Overdrive online audiobook library comes to Windows Mobile

[Todd Allcock]

Fellow WinMo MVP Laura Rooke turned me on to this just yesterday:

http://www.overdrive.com/aboutus/getArticle.aspx?newsArticleID=20090909

If you've never used Overdrive, you're missing out on a neat concept:
Overdrive is a downloadable audiobook (and video) service used by many
public libraries. You can "borrow" audiobooks, music, videos, etc. by
downloading DRM'd content that expires automatically at the end of the
lending period, which then automatically becomes available to other
borrowers.

WinMo users, including myself, have been able to enjoy Overdrive content for
years by syncing the content from their PC, but with the release of this
software, we can borrow and download content directly to our devices over
the air without a PC being involved. Most Overdrive titles are broken into
parts so you can download and start enjoying part 1 while the rest of the
parts silently download in the background.

Overdrive claims the WinMo client is just the first of a series of software
clients they'll be creating for mobile platforms including Blackberry and
the iPhone. It's nice to see Windows Mobile getting the first crack at some
useful software and services instead of that phone with the half-eaten fruit
on the back.. (Maybe we'll see an Amazon Kindle client one of these days?)

Once you install the software on the device, you can log-in to your local
library website (assuming they offer Overdrive content) with your WinMo
browser, browse their Overdrive catalog, enter your library card number,
place books in your shopping cart, checkout, and download the content all
from the device.

[Beverly Howard]

Interesting...

Anyone know what versions of winmobile are supported? (i.e. is it wm6+
only?)

The link on their page simply points back to microsoft which only
clarifies which _current_ phones run the windows mobile os.


fwiw, and apologies for peering around to the dark side, but I worked
with our local library a couple of years ago to investigate Overdrive
audio ebook options and what the costs to the library were and found
that for this small community the fees were far out of range... if
memory serves, high five figures to initiate plus significant ongoing
subscription fees.

Beverly Howard

[Todd Allcock]

Sadly it's WM5+ only. Earlier devices can play the Overdrive content just
fine, but you have to load it on the device from a PC running the desktop
version of Overdrive and play it in WMP. The new software is essentially a
combination download manager and player which handles the DRM of the content
so it doesn't require syncing from the PC (with the appropriate DRM license
transfer!)

While I'm anti-DRM for owned content, I think it's ideal for
"rental"/"borrow" scenarios- this allows you to "check out" audio books and
"return" them right from home. Once the usage period expires, the
downloaded files are "dead" and you can delete them.

Thanks for the insight on the fees to implement Overdrive. In my area
(Denver, Colorado metro) most of the cities and towns do not operate their
own libraries, but simply open branches of a larger countywide library.
This spreads the costs around, and patrons can have desired books delivered
to their closest library from other branches or inter-library loan from
other counties. Unfortunately, this leaves many smaller communities
unserved by a town library; their closest branch might be a town or two
away, but we do have bookmobiles, and an excellent online reservation
system, so you could have your desired materials loaded on the bookmobile
ahead of time and pick them up when your town is served by it.

In my case, I have library cards from my county's system, and the next
county over, both of which use Overdrive (one just offers audio, one offers
audio and video,) so I have two Overdrive library systems to choose content
from.

Post by Beverly Howard
Interesting...
Anyone know what versions of winmobile are supported? (i.e. is it wm6+
only?)
The link on their page simply points back to microsoft which only
clarifies which _current_ phones run the windows mobile os.
fwiw, and apologies for peering around to the dark side, but I worked with
our local library a couple of years ago to investigate Overdrive audio
ebook options and what the costs to the library were and found that for
this small community the fees were far out of range... if memory serves,
high five figures to initiate plus significant ongoing subscription fees.
Beverly Howard