May 24
Looks like the squeaky wheel gets the grease after all, yah? Consumer discontent has forced Apple to reverse its decision to deny the Eucalyptus eBook reader a place at the App store. Now they’re welcoming it.
Read the story here.
Let’s face it, Apple’s reasons for ousting them were pretty fishy.
May 24
The Apple App store has denied the Eucalyptus eBook reader entry for rather sketchy reasons. Read about Apple’s recent mystifying move here at Techwhack.
I have to wonder if this illogical move is a sign that Apple is starting to prepare the ground for the release of its much anticipated media(pad) tablet?
It reminds me a little of Amazon’s vain attempts to hinder iPhone and iPod Touch’s entry into the eBook marketplace by delaying the release of Mobipocket reader for iPhone, and then dragging its heels on a Kindle reader for the popular Apple devices.
That move did little to further Amazon’s Kindle ambitions, as you can read here. So we have to hope Apple is not just lining up to make the same mistake, yah?
May 23
Wired.com‘s Gadget Lab has put together an excellent buying guide to help you choose an eBook Reader. Read the article here.
It’s tough enough knowing when to buy into an existing technology, let alone one that’s changing on a weekly basis. I think you’ll find this article a great help, yah?
May 22
We’ve mentioned this many times. It’s clear to all that something’s coming.
Apple is working on a 7 to 10 inch touch-screen tablet for release in the first half of 2010 according to an article here at eWeek.com.
They’re also quoting a price in the $500 to $700 range, and while that’s a lot of green on the eBook reading front, it’s hard to complain because it’s not likely to be marketed as an eBook reader alone. That will just be one of its many functions, no doubt.
This is the first time I’ve read any reference to price so it must be getting close to completion. The article goes on to call this Apple’s response to the burgeoning eBook marketplace that will also allow them to enter the netbook market in a similar way “with a tablet, a premium mobile computing device.”
Then the fur’s going to fly, yah?
May 21
A couple of developments in the eBook Revolution today…almost want to say Evolution…yah.
Amazon has released a more mobile-friendly Kindle 1.1 App for iPhone and iPod Touch. Among other things it allows portrait or landscape modes for reader preference and a lock so it doesn’t accidentally switch orientation. Check out the full announcement here at cnetnews.
and
M-Edge Accessories announced a new line of colorful protective covers for Sony Readers PRS-505 and PRS-700. Get the full specifications here at earthtimes.org.
May 20
I love this. Bookeen, the people who brought us the Cybook eBook Reader, is releasing the Cybook OPUS e-book Reader. Read about it here at Slipperybrick.com. Lot’s of cool little features including PDF compatibility, but the main thrust is its pocket-sized profile. It can go where Kindle won’t fit.
Just hilarious, if you think about it. Reverse engineering, yah?
May 19
These guys get it, yah?  They know they’re not selling paper and cardboard, they’re selling content. Read the story here about how eBook store Scribd  is adapting to the new eBook market instead of trying to control it.
The author, Kemble Scott, mentioned in the article is making a go of it selling his eBook for $2.00 a copy. And at that price he’s able to make a larger royalty than going the traditional route.
Another author, G. Wells Taylor, has been selling his list of horror titles for $3.00 a pop. Visit his book store here. His eBooks are currently downloadable as PDF files, through Lulu.com, or for order through that company as paperbacks. He says he’s currently prepping an eBook shop that will focus on direct multiformat eBook downloads with even lower prices.
May 18
An interesting article here about the ongoing Kindle Readers’ $9.99 Amazon Boycott. Amazon misled Kindle first-adopters by saying that New eBook Releases would be priced at $9.99. Well, that didn’t last long. Readers revolted.
Caution: THE FOLLOWING IS SNAKE OIL MEANT TO FRIGHTEN CONSUMERS INTO SUBMISSION.
Quote from the article: “How Much Should an E-Book Cost?” by Motoko Rich, New York Times, May 16, 2009
‘Publishers and authors say it is much more complicated than the cost of paper and shipping. The lower e-book price “is not sustainable,†said Mr. Baldacci, [a writer] whose novels regularly rise to the top of hardcover best seller lists. If readers insist on cut-rate electronic books, he said, “unfortunately there won’t be anyone selling it anymore because you just can’t make any money.‒
Never trust a writer who says things like that. Writers rarely make any money, and they continue writing anyway. Readers love reading so there will always be a demand for books and eBooks. Where there is a demand, there will be a supply. Baldacci’s statement is alarmist balderdash. The truth is publishers will have to provide informed consumers with fairly priced products.
Never trust a newspaper that inked a distribution deal with the company in question, Amazon. Never believe a newspaper that is about to make the shift to digital by offering a low-priced Kindle to subscribers. Read that here.
The whole story sounds like collusion by two big companies, yah? They’re ganging up on the consumer to force high-prices down our throats.
Amateur Hour on Planet Earth goes into overtime!
May 17
Alexander Wolfe at Informationweek.com here describes the exercise in futility that has become the debate over the scourge of eBook piracy and content control. I don’t think he is trying to solve the problem, rather it’s an attempt to advance the discussion by invoking some description of eBook piracy’s impact on the content-creator or author.
I am amazed that this discussion has been going on for so long, and yet two vital factors are consistently overlooked and ignored. The article proudly states:Â “As of now, there are no answers to how we properly compensate content creators.”
How can one come to that conclusion without including in the discussion ridiculously high eBook pricing and the consistent use of an old business model on an entirely new marketplace?
The truth is, the old system did not properly compensate or represent content creators. How can we expect the old system awkwardly grafted onto a new technology to bring them any satisfaction, yah?
Piracy will continue as long as it is profitable. Content with jacked-up pre-digital age pricing will be booty for the taking.
May 16
and perfect for eMagazines. E Ink, the people who brought you the gray scale screens you see in most eBook Readers, has developed a functional prototype of color e-paper. There are rumors that the new tech will begin to appear in the next generation Kindle and Sony’s Reader.
Read the full story here at geek.com.
Reminds me of Bridgestone’s (yes the tire people) full color eReader. It’s a beauty with incredible color depth. Read the story and view the video here.
