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Oyster, Netflix for books, is launching the beta version of its iPhone app

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Re: Oyster, Netflix for books, is launching the beta version of its iPhone app

#41

How about we just support our public libraries? I haven't found a better alternative and I'm already paying for it.

An online library has the same advantage over a physical library as Amazon has over physical retail stores and Netflix has over physical video rental stores: massive long-tail inventory.

Re: Oyster, Netflix for books, is launching the beta version of its iPhone app

#42
post #10
post #2

This looks neat but I find it weird that they targeted the iPhone first instead of the iPad. Isn't reading on iPhone hard?

Not to me. But then, I used to read audiobooks on my Palm Pilot in 2001.

you read "audio" books?

Re: Oyster, Netflix for books, is launching the beta version of its iPhone app

#43
post #4

Oyster? Really? Like the Oyster travel site: http://www.oyster.com/ Or the Oyster travel card: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14836.aspx ?

Really the name belongs to a bivalve and everyone else is ripping off an entire species. I'm tired of thinking people are going to be able to pay for their tube fare with a mollusc - only to find out after reading it's really some silly smartcard!

Re: Oyster, Netflix for books, is launching the beta version of its iPhone app

#45
post #2

This looks neat but I find it weird that they targeted the iPhone first instead of the iPad. Isn't reading on iPhone hard?

I read the entire "Game of Thrones" book series and "The Count of Monte-Cristo" (and most of the other reading I've done in the last two years) on a iPod touch. The new 5th Generation screen is quite nice in Landscape mode.

Wow... I tried reading with the Kindle app on my Samsung Note. I couldn't do it. The 7 inch tablet on the other hand...

Re: Oyster, Netflix for books, is launching the beta version of its iPhone app

#46
post #40
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair, isn't comparing this to a library similar to comparing Netflix to Blockbuster?

Except that libraries tend to be free.

In some libraries you pay an annual membership fee, not dissimilar to the flat monthly fee paid to Netflix (and now Oyster), as opposed to the per-rental fee Blockbuster used to charge.

Re: Oyster, Netflix for books, is launching the beta version of its iPhone app

#48
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to me. But then, I used to read audiobooks on my Palm Pilot in 2001.

you read "audio" books?

How can a book itself be "audio", anyway? And if books become audio by default someday, what will current books be called? "Written" books?

I propose: "I audio-read an audio-book".

Re: Oyster, Netflix for books, is launching the beta version of its iPhone app

#49

For $9.95 a month, I'd rather support my local library/bookstore. Unlike movies, where I could watch 5-6 on a really lazy Saturday, books take quite a bit more time. I'm a pretty regular reader and I'm lucky if I get through 2 books a month. Based on: http://gawker.com/5971571/are-you-an-above+average-book-read... I read about the average (outlier) person, so for $9.95 I'd rather own the one or two books I can read t…

my thoughts exactly. they're supposedly targeting the casual reader, but how many casual readers read more than 1 book a month? at one book a month the pricing model makes no sense. it's really at 4 books a month where it starts to look cheap, but 1 book a week is a very steep hill for most people. reading is an active activity unlike tv or music which are inherently passive. IMO that makes a big difference in how mu…

I would say this is for those that can get through 4-5+ books a month (like me and others I know). Not for everyone, but I know many that would find this better than having an actual monthly book budget. Libraries also have similar programs for ebooks (or at least mine does).

Re: Oyster, Netflix for books, is launching the beta version of its iPhone app

#50
post #25

For $9.95 a month, I'd rather support my local library/bookstore. Unlike movies, where I could watch 5-6 on a really lazy Saturday, books take quite a bit more time. I'm a pretty regular reader and I'm lucky if I get through 2 books a month. Based on: http://gawker.com/5971571/are-you-an-above+average-book-read... I read about the average (outlier) person, so for $9.95 I'd rather own the one or two books I can read t…

I read on my commute to/from work. Not sure about the # of books I finish a month, but I can say that I may be willing to "experiment" more with books I wouldn't have otherwise. No downside to read the first 3 chapters and then switch to another book, if you don't like it. I think, therefore, that it might be a nice DISCOVERY tool.

I could see a person wanting to use as a "Discovery" tool, that's a big reason I subscribe to Spotify.

However, Amazon offers samples of eBooks (most of them I believe) and they offer that service for free.

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