Quote:
Originally Posted by pilotbob
Don't ruin such a great review with such FUD. I think the above was uncalled for. Sony has released the reader in Canada, UK and soon to be France and some other European countries. It just takes time to get the device and distributors together. Face it, as much as the EU is one big happy place, there still aren't many EU wide distribution and sales channels.
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I figure this aspect was part of my decision to choose BeBook, so why not include it in the review?
As a general observation, where did it all go wrong? DVD region coding was one of the most blatant efforts at market control by US business, and that still trickles down to effect every notebook computer owner on the planet (actually every computer owner, but notebooks are the ultimate in mobile DVD players, and yet they're region-locked - stand up for your rights and unlock them yourself, on principle, even if you never play a DVD!). As for eBooks, we hear phrases like "book distribution rights" - doesn't this smack of the same tripe justifying DVD region coding?
"Canada, US and UK" are 3 out of 192 UN member states (~1.6%). "France and some other EU countries" adds a few more to the pot (~2-3%). This low statistic hides the population and wealth distribution of those countries, of course - hence the business decision to not care about anywhere else (why market eReaders in Azerbaijan, Angola, Australia or Argentina?).
But the point is that eReaders are not an overly new concept - I've been after one for at least 5 years, and people in Europe and other regions (e.g. Asia, Australia, Latin America, Russia) have been looking for devices like this as well. Add to that the ridiculous "US only" limitations of the online stores for both Amazon and Sony eBooks (only US addresses, US credit cards, etc.), and their products become pointless outside of the little clique of "deserving" states.
I think FB2 is one of the best open eBook formats around, and it was developed in Russia (there is a huge archive of free Russian literature online), and has a sizable following there and around the world. Apps like the Haali Reader, Stanza, FBReader can view them, Book Designer 4 can convert almost any other format (including many encrypted/DRM files) to FB2 (as well as almost any other format).
Can Sony eReader or Kindle handle FB2? What about other formats? Some years back the Sony PRS-500 was available for people outside the US by ordering from China, then updating the firmware to anglicize it (menus, etc.) - what a pain. I considered it, then rejected the idea because I would have to convert everything to LRF format (or just use TXT).
I'm sure these issues will change/improve in the future, but Sony lost me years ago when they resisted all flash memory formats except their own crappy proprietary "memory stick" that was used by nobody. At least now they allow SD-cards, after how many years? When will they include other open ebook formats on their readers?
Maybe I'm wrong and should get a Sony. Maybe the BeBook is crap (I don't think so, but I'm just one voice). But Sony and others make it so damn hard to just get one that I'm happy to support someone who can deliver to me outside the US, in a reasonable time, for a reasonable price, with some hope of supporting open formats and future enhancements and development.
I do not know if BeBook will meet these future needs, but I know Sony will never do so. So I choose to support BeBook for now - if they can't keep their promises then I'll try someone else later.
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