Societally, we should certainly have control over the rules that pertain to software and digital content. We've somehow ceded that to business lobbyists and lawyers, so yes, they make the rules. I consider public citizen pushback against that to be a good thing, even if it's "just" grousing on a forum. You change laws and culture by first challenging attitudes. Watcha doin' on Consumerist if you aren't of a similar "speak up" mindset?

If you buy something through an Amazon link on my site, I get 6.5 or 7 percent in a kickback -- that is, for anything but a Kindle book. If I send Amazon a Kindle book customer, and they buy $40 worth of books, as somebody did this week, I get ZERO.

So, while I had planned a Kindle store filled with all the books I like, I totally scrapped it. Had a paper with all the links pasted in -- crumpled it up and threw it in the trash.

Why Amazon has made the decision, on what's supposed to be the future of books, to screw over all the Amazon Associates, I have no idea. I talked to the Kindle Team, who talked to the Associates, who have no plans right now on changing this -- that I know of.

I even snail-mailed a letter to Jeff Bezos.

Still ZERO for bloggers who send Amazon Kindle books customers. Nice.

Are there a few glitches? Sure. Is it worth getting steamed up over? No way!

I already follow all the precautions listed in the article above - I think they're only common sense.

So let's all chill and read a book, in whatever format floats your boat!

I must say, the idea of having a kindle has grown on me but it's just way too much. For what it offers, i fail to see why it's any more than $200. isn't it not even in color?

@PieroLobster: PDAs also have the advantage of being useful for other things, like wifi web browsing, games, movies, MP3s, etc. Can the Kindling (or Swindle, as Red_Eye called it below) actually do anything besides handle ebooks?

And whether it's my own scans, free ebooks (Gutenburg, et al) or purchased no-DRM books, I like the fact that I never have to worry about being screwed. Single vendors and monopolists will always try to rip off their customers. Absolute markets corrupt absolutely.

@Red_Eye: And I thought Kindling was a good name for it, because people are getting burnt....

I bought my Kindle in February, I love my Kindle, and my wife loves hers - If I bought a book that wasn't supposed to be legally available on the Kindle, I would expect them to remove it, and as long as I got MY MONEY BACK, it'd be fine!

I've read more books, and more often since I bought my Kindle than I had in years, and I love the device. If you don't want a Kindle, stay the heck out of forums whining about why you'd never have one - it makes NO SENSE, people!

Bonus: you can also transfer them to another device that's not Amazon branded or approved.

With the Orwell deletion, Amazon now has made three large anti-consumer gaffes on the Kindle just since December 2008:

1. secret limits to the number of device activations per title;
2. secret limits to the number of highlights per title;
3. failure to honor the licensing agreement as written.

It's irresponsible to continue assuming that Amazon can be counted on to uphold its end of the Kindle bargain.

And if I'd known about the Ayn Rand or Harry Potter incidents before the Orwell incident hit the media, I'd have felt the same way--so to answer your question, it's not different.

I own all the Harry Potter books. But until JK Rowling allows the Electronic Editions of her books to be sold I have found free versions of the books on my Kindle. I have sent a letter to JK Rowling herself explaining this to her. Its kind of like owning the CD or DVD and making a backup copy of it.

The Kindle is the most popular E-Book reader in the USA, soon to be released in Europe. I can get a book in 60 seconds or less. I just find it ironic it was Orwell Books that got this done to them. For all you guys know it is the publisher trying to do some free advertising for themselves or trying to play hardball with Amazon.

So just chill and relax in the meantime. You have been given alternatives to find books. Put your energies into enjoying them and not so much into being angry at something you have no control over.

Funny how the author of this article seems to neglect to mention the fact that Amazon deleted the books BECAUSE THEY WERE ILLEGALLY PRODUCED AND SOLD. Whether or not you bought the product in "good faith," why do you have a right to keep a piece of essentially stolen property?

I'm not going to get into a big debate about the definition of "theft" or how digital files aren't the same as physical objects-- I know the difference. I just don't see where all this tinfoil hat nonsense is coming from.

Amazon has also shut down people selling bootleg Harry Potter books, etc., yet THIS seems a different story. Why is it different? Why should Amazon allow you to keep something you don't have the right to own?

The only option seems to be to totally close down the marketplace for small sellers.

I'd love to get rid of IE. I never use it.

LOL! I'm the same way. That's why I have so many books at home and lug them all over the place whenever and wherever I move.

