone sell Kindle format books. I'm pretty sure that Amazon would have to sell through those distributors. If they don't sell through those distributors and they want to sell on their own (and those distributors get a cut of each sale), then they need to negotiate those rights directly with the publishers.
Maybe I didn't understand that relationship. I don't know, there may be a quick way in if Amazon makes an arrangement to sell books through those services. I thought eReader books could only be bought using a Sony branded channel.
The current Amazon model is that Amazon controls the book selling, because that's where they're trying to make their money. I don't think they will let just anyone sell Kindle format books. I'm pretty sure that Amazon would have to sell through those distributors. If they don't sell through those distributors and they want to sell on their own (and those distributors get a cut of each sale), then they need to negotiate those rights directly with the publishers.
The entertainment/publishing industry really like making life complicated.
What we really need is a 7" iPod Touch plus more books on the App Store. Heaven!