eBooks are already here (Score 1)

I've always been a voracious reader. I used to get about 30 books a week from the library and read them all, when I was younger. As I've grown older and have more responsibilities (and less free time), I'm down to perhaps 5 books a week now. I've found though, that I almost never buy paper books anymore. My last few trips overseas, I've loaded up my PDAs (over the years) with 30-40 books, and managed to read those during my vacations.

I listen to audiobooks with my PDA as well (yay Audible.com!).

I completely agree though, that DRM is the key factor that turns me off any proprietary device. Except for Audible (which has a great model for recovering lost books or burning to audio CD), I don't really trust any single manufacturer or publisher to lock their books into proprietary formats.

Does anyone else think that a standalone book reader will work? Lets see:
- my PSP (or DS) for games and movies/TV shows - $300
- my cell for phone calls - $600
- my eBook reader for books - $400
- my iPod / MP3 player for music - $400
- my PDA for, well, everything else? - $600
- a geeky vest with enough pockets for all of these things, and probably a personal security system so I don't get mugged - priceless

I've gotten myself down to three devices, and I'd love to get to one that will do them all. I'd be willing to pay $1000 for that!

AoD