Amazon To Allow Book Lending On the Kindle 280
angry tapir writes "One of the oldest customs of book lovers and libraries — lending out favorite titles to friends and patrons — is finally getting recognized in the electronic age, at least in one electronic book reader: Amazon has announced that it plans to allow users of its Kindle book reader to 'lend' electronic books to other Kindle users, based on the publisher's discretion. A book can be lent only for up to 14 days. A single book can only be lent once, and the lender cannot read the book while it is loaned out." Kindle may be the best-known e-reader, but the similarly featured Barnes & Noble Nook has had this ability (complete with 14-day timeout) for several months, if not from its introduction.
Even real books do not have such restrictions (Score:5, Funny)
The lend once only is very onerous and I have never seen a good reason why. Can anyone tell me?
I lend my book(s) more than once, even to the same person.
I hate it when they try to force non-physical objects to behave like physical objects.
I guess next they will implement missing pages....
sounds like an opening for my new startup (Score:5, Funny)
It's well-known that venture capitalists are increasingly interested in diversifying beyond the web into "atom-based" startups, i.e. companies working on manufacturing physical items. This is a perfect opening. While the traditional e-book has served us well for years, some of its limitations become apparent when one wants to run a lending system. It can be implemented, but clearly in an onerous manner. That's why my new startup will propose to make physical e-books. They'll be just as readable and affordable as the traditional e-books you know and love, but with our new permaprint technology, the text will actually be physically imprinted onto thin surfaces; a stack of such surfaces will contain the contents of a book. Since each permaprint e-book will be imprinted on a separate stack of surfaces, which can be moved separately, lending will be as simple as lending the appropriate stack. As an added bonus, battery life is much improved.
Re:Even real books do not have such restrictions (Score:4, Funny)
I won't accept ebooks until I can get a digital DRM enforced coffee stain on it.
Re:sounds like an opening for my new startup (Score:3, Funny)
We will make e-book readers so cheap that only the rich will burn paper books.
Re:sometimes, you have to ask yourself... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:sometimes, you have to ask yourself... (Score:3, Funny)
Really, two weeks? I'm a bit envious of those who have enough free time for reading to reliably finish books in only two weeks...
You're envious of my 3 hours/day round trip for work? Really?
Re:Hmmm... (Score:3, Funny)
Yeah, there was an old saying about books, something like: "Never lend books. Give them instead. The effect is the same and you'll look nicer".
Re:sometimes, you have to ask yourself... (Score:2, Funny)
What Amazon is doing here is not true lending. Unless of course, they figure out how to make the ebook come back to you a year later, dogeared, with the spine broken, and coffee rings on the cover.