back to article Amazon eats open ebook reader

Amazon has acquired Lexcycle, maker of the popular Stanza (iTunes link) ebook software for the iPhone, iPod touch, Mac, Windows PCs - and Amazon's own Kindle 2. The acquisition was announced Monday in a posting on Lexcycle's blog, which stated that "we believe there is a lot of innovation ahead for ebooks and we could not …

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  1. Cody

    quick ban them

    Personally I think it is all too confusing, all this choice. We only want one sort of ebook reader, and Apple should write it. We don't want Amazon confusing us with offering one as well. And we don't want to buy ebooks from Amazon, we want to buy them from the iTunes store. It is all too much. So I suggest Apple immediately discontinue the sale of this stuff through the App store, and immediately restrict all sales of ebooks to the iTunes store. And proceed against anyone who tries to either circumvent this, or tell others how to circumvent it, under the DMCA.

    I want Apple to think this thing through and tell me what is best for me, because I am sure they know, and then I can just do what they say and not be so anxious with all these choices I don't want to make.

    Thank you for this, Steve. You are a great man.

  2. PC Paul

    I just hope they don't ruin it...

    Stanza is the most-used app on my iPhone by far, and the best eBook reader I've ever seen.

    Kindle was way too slow turning pages. With Stanza you may get less (but still plenty) on a page but when it takes less than a blink to have the next page ready to go who cares?

    Hopefully Amazon will take it on, keep the good bits and just add useful functionality* without slowing it down.

    I'm sure it's possible. Not sure I've ever seen it happen, but it must be possible. Isn't it?

    * How about indicating which books I've already read, hmm?

  3. Paul
    Paris Hilton

    Errr... @Cody

    I hope he's joking, else the uberMacBorger will be try to patent the bloody the alphabet next... and call it the Applebet.

    sigh

    You know you couldn't get away with making sh*t like this up in a fiction story.

    Paris, cos she knows her AZ inside out

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Well Bugger.

    I liked Stanza. It kept me entertained on my lunchbreak. I honestly can't see amazon not destroying it, so I guess I'll have to find an alternative ereader app.

  5. Cthonus
    Stop

    And now for the missing information

    You seem to have missed out the disclaimer next to the iPhone Kindle link which says it's not available outside of the USA.

    Or did you not know that??

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    @ PC Paul

    You can't remember what you've read? Not marking them is the best function you could have. Put two or three books on there, and you never have to buy any more for life! Result! :)

    @ The other Paul (20:43) - comedians (and friends with jokes,) must fear your approach more than tumbleweeds and crickets ...

  7. PC Paul
    Unhappy

    @AC

    I can remember what I've read, but I don't always remember the titles - especially for, say, the whole Sherlock Holmes set which is on there for free (from FeedBooks, IIRC)

    It's annoying to go through a list of about 15 books to find the ones you haven't read yet, when the only way to check is to load it up then start reading and see if it rings a bell...

    It would also be nice to have some sort of ordering to series of books so you don't read the last in a series first...

    But I'm sure Amazon will be looking after it and aren't starting on the Embrace Extend Extinguish road as so many other of our favourite companies do...

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    @Cody

    Whew, for a minute there I though my blood sugar had gone wild. Then I realized iPeed myself reading your joke.

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