May 11
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
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
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
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?
May 07
Sorry about the headline. I’m still a bit punchy from all this Google Editions talk. Imagine the chatter when the Google eBook Store actually opens!
Here’s a link to a story at Ubergizmo about the Belkin eBook Light. It snaps onto your E Ink eBook Reader for reading in low-light conditions. Not newsworthy? Hardly. This is the sort of development that suggests the eBook Revolution isn’t just exploding, it has legs for the long haul. Any product that creates a demand for accessories is here to stay.
May 06
It appears to be a slow news day in the eBook Revolution. That being the case, here’s a link to ZDNet’s story that goes deeper into Google Editions eBook store announcement. They explain what Google Edition’s “open ecosystem” will bring to the eBook market.
May 05
Jorgen dropped off a link to a post at Read Write Web about Google’s announcement that it will launch its own eBook store in an open challenge to Amazon, Barnes and Noble and others. The new store will be called Google Editions and should open in June or July.
Under Google’s plan, the net search giant will let people purchase digital copies of books found through its Google book search service while offering participating eBook retailers the option to sell Google Editions on their own sites–and keep the majority of the revenue. Google is already using the ePub standard and will offer 500,000 titles for reading on laptop, phone or eBook Reader. All this as Google continues to struggle for the right to distribute out-of-print books.
This is an interesting development in the eBook Revolution that you can read more about here at ars technica. Where Google Editions is ahead of the competition is their offer of eBook titles untethered to a specific device. Their eBooks will be “device-agnostic” for reading on any device or computer.
May 04
Jorgen sent us a link to a story by MediaShift’s Carla King detailing a publishing approach for independent authors eager to take advantage of the opportunities presented by advances in digital publishing. The article focuses on industry leading digital publishing platforms Smashwords.com and Scribd.com.
Well worth the read, King offers a publishing strategy that uses the best of these game-changing companies. This is a win-win scenario for writers and readers.
May 03
This certainly deserves some mention. Apple’s iPad has reached a million sold in 28 days. Read the story here at CNN.
They’re asking the question: Will the iPad be a greater success than the iPhone?
I think we can apply the same argument that we use when people wonder if the iPad will kill the Kindle and other E Ink eBook Readers. The answer is: The market is too big, with a audience too varied for any single device to be all things to all people. And, I’ll say that Apple’s decision to keep the iPad Flash-free severely limits its adoption as a tablet device.
May 02
Okay, sorry I’m a little late out of the blocks with this, but there’s still time to enter a draw for a FREE Kobo eReader. Take the link here.
Looks like the price of admission is the purchase of one eBook from Kobobooks.com.
If you’re not the gambling sort, I thought I’d mention that the Kobo eReader is available for the low price of $150. Order it here. It’s a cool little E Ink machine that’s receiving great reviews.
