When portable media players are becoming better priced by the day, these eBook readers will not stand a chance.
If I can buy a device for less than $400 that can play my movies and music, I can see pictures, listen to the radio... and YES I can even read eBooks and any other text document... then, WHY would the consumer buy an eBook reader?

They're gonna have to put A LOT of bells and whistles into them devices if they want to make a profit. Because if all it does is read eBooks, and/or text documents, then that's just setting themselves up for failure.

Heh, I knew this was going to happen, which is why I never really bothered to be worried about the DRM scare.

@xint: This is the same proprietary format loss-leader hardware crap that I thought died out after the bust (excepting consoles and inkjets).

Hahaha! The battle is on between Amazon's development team (HAHA!!) and the rest of the hacking world. Who will win?

That's not the hack. The Kindle supports Mobipocket files directly. You don't need to write a script to do that.

DRM refers to the fact that you can't view Amazon Kindle books on other devices (including your computer), or on other Kindles - i.e. no sharing, the purpose of DRM. It's not to prevent other files from being readable on the Kindle.

I've downloaded plenty of free e-books in Mobipocket format and they show up fine on my Kindle. I've also used Mobipocket software to convert PDFs to that format so that I can read them.

The hack that the link describes is actually to allow ENCRYPTED Mobi files to be read on the Kindle. So you can buy a DRM-protected mobi book and read it on Kindle. Non-DRM Mobi books, like free e-books found online in Mobi format, or files you convert to Mobi files yourself, are already supported.

Non DRM Mobipocket format is already supported on the Kindle just drag and drop. All this guy did was DRM non DRM content. Now if he could un DRM the kindle DRM that would be something.

The Kindle is already able to read more than just Amazon DRMed content, it can handle a number of formats. What this guy's hack does is let you convert encrypted Mobipocket files that were intended for another reader so that that work on Kindle.

Interesting work, but it doesn't have anything to do with hacking the Kindle's DRM.

I agree with several of the posters. In today's world of convergence it is stupid to have a machine that only shows text and pictures. I love the idea of an ebook. I just think that most people will not want to carry around another device just to read books.

What's needed is a Newton for the new millennium. At a minimum an "ebook" needs to play music, video and a gps. What's really needed is better display tech.

You've just introduced a new, horrible idea to the world, Mark. I'm going to go and place a patent on DRM'ing souls, now.

@gary_7vn: I thought the point of an ebook was to do what it does and last weeks at a time while doing it without charging?

"I just think that most people will not want to carry around another device just to read books."

It doesn't matter if most people don't. It only matters if enough people do to make it profitable.

I don't remember the exact quote, but the Amazon guys don't seem to be under any illusions about the DRM lasting for long. It was a concession to publishers in order to get the thing off the ground.

"If I can buy a device for less than $400 that can play my movies and music, I can see pictures, listen to the radio... and YES I can even read eBooks and any other text document... then, WHY would the consumer buy an eBook reader?"

If you can read an entire novel on a glowing LCD screen, that's great. I can't.

"In today's world of convergence it is stupid to have a machine that only shows text and pictures."

Convergence is great, up to a point, but you risk being "Jack of all trades, master of none". I still have a drawer full of spoons and forks, rather than one spork. Sometimes having a dedicated device just makes for a better user interface.

On the DRM thing -- yeah, I expect to see it fully broken very soon. Most consumers will continue to buy from the store. So everyone's moderately happy.

I really enjoyed reading the dark tower series with my laptop turned up on it's side and the brightness turned down. Mapped the front buttons to turn the pages and viola! DIY e-book reader.

Uh... your article title is somewhat false-to-fact, is it not? I mean, the Kindle DRM wasn't hacked to REMOVE the DRM from Kindle purchases, but added to other books so that they too could be read on the Kindle.

@ukslim:

that's because sporks are majorly dorky. especially if you are eating with females at a proper venue. it's not really about the utensil's ability, per se.

Three words... iPhone eBook Reader!

@xint: The Kindle has a built in cell receiver so that you can wirelessly browse, preview and purchase books using one-click. If the whole thing weren't so damned expensive and locked down, it would be really cool. There's no cell contract or monthly fee (bundled into the cost of the product and content), so you never have to think about that end of it, it's just supposed to work.

Think about waiting somewhere in the middle of the day, or perhaps in an airport while you're traveling, and having immediate access to 100,000 books and hundreds of newspapers and periodicals from this pad in your hand. Or, being at home on a rainy day, but wanting to read some new novel that just came out, you can have it in seconds. This concept (not hobbled by DRM) is pretty damned liberating.

As glued to the net as we all are, there's vast quantities of content that is not available online.

@xint: Ebook readers have extremely high contrast/readability and are extremely energy-efficient, being able to display several thousand pages of material without needing to recharge. Your PMP can't do these things nearly as well. Yes, eBooks are a narrow product, but they have their own ways in which PMPs cannot compete.

The original article is completely bogus. Someone already explained what this "hacker" actually did, but as a very happy Kindle owner, I want to correct some of the mistakes. Kindles can read a variety of non-proprietary, non-DRM'ed formats. They read txt, html, jpeg, and non-DRM Mobi files directly. There are converters available from Amazon and/or Mobi for pdf and doc files. Granted the pdf converter seems to have some trouble with graphics laden pdf's, but for books the converter works very well.

The Kindle has many flaws, but it does allow you to read a few different non-DRM formats.

@ludwigk: Good comment about ebook readers being fundamentally different from PMP devices. Another difference is that typically ebook readers are larger than PMP's with larger screens. If you're going to read for a few hours, then the screen of a typical PMP becomes pretty eye-straining (due to size, contrast, and brightness).

If you read some of the Kindle discussion groups, you'll see people complaining about "no backlighting", and then a few days/weeks later they will be lauding the fact that it has no backlighting.

Add me to the list of people who don't want to read on glowing lcd screens. Right now, I carry around at least 1 book with me, so an eReader would be at worst a wash. If you make a media player with a large e-Ink screen, I won't want to carry it with me to the gym when all I want to do is listen to music.

Knock a bit off the price, allow it to connect to wireless networks and the freedom to buy my books from multiple sources and I'd be in. I'll even accept the archaic drm if the books are significantly cheaper than paperbacks.

What's with the "glowing LCD Screens" comments from people? Devices like the Sony Reader, Cybook, and Kindle DO NOT have glowing LCD screens.

CSMITH75, The glowing lcd screens are in response to people asking why we can't just read books on our ipods/cell phones/mp3 players/etc... We know the eBooks don't have it, and are saying we can see why someone would want one instead of an integrated all-in-one device.

399$ is a lot of money for a plastic piece of crap. I had a cheap casioppeia which allows me to read ebooks around 2001.

The Casioppeia, right. You know the conversation we're having about trying to read text for long periods of time on an LCD screen, as opposed to reading on an e-ink screen like the ones on the Kindle and the Sony Reader? Yeah, definitely don't pay any attention to that.

Interesting work around for Amazon's new Kindle eBook reader, Igor writes - We've known for some time already that Amazon's AZW files are actually Mobi files, but Amazon didn't share Kindle's Mobi PID which would allow one to buy encrypted Mobi books for Kindle.

this thing is just so ugly.

Igor's done other DRM work that's made my life easier - QTFU which makes archiving my iTunes library much easier.

Bring down the price, add an innovative interface, add color, native PDF support, increase the size to a good hardcover and offer a paperback size at a lower price.
Add WiFi, and allow the option of warm lighting (i.e. turn it on or off).
THEN people might actually get excited...

@Craysh: Oh, and might I add that they bring the prices of eBooks down? We're not stupid, we know it costs a hell of a lot less to publish an eBook than it does a paper book. So stop charging us the same price as a paperback at $9.99 for an ELECTRONIC BOOK!

Craysh: The ebooks are cheaper than the dead tree editions. You're just comparing new release "hardcover" ebooks to mass market paperbacks.

I'm actually amazed that Amazon got the prices for ebooks as low as they did. Sony couldn't even beat Amazon's print prices.

Craysh, how much do you think printing, binding, distribution contribute to the cost of a book? Nickels and dimes per book, for a large print run.

You're paying for the words, and the words are the same on an eBook as on a pBook.

The problem is what you can do with those words after you've finished reading them. You can sell on a pBook, lend it, give it. eBooks with DRM, you can't. That's a reason eBooks should be cheaper than paper (which they are).

eBooks will make vanity publishing much cheaper, mind you.

Now, when will they be able to tether the Kindle to use its EVDO connection?

They should let your own pdf or other formats to put on it. The device already cost a lot. They can do a lot of money only from selling kindle, like apple does with the ipod. How many user will buy an ipod that can function only with itunes store music(songs)? Nobody, what do i do with my old cd's ? Or music that i can not find on itunes music store? So if they want to succeed they got to let people to put content on it. I already bought printed books from amazon... so i would buy books also with kindle, but if this device is restricted only with their content, i would not buy it, with 400 $ i can buy a lot of printed books.

Has anybody hacked the Kindle files? I love, love, love my Kindle, but after I pay for a Kindle book, I want to be able to read it other places (and, bad on me, share it). So I am looking for the hack from Kindle not the hack to Kindle.

Thanks,
BB