06 January 2010 · Jeffery Wong
Reading
2010年剛開始便遇上麻煩。
最近Conceptable接連收到兩封信，都是為了Reading這個app，兩封認真的公函，同樣內附了Reading的screen shot一大堆，一封來自香港某報章，一封來自一間負責本地傳媒內容發佈版權的公司，投訴指Reading的部分內容抵觸了香港的版權條例。
其實Sean在08年尾寫Reading時，只為方便自己每日閱讀港聞。那個時候香港的iPhone users比現在少得多，App Store亦幾乎沒有local的apps，反正Reading都寫了出來，何不放上App Store做free app，與香港的users分享這個我們自覺幾好用的程式？
Reading的第一個version很簡單，只是普通不過的純文字RSS Reader，卻得到出乎意料的正面反應，於是我們繼續想、繼續做，希望讓user用Reading用得更方便。在後來的version，我們多次增加function，例如聽取了iPod Touch user的意見令Reading容許用家offline讀新聞等，每一次user看得見或看不見的update，其實也費神費時間，不過每次在街上看見人用Reading，覺得這個app可能令香港多了幾個人讀報、讓人拿少幾份推倒樹木換來的免費報紙，也算為消失中的熱帶雨林出了分力吧。
說回這次投訴，我和Sean也要承認是自己在版權問題上疏忽了。本來簡單的解決方法是只刪除相關的內容，取消快取內文，Reading仍可繼續operate提供有限機構的新聞RSS Feed。但思前想後，若這個原本能讓user閱讀不同傳媒以不同角度報導同一則新聞的Reading程式，變成了只一、兩間傳媒報導的發放渠道，Reading也失去了原本的意義。因此我和Sean決定暫時停止Reading的服務，直至我們figure out Reading的新定位。
感謝各位user一直以來支持和意見。我們會好好利用開發Reading的經驗去發展其他新project，希望不久將來會再做出另一些你們合用的local apps。
January 6th, 2010 at 7:40 am
Thanks for developing such a useful app, I am sad to find out that it has to stop due to copyright issue. I live in New York and barely keep up with news about HK because I just don’t have time to go through a newspaper anymore. Reading changes that because it is so convenient and I can get into the habit of reading Chinese news again. I hope the issue can be resolved soon. Thanks for all your hard works!
January 6th, 2010 at 8:15 am
It is really a pity when I hear the news just now. To me, I can no longer browse news online in such a convenient way… I hate browsing the web as it is quite time-consuming to wait only for the photos to be loaded and shown. I still remember this useful application helped me a lot one time, which saved me from big traffic jam occurred in Wanchai in that morning when reading the news through Reading in the bus stop. By the way, heartfelt thanks to the development and production team!!! Hope I can read the news through this software again soon… P.S. I have downloaded this since 2008 Oct… I love this so much… and now don’t know what else that I can still use in the iPhone and certainly I must miss the days that reading news in MTR to kill time…
January 6th, 2010 at 8:19 am
I like this app and it is my first app to read every morning. I am sure you won’t give up and I will wait for the next great app.
Support u two, Sean and Jeffery!
January 6th, 2010 at 9:45 am
Such a pity! I love the app & Its made news reading so much easier, speedier, cleaner & environmentally friendly. Hope things get sorted soon.
January 6th, 2010 at 10:35 am
I notice the feeds came from Yahoo! (mostly). Why don’t you redirect the feedback back to the Y! Mobile HK or the full version of the site?
There are many other RSS readers in the App store. I can pretty much recreate the experience using other RSS readers out there.
It’s a pitty indeed.
January 6th, 2010 at 12:04 pm
Strong support to reactivte this App. Should there b petition on this, i will b in.
No matter what, thanks for the good works!
January 6th, 2010 at 3:24 pm
I am so sad to read about this app has to be shut down. I hope it is just for a short time. Reading is my most used app. Every night before I go to bed I’ll read all the news then I sleep well. I live in California and I enjoy news about Hong Kong…it’s where I was born and raised. I feel so lost without this app. Hope things will be settled and Reading will resume very soon. Good luck.
January 6th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
好可惜! 希望好快可以再方便我們!
January 7th, 2010 at 3:25 am
I think Conceptable should drop dead. Everybody should boycott whatever Conceptable sells or publishes.
January 7th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
Thanks for your app. It was very simple and useful.
January 7th, 2010 at 7:41 pm
很好的app 未能繼續甚為可惜
January 7th, 2010 at 11:19 pm
突然看見這個信息，感到很可惜。但…。
現實歸現實，首先我要在這裡嘉許你們，由開始至現在不斷服務我們，嘉許你們堅持、嘉許你們有自己位置、嘉許你們為香港人做一點不平凡的事。多謝你們的出現，另我們有所不同。請繼續努力，我相信一定會再次相遇。加油！
January 7th, 2010 at 11:49 pm
[...] [來源：Conceptable] [...]
January 8th, 2010 at 12:34 am
I love this app.好可惜。希望早日復建。多謝你們多年的努力。
January 8th, 2010 at 5:23 am
every morning i will read all news in bed before wake up to wash, thank for your effort in this app i will keep on watching ‘Reading’ hope that it alive again! Thanks again!
January 10th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
多謝你們的努力，我每天都用悅讀港民的。加油！
但我不明的是如果某人已經Publish左rss link or permlink 出來，跟住又話你侵權，係咪有啲精神分裂。你用firefox 連住佢咁係咪有問題？ @_@
January 10th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
I think we need a EFF-equivalent in Hong Kong.
January 12th, 2010 at 10:50 am
Your apps is one of my favourable apps which I strongly recommend to my iPhone rookie fds. I found it completely served the purpose of reading instant news since it was simple, clear and rapid loading. I am very sorry to here the apps has to be ceased. BTW, I am appreciated for your work just like other supporters.
January 18th, 2010 at 1:14 am
I live in the US. It is very difficult for me to read the news in HK where I grew up. Going online to the respective news homepage is very irritating, especially the ones with all the Flash that doesn’t load. Please bring ‘READING’ back!! It is such a convenient way to read all the news available at any given time.
January 28th, 2010 at 12:58 am
Thanks for your effort.
Since 6Jan, I am still missing “Reading”, which is the first page apps on my iPhone.
I do hope you and your team would soon settle the “issue” and bring the “Reading” back.
February 7th, 2010 at 2:05 am
i started using Reading since nov 08. it.keeps me updated with hk news when i am having my lectures and when i am working a parttime. recently a number of newspaper published applications on iphone. but i miss that multiple channels Reading once provided. Reading is a free app and you are not making proits out of it. whats more is that contents of Reading is actually available in websites or rss or respective newspaper! whats the point of accuasing you of copyright infridgement?