Jul 08

Borders Goes for Device Neutral eBook Dominance

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!

Jul 07

Sony Reader Pocket Edition Price Drops to $150!

We knew it would happen soon. Sony has entered the pricing war with Barnes and Noble’s nook and the Kobo eReader pricing their smaller format eBook Reader (the Pocket Edition) to match the low $150 price tag. Additionally, the larger Sony Reader Touch Edition has dropped to $170 from $200 and the 3G Daily Edition Sony Reader fell to $300 from $350. Read more about this good eBook Revolution news at TabletPCReview.com.

We’ll see how long this parity lasts. My money’s on the Kobo eReader making another pricing move southward. They were the first in at $150 and they’re already attracting attention and sales without wireless connectivity. Their lower cost USB eBook loading makes their unit price far more flexible.

Jul 06

Maturity (or Wisdom?) Driving the eBook Revolution

Here’s a Philadelphia Inquirer story where digital publishing industry analysts suggest the majority of eBook Reader owners (up to 66 percent) are older than 40 with a ‘sweet spot’ group of consumers aged 35-54 developing into a powerful market force.

A full set of statistics has yet to be produced, but these early predictions make a lot of sense, especially if you consider the effect of youth-oriented culture driving the older mindset to adopt technology, the mature reader’s long relationship with the joys of literature, their disposable income and the age-defying swap of reading glasses for scalable font sizes. (Who wants to wear reading glasses at the gym? Get my point?)

Jul 05

Another ‘Gleeful Apocalypse’

A special thanks to Jorgen for dropping by with this link to a most excellent article by Nathan Schneider at Open Letters Monthly entitled In Defense of Memory Theatre.

Read it because it’s a fond farewell to the publishing world that was.

Read it because it’s a warm embrace of the publishing world to come.

Read it because it contains this quote:  “Modern life, if we can still call it that, occurs as a sequence of gleeful apocalypses.”

Just read it.

Jul 04

eBook Reader Review

Top Ten Reviews has a list of the eBook Readers leading the pack halfway through 2010.

They’ve got it pretty well laid out for quick comparison, and while I notice Kobo eReader is conspicuously absent, it’s still worth a glance if you’re planning to enter the eBook Revolution.

Jul 03

Kindle DX Drops to $379!

I know that $379 is still a big bite for a lot of us, but seeing Amazon drop the price of its larger format Kindle DX from $489 to $379 is an encouraging note following some dramatic price wrangling between the leading eBook Readers: Kobo eReader, nook and Kindle 2…

This story at The Tech Herald goes on to say that the price drop comes with some upgrades to the machine with the 9.7-inch E Ink display. While I think the price could drop a lot more, the move at least shows that Amazon is stepping away from any contest with Apple’s iPad. iPad is a tablet computer that reads books and the Kindle DX (and siblings) is an eBook Reader.

Do what you do best.

Jun 28

June 29 – July 3rd Grab Bag!

Hey there. I’m going to be away from the machines for this week, so I want to apologize in advance if I miss any new development in the exploding eBook Revolution. While I’m gone please feel free to check out the links below.

Thanks for visiting,

J.C.

The Huffington Post says the Wylie Agency has put all eBook Negotiations on hold. Apparently they’re unhappy with the terms publishers have been offering for eBook Rights.

AppScout says you should check out Your Next Read a web service that helps you plan your summer reading.

International Business Times says Superman is soon going to call the iPad home now that DC Comics is offering its own App Store to service Apple products.

MarketWatch says Shutterfly is prepping to deliver instant Photobooks to your desktop.

ZDNet says that iPhone Kindle Reader now gets audio and video playback. What next, yah?

Jun 28

iPad offers more than the iBookstore.

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.

Jun 27

Book Bloggers’ Stock on the Rise?

The Los Angeles Times’ Carolyn Kellogg reports on those venerable Internet pioneers, book bloggers, finally getting their day in the sun as their ‘vibrant’ online communities start to catch the eye of traditional publishers eager to use the platform for promoting new releases.

Read the article here.

Jun 26

Que ProReader Missing in Action?

eWeek has a post that suggests the long-awaited Plastic Logic Que ProReader may be held back from release once again. (Actually, it’s taking so long to launch that pre-orders are starting to cancel out.)

I agree with the article and think that this is a response to a brand new marketplace, the arrival of the multifunction iPad and recent price wars between E Ink readers Kindle, nook, Kobo eReader and soon Sony.

Que is a beautiful machine, and I know there is a place for its larger format E Ink display and sleek executive lines. I just hope its formidable price tag ($600 range) doesn’t make it obsolete and ahead of its time.