It does have Kobo e-book reader software pre-installed. Dunno what formats it is compatible with, and how they deal with DRM or the lack. I may have to experiment -- and see if I can put my own books on, or whether I'm locked to their source.
The library ebooks use the Adobe DRM. I know that the actual Kobo reader devices can read library books. So I would expect there's a way to make this software do it too. But you might have to do something like install Adobe Digital Editions on your PC, and register your device to it.
I suppose it's possible that the Canadian libraries use something different.
But I follow a forum called mobileread.com where they talk about this stuff, and that forum is very international. USAians are checking out books from libraries in Singapore, and New Zealanders are checking out books from libraries in Philadelphia. I don't recall anything specifically about Canada, but I'd be surprised if your library is different just because it's in Canada. If it's different, I'd predict it's because someone in that particular library chose a less common vendor for ebooks and is doggedly pursuing their own plan.
You'd have to check with your library to really find out.
There are definitely international differences, that get hashed to death out there. But they mainly have to do with books people are buying, and various mechanisms for circumventing publisher's attempts to restrict sales of specific books to specific countries. Every thread like that has someone jumping on their soapbox to remind the USAians that other people use this stuff too. :)
I doubt that you have to do that for adobe. I read some stuff from the library and if you want to move a book between PC to phone to whatever, you have to register, otherwise you just download to the device you want to use and stick to that.
Go to the Baen website and download some books. They even have a bunch available for free download, or you can pay fairly reasonable prices and even get bundles.
There's a version for my Viewsonic gTablet, so it's not just Apple. I haven't opened it so I am not familiar with it, but I've heard lots of chatter about it so I did notice it when I skimmed past it.
The game is by Rovio (http://www.rovio.com/index.php?page=angry-birds), not Apple. It is popular enough that they ported it to several platforms (I have it for Android) but I think it is too early to see it on the BlackBerry (although I wouldn't be surprised if they port it, before too long).
I remembering hearing that it would require, minimally, a recompile in order to do that. Other than that issue (which seems like it shouldn't be required), it sounded like a good idea. I don't think that Google has provided any sort of "Dalvik compliance specification", though, so that might make it difficult for developers and users to want to rely on it.
I would be surprised at a recompile, since I think the stuff is all in Java. There might be performance issues, though, running through (essentially) an Android vm on the Playbook.
Part of the issues is that, while the high-level language used for writing code is Java and the machine follows the high-level Java rules, Dalvik is a completely different bytecode specification and they don't use Java class files, either.
Still, I would have thought that someone could write a Dalvik loader for an otherwise vanilla RIM JVM, and then convert it into whatever internal representation the VM wants. Worst-case scenario: it MUST be possible to AOT the stuff into Java bytecode.
Me thinks that someone might have a patent in the way of getting this working (gotta love the modern industry where lawyers have more control over what can be implemented than those who need to do the work).
It is quite possible, and perhaps even likely, that Playbook is not running a "vanilla RIM JVM", given that it is running a different OS from every previous RIM device.
Also, as I understand it, Android was supposed to be a fairly open platform, with the base environment being (usually) Linux. I can't see that it would be too hard to port that to another POSIX OS like, say, QNX. Of course, that is all just speculation. I don't know what is or has actually been done.
Yeah, assuming that all of the source is released (I have no idea how much of it they released), it shouldn't be too hard to port to QNX (assuming it doesn't rely on some facilities of a "magic" Linux variant).
Then again, it would be in Google's best interests to release the port, themselves, since it would expand their market.
Download applications... I don't know how good the Blackberry ones are, but there should be a metric ton of free stuff available. There should be a Kindle reader available for free. Calibre is good software for your computer to load books. You can "buy" free classics on Amazon. The public library sucks for e-books, since you have to queue for the book. Completely ridiculous for digital media. I have a Kindle and order my books right from it. The Kobo app should be similar for Amazon.ca.
That's totally normal for digital stuff - the library can only afford so many licenses. Now, some publishers want the license to end after 17 lending, that I have a problem with.
I am not going to rant about licensing of media versus owning it. I'm not. (Writes out 1000s of times, in attempt to listen to own advice, wins for now because I have to kill a cat).
A lot of the Kindle stuff, even the freebies, is DRM'd, which keeps you from format converting it to something that will read on a non-Kindle. You can go to http://apprenticealf.wordpress.com/ and download tools to strip the DRM. There are even plugins for Calibre, at least if you're running under Windows. Dunno about other operating systems though.
I was familiar with the Baen free library. I've got it book-marked here and there.
I can download & strip DRM for my PC -- dunno about the Playbook. I have more... limited... tools for what I can do on it. Well, unless I can crack it. :)
Have you checked out O'Reilly? (oreilly.com) Tons of (non-play) books in a variety of DRM-free formats; something's bound to work. Or, depending on data costs, you could try safaribooksonline.com (also O'Reilly) and read without downloading. I think safari has a free trial.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2011-05-28 12:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 12:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 12:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 12:24 am (UTC)I wonder if library ebooks here and in Michigan (and even in different states) all use the same DRM?
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Date: 2011-05-28 12:37 am (UTC)But I follow a forum called mobileread.com where they talk about this stuff, and that forum is very international. USAians are checking out books from libraries in Singapore, and New Zealanders are checking out books from libraries in Philadelphia. I don't recall anything specifically about Canada, but I'd be surprised if your library is different just because it's in Canada. If it's different, I'd predict it's because someone in that particular library chose a less common vendor for ebooks and is doggedly pursuing their own plan.
You'd have to check with your library to really find out.
no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 12:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 12:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 12:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 01:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 01:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-29 01:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-29 01:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 12:06 am (UTC)Oh wait, you said Blackberry didn't you?
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Date: 2011-05-28 12:10 am (UTC)I have no idea what Angry Birds is, other than I've heard it mentioned here and there.
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Date: 2011-05-28 12:22 am (UTC)Perhaps I can get it on my Mac, I've never tried.
So my new suggestion is: play?
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Date: 2011-05-28 12:24 am (UTC)Yeah, play looks like a choice. I think I can browse the web, too.
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Date: 2011-05-28 12:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 02:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 02:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 02:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 02:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 02:42 am (UTC)Still, I would have thought that someone could write a Dalvik loader for an otherwise vanilla RIM JVM, and then convert it into whatever internal representation the VM wants. Worst-case scenario: it MUST be possible to AOT the stuff into Java bytecode.
Me thinks that someone might have a patent in the way of getting this working (gotta love the modern industry where lawyers have more control over what can be implemented than those who need to do the work).
no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 02:47 am (UTC)Also, as I understand it, Android was supposed to be a fairly open platform, with the base environment being (usually) Linux. I can't see that it would be too hard to port that to another POSIX OS like, say, QNX. Of course, that is all just speculation. I don't know what is or has actually been done.
no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 02:52 am (UTC)Then again, it would be in Google's best interests to release the port, themselves, since it would expand their market.
no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 12:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 12:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 12:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 01:03 am (UTC)I may look for a kindle reader -- but with Kobo pre-installed, who knows if Kindle has done an app (yet).
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Date: 2011-05-28 01:27 am (UTC)I am not going to rant about licensing of media versus owning it. I'm not. (Writes out 1000s of times, in attempt to listen to own advice, wins for now because I have to kill a cat).
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Date: 2011-05-28 01:31 am (UTC)Yeah, that rant. I expect that I completely agree.
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Date: 2011-05-28 03:48 am (UTC)Baen books offers a lot of free ebooks, completely legal:
http://www.baen.com/library/
http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/
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Date: 2011-05-28 03:50 am (UTC)I can download & strip DRM for my PC -- dunno about the Playbook. I have more... limited... tools for what I can do on it. Well, unless I can crack it. :)
no subject
Date: 2011-05-29 01:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 07:42 pm (UTC)