The new Sony Reader, the biggest competition to the Kindle, is supposedly going to be able to check out digital books from libraries that use the Overdrive service. I guess this begs the obvious question: why go to the library for this service at all? I guess that Overdrive just bulk offers the checkoutability service to libraries (hello restrictive DRM!) which is something but man I just wish their service were better and easier to use.
2 thoughts on “sony reader works with ebooks and libraries, sort of”
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Libraries certainly offer more than just books. Furthermore, not everyone can afford an ebook.
Using the service can be difficult, but I think the Sony Reader transfer is easier than transferring an audiobook to a player. Plus you can hack the Sony Reader to give you longer check-out times.
I think this is great because you have the possibility of getting free library books wireless on a Sony Reader. I think free new books are what is missing in the ebook front, a real digital public library. Libraries also offer Sony Readers for checkout with library books on them.
It’s a very nice step to see news stories that actually include both the words “library” and “ebook”, but I think the format will be heavily niche until it stops being such a pain in the ass to use and lets go of the restrictions of physical media.