Besides, if I had a Kindle or other reader, what if I drop it in the bathtub?!

I would be happy, been trying to find a way for years.

And more and more alternative download/watch/listen sources will present themselves.

uhh, that's already happened, no suits.

See: Java

Though if you're in the US, they aren't public domain here. That's why they got yanked from Amazon in the first place. They were posted by a 3rd party in violation of US copyright.

I think stand-alone reading devices are just a stop on the road. When screen and battery technologies get better allowing for lightweight, highly readable screens that can go for days on a charge (like eInk) and have the fast refresh we need for other applications (like LCD) people will be reading a lot more on tablets, netbooks and smartphones. Most people don't read a lot of books but they do read magazines and such. That's the kind of ephemera that is a no-brainer to replace with digital copies.

Personally, now that I have a reader, I never want to go back to paper books. It's way more comfortable and convenient to read on a device. It's lighter. I can increase the font size when my eyes are tired. It automatically remembers my place. I can search through my books on it and look up words in the dictionary. Yes, it's also great for travel since I can have a whole library with me, but I don't see why I would only use it for that or when I'm out.

I do like reading newspapers on the Kindle though, I've always hated newspaper paper-didn't like the "feel" and found it a pain to put into order- so that part is perfect for me.

I can't read off a regular LCD for that long but eInk is just as comfortable as reading paper.

The Sony is lovely but I can't believe it still doesn't have dictionary support. At least the 700 lets you search and annotate your stuff but I don't like the look of the screen.

1. It is not illegal to hack the DRM. If you do this with your own eBooks and not other people. This is is legal with the DMCA, despite Amazon's TOS. Remember, TOS can try to take your rights (under law) away, but it is not legally enforceable.

2. There is a "bomb" for lack of a better word, in your Kindle. This allows the wireless to be turned back on at any time. The only real way to turn off wireless is to remove that portion of the hardware and/or firmware.

Other then the above, the article is pretty accurate :)

But, anyway, thanks for this--it's spot-on. I have lots of reasons for preferring print books, but those reasons are much more related to matters of preference than to larger issues of efficiency and usability. My main objections to the Kindle, however, are just what you mentioned--the close ties to Amazon, the in-the-cloud storage, the ridiculous licensing terms. Ebooks as an overall concept can overcome these limitations.

@legotech:

God I love those guys...DRM free...great books...free library. I wish more publishers "got it" like they do.

[lifehacker.com]

Imagine if Microsoft suddenly was sued because Internet Explorer was infringing on a copyright, but instead of going through a legal process and then no longer supporting IE, microsoft suddenly hit a magic button and everyone in the world lost IE on their computers.

There would be hell to pay, Class action suits against MS and the media coverage would turn them into periahs

sure this is just a book but its the same concept. Unfortunetly it will take Amazon removing a book that a senator or judge was currently reading before Justice is served.

Why put DRM in something unless you plan to use it? We're not talking stalemate nuclear warheads here, we're talking spending time and money on a "feature" and expecting the company won't take advantage of it.

I absolutely refuse to participate in any DRM schemes whatsoever.

And, of course if you want copies of George Orwell's writings - [ebooks.adelaide.edu.au]

The e-reader is never going to replace books...I don't think anyone - even Amazon - believes that. It's more of a travel/going to the gym/taking to work kind of thing.

I've been perfectly happy thus far with my sone Ebook reader too, the $200 deal at borders was a great excuse to give this technology a try.

I don't miss the sprint enabled wifi connectivity at all, but I also haven't had the guts to stop in at Sony's ebook store with its awful awful prices.

Think of how pissed people would be if Microsoft just started deleting your apps if it decided they were no longer acceptable for you to have on your PC/Laptop. People would raise holly hell over that, but they tolerate it, most likely out of ignorance, when they buy devices where one company controls any/all content you can place on the device.

Consumers can change things if they are smart/responsible with the devices they support with their money!

@I Love New Jersey: How right you are. :)

I can't read off a screen for the time it takes to finish a novel, it drives me insane. I'll be that cranky old lady 50 years from now holding onto my paperbacks as my grandkids mock me mercilessly. Bastards.

I can load it with whatever I want and no one is looking over my shoulder. I can buy books from the Sony store, or with open-source Calibre I can convert any file to epub (it's an open format - unlike the kindle format) - or read pdfs and other files directly on the reader.
Plus, Google Books allows you to download any of its public domain books in epub format directly to your reader.

Baen also has Kindle format on their free website: [www.baen.com]