I’ve always wanted to have a decent Blackberry reader for the many .txt files I have in my desktop, so I was excited when I ran into Wattpad. But it has three flaws.
.
Minor flaw: no support for BIS. You must have a direct TCP connection, which my carrier does not allow. The only option left for me is the “offline” installation, which is indeed a little more involved as Bull himself put it.
.
Minor flaw: even worse, this “offline” installation converts every piece (book or document) into what looks like an application to the Blackberry. So it has to be installed and take up device memory. You can’t keep your books in your memory card. Oh, and when you uninstall a Wattpad book to free up space, you have to reboot the phone or the space won’t be reclaimed. Isn’t that cute?
.
Major big huge unbelievable flaw: instant and compulsory sharing of your content! That’s insane. What if my content is private/sensitive? It will be left out in the open for everyone to see. It even gets announced in the “What’s New” section of the site. And there is no Delete option. It’s there forever.
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And what if my content is copyrighted? So long as I have bought the book, I think it’s perfectly fair use to have a copy in PDF or TXT format to read on my Blackberry. But sharing it with the world is most certainly NOT fair use. Sure enough, just take a stroll around Wattpad and see for yourself: most of the material Wattpad is offering is commercial copyrighted material. That is piracy! I wonder how long it will be until Wattpad gets shut down.
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I wonder if Ivan is loving hearing from me this time around. I wrote to him two months ago to point out those issues. He addressed my concerns with BIS connection – “Only TCP connections are supported at the moment” – but completely dodged the copyright issue. I just visited the Wattpad site and no changes seem to have been applied. You can’t have private uploads. Should I be surprised? Probably not. In fact, by looking at the Wattpad Web site, one can easily assume that piracy is indeed the primary purpose of Wattpad.
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There is a better option in town. Read yesterday’s edition of Berry Review and learn all about it.
Luciano is right. The site is for sharing your works or material that can be distributed without violating the IP rights. Please note that many works were published on Wattpad by the copyright holder and cannot be redistributed, so please refer to the terms of use attached to the individual works.
There are plenty of document readers for the blackberry, so we realize that’s not what we are here to provide. We are trying to create a place for authors to publish their works and a place for people to read interesting works on their mobile device.
Please note there is a review period for all your uploads. If you mistakenly shared some material, or realize there’s an error in your upload, you have the option to delete it during this time. I hope this helps clarify the process.
I love wattpad! I have tons of books with me ready to read whenever and whereever I am. It’s especially great at night in bed b/c I don’t keep my hubby up.
Hey not bad! Easy install, and works just like described. I’m looking forward to my next airport wait when I can sit and read what is out there.
Thanks for writing about us! If you have any suggestions, we’d love to hear from you.
Not a problem! Glad to have done it
I’ve always wanted to have a decent Blackberry reader for the many .txt files I have in my desktop, so I was excited when I ran into Wattpad. But it has three flaws.
.
Minor flaw: no support for BIS. You must have a direct TCP connection, which my carrier does not allow. The only option left for me is the “offline” installation, which is indeed a little more involved as Bull himself put it.
.
Minor flaw: even worse, this “offline” installation converts every piece (book or document) into what looks like an application to the Blackberry. So it has to be installed and take up device memory. You can’t keep your books in your memory card. Oh, and when you uninstall a Wattpad book to free up space, you have to reboot the phone or the space won’t be reclaimed. Isn’t that cute?
.
Major big huge unbelievable flaw: instant and compulsory sharing of your content! That’s insane. What if my content is private/sensitive? It will be left out in the open for everyone to see. It even gets announced in the “What’s New” section of the site. And there is no Delete option. It’s there forever.
.
And what if my content is copyrighted? So long as I have bought the book, I think it’s perfectly fair use to have a copy in PDF or TXT format to read on my Blackberry. But sharing it with the world is most certainly NOT fair use. Sure enough, just take a stroll around Wattpad and see for yourself: most of the material Wattpad is offering is commercial copyrighted material. That is piracy! I wonder how long it will be until Wattpad gets shut down.
.
I wonder if Ivan is loving hearing from me this time around. I wrote to him two months ago to point out those issues. He addressed my concerns with BIS connection – “Only TCP connections are supported at the moment” – but completely dodged the copyright issue. I just visited the Wattpad site and no changes seem to have been applied. You can’t have private uploads. Should I be surprised? Probably not. In fact, by looking at the Wattpad Web site, one can easily assume that piracy is indeed the primary purpose of Wattpad.
.
There is a better option in town. Read yesterday’s edition of Berry Review and learn all about it.
Luciano is right. The site is for sharing your works or material that can be distributed without violating the IP rights. Please note that many works were published on Wattpad by the copyright holder and cannot be redistributed, so please refer to the terms of use attached to the individual works.
There are plenty of document readers for the blackberry, so we realize that’s not what we are here to provide. We are trying to create a place for authors to publish their works and a place for people to read interesting works on their mobile device.
Please note there is a review period for all your uploads. If you mistakenly shared some material, or realize there’s an error in your upload, you have the option to delete it during this time. I hope this helps clarify the process.
Wow, some very good points Luciano. Thanks for bringing those forward. I didn’t notice the TCP connection, I guess my carrier does allow that.
I love wattpad! I have tons of books with me ready to read whenever and whereever I am. It’s especially great at night in bed b/c I don’t keep my hubby up.
You can now delete the ebooks you’ve finished reading..just go to options>advanced options>applications>right click the file and press delete
You will need to restart your blackberry though for the deletion to reflect.
Thanks!