http://www.amazon.com/tag/kindle/forum/ref=cm_cd_ef_tft_tp?_encoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx1D7SY3BVSESG&cdThread=TxHIGJQQY7O6YW&displayType=tagsDetail

There’s a pretty complete list of formats that will upload to the kindle–with and without conversion.

I think they have said that they won’t do a remote delete under similar circumstances.

The good news is that people are now aware. If enough don’t like the function they now know to complain.

Ironic that their statement reads a lot like news-speak. They’re not saying (1) that they are going to remove the functionality from the Kindle and (2) they are also not saying that they won’t ever do another remote delete.

http://gizmodo.com/5317180/big-brother-amazon-remotely-deletes-purchased-copies-of-1984-and-animal-farm-from-thousands-of-kindles

But if Kindle ever talks the publishers into real ebook prices (3 bucks) that would make it a sweet deal. I buy ebooks now, but I am sure as hell not paying for the paper that isn’t even there.

BMHusband and I have talked a lot about how it is like the music industry in many ways.

I guess what does intrigue me is the books that are coming out that aren’t 9.99. This has opened a whole can of…possibilities for authors (myself included perhaps.) There’s a few midlist authors that have talked their publishers into offering their books for 3 dollars or so (J.A. Konrath is the main one that has been blogging about it.) The idea for authors is to gain a larger audience. The great part for a kindle reader is that the purchase price is suddenly attractive.

I just read another small publisher that said they wouldn’t publish in Kindle format because it would compete against their hardback price. The problem with that argument is that the hardback buyer and the kindle owner are likely not the same audience. I don’t buy hardbacks. If I owned a kindle, I still wouldn’t buy a hardback. I’d wait for the kindle version, or like now, I’d wait for the paperback or do without the book entirely. There is so much to read, it’s pretty rare that I just *gotta* have a particular book. Even then, I can usually wait a few weeks and find it used.

Like I said. I’m not entirely convinced. But I’m interested.

No doubt it’s either a boondoggle or a group of folks hideously out of touch with reality in oh so many aspects – not to mention that it’s well established that there are a significant number of folks out there that simply cannot absorb any kind of signficant information from a screen.

There was also a knockoff of the Kindle-2 just now making the rounds in Japan that I’d thought about posting a link to, but figured it wasn’t significant enough to mention as it still would have been around $230 in converted currency.

A quick comment on the content prices: I think we’re seeing a phenomena similar in some ways to what happened during the CD “revolution”. It cost far less to produce and distribute content on a CD than by pressing vinyl – and yet the prices for CDs started out at levels twice that of a new “hot” album (and about 30% over special audiophile pressings). There was, and continues to be, nothing to justify this price premium except that the production channel saw an opportunity to crank up their margins. Though CD prices have drifted a little lower over the past 25 years, I believe they are still at a significant premium over what inflation adjusted prices for vinyl would be today. In my view – this is precident(sp?) alone is sufficient reason to resist the Kindle paradigm.

I think they’re smokin’ something. These devices aren’t cheap. Maybe someday, but even so…I’m thinking they could just stick with old fashioned books and stop reprinting them so often. I mean, math doesn’t change that much. Hasn’t since I was in school that I know of. Science, yeah, there are a few things. English…not so much.

:>)