Could Motricity, parent company of eReader, be the first victim of the Adobe-Macromedia and the Amazon-Mobipocket deals? Or could Motricity drop eReader and use others’ readers in the near future? One example of eReaders’ problems is the ascendancy of Adobe and Mobipocket in the library market.
So what’s ahead–or not ahead–for eReader? The R&D resources of Motricity just can’t match those of the competition. Needless to say, an early adoption of the OpenReader approch could give Motricity an edge. I just wouldn’t count on it. Technologically Microsoft’s .lit format it much closer OpenReader than the more primitive eReader is–but can the eReader folks ever cope with the Not Invented Here syndrome?
The financial side: Motricity, which among other things helps acts as an integrator of various mobile technologies and distributes content, tells LocalTech Wire that “Motricity does generate significant revenue today, but as a privately-held company we do not disclose our financial details”–including whether the cash flow is positive.
It would be such a shame if eReader went under. While I’d prefer an open standard, in today’s quagmire, eReader is my favourite format. Easy to transfer, Dave! Text and background options. Your credit card is your DRM key, which is easy. No restrictions on where and how many places you can read your book. Works on Palm and Windows. And considerably — considerably — cheaper than any other format. If it weren’t for the principle of the thing, I’d be happy to declare them winner. I cannot understand why people bother with Microsoft Reader or, worse, Adobe, both of which are unpleasant reading experiences.
You’re right about eReader’s DRM, Margo. It’s more gentle than the others. But technically eReader isn’t as sophisticated as Microsoft Reader, and in terms of aesthetics and usability, I myself prefer Mobipocket among the proprietary formats. (My very favorite reader these days is uBook, because of the precise control it offers over fonts and the rest.)
Of course, with an OpenReader approach, people could choose their own readers and still be able to benefit from books in a common format. Plus, OpenReader could better cope with the needs of the technical world and academia than could today’s eReader. Remember, eReader could swith to OpenReader format and adapt the existing interface.
Just my hardly infallible opinion! Thanks for your thoughts, Margo, and hello to Nick.
David
eReader password encryption is not a DRM.
I found Peanut files (downloadable with the cc number) purchased with solen credit cards.
At least Microsoft and Mobipocket have real DRM, I mean encryption technologies based on the reading device.
Definitions of DRM can be tricky. Many would agree that we’re not talkin’ Peanuts here. Some wouldn’t. Wikipedia does at least include digital watermarking, which isn’t the same but is similar in providing a unique ID. Thanks for your take on this, Laura!