So..how long before the hack?

So Amazon includes functionality in the Kindle 2 that it wants to let authors disable.

How long before a hack disables the disabling?

From here

Publishers and authors now have the power to silence the Kindle 2 e-book reader.

Amazon.com Inc. reversed course Friday on the device's controversial text-to-speech feature, which reads digital books aloud in a robotic voice. The company gave rights holders the ability to disable the feature for individual titles.

Seattle-based Amazon said it had already begun to alter its systems to give publishers and authors the choice to disable the text-to-speech function, and that they could decide for themselves whether it was in their commercial interests to leave it enabled.

"We believe many will decide that it is," Amazon said.

And for those who don't, the hack will be out next week.

I'm trying to imagine why an author would want to disable such a thing, other than being a douchebag... I guess maybe they want people to buy the professionally-read audio version on iTunes, instead?

DINGDINGDINGDINGDING!

So if you want to switch between reading and listening, you have to buy two copies.

The authors have every right to do this. The users have every right to disable it in the name of fair use.

Sometimes I wonder how long it's going to take before some trade association or industry group files an injunction to close all public lending libraries for copyright infringement.:mad:

richlevy;540302 wrote:

The users have every right to disable it in the name of fair use.

Except if it's illegal. (See DMCA, circumvention.)