Yeah, we're all for education embracing current
technology, but not like this. Princeton is going to be offering digital textbooks to students starting this fall
semester, in partnership with Missouri-based MBS Textbook Exchange, Inc. Students pick up a barcoded textbook card and
activate it at the cash register, and can then go online for a one-time download of a PDF version of the textbook.
Here's where it goes wrong: the digital textbooks are only discounted 33 percent off their printed counterparts, and
are slathered in a DRM scheme which prevents copying or burning to a CD, limits printing to small passages, locks the
file to the computer you downloaded it to, and expires the book after 5 months. So let's see — your laptop gets fried?
Gotta buy a new book. Going home for break and the book is on your dormroom desktop machine? Tough luck — no printing,
neither, y'hear? No returns or buybacks, either. Wow, what a deal! Thank goodness we're living in the digital
age.
UPDATE:
Dear Engadget Editor,
You are using a protected image (Princeton University's shield with
scroll) on your website without permission. Please remove this image from http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000153053372/ ASAP.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Thomas Bartus
Office of Communications
Princeton University