If a real book is published incorrectly or even in violation of copyright, then sales are stopped and any remaining stock is destroyed. No one would even consider going to customers homes and demanding the sold books back. It’s not even an option. First, it would be too expensive to send a thousand people out to collect the books. 2nd, it would be a public relations disaster.
So why is it ok to reach into a persons home and snatch something off someones Kindle? Just because its done invisibly with a wireless connection doesn’t make it any less of an invasion of your home and your privacy.
Digital media raise many ethical issues for both providers and consumers. Its just too easy to click a mouse and delete content.
As mentioned up thread, it’s instances like this (where no digital copy is to be had), that I often look into other means of attaining a digital copy. I’d feel bad, except that I’d be more than happy to fork over the money if they’d just take it from me.
That said: you can purchase books in one format then convert them via a pretty simple, free computer program. I used Calibre just the other day and found it to be great.
I used Calibre to convert one of my books to sell on Kindle. I tried to use it for the iPad version, and Apple’s tech support says there are many problems with their output and they won’t accept it.
Huh? I can drop a book and not worry about the damn thing breaking. I can even dump soda on it and not worry about it shorting out.
How is the reader more durable?
I just received a Kindle Fire but still can’t think of a good reason for it to replace traditional paper books.
I think that e-readers won’t exactly replace paper books, but will be another way to enjoy reading in the long run. I don’t just read at home, I read when I’m out and about. It’s very handy to pull out my nook in the doctor’s waiting room, for instance. Sure, I have been in the habit of tucking a couple of paperbacks in my purse since I was old enough to carry a real purse, but the nook takes up less space, and weighs less, than a fat paperback. And if I finish the book I’m reading, I can buy another one in under two minutes, without having to leave the room. This is both a point for and against the ereader.
However, I don’t read the nook in the bathroom. There, I only read the used books that I picked on the clearance rack, so if they get a little damp there’s no worries about damages.
I waited a long, long time before buying a Kindle. I asked – pestered! – my friends with tons of techie questions. The answers I got were all positive.
Battery lasts a fair length of time. I only need to re-charge once a week, or less often.
It takes unformatted text files. If nothing else works, convert to .txt. But there are conversion programs that let you import other formats.
You can search! YOU CAN SEARCH! Hot dog! Go ahead, try to search a paperback book for a quote or a keyword. With a reader, it’s easy. This alone really makes me happy!
Two words: Project Gutenberg! Free classics! Hot dog! Joy unconfined!
Cheap books: the Kindle version of many new books are cheaper than the paper version. Not all. I don’t even know if most are. But many are, and it’s great!
pdf display: art work! Yeah, it’s gray-tone, but it’s pretty good gray-tone! I have several big files of .pdfs of art I love, and I can flip through it any time.
Weighs a lot less than a hardback book. I read while supine, and heavy books are physically painful to read. (Also, you know the weird bit when you’re reading just the very first few pages, or the very last pages, of a book? 99% in one hand, 1% in the other: unbalanced. Awkward. An e-reader always is balanced!)
One thing I do wish the Kindle had, was a desktop manager program. Nothing crazy, just something where I could pick which books to send to my Kindle, and where I could organize my collections without having to do it all via the Kindle itself. It’s not a big deal, just a thing I would like if they had.