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Wikipedia’s Kindle page
November 20, 2007 | 2:27 pm
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By David Rothman
Here. Nice overview. Wikipedia‘s take on formats:
“Users can download content from Amazon in the proprietary Kindle format (AZW), or load unprotected Mobipocket (PRC, MOBI) or plain text content. Amazon offers an email-based service that will convert HTML, DOC (Microsoft Word), JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP documents to AZW.It also supports audio in the form of MP3s and Audible 2, 3, and 4 audiobooks, which must be transferred to the Kindle over USB or on an SD card.”
Related: Amazon’s Kindle vs. Sony Reader, on CNet.
(Thanks, Beth.)
Technorati Tags: Amazon , Kindle
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Comments:
Although no fan of DRM, I am amazed at the technological feat of hosting two different DRM systems (Audible & the new AZW format) on the same machine. On the other hand, the fact that it doesn’t support encrypted mobipocket seems really strange. If anything they should offer liberal conversion terms for people who bought mobipocket books previously. That’s just being fair.
Okay, so I’m loving my Kindle here…reading ebooks, visiting web pages…very nice…reading Project Gutenberg files from that web site…then I break out the manual and notice the License Agreement…so, about that free wireless web browsing….
“General. Amazon provides wireless connectivity free of charge to you for certain shopping and acquisition services on your Device. You will be charge a fee for wireless connectivity for your use of other wireless services on your Device, such as Web browsing and downloading of personal files, should you elect to use those services.”
Oh, and they can “chang[e] the amount and terms applicable for wireless connectivity charges” at any time.
Kindle buyer: I can haz wireless?
amazon: Sure. Ya payz!!
I knew something was lurking somewhere. The “experimental” function of the browser now becomes clear: it’s a trapdoor!
Brian, if you can spare the change, why not email me a JPG of what the TeleBlog looks like on your Kindle
Thanks. David
Will do. Just got home and plugged it into my PC. The Mobipocket Desktop app — of which I am a big fan — recognized the Kindle right away and had no problems syncing with it.
Assuming they don’t start charging for wireless the biggest drawback I really notice at this point is the keyboard. After using smaller keyboards extensively on my Blackberry and Treo, the Kindle keyboard is a major step backward. The keys are much further apart than on a smartphone, and I find it feels like I’m constantly reaching for the right key instead of just pressing it. I can type pretty fast on my Blackberry now, but typing on the Kindle is a very slow experience. Maybe users will adjust…I’ll see.
Also there’s a much louder noticable mechanical click from the keys than I’m used to. I can text with my Blackberry during a meeting without anyone noticing. I’m not sure I could type on this without anyone hearing and wonder what was going on.
No protected Mobi? Doesn’t Amazon freaking *own* Mobi? How’s that for a stick in the eye?
Again, it would be funny if it wasn’t so freaking stupid.
– C
“I
The fact that Kindle does not support encrypted Mobipocket books is really strange. By conventional wisdom, supporting this format will certainly increase the sale of Kindle because many people
have already bought them. Conversely, supporting this format can also increase the sale of encrypted Mobipocket books because you have one more device to read on. Remember, Mobipocket is an Amazon company, then why didn’t Kindle help Mobipocket and itself?
Of course, Bezos is not “freaking stupid”. There must be a reason behind this decision. What is the reason? After a few hours of thinking, the only reason that makes sense to me is that Amazon wants
everyone to buy ebooks from them. Currently, Mobipocket has many distribution channels through
its retailer program. Apparently, Amazon doesn’t like that. They can make more money if everyone buy ebooks
directly from them Actually, Amazon does not need the retailer program because it is much more famous than any other retailers.
If this is the real reason, then the fate of Mobipocket is doubtful. I do hope someone can come up with a more sensible reason.
i think we need more analysis of whether the new format is based on mobipocket or not. i think the amazon abandonment of mobipocket DRM stuff might have more to do with migration paths and the cost of maintaining legacy content than any monopolistic ambition. maybe they just decided that mobipocket drm sucked and they wanted something more powerful. oh, the fools!
It would be so easy for amazon to offer some kind of exchange program, where you can trade up content that amazon already distributes. i have a feeling that amazon will find a way to meet those objections eventually.
maybe amazon found that it was much easier to use software intended for one type of hw than to use software with more options to suit a variety of devices.
I am still waiting for the official review of the Kindle by you folks. Right now, its just a lot of information
any plans to do what Bob Russell did at MobileRead forums ? Or should we be following Publishers Weekly 
To Nagle:
Thanks for suggesting sensible reasons why Kindle does not support Mobi DRM: (1) mobipocket drm sucked, and (2) developing software for one type of hardware is much easier. Unfortunately, these reasons reinforce my fear that Amazon might dump Mobipocket. The Mobi eBook Reader is a really nice product. I have been waiting Mobi to fully support the epub standard. It looks like this wish will never come true. Sad …….
No, the lack of encrypted mobi is clearly an attempt to lock-in the consumer channel. That’s why it’s so freaking stupid. Consider:
The iPod is more open than this device; while Apple doesn’t sell MP3s–the single most common format for music–the iPod happily plays them, even when you buy them from another service.
In this case, converting PDFs–the single most common format for text–*costs money*. Further, Amazon sells protected Mobi ebooks which won’t work on the device. That’s like Apple deciding to sell WMA format.
The difference is Apple realizes that they are a hardware company, first and foremost. Anything that would restrict iPod sales is then clearly bad. Amazon, however, is a *sales service* company. Producing hardware is only good for them if it increases *sales*. Thus, they want to own the sales channel for the device, and that means locking competing sales channels out.
Their mistake is not realizing that *growing the market* is a more effective way to boost sales than locking customers to your service. By way of example, the introduction of Starbucks into a local market does not–generally–kill local small coffee shops; in fact, adding a Starbucks generally boosts sales at the local shops because Starbucks helps to grow the market of coffee drinkers, and everyone–Starbucks and its competitors–shares in that growth.
So while the Kindle may find a niche, it’s not the iPod for ebooks that Bezos wants it to be.
No DRM mobi is clearly an attempt to lock-in the sales channel. That’s why it’s so freaking stupid.
Consider the iPod. Apple doesn’t sell MP3s-the single most common music format-but the device happily plays them even when purchased through another channel.
The Kindle doesn’t support HTML or PDfs-the single most common formats for formatted text-without a conversion that *costs money*. In addition, Amazon sells ebooks in a format that this device won’t read.
This is like Apple deciding to sell WMA through iTunes.
The difference is that Apple realizes that it is a hardware company, first and foremost. Anything that restricts hardware sales is therefore bad, and avoided. Closing the iPod to the point where it would only play must from iTunes would be bad.
Amazon, on the other hand, is a sales and service company. Hardware sales are only useful when they support the service. This means locking out competitor sales channels–and that means no DRM mobi and PDFs or formats based on HTML.
Why is this stupid? Because the single most effective way to increase sales is to *grow the market*. Starbucks, for example, doesn’t usually kill local coffee shops when it enters a market because it tends to grow the market for coffee drinkers, and *everyone* shares in that growth–including Starbucks. Apple took this approach with the iPod, but Amazon has chosen otherwise with the Kindle. So while the Kindle may find a niche–as the Zune has–it’s not the iPod Bezos wants it to be.
– C
I shudder to think of what the PDF conversions will look like. And if you paid for them….