Aug 01

An actual RUMOR at eBook Rumors

This is fantastic! It seems that the service manuals for two new Sony Reading Devices have ‘accidentally’ found their way onto the net. Read the full article about the leak at ChannelWeb here.

Apparently the new devices, the PRS-300 and PRS-600, have made it off the drawing board and are on their way to the market.

Both service manuals would make a dull read for the average Joe or Joanne, but page one of both list the specifications for the devices.

For instance, the PRS-300 digital book reader has a memory of 440 MB and boasts a 7,500 page turn battery life. The PRS-600 has a similar battery life with 380 MB memory. Both have USB connectors and SD memory and Memory Stick Duo slots. (See more specification by taking the link to the article.)

Of course there is no word on price, but it will be exciting to see these new machines enter the market, yah?

Jul 31

Papyrus = Samsung SNE-50K reader.

We talked about this back in March when it was still hidden behind the lovely name Papyrus. Well Samsung Electronics finally broke cover and has announced the new SNE-50K reader that it will sell in South Korea–at first. They’ve got plans to take over the world later, probably next year, according to Samsung. Read the article about its release here at cnetnews.

It’s a cute little thing as you’ll see when you take the link, and it was designed to be compact with a 5-inch screen and weighing well under a half pound.  It cruises along with a sensible 512 MB memory and 600×800 pixel display.  There is a list of specifics at the cnetnews article.

Priced at $270 it’s still too expensive but its sleek lines and modern profile might win the hearts of some early adopters.  It’s worth checking out.

I will definitely miss its former name. I like to whisper it: Papyrus…  sigh!

Jul 30

And Amazon trembled…

We’ve been waiting for confirmation on an Apple Tablet for months now, and this story at CNN has got to be the first solid incarnation of the rumor. The article contains some significant specifics and pretty intriguing theories.

The problem  for everyone in the eBook Reader business is Apple has done so well in the hand-held market that everyone knows they’re going to come out as a force in the eBook Revolution. With eBook Readers like Kindle and Sony Reader still close  to the $400 mark (and only offering ebook reading for the bucks), the high price leaves adopters wanting more. And Apple’s been so good at it giving it.

Watch this closely, yah?

Jul 29

Barnes and Noble Shifting into High Gear.

Barnes and Noble is charging into the fray and looks ready to do some serious damage. The book retail giant that abandoned eBook sales in 2003 started making up for lost time by opening its own eBook Store to challenge Amazon.com, produce its own eBook reader through Plastic Logic to take on Kindle and Sony, and is now offering free Wi-Fi access through AT&T at its stores to defy Kindle’s Whispernet connection. Read that story here  at Macworld. Since Barnes and Noble has already been offering the Wi-Fi service in its stores on a subscription based system, there is an audience of consumers ready to jump at the Freemium.

eBook Rumors gives them high marks for rubbing the sleep out of their eyes and getting into the game as a serious challenger.

Jul 28

Sony’s New Reader and Apple’s Rumored Tablet

The new Sony PRS-700BC Reader Digital Book is reviewed by Computer Shopper here. The updated reader offers PDF support and built-in book light (which gets high marks at eBook Rumors) and a sturdy all-metal frame. That trumps Kindle’s plastic body that reports suggest is brittle for a hand-held device.

They’ve also continued with their broad spectrum file format support now reading copy-protected BBeB Book and ePub files, open BBeB, ePub, TXT, RTF, and Microsoft Word files. The article has accolades for the touchscreen keyboard too! Pricey machine at over $400 but all the prices are coming down.

Interesting development over at Apple as the talk heats up about its rumored Tablet.  “Apple is about to launch a tablet computer that will be like an enlarged version of the iPhone and iPod Touch.” Read the rest of the article here at the guardian.co.uk. Intriguing little hints there, yah?

Jul 27

Better late than never…

Just got back (ran into a headwind) and I’m working through a pile of updates and releases.

I’ll get something up later about Sony’s new PRS-700BC Reader Digital Book. Looks promising.

Also have some new rumors about Apple’s tablet.

More soon, yah…

Jul 22

While I’m Away…

Dear Visitor,

eBook Rumors will be on hiatus from Thursday July 23 until Monday July 27, 2009. The eBook Revolution will no doubt charge ahead during our absence, as eBook Reader and hand-held device designers jockey and struggle for position and as smart publishers see the light and start to offer fair prices, yah? I’ve posted a few interesting links to tide you over. Thanks again for visiting. Feel free to comment your hearts out.

Sincerely,

John Cypher, Editor/Correspondent

***

The Globe and Mail’s Social Trends Reporter Jill Mahoney has an excellent piece here about how libraries are adapting to the digital age. The smart ones have been logged onto the changing times for years and are evolving to connect books, computers and the public.  It’s all about staying relevant.

***

In a similar social shift we’ve found a story at the Augusta Chronicle where teachers are encouraging students to text the answers to questions. We’ve got teachers and profs making lectures available as podcasts, live streaming video with discussion boards as interface for posting questions. Students are encouraged to tweet, blog and chat online with classmates. Some are even releasing assignments and text references formatted for eBook readers and iPhone. Anything to engage the digital generation, yah?

***

An update is available for Stanza, the popular eBook reading app for the iPhone/iPod Touch–and recent Amazon.com purchase. Read what and where here at Intomobile.com. They’re offering smoother page-turns in landscape and portrait orientations, etc. If you haven’t got Stanza get it here.

***

Barnes and Noble is opening (or re-opening…remember we reported that they abandoned eBook sales in 2003…). There’s an article about its re-opening here at Reuters. Visit the store here.  Looks like they’ve signed an exclusive deal to provide all content for Plastic Logic’s eReader. That should heat things up a bit for the other players like Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s Reader.

***

More on Amazon’s thought-control tactics digging into the private libraries of Kindle subscribers without so much as knocking. It was a copyright issue that Amazon had to deal with that they settled rather arbitrarily in a fashion befitting the secret police. An article at Daniweb here digs deeper into the invasion of privacy and asks the simple question: “Who owns the content you purchase?” (Another good reason to get rid of DRM!)

***

In the “She Ain’t No Lady” department this article “Gray Lady’s Dilemma“ by Brett Arends of the Wall Street Journal explores the financial dilemma facing newspapers in the digital age. How do they go electronic and still turn a profit? (Difficult proposition since they’re only interested in making the same profits. Not very adaptable of them…) But, Arends reassures us that such things are possible.

Jul 21

Free Content continued…

Here at KansasCity.com the theme of free content is developed to include the realities of business. In an excellent article by Scott Canon, The Kansas City Star digs deeper, looks for precedents and talks about Freemium (barebones content) versus Premium (content you pay for with all the bells and whistles). You need to make money to stay in business, so how can you do that if you’re giving your product away?

It’s an important discussion for consumers and content creators. We’ve got everything to gain or lose, yah?

Jul 20

Add Fairness to the Equation, see what happens…

Here’s an interesting application of the old model on the new. Sell a ‘bricks and mortar’ book about ‘free’ digital content. Hilarious. Dissecting “FREE” means money. Reuters has an excellent article here about new titles devoted to just such a thing.

It seems too simple to require continuous study. I suppose giving the ‘free’ content away to promote sales doesn’t make any sense if you’re an old world publisher where constantly reporting greater quarterly profits is the mandate. The new model gives away content to create a broader audience that will purchase greater numbers of lower priced digital products, thereby diminishing individual profits while increasing the number of individuals who profit. Think fair price. Think relationships between creators and consumers. Think increased volume of sales.

Other than their rabid desire to maintain pre-digital age profits, I do not know why publishers fail to understand this. A ‘free’ eBook is a direct analog for the library or ‘borrowed’ book. This sort of ‘freemium’ was in use minutes after Gutenberg printed his first bible, yah?

Jul 19

You mean for the high price of $299 you’ll control what I read?

Amusing thought-police associations aside, it is clear to see in this article at the Register.com why Amazon Kindle’s high-price, expensive eBooks, and locked and managed personal libraries are a business model doomed to fail in an age when digital information and machinery are designed to promote accessibility, convenience and practicality.

Every time I read a story about Amazon’s draconian business ethics I cringe, knowing illegal eBook sharers and pirates pop up to exploit the situation. The Kindle business model will fail without serious adjustments that favor the consumer.

It’s a terrible joke on us all that they’re getting dictatorial with George Orwell’s 1984, yah?