"openquestion" entries
Open Question: Is it realistic for publishers to cut Amazon out of the equation?
Charlie Stross argued that publishers are cutting their own throats with DRM. But should we drop DRM or just drop Amazon?
Author Charlie Stross argued recently that Amazon's growing position toward a monopoly can largely be attributed to publishers' use of DRM. A back-channel discussion brewed about whether cutting Amazon out of the picture entirely would be a viable solution.
Access or ownership: Which will be the default?
The ease of access and the desire to own appear to be on a collision course.
Business, media, publishing, data, education — these are all areas where access vs. ownership has organically popped up in Radar’s coverage. But which model will win out in the long term?
Open Question: What needs to happen for tablets to replace laptops?
Moving from "tablet-plus-laptop" to "tablet-only."
What will it take for tablets to equal — or surpass — their laptop cousins? See specific wish lists and weigh in with your own thoughts.
Open Question: Would you fund your favorite author?
A new service lets authors pitch ideas and collect funding from readers. Would you donate?
With the launch of the Unbound.co.uk publishing platform, readers can fund the books they want to read — and the startup launched with some pretty big-name authors. Would you fund the next book from your favorite author?
Open Question: Are we at the ebook tipping point?
It's official — Kindle books are outselling print books.
Not only have Kindle sales increased by a factor of three year over year, the digital copy sales have overtaken the combined sales of hardcover and paperback book sales. Is the ebook tipping point upon us?
Open question: Would you rent a laptop?
The Google Chrome netbook rumors have expanded to include subscription-based distribution.
Can't afford to buy a laptop? You might be Google's next target audience. New rumors suggest the Internet giant may be plotting to rent laptops, complete with hardware updates and repair as needed.
Open question: How much convenience are you willing to give up for security?
As multi-step security measures become the norm, consumers need to exert more effort.
As more online security responsibility is shouldered by the end user, is enough enough, or are consumers willing to trade convenience for security?
Open Question: How important is a mobile device's "feel"?
The limitations of mobile seem to put the focus on interaction, not tech specs.
Whether you buy into Apple's "post-PC" spin, the rise of mobile computing does seem to shift the perspective from raw tech specs to overall experience. How important is a mobile device's "feel" to you?
Open question: Are ereaders too complex?
The trend toward more ereader features seems to undermine the simplicity of reading.
More and more features appear in new and updated ereader apps and devices. But are those features functional to reading, or are they just extraneous toys that obfuscate the core purpose?
Open question: How should you correct a bad tweet?
Twitter errors are inevitable, but a correction standard has yet to take hold.
We've all tweeted bad links or made spelling errors, and many of us live with the horror of launching a private message into the public Twitter commons. But how do you correct those mistakes?