Move over, Kindle. iriver Story HD is Google's e-Reader, $139.99
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Re: Move over, Kindle. iriver Story HD is Google's e-Reader, $139.99
#2Is Google the least innovative high-tech company? I cannot think of a single Google product that wasn't either an improved copy or a takeover of another company's product.
From search to gmail, maps, android, latitude, g+, tv, and now this.
I AM glad they usually make them better and more polished competitors, but still... not an ounce of originality?
Re: Move over, Kindle. iriver Story HD is Google's e-Reader, $139.99
#3Is Google the least innovative high-tech company? I cannot think of a single Google product that wasn't either an improved copy or a takeover of another company's product. From search to gmail, maps, android, latitude, g+, tv, and now this. I AM glad they usually make them better and more polished competitors, but still... not an ounce of originality?
This isn't a Google product -- it's designed by iriver. What's new is that it uses Google Books as its online bookstore, which potentially gives you access to the millions of books they've scanned from university libraries and such.
Re: Move over, Kindle. iriver Story HD is Google's e-Reader, $139.99
#4Unless things have changed, I can vouch for the quality of iRiver's kit, particularly the high quality of their firmware. I have owned a number of MP3 players from them over the years, and all were superb products.
Re: Move over, Kindle. iriver Story HD is Google's e-Reader, $139.99
#5Is there a hope that with more (successfully) competing e-book vendors, more DRM-free books will be in the works? As a Kindle owner, the biggest thing preventing me from considering buying a Google books based device would be the fact that I couldn't read the books I previously purchased through Amazon on it.
Is there any hope that DRM'ed e-books will have a similar trajectory as MP3s did?
Re: Move over, Kindle. iriver Story HD is Google's e-Reader, $139.99
#6Is Google the least innovative high-tech company? I cannot think of a single Google product that wasn't either an improved copy or a takeover of another company's product. From search to gmail, maps, android, latitude, g+, tv, and now this. I AM glad they usually make them better and more polished competitors, but still... not an ounce of originality?
Who has an ounce of originality in your opinion?
Re: Move over, Kindle. iriver Story HD is Google's e-Reader, $139.99
#7is it just me, or does it look shockingly similar to the Kindle (overall shape, screen size, etc.)? I am a Kindle owner, and love it, my only quibble being the DRM they use. on that front, the 3mill+ public domain books on Google Bookstore is a winner. But I don't think it will be a "Kindle killer".
Re: Move over, Kindle. iriver Story HD is Google's e-Reader, $139.99
#8As long as Kindle has free 3g there is no way i'm going to change it. It can be bugged as hell, but the possibility of browsing my email or HN and someother sites from almost everywhere for free cannot be easilly replaced.
Re: Move over, Kindle. iriver Story HD is Google's e-Reader, $139.99
#9Nothing jumps out at me as a Killer Feature that would make me want to own this rather than my Kindle.
I can see Google competing with Facebook, but Amazon? Seems like they should rethink that battle - going head to head is not going to be a winning strategy.
Re: Move over, Kindle. iriver Story HD is Google's e-Reader, $139.99
#10Is there a hope that with more (successfully) competing e-book vendors, more DRM-free books will be in the works? As a Kindle owner, the biggest thing preventing me from considering buying a Google books based device would be the fact that I couldn't read the books I previously purchased through Amazon on it. Is there any hope that DRM'ed e-books will have a similar trajectory as MP3s did?
I have thought about this as well, and I hope (and think) there will be. The Kindle DRM wasn't a problem initially, because it was one of the first widely sold e-readers with a huge company backing it. however, as more devices come out that can compete with the quality of the Kindle, a change will need to happen.
I was about to type "No one will buy Amazon e-books without a Kindle, and no one will buy a Kindle if they can't read the books elsewhere", but I'm backstepping. The current Kindle business model reminds me of Apple/iTunes, something that makes me shudder. If they can still make enough money off DRM content, then maybe the incentive to make it open is small.