It is all about DRM of course. I took at a look at Adobe Digital Editions<\/a>. This is the software for reading an epub protected with DRM delivered by Adobe Content Server 4<\/a>, which I presume is what Waterstones is using. I installed it and saw dialogs just like the ones I remember from the failed Microsoft Reader and its lit format:<\/p>\n I can \u201cactivate\u201d up to six devices on which to read my ebooks. A few other things caught my eye. System requirements<\/a> show Windows and Mac but not Linux. The faq<\/a> says Digital Editions does not connect behind ISA server \u2013 that would hit me, as I use ISA, the Microsoft firewall \u2013 and explains bad scenarios. For example, if you don\u2019t authorize your computer, maybe because you don\u2019t want to give your personal details to Adobe, the books are locked forever to that one computer. I presume you couldn\u2019t even transfer them to a Sony Reader.<\/p>\n Surprisingly, the faq says that the only supported device is Sony Reader PRS-505, though it adds:<\/p>\n Adobe is actively working to support other platforms and devices. Further developments will be announced when available.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n No iPhone (Stanza<\/a>). No Amazon Kindle<\/a>. Won\u2019t work on my Windows Mobile devices, or any phone as far as I can tell. <\/p>\n The reader itself worked fine. I downloaded a free book from Feedbooks<\/a> and added it to the library \u2013 no DRM, phew.<\/p>\n As for Watersones ebooks, right now, there are several things to dislike. First, if I\u2019m going to buy an ebook, I do want to be able to read it across all my devices \u2013 a specialist reader has its place, but other mobile devices are also important. I wouldn\u2019t consider it without that. Second, the DRM is a nuisance. Third, the prices strike me as too high. For example, I can buy John Le Carre\u2019s A Most Wanted Man for \u00a313.99, which Waterstones tells me is a discount of \u00a35.70 from the list price of \u00a318.99. However, the same book is on offer in hardback for \u00a312.50. So I am paying a premium to get the ebook. <\/p>\n Software books definitely have advantages. They are weightless, green, searchable, you can vary the type size. However they have disadvantages too. You need a device to read them; you can\u2019t sell them on; you have no physical backup; there is no smart cover; and you don\u2019t get the sensual pleasure of turning over crisp new pages. Further, the publisher is saving manufacturing cost, and the retailer is saving storage and carriage costs: shouldn\u2019t those savings be passed on?<\/p>\n These factors, combined with the DRM nuisance and the format wars, would make me cautious about investing in Waterstones ebooks at the moment. <\/p>\n There is a political aspect to all this. Amazon is expected to launch Kindle in the UK at some point. It needs wireless support for direct content download, which may be holding it up<\/a>. However, UK publishers seem solidly behind epub and Sony\/Adobe. The Bookseller observes<\/a>:<\/p>\n There may be a collective strategy about this: no-one\u2014least of all Penguin, HarperCollins, Hachette, Macmillan or Random House\u2014wants to see Amazon in possession of the dominant e-book device, and by consequence become the only e-book retailer.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Of course the publishers can support multiple formats. My guess is that Amazon will be a significant player with Kindle, even though it is late arriving.<\/p>\n Someone considering a Sony Reader from Waterstones (a UK bookseller) asked me what I thought. I haven\u2019t tried the Sony Reader yet \u2013 it would be an interesting thing to review and I\u2019ve heard good reports of its usability and readability. The snag for me would be that I\u2019m already device-laden when out and about, … Continue reading DRM-protected epub a good buy?<\/span> ![](\"http:\/\/www.itwriting.com\/images\/authorize.gif\")
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