Kindle 3 is not just a bowl of Cherries…
A special thanks to Jorgen for this link to a post at FutureBook.com where writer Sam Missingham gives us a smart look at the Kindle 3 with the usual hardware asides but with a shift in focus to the Kindle’s more interactive and less virtual qualities.
…and always it comes down to price, yah?
Groundbreaking Technology Around the Corner!
Are you ready for your multi-sensory experience?
Thank Jorgen for a link to an Alive! eBook Networks press release at Newswire that you can consider your first word on it.
Alive! eBook Networks announced a ‘groundbreaking’ new format that “transforms reading into a stimulating experience unlike any eBook on the market today.”
Big talk, but it surrounds a new Multimedia eBook format that will offer the ‘multi-sensory’ experience with text, video and audio. The technology was developed by Yeh.
The tech doesn’t sound so new to me, but I’ll withhold judgment on it until writers, artists and content creators have had a chance to play. Read the full press release here.
Barnes and Noble taking the fight to Amazon.
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Kindle, Kobo eReader, eBook Readers, eBook Software, eBook Stores, eBooks, eReaders, iPad, nook 
Here’s rather an interesting post at MercuryNews.com that goes into a little more detail on what we’ve alluded to many times. Barnes and Noble’s 720 retail stores were the envy and nemesis of every book retailer out there, and have allowed it a dominant position in the North American marketplace.
Then along came the eBook Revolution with its obvious emphasis on the digital platform and suddenly all those bricks and mortar storefronts begin to resemble dinosaur bones.
Or do they? After a shaky start, B&N has charged into the digital age releasing its own eBook reader nook to combat Amazon’s Kindle, while releasing one digital adaptation after another–and all of it tied into its real-world properties. It’s clear that B&N doesn’t just want to survive the eBook Revolution. B&N wants to come out on top.
Microsoft Seeks Patent on Page Turning Animation
We’ve all seen the neat little animation that mimics the physical turning of a page. Well, looks like Microsoft has filed papers to patent it for themselves. Not sure of the ramifications for iBooks and Stanza, but the story at The Register has pics and hints at a cool virtual multi-page flip that’s part of the patent. Check it out here.
Borders Goes for Device Neutral eBook Dominance
admin Kindle, Kobo eReader, eBook Readers, eBook Software, eBook Stores, eBooks, eReaders, iPad, nook Thanks Jorgen for a link to a story at The Tech Herald that also has the whole Internet buzzing.
American Book retailing giant Borders is banking on a multi-platform approach with their new Borders eBook store that will be supported by its Kobo eReader, PC and Mac computers, Apple’s iPad (iEtc.), BlackBerry, Android smartphones and Sony’s array of Readers.
This approach complements their take on eBook reading devices that offers a Good, Better, Best variety of options. It’s all about selling eBooks right? Check out their selection of eBook Readers here.
The Borders eBook Store will carry 1.5 million titles in ePUB, Adobe PDF and Mobile specific formats powered by Kobo.
Get your Borders Free App here to check out their selection of titles.
I really think a device neutral approach is another game changer. Nice move Borders!
iPad offers more than the iBookstore.
admin Free eBooks, Kindle, Kobo eReader, Uncategorized, eBook Readers, eBook Software, eBook Stores, eBooks, eReaders, iPad, nook ZDNet’s Jason Perlow gives us a complete rundown of eBook Reading APPs available for Apple’s iPad in a post entitled “Apple iPad Showdown: Battle of the eReader Apps.” A very thorough article and a must-read for iPad or iPhone users. The iBookstore is not the only game in town.
eBook Revolution the New Normal?
admin Affordable eBooks, Free Author Releases, Free eBooks, Kindle, Kobo eReader, Publishers, eBook Readers, eBook Software, eBook Stores, eBooks, eReaders, iPad, nook Rafi Mohammed, Ph.D. of The Huffington Post has declared eBooks the official future of digital publishing. Read his article here to judge for yourself if his reasoning is sound.
It’s been a whirlwind year, and the recent developments are very promising, but do you think it’s too early to declare a win for eBooks? I’m still waiting for the eBook Reader priced $99 or less. Then we won’t be in Kansas anymore, yah?
Barnes and Noble eBook Market Share Rises
Authorlink News is carrying a story touting Barnes and Noble’s new CEO William Lynch as the main reason B&N is making huge gains in the eBook Market. I’ve got to agree, whoever is calling the shots is sure making up for ground the company lost after briefly shutting down its eBook Store in 2008. Since re-opening, it’s been one innovation after another as the Internet and Bricks and Mortar eBook retailer has charged back into the eBook Revolution. While its share in eBook sales increased by nearly 20% it still remains a distant second to the market dominator Amazon.com.
Still, that kind of thinking brings competition to a marketplace that needs it to lower the price of eBooks and the machines that read them.
Six Months in the “Year of the eBook”
Jorgen dropped off a link to the Mobility Site and an interesting post entitled: ”The Year of the Ebook: The Story Thus Far” that is a nice review for eBook fans who have been following the revolution since the beginning and an education to the uninitiated. A nice recap of the highlights and major stars in the exploding eBook market. (My prediction: Kobo’s $150 eReader is going to dominate the second half of 2010.)
p.s. that’s the first time I’ve ever heard Kindle software called the “the gold standard of eBook reading,” so I guess we can pretty much assume the writer owns a Kindle.
Edit eBook then Publish, then Edit?
Thanks to Jorgen for a link to this Christian Science Monitor story about Amazon sometimes updating eBooks with patches and narrative fixes. This is causing some controversy among literary purists who feel that a book is inviolate once the writer has signed off.
I think updates make perfect sense with science and textbooks to keep up with advances, though it could present dangers for fiction writers.
We’ve all read books that had the art and spontaneity re-written out of them.
