May 17

eText Books Arrive for California Schools…

The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin has a post updating last year’s story about California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Digital Textbook Initiative and the state’s cash-strapped school districts’ efforts to find ways to utilize the 30 standards-aligned textbooks now available for high school classrooms.

Schwarzenegger should be applauded for his hi-tech maneuvering. At $105 for an English printed textbook and $65 for math it’s easy to see the long-term savings in going digital. The tough part will be crossing the hardware divide that some lower-income students might face, but the article indicates the use of identical print outs (PDF’s) should provide all of their students access to the information.

May 16

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.

May 15

Is iPad or Price Guilty of Supercharging eBook Piracy?

CNetNews’ David Carnoy takes a look at eBook piracy in his excellent article:  “Is iPad supercharging e-book piracy?” Carnoy makes some great points, but it’s a false argument to blame the hardware.

Overpriced digital content is ‘supercharging‘ eBook piracy. Period.

If eBooks aren’t worth stealing for profit, and consumers don’t ‘t feel like they’re being fleeced by publishers, there will be no ‘supercharged’ black market in pirated eBooks.

May 14

Over to the ‘Tempest in a Teapot’ Department

Or should I say “eTempest in an eTeapot.” Okay, DailyFinance posted an article about Amazon’s decision to take Free eBooks off their best-seller list. It seems that free eBooks have been crowding up the top spots that would otherwise be occupied by paid titles.  They will now have two separate lists: Best Selling Paid eBooks versus most popular downloaded Free eBook .

I can’t believe the amount of chatter about this relative ‘no-brainer.’ Wasn’t it just a matter of time before they had to do something?  Seems to me it  will make the ranking more sensible and convenient for readers, authors, and publishers .

May 13

The State of eBook Sales

The New York Times’ writer Bob Tedeschi’s article in Personal Tech: “E-Reader Applications for Today, and Beyond” describes the current state of buying eBooks and makes some predictions about the future for the eBook Revolution. As we’ve been saying since the start, one of the main things holding mainstream adoption back is the publisher and distributor insistence on content and product control based on DRM or tethered eBook formats.

Their product tampering and limitation on use make the buying public justifiably leery about diving into the revolution. It also explains why free eBooks are doing so well. People want to be able to read their eBooks when and where they want.

This, while the market is reporting ‘explosive’ figures. It’s just a matter of time before some smart publishers realize their own policies are slowing sales and they’ll take the chains off the EPUB format.

May 12

eBook News from the Far East

Jorgen sent us a link detailing some of the wider ranging developments in  (implications of?) the eBook Revolution. A post at The Shanghai Daily details recent market and product swings in eBook and eBook Reader sales, while hinting at the specter of protectionism (can censorship be far behind?). They’re nurturing local growth in a market that is fast being overrun by western digital publishers, technology industries and distributors with world domination on their minds.

We’re definitely talking growth though with Zhang Yijun, a senior official at the General Administration of Press and Publication reporting that 2009 e-book reader sales “reached 700,000 units in China and the figure is expected to quadruple to more than 3 million units.”

That’s an exciting development for the revolution, yah?

May 11

An Update on eBooks, the Devices that read them, and the truth about Open Format (EPUB)

Sarah Weinman Publishing Industry Reporter for Daily Finance has a timely update on the perils of picking a side in the constantly changing eBook Revolution. Read her article “How to Navigate the Confusing eBook Landscape” for the latest information about the best in eBook Readers and the shocking truth about the supposedly universal and open EPUB format.

A must-read read before you purchase your eBook Reader, or stock your digital library shelves.

May 10

BlackPad to Challenge iPad

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) is said to be working on a tablet PC to rival Apple’s iPad. The device is rumored to have a 7-inch touch-screen and will go by the name ‘BlackPad.’ The speculation revolves around the April 1st patent application filed by RIM regarding a ‘touch-screen enabled tablet device … capable of registering gesture controls.’

Find out more about the rumor and patent at GoodeReader.com.

May 09

Google Books Legal Battle Continues

The process of digitizing books started in 2004 for the online search giant, but Google still finds itself embroiled in a court battle. StarTribune.com has a post about a million ‘locked’ digital books that are casualties in the ongoing struggle.

May 08

More about the $150 Kobo eReader

If you haven’t taken the plunge into the eBook Revolution yet, the Kobo eReader continues to be the most promising (and affordable) way to test the water.

We’ve got a post over at Top Tech News that goes over the pros and cons again.  The only complaint I’ve heard about this $150 dream is its lack of wireless connectivity. Well, if it saves me $200 bucks, I’m willing to plug into my desk or laptop to load a few hundred eBooks to read, yah?