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

Post by xerophtye » Fri, Sep 06, 2013, 8:00 AM UTC

shire wrote: post #91

jlees wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like owning books, too, until I had to move continents and sell my entire library. I think folks are missing one aspect of the Netflix-style experience; discovery. Sure, the joy of flipping through the sci-fi/fantasy section in the local bookstore or library is an unparallelled experience -- but I've found book discovery via Amazon to provide me with far more than simply gazing at shelves. It's not only the product…

You read 10-20 books a month? interesting, either you have a lot of time or your a really fast reader I can do maybe 7. What's your secret? teach me Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Post by dan-bell » Fri, Sep 06, 2013, 1:43 PM UTC

phaedrix wrote: post #72

So...Would have to read books on an LCD screen instead of a nice-on-the-eyes Kindle screen? No thanks.

Post by draz » Fri, Sep 06, 2013, 9:09 PM UTC

GotNothing wrote: post #50

draz wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Post by lectrick » Mon, Sep 09, 2013, 2:41 PM UTC

rfnslyr wrote: post #37

anigbrowl wrote: post #6

The model is just too compelling for consumers: Pay a reasonable price, get access to all the content you want without having to own it I quite like owning my books, actually. There's already an alternative to doing so, called a library; since the book sales business did quite well int he pre-internet days despite the widespread availability of libraries, I'm not sure why the author thinks a functioning e-book librar…

I feel the same way. I love owning my stuff. My MP3 files, my ebooks, my hardcopies, vinyls, cd's, etc. All this "in the cloud" stuff just adds an extra overhead to my already stressful life. "Will this company perish and all my shit be gone? Is it secure?" are questions I always think about. When I have that physical copy, the (mostly) only person I have to blame is myself for not maintaining my items integrity.