

Sony to link Readers with libraries, allow e-book borrowing - timwiseman
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2009/08/sony-to-link-readers-with-libraries-allow-e-book-borrowing.ars

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SwellJoe
What I find even more interesting is Sony's use of a standard book format (DRM
appears to still be involved, however).

So very un-Sony like. I guess fear of Amazon Kindle has made Sony take a
different path than usual. Or maybe just finally realized that tightly
controlled proprietary "standards" don't fare well in a well-informed market
(BetaMax, MiniDisc, Memory Stick, BlueRay--which, despite "winning" the HD
disc format war will never replace DVDs for the majority of customers, since
we'll mostly go straight to digital delivery before that happens--etc.).

Good to see, since Amazon has taken the tightly controlled DRM-filled path. I
wouldn't want the ebook market to naturally flow that way.

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omouse
_According to Sony's Haber, the new version of its online book store will
allow users to enter their ZIP code and determine whether the local library
offers electronic versions of its books. These books can be downloaded, at
which point they'll have a 21-day expiration date—no late fees, as Haber was
happy to point out._

Wow, these people are stupid. They're stuck using the constraints of the
physical world. Amazing.

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Raphael
Borrowing bits. Pointless.

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jamesbritt
You may laugh at the idea, but I had to wait to "borrow" a downloadable audio
book from the Phoenix library until a copy was "returned".

