Mar 14
I’m betting it’s an eBook Reader. More rumblings from the Apple orchard about their Netbook. The full story here at Gizmodo.com.
You’ll find similar whispering here at cnet news. They’re saying the same thing there with a bit more filling.
We’ve already referenced this before here…that quote about truckloads of books being secretly scanned, yah?
But now we’ve got a rumor about Apple ordering 10-inch touch screens from Taiwan… Something’s up, so keep your eyes peeled!
Mar 13
But love, like the price of this beauty, can be a bitch. Brother’s SV-100B Bluetooth document viewer will catch your eye and capture your heart.
Unfortunately at just under $1,500 it’s a better fit for pre-recession economies…even for corporate clientele. But it’s just so damned beautiful!
Read the Engadget.com article featuring specs here, and view the rest of its lovely angles here.
The SV-100B is Bluetooth equipped, with an over 9″ e-ink display and frankly it’s calling my name. They’re saying it’s aimed at business, but we’ll see. This thing would look fantastic on the coffee table.
The SV-100B is the kind of thinking we’re waiting for, yah? Just a pure, unadulterated futuristic, multi-purpose e-Doc reading machine. It’s beautiful. It’s fantastic.
Now if they can knock $1,200 or so off the price I’ll buy.
Mar 12
I never thought I’d get to say it, but there you go. eBook Rumors talked about this on FEBRUARY 21st! And we carried a rumor suggesting Apple had something on the way based on a iPhone all the way back on January 18th.
It’s a good feeling.
PCWorld is finally getting around to talking about the coming Kindle 2/iPhone Death Match here.
(Note: I’m not saying we broke the news, since we were working from other articles and rumors, but PCWorld is usually closer to the edge of the envelope than this. … unless it’s PC bias, yah?)
Mar 11
What reads any MOBI, PDF, LIT, EPUB, HTML, TXT, PRC, FB2, JPG file and a wide range of free RSS newsfeeds? The Pixelar e-Reader does. Slashgear.com reviews it here.
Another contender in the expanding eBook reading market, the Pixelar e-Reader offers a number of the usual suspects including its 6″ x E-ink display set in a robust but stylish body. Read the full specs here. Pixelar is an interesting addition to the race for eBook reading supremacy. They already produce tech that ranges from video picture frames to video baby monitors.
Pixelar eBook Reader
Their e-Reader starts breaking away from the pack with its open source platform so you’re free to read a wide range of digital information, with a capacity to store a massive number of eBooks, digital magazines, and documents, etc. on 512 MB internal memory and 1GB SD card (included) expandable up to 4 GB.
That’s roomy, yah?
Between its massive SD memory storage capability and its USB connect, the Pixelar e-Reader easily transfers your own content or online content to the e-Reader.
Still too pricey at a base of $324Â (before adding extras)Â at least Pixelar’s e-Reader shows that the battle for top dog is well underway.
Mar 10
Sorry folks. Turns out this is Read an eBOOK WEEK! Apparently it runs from March 8-19, 2009. How was I to know, I mean, come on… I’ve been busy, and…
But there’s a new technology for you. It’s being celebrated and few of us know. (I’m assuming few of us know…yah?)
Anyway, I’m not going to dwell on the oversight. Instead, I’ll honor the week by encouraging you to read an eBook this week. There are some affordable or free eBook links right on this site, so have a look.
Cheers.
Mar 09
…and it couldn’t come too soon. This all reminds me of the early days of digital photography and web design when there were multiple image file formats fighting it out for dominance.
Windows Bitmaps versus GIF’s and TIFFS and little ole’ JPG’s brawling it out in the back alleys of the Internet Highway. While we know the market finally put all of these formats into their proper places, we know who came out on top, dominating both display and printed imaging.
So here is the competition as it applies to iPhones. A comparison of eReader Apps is a must-read over at cnet news. Read the article here.
You know the publishers are blowing a bundle prepping and organizing their backlists in the various formats. They use that necessary redundancy as an excuse, one of the reasons at least for the high prices they’re charging for eBooks. Let’s see if the price drops as the format field narrows. Yah, right!
Mar 08
Sony is offering the Ian Fleming Limited Edition Reader Digital Book. Check it out here.
007 eBook Reader
Model Number: PRS-505SC/007 this bad boy is built to enjoy more than it’s intended to break any boundaries. I’m just pleased the technology is already being co-opted by Hollywood… or advertisers… (What’s the difference, yah?)
Next up: Something from Hogwart’s.
Mar 07
 It’s amazing…I don’t know how this has happened! But there are second-generation eBook Readers out there other than Kindle 2 … BeBook 2 e-reader is revealed at CeBIT 2009! Read the story here over at engadget.com.
No slouches at one-upmanship, BeBook 2’s creators (Endless Ideas) are dropping it on the market at a yet undisclosed price, but we’re watching to see if it stays under or near BeBook 1’s introductory price of $279.99 ($80 less than Kindle 2.)
And to even the playing field they’re releasing it tricked out with WiFi and 3G! On top of that, they’re not forgetting owners of the original BeBook. Click here and read that they’re promising a firmware update and WiFi-enabling SD card so users can shop at eBook stores and collect RSS feeds.
God! This stuff’s just exploding, yah?
Mar 06
All right. They’re waking up over at Barnes and Noble. I hate to say I told you so, but Dec. 30, I kind of inferred it so, in my mildly catty way, that the old flagship Barnes and Noble was missing the boat.
Read this story. Barnes and Noble has acquired Fictionwise (15.7 million cash) in an effort to ‘ramp up’ their own electronic book store this year. (In place of ‘ramp up’ I’d put, ‘recreate because we were sadly lacking in foresight and imagination’…)
What’d I tell you about the arrogance of the status quo? (Now I’m sounding catty, yah?)
Mar 05
Blast from the Past
This article about eBooks and eBook Readers from the snooty bastards at Time Magazine got my dander up. Read it here.
I don’t offer it to venerate the snobbish tone, but to illustrate the kind of mocking resistance eBook and other technologies face from the establishment. (When I say “establishment” I mean, powers-that-be, status quo… that type of thing.)
Any journalist who can write: “Readers under 30 are scarce. They were raised on spending time on PCs and playing video games. Many are under-educated and can barely read at all,” is playing with generalizations that discount any value one could find in the article. And frankly, it shows a lack of respect for Time’s readership, many of whom have raised these “under-educated” under 30’s.
It’s also important to note this piece was published on Time’s online presence–a presence that I’m sure was predicted to fail by similar insecure pundits …
Also important to note that Time is a partner of CNN’s… yah? And they’ve got to be a bit nervous, since a company with a parent so entrenched in the digital world (TIMEWARNER) should have been out of the blocks long ago with its own eNews reader…Â
Can you say:Â asleep at the switch?
