Otaku Gadgets

There are two very interesting pieces of news circulating about the Internet currently. Hence I just had to take a look see. One is about BlackBerry finally making its desktop software for Mac OS official and the other is about Amazon acting all Big-Brother on its Kindle customers. I will of course tease you and save the more sensational piece of news for last.

Thus we start by looking at something that has being going around for quite sometime now as (almost confirmed) rumors. BlackBerry has finally made its BlackBerry Desktop Software for Mac OS official through its official blog. They have put up a lot of screenshots of the software too. However, it is not time yet for its release. So all you impatient Mac-owning BlackBerry users will just have to wait it out a bit more.

BlackBerry had decided to tease its users with the preview version of the BlackBerry Media Sync software for Mac last December. From then till now, there have been numerous comments on the ‘Inside BlackBerry’ blog and elsewhere about a Mac Version of the BlackBerry Desktop Software. Finally, the company has given the green signal to release news and screenshots of the software. They say it will arrive in September this year.

The features are quite solid and it will likely make the Mac wielding part of RIM’s customer base quite happy. Top of the list we see sync options for iTunes playlists, calendars, contacts, notes and tasks. This is of course focused  mostly on the work part. Other than the iTunes sync, all the other options are very important things that every business user needs.

The software also allows you to add/remove applications. Now that’s going to be a handy feature to have for sure. So far, those who did not have a Windows Machine were stuck doing it all from the handheld device.

The Desktop Software also promises to update your BlackBerry device whenever new software is available. That basically means you can put it on auto update (hopefully) and forget about it. You just need to keep your handset synced, that’s all.

The most important feature for the serious BlackBerry users is perhaps this one – backup and restore your data with the Desktop Software. It also has optional encryption. I cannot emphasize enough on the encryption part. BlackBerries are used by corporate honchos and important executives all over the world. The data that they carry on their BlackBerries is often of a very sensitive nature. So it is not enough to just back it up (although that is very important) it is also very necessary to keep it secure.

And finally – it also allows you to manage multiple devices. This last one was a nice final touch. Now all that remains to be seen is whether the software lives up to the expectations of the BlackBerry users. The answer is coming soon to a Mac near you.

The Inside BlackBerry blog post: -

http://blogs.blackberry.com/2009/07/many-of-you-commented-on.html

AND With that we end the BlackBerry part of this news bulletin. Coming up next – Amazon reaches in to its customers’ Kindles to delete data without their permission. What has the world come to?

(Sorry, always wanted to do that )

It is true though. Amazon has actually reached in to the Kindles of many users to pull and delete content. The  alarm was raised by a kindle user over at the Kindle Community on the  Amazon forum. Apparently, the person had received refund notices via email from Amazon for some of her purchases. Turns out, it was a copyright issue for which Amazon had to pull two books out of the Kindle Store. Here’s what really happened: -

At first, Amazon sent out emails that gave the impression that the publisher had decided to pull their own content for some reason. Amazon stated that it is a rarity but well within the rights of the publishers to do so. However, this was not the whole truth but a very twisted little part of it. The e-books in question are two works of political fiction and criticism by George Orwell – Animal Farm and 1984. The whole thing smacks of Napoleon and his cronies, doesn’t it? (for those who have read Animal Farm)

A publisher on Kindle called MobileRefenrence, formats and sells public domain books to Kindle owners. Public Domain books are those books that have lived out their copyright period. So they move from being privately owned to the hands of the public. This publisher was selling Animal Farm and 1984 on the Kindle Store but there was one problem. Apparently the two books are not in the public domain yet, at least not in the US. Amazon said to tech news Site ‘ars technica’ that the books were added to the Kindle service by the Publisher through their Self-Service platform. They pulled the content as soon as they were made aware of the situation. They also mentioned that it is not listed on the publisher’s website either.

But the question here is bigger than just the refund or such an infringement happening and getting ‘rectified’. What gives Amazon the right to delete e-books that have already been purchased by the users? This is almost like the shopkeeper hiring people to quietly steal the newly bought half-read paperback whilst you sleep. Then send you your refund and a note in the mail saying the publisher had decided not to sell the books after all.

Amazon has promised to change its system so that the customers do  not have to go through this if a similar things happens in the future. Well Amazon, that is very nice to know. However, will someone please tell me why Amazon had a system to remotely delete content on Kindles in the first place? This is as dicey a situation as ever.

This is the problem with proprietary technology sometimes – you are not entirely sure about the folks guarding the gates. Are they keeping things in or are they keeping you from getting out? Time to start thinking people.

The forum post that started it all - Permalink to the post.