Amazon slips video into Apple's e-books
Kindle books will now come with embedded video and audio content, but only for those who eschewed the Kindle hardware for Apple's iOS alternatives. Punters who bought Amazon's own e-book-reading hardware won't be able to enjoy the multimedia-enhanced editions - only those running the Kindle software on an iPhone, iPad or iPod …
How long before "free" e-books with adverts? Each new chapter - or every 20 pages, say - you have to sit through a 2 minute advert?
I don't see how it could be considered "shafting" them to add sound and video, any more than it would be to add color. They took nothing away from their hardware, they just added stuff to their software.
Those kindle people still have the e-ink they are always on about for all those times when they are reading in the sun, or whatever the reason they like it is.
Have to agree it's not "shafting" anyone to add multimedia to those devices capable of using it, although the Kindle itself is capable of playing MP3s (and audiobooks) so there's at least *some* capability for audio media there. The *real* question is, do the PC/Mac-based Kindle readers also have access to the enhancements?
E-ink displays are definitely easier on the eyes, given enough light to read by. I have a Kindle and an iPad, and will use either one depending on the situation. Since they sync up and jump to the place where I left off, switching from one to another is no problem.
I had a teacher named Birdwhistle once. I suspect he'd fit into the pad rather well.
As a kindle owner, I'm not put out at all by this. If I wanted embedded video and eyestrain, I'd just read on my computer.
> but we're not convinced that parents should leaving the singing of lullabies to their iPad.
Well, I don't see how it's different compared to the numerous toys out there that sings lullabies to babies, or indeed musical mobiles or wind-up/pull-string crib music boxes that many of us grew up with.
The one with the antique pull-string bunny in the pocket, thanks.
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