New FBReader trick: Picking up Mobi and PalmDoc books automatically

Comments:

• Todd Jonz says:

  January 6, 2008 at 6:47 pm

  David writes:

  Sony needs to remind people that without .epub, their books may not be readable five or ten years [from] now on their favorite reading gizmo.

  I think it’s very important to distinguish between .epub as a distribution format and DRM as a vendor lock-in strategy, especially with regard to the Sony Reader.

  Yes, folks who purchase DRMed content from Sony’s store may well find it unusable in the future (I’m accepting offers for my old Betamax video tapes!) But I see no reason to assume that Sony’s promised support for .epub is necessarily an indication it intends to abandon its proprietary DRM format. After all, Sony BMG is the only major RIAA member that is not yet making its music catalog widely available in an unprotected format. Unless Sony gets religion very soon, I suspect it will offer only public domain works in .epub format.

  Remember, too, that Sony doesn’t have a particularly good track record as a supporter of industry standards (e.g. ATRAC vs. MP3, MemoryStick vs. non-proprietary flash memory formats.) Even if/when the .epub spec incorporates an interoperable DRM standard (the creation of which is more easily said than done), Sony may choose to stick with it’s proprietary DRM format. The more widely a DRM scheme is deployed, the sooner it becomes an attractive target for crackers to attack. Consider AACS, the DRM scheme used on Blu-ray and HD DVD discs, which was successfully cracked within a week of its release.

  Until the publishers of intellectual property abandon the assumption that their customers are are out to rip them off and realize that DRM is more likely to hurt sales than help them, I don’t hold much hope. Are book publishers generally smarter or more insightful than record company or movie studio executives?
• David Rothman says:

  January 6, 2008 at 8:09 pm

  Todd, those are excellent points, but you’ll notice that even Sony, or at least Sony BMG, is backing off a bit. Let’s see what if the IDPF can do interoperable with DRM. Ideally the book publishers are capable of understanding the risk of letting an Apple-like company dominate their industry, iPod fashion. If interoperable DRM fails, then let’s hope this clears the way for the best solution: no DRM or at least just social DRM. Totally agree with you about the cracking risks. That’s the craziness of it all. I hate to see honest customers punished when the technology is such a laugh. David
• Todd Jonz says:

  January 6, 2008 at 11:35 pm

  David writes:

  at least Sony BMG, is backing off a bit

  Granted. It will be most interesting to see what develops after Sony dips a tentative toe into the waters of unencumbered music with the Pepsi promotion that will be unveiled during the Super Bowl broadcast. My doubts stem from the fact that Sony has been very slow to adopt open systems, even as its competitors kick its corporate butt in the marketplace with product after product.

  Let’s see what..the IDPF can do [with] interoperable…DRM

  We should certainlykeep our fingers crossed. The IDPF’s success or failure in this will depend largely on what really motivates its member companies to want DRM in the first place. If it’s customer lock-in, I predict it will have a very hard to hoe.

  If interoperable DRM fails, then let’s hope this clears the way for the best solution: no DRM

  Say amen, somebody!
• Todd Jonz says:

  January 7, 2008 at 5:45 pm

  Not to keep harping on the same old topic (he said as he prepared to harp away), there’s good news and bad news from Sony today that bears on a couple of issues I raised above.

  As reported by Reuters, Sony BMG has apparently seen the light, and will offer a program under which customers may purchase unencumbered MP3s from its web site. According to Reuters the program will offer only complete albums, not individual tracks. It is also unclear from the Reuters article whether this is a subscription service or a per-download service. Not ideal, but it’s progress.

  An article at Ars Technica today discusses the announcement of Sony’s TransferJet technology, which will compete with the Bluetooth 3.0 spec. While TJ is superior to BT3 in some ways, Sony could have endeavored to make this technology part of the Bluetooth spec (as the UWB consortium did, successfully BTW, with its ultra-wideband technology), which would have benefited consumers. Instead it chose to develop it was a proprietary technology, which will benefit only Sony (to the detriment of comsumers) by generating licensing fees and aftermarket demand for Sony products. The beat goes on….
• Adam B. says:

  January 7, 2008 at 5:50 pm

  David,

  I plan to have this version ported to the iLiad soon. Be sure to subscribe to my blog for updates.

  Thanks,

  Adam B.
• David Rothman says:

  January 8, 2008 at 3:14 pm

  Thanks for the update, Adam. Will subscribe (if I haven’t already), but just to be sure, please email me anyway when you release the port. Delighted it’s on the way! Thanks. David