Feb 04

eBook Revolution Headlines

BetaNews reports Apple’s recent changes to the way they allow third-party eBook Apps to operate on the iPad is creating an unfair business environment for publishers that will stifle the burgeoning eBook market.

BusinessWeek says Indie authors might be held liable if eBook distributors go bankrupt and delete their customers’ accounts. (Tempest in a teapot worth checking out.)

Read more about the Nook eReader at ReviewsofElectronics.com. They’ve declared it a winner.

And MyDigitalFC.com (Financial Chronicle) posts on the alarming levels of eBook Piracy in India with some suggesting the India market is dominated by illegal copies.

Feb 03

10 Reasons eBooks are Better than Books. (According to Shadowlocked.com)

Shadowlocked.com offers a somewhat tongue-in-cheek list of reasons why eBooks are better than their paper equivalents. While I may not agree with all the points, the list does contain some amusing truths about books.

Feb 02

eBook Unit Sales to hit $2.7 Billion in 2013

Online Media Daily at Media Post News reports US eBook unit sales will leap from the estimated $313 million tallied in 2009 to an whopping $2.7-billion in 2013. This Yankee Group prediction also suggest eBook downloads will surpass paid mobile Apps for the same period.

And why do they suggest this change is coming? Lower prices for both eBooks and eBook Readers and a shift away from outmoded business models. Seems pretty simple, right?

I think eBook sales will push past the $2.7-billion mark before 2013. We still haven’t seen the $50 eBook Reader yet. You think the market’s growing now?

Feb 01

Calibre eBook Management Software

Ghacks.net (how do you like that name?) has a post on the FREE Calibre eBook Management Software. The post includes an extensive breakdown of Calibre’s abilities, and should help you streamline your approach to eBook management. Calibre provides lots of flexibility for enjoying your digital library between platforms.

I’ve used this software myself, and found it a snap for eBook conversion to just about any format.

Jan 31

Amazon Kindle Book sales beat Paperbacks!

PCWorld has a post on Amazon’s report that its eBook sales are outpacing paperbacks. (115 eBooks for every 100 paperbacks sold.) While they don’t divulge the actual number of Kindles they’ve sold, the figures are unlikely to correlate anyway.

As the article points out, Amazon’s Free Kindle App is available for purchasing and reading eBooks on various eReaders and mobile devices like iPad and iPhone. Their wide selection of titles is working for them.

Jan 30

Sunday eBook Revolution News

ReviewsofElectronics reviews the popular NookCOLOR eReader. Lots of information about the full-color, $249 iPad threat.

PortClintonNewsHerald has a detailed update on the eBook Revolution.

Examiner.com wonders whether eBooks and Apps represent a golden age for publishing.

OnlineAthens offers more on the move among Public Libraries toward eBooks.

Jan 29

The Notion Ink Adam Reviewed

GoodeReader offers a hands-on review of the Notion Ink Adam. This much anticipated Tablet PC has joined the ranks of devices in the expanding eBook Reader market. Lots of specs and pictures at the link.

Jan 28

eBook Readers and the Man Booker Prize

You know that the eBook Revolution has gone mainstream when judges for the esteemed Man Booker prize literary competition have been sent eBook Readers to streamline the process of wading through the more than 100 novels that are in the running. The BBC has a post on this earth-shaking development, as the prize organizers offered the eBook option to avoid sending tons of physical books.

It remains an option, and the more hidebound among the judges can still request hard copies.

Fascinating development though, yah?

Jan 27

Budget eBook Readers – Price and Function

CNetNews has an interesting update on ‘budget’ eBook Readers that uses the $139 Amazon Wifi Kindle as the watermark for price and function. It goes on to list several devices on the market priced as low as $99.

(Please remember Kobo’s eReader was the first to sell at $150 and, I think, the one that started all eReader prices dropping.) The post starts a discussion thread that’s well worth the read, too.

Jan 26

B&N Nook 3G Discontinued

Androidcommunity reports Barnes and Noble making moves to discontinue their Nook 3G eBook Reader after market forces drive eBook adopters to the E Ink Nook WiFi and NookColor (tablet). An unfortunate turn for the Nook 3G, but you can’t argue with consumer demand.

Just some growing pains in the eBook Revolution.