tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78884039158835274942024-03-19T00:38:10.799-04:00The eBook TestCan my print library become all-electronic?Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.comBlogger507125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-23710419603093236752009-09-08T18:09:00.002-04:002009-09-08T18:22:21.913-04:00STOP! This Blog Has Moved To WordPress!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV698iRlktaYvvzlQe7ZyFGqdmmUd9IS_HRYhAwhuVKjX0ajZEFyM0qrOUbxZMbFdfftpUK2N8b3ARIAssCyOC_VF_VDGnT71y7wX1bv8zOVnqSpQr6QBKQLrnr33tFlTHEaPHnfyvLzNh/s1600-h/STOPLIGHT.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 255px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV698iRlktaYvvzlQe7ZyFGqdmmUd9IS_HRYhAwhuVKjX0ajZEFyM0qrOUbxZMbFdfftpUK2N8b3ARIAssCyOC_VF_VDGnT71y7wX1bv8zOVnqSpQr6QBKQLrnr33tFlTHEaPHnfyvLzNh/s400/STOPLIGHT.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379222350028200450" /></a><br /><br />I'm in the process of moving over to WordPress.<br /><br />No new posts will appear here.<br /><br />Go to <a href="http://ebooktest.wordpress.com">The eBook Test at WordPress</a>.<br /><br />Update your RSS!<br /><br />WordPress also has rssCloud!Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-73947912705070796962009-09-07T20:03:00.003-04:002009-09-07T20:13:23.523-04:00RSSCloud: This Will Be Huge For eBooks<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghFKzwNEq3B3k-SReRtBi-FfrHeg6sKxAzUQpNWYWaYGXws9cjyzS_