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Today's topics:
* OverDrive to Release eBook Reading Apps - 3 messages, 2 authors
http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.smartphone/t/1626f28c53413dc8?hl=en
* Windows Mobile 7 will have no copy/paste??? - 1 messages, 1 author
http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.smartphone/t/42c0772d712c2bf3?hl=en
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TOPIC: OverDrive to Release eBook Reading Apps
http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.smartphone/t/1626f28c53413dc8?hl=en
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== 1 of 3 ==
Date: Mon, May 24 2010 12:23 am
From: Todd Allcock
At 23 May 2010 19:24:19 -0500 Beverly Howard wrote:
> Interesting...
>
> A few years ago, I spent some time working with our (small) local
> library looking at overdrive's offerings as they struggled with the
> need to provide ebooks to library patrons.
>
> Bottom line, at the time the initial cost to the library was in the mid
> five figures and required an ongoing multi thousand dollar subscription
> to maintain the service.
>
> It would be interesting to see if the cost has become more reasonable
> in the interum... my experience with the attempt to help the library
> was rather frustrating and the costs were far beyond their resources.
>
> Beverly Howard
Sounds like Overdrive needs a competitor... ;) With the recent
popularity of ebook readers, I smell a business opportunity! It might be
a good time for a service that managed backends for libraries and also
rented materials directly to end-users.
AFAIK, the hosting and infrastructure is all on Overdrive's servers, so I
don't see why they need to charge so much to start out, other than for
the content itself (even in electronic format, the library has to
purchase a copy of each item they wish to lend. At an average price of
$10-15 for ebooks and that much or more for each audiobook, the initial
cost could be pretty high.)
How much of that mid-five figures you quoted was for content? Do they
have a minimum buy-in? Between my several local library cards and few
select cards from around the country borrowed from luddite friends and
relatives with no interest in e-anything, I currently have access to
eight Overdrive libraries, (looking for Liverpool, UK, if anyone's
offering!) ;) and most have an extraordinary similarity in older content-
almost as if they all had to buy the same "starter set" initially. The
"richer" libraries have more recent releases and bestsellers, but there
seems to be a core set of materials all of them have.
When working with your local library, did they consider a shared system?
Here in Colorado, our three or four largest counties have their own
Overdrive eLibraries; most of the rest belong to a single shared
statewide system, presumably to share costs.
My home state of Rhode Island has a similar shared statewide system- no
library system there has their own eLibrary- they're all part of the
"Ocean State EZone." Kansas and Maryland are two others I use that have
statewide shared systems. It makes recently released "hot" items a
little harder to borrow because of the larger user pool, but it allows
for a lot more depth of inventory, since each county or city doesn't have
to buy a copy of the same materials.
While I'd be sad to see Overdrive milking public libraries because they
have no real competition, for end users it's a pretty slick system, and a
nice alternative to purchasing content you have no intention of using
more than once.
== 2 of 3 ==
Date: Mon, May 24 2010 7:42 am
From: Beverly Howard
>> How much of that mid-five figures you quoted was for content? <<
Been too long... it became quickly apparent that what they had to offer
was aimed at large institutions and since it was so far over the ability
for our local library to pay, so, we gave up at that point.
>> servers <<
Good observation. Things are still at the point where the muscle is
aimed directly at the patron because of the fear of piracy. The
publishers are still insisting on doing everything possible to prevent
the past from continuing in the electronic arena. It's mystifying to
watch the completely unrealistic "solutions" that the designers come up
with. A huge waste of resources when the end result is going to be
"see, we told you people wouldn't use it"
Read my first ebook sometime in the mid 90's... and things have been
getting worse ever since.
Beverly Howard
== 3 of 3 ==
Date: Mon, May 24 2010 9:54 pm
From: Todd Allcock
At 24 May 2010 09:42:50 -0500 Beverly Howard wrote:
> >> How much of that mid-five figures you quoted was for content? <<
>
> Been too long... it became quickly apparent that what they had to offer
> was aimed at large institutions and since it was so far over the
> ability for our local library to pay, so, we gave up at that point.
It's a shame Overdrive didn't (and perhaps doesn't) have a less expensive
option for smaller libraries. You'd think it'd be in their best interest
to get libraries on board cheaplyto increase interest and let the
libraries scale up to larger collections (and fees) as needed.
> >> servers <<
>
> Good observation. Things are still at the point where the muscle is
> aimed directly at the patron because of the fear of piracy. The
> publishers are still insisting on doing everything possible to prevent
> the past from continuing in the electronic arena. It's mystifying to
> watch the completely unrealistic "solutions" that the designers come up
> with. A huge waste of resources when the end result is going to be "see,
> we told you people wouldn't use it"
DRM is far less offensive to me in a rental/borrow scenario like this,
than in a content purchase scenario. The DRM scheme only has to last for
my rental period! What bugs me is that when technology eventually
marches on, it can obsolete your prior purchases. My 50-year old paper
books are still perfectly readable, but who can still read their 10 year-
old Franklin Bookman or Gemstar Rocket ebooks?
> Read my first ebook sometime in the mid 90's... and things have been
> getting worse ever since.
Yep- too many formats and DRM schemes. You almost wonder why they bother-
virtually every ebook DRM scheme has been broken, so the Forces of the
Ungodly can just as easily pirate virtually every published ebook as if
there were no DRM at all. It seems to be a system completely useless for
protecting copyright, yet capable of providing maximum inconvenience to
honest users!
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TOPIC: Windows Mobile 7 will have no copy/paste???
http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.smartphone/t/42c0772d712c2bf3?hl=en
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== 1 of 1 ==
Date: Mon, May 24 2010 11:21 am
From: "meskuh"
"M Skabialka" <mskabialka@NOSPAMdrc.com> je napisao u poruci -
news:O4dKHn59KHA.2248@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>I have read that there will be no copy/paste clipboard in Windows Mobile 7
>but I use that feature a lot in 6.5.
> e.g. after I went to the dentist today he gave me two more appointments -
> I copied today's appointment and pasted twice on the appropriate days and
> times and was done in less than a minute. In replying to an email I
> copied some text from another email and a link from Internet explorer. I
> often find uses for this feature on my touch screen phone that save me
> time keying in or transcribing text.
>
> Is there a way to let Microsoft know that this is unacceptable?
>
I sent few posts to the newsgroup, regarding windows mobile os, but never
sent any about my disapointment when I discovered the unpossibility
to download files with the filename extension .pdf from web pages . I had
luck because I discovered a little application that solve that , and other
extensions, problem. Size - 11K, interesting ha?
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