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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

#11

Post by moskie »

winsbe01 wrote: post #10
moskie wrote: post #5

Is 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 the…

And the problem with saying "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," is that it's already untrue. With the Kindle app on iOS and Android devices, plenty of people are doing just that. Don't really have numbers to back that up, though...

So another option came to mind: E-readers that can run apps. Apps like Kindle, or Google Books. That might just be wishful thinking, though.

Re: Move over, Kindle. iriver Story HD is Google's e-Reader, $139.99

#12

Post by CrazedGeek »

moskie wrote: post #11
winsbe01 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 the…

And the problem with saying "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," is that it's already untrue. With the Kindle app on iOS and Android devices, plenty of people are doing just that. Don't really have numbers to back that up, though... So another option came to mind: E-readers that can run apps. Apps like Kindle, or Google Books. That mig…

The Nook 2nd Edition is apparently really easy to root and install apps on: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1138564

Re: Move over, Kindle. iriver Story HD is Google's e-Reader, $139.99

#14

Post by camiller »

davidw wrote: post #9

Nothing 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.

Yeah, but I don't own a Kindle. If I owned a Kindle I probably wouldn't be inclined to switch either having invested in books locked (albeit easily unlocked) to that platform. I had been considering the Kobo reader since Kobo is the only vendor that also offers an app for my phone as well. I might also consider this iRiver reader since I know that the Google Books website works fine on my phone.

Re: Move over, Kindle. iriver Story HD is Google's e-Reader, $139.99

#17

Post by matmann2001 »

The name to take away from this article is not "Google" this time. It's "iRiver". Though never vastly popular in the US, iRiver has made some damn good products. I've owned several models of their MP3 players and they were nothing short of amazing.

iRiver products are sleek, ergonomic, and very user-friendly. While everyone I knew was boasting about their iPods, my iRiver was outperforming their devices with features that Apple didn't implement for several models later (features like Video, Radio, Games, Album Artwork, Flash Player, Widgets, OLED display, bigger HD, and more)

You can count that this new e-Reader is going to be a great piece of technology. And with Google in on it, too. The Kindle may meet its match.

Re: Move over, Kindle. iriver Story HD is Google's e-Reader, $139.99

#18

Post by merryandrew »

Google's eBook strategy is excellent. Google licenses eBooks at prices that rival Amazon and B&N, and the eBooks can be read in browsers, on cell phones, on eReaders from B&N, Sony, and now iRiver, etc., and if and when Amazon enables the Kindle to read ePUB eBooks that employ Adobe Content Server DRM (e.g., eBooks that Google, B&N and Sony sell, and public libraries lend), then Google eBooks will be accessible practically anywhere. Pretty shrewd move on Google's part.

The iRiver device looks pretty good, but as duiker101 points out, the Kindle has the unique 3G advantage.

Re: Move over, Kindle. iriver Story HD is Google's e-Reader, $139.99

#19

Post by kenjackson »

camiller wrote: post #14
davidw wrote: post #9

Nothing 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.

Yeah, but I don't own a Kindle. If I owned a Kindle I probably wouldn't be inclined to switch either having invested in books locked (albeit easily unlocked) to that platform. I had been considering the Kobo reader since Kobo is the only vendor that also offers an app for my phone as well. I might also consider this iRiver reader since I know that the Google Books website works fine on my phone.

I had been considering the Kobo reader since Kobo is the only vendor that also offers an app for my phone as well

What phone do you have?

Re: Move over, Kindle. iriver Story HD is Google's e-Reader, $139.99

#20

Post by camiller »

kenjackson wrote: post #19
camiller wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, but I don't own a Kindle. If I owned a Kindle I probably wouldn't be inclined to switch either having invested in books locked (albeit easily unlocked) to that platform. I had been considering the Kobo reader since Kobo is the only vendor that also offers an app for my phone as well. I might also consider this iRiver reader since I know that the Google Books website works fine on my phone.

I had been considering the Kobo reader since Kobo is the only vendor that also offers an app for my phone as well What phone do you have?

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