Posted 10/11/09 at 02:17:13 PM by Justin Kerr

Based on the sheer volume of eBook reader news that has been making headlines recently, it appears dedicated gadgets for reading is a trend that is here to stay. Generally the devices can be broken down into simple categories by features which sometimes include wireless over the air downloads, touch screens, or additional format compatibility.

Trying desperately to distinguish itself from the pack, LG is set to unveil its new eBook reader which includes a thin-film 10cm solar cell to wirelessly charge the device while outdoors. A mere four to five hours of sun exposure can yield up to a days worth of reading time indoors, and allows you to easily recharge your battery while on the go. Solar made a huge difference for portable calculators, and if it works as well as LG claims, it could prove to be a huge leap forward for the category.

The device itself has a 6-inch OLED display, measures in at 0.7 mm thick, and weighs a mere 20 grams. To save you the trouble of trying to convert those numbers, that’s about the thickness of a credit card and the weight of a fountain pen. It appears as though the design requires the device to remain tethered to the case, but we’ll know more when they get closer to launch.

Is this enough to set LG apart from the rest?

Read More

Posted 09/06/09 at 04:14:59 PM by Justin Kerr

Avid bookworms will swear by their Kindles, but according to a new study released on Wednesday, e-readers will likely never go main stream as long as the price hovers around the current $199-$489 range. "The price points for how most consumers value e-readers is shockingly low -- for most segments, between $50 and $99," Rotman Epps said. "To reach the largest market possible, the prices will need to come way down." Currently the biggest obstacle to hitting the $50 price is the e-ink display itself which costs roughly $60 all on its own. Device makers can be expected to "look for alternative providers of displays if E Ink can't bring its prices down fast enough," Rotman Epps said.

Everything comes down in price over time, but to see the kind of growth that most companies expect, analysts expect e-reader manufactures to explore subsidy based business models, partnering with either network providers, or newspapers to help offset the cost of the device. Rotman Epps said its "a reasonable assumption" that network operators and newspapers will only subsidize e-readers if they can recover their costs by enticing consumers to sign up for long-term data plans that command monthly fees. "

The survey estimated that approximately two million e-readers will be sold in 2009 at current prices, bringing the total install base up to about three million by the end of the year. Forrester also estimates that this only represents about 12 percent of the maximum addressable market at the $199 price point.

What would you pay?

Read More

Posted 09/06/09 at 01:25:26 PM by Justin Kerr

You can argue that some people have an unhealthy addiction to Twitter, but anyone who offers to do it for 24 hours straight is either pulling a publicity stunt, or needs serious help. In the case of screenwriter and director Kevin Smith, it luckily appears to be the former in promotion of his new book “Shootin’ the Sh*t With Kevin Smith”. Anyone who wants to catch the blow by blow should tune into @ThatKevinSmith on Monday September 7th, and hopefully you’ll give the poor guy somebody to talk to.

According to the press release issued by his agent “This is not news at all. In fact, it’s kinda stupid. But I wanna see if I can do it. I’ve been training for this my whole life, simply by being a lazy fat-ass who’d rather stare at a screen than better himself with a brisk constitutional. Someone asked what my training regiment is gonna be, and I told them I’ve already stockpiled lots of Count Chocula.”

Is this funny? Desperate? Pointless? Let us know what you think.

Read More

Posted 08/23/09 at 01:30:39 PM by Justin Kerr

Google is the company that is world famous for its motto “Do No Evil”, but in the world of online book scanning, the Open Book Alliance isn’t ready to take them at their word. The OBA, founded by the Internet Archive, has become a united voice for those who feel Google was handed a monopoly with its $125 million settlement with publishers. The primary argument is that competitors such as the Internet Archive, are forced to negotiate individual contracts with rights holders, while Google can simply scan now, and pay later when the author makes a claim.

“If this deal goes ahead, they’re making a real shot at being the library, and the only library” claims Internet Archives founder Brewster Kahle. Until recently the Open Book Alliance has been lacking any real corporate muscle, but with the recent inclusion of Microsoft, Yahoo, and Amazon into the alliance, they definitely will be taken much more seriously. With the outcome of the Department of Justice investigation into the matter still pending, Google is quickly finding itself in a very public battle over digital book rights, and they seem to be making many more enemies than friends these days.

According the OBA, anti-trust and anti-competitive concerns are an important focus, but they also worry about Google’s commitment to privacy. The American Libraries Association claims “When it comes to privacy, the agreement is silent on the issue with regards to what Google intends to do with the data it collects”.

Will the addition of Microsoft, Yahoo, and Amazon into the alliance help ensure equality in the book scanning industry?

Read More

Posted 08/19/09 at 05:14:11 PM by Pulkit Chandna

The French fervidly guard their culture against any possible cultural transgressions by the Anglo-Saxon juggernaut. Four year’s ago, the French resolved to prevent Google from assuming control of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF), their national library. But they have finally ended their four-year resistance.

France’s national library has reached an agreement with Google over the digitization of its massive book collection that contains about 13 million books and publications. Google’s financial muscle is expected to quicken the digitization process.  Denis Bruckmann, director of collections at BNF, has blamed financial considerations for the library’s capitulation. However, the library does not intend to halt its own digitization efforts. 

Read More

Posted 07/23/09 at 05:02:04 PM by Andy Salisbury

Thanks to some cooperation between Amazon.com and the University of Michigan, books that were once rare and retailed for upwards of $1,000 will be reprinted.

Books such as Nightingale’s “Notes from Nursing: What it is and what it is not” are currently extremely rare, and difficult to get a hold of. “Notes from Nursing” was originally printed in 1860, but now will be readily available.

“The agreement enables us to increase access to public domain books and other publications that have been digitized,” said Paul Courant, the librarian at the University of Michigan.

The books will cost anywhere from $10 to $45, and will be available on demand.

Read More

Posted 07/05/09 at 12:45:35 PM by Justin Kerr

The U.S. Department of Justice officially confirmed on Thursday that it has launched a formal investigation into the settlement between Google Book Search and publishers over digital publishing rights. The primary focus of the case is antitrust concerns which allege that Google may have engaged in anticompetitive practices involving intellectual property rights and their distribution.

Google’s foray into the world of digital books has been a turbulent one, and though their troubles appeared to be coming to a close last November with a $125 million settlement, the DOJ appears to be less than satisfied. The concern is that following the settlement, Google was effectively given a monopoly over copyright on out of print works. Anyone outside of Google who wished to pursue publishing of these titles online would need to negotiate with the individual authors, many of whom are difficult, if not impossible to find.

Google’s counter argument has always been that the digital book market is still wide open. They claim that any potential competitor who wanted to enter the book scanning market could simply negotiate a deal with the Books Rights Registry. The Registry is a nonprofit organization that was established during the settlement to represent the interests of the authors. Critics argue that Google’s head start makes competing difficult, and many worry about having so much information in the hands of one company. Google continues to shrug off concerns, and likes to remind everyone that competition “is just a click away”.

Do you agree? Hit the jump to leave your thoughts, and to read the official letter from the DOJ.

Read More

Posted 06/29/09 at 09:50:48 AM by Paul Lilly

You kids and your fancy Internet can keep it and stick it where the sun doesn't shine. Or at least that's how Ray Bradbury, the 88-year-old sci-fi author who penned such classics as Fahrenheit 451, The Illustrated Man, and The Martian Chronicles, probably feels. Speaking to The New York Times, Bradbury had some interesting things to say about the cyber space.

"The Internet is a big distraction," Bradbury said as he was just warming up. "Yahoo called me eight weeks ago. They wanted to put a book of mine on Yahoo! You what I told them? 'To hell with you. To hell with you and to hell with the Internet.' It's distracting. It's meaningless; it's not real. It's in the air somewhere."

Yahoo had no comment on the issue, saying they weren't sure of Bradbury's account was accurate.

On a related note, online literature has become a hot topic as of late, particularly with the controversy surrounding Google's Book service. Google is trying to push through its Book Search initiative, which would give it exclusive access to digital editions of some out-of-print books, much to the chagrin of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and others who oppose the move.

Read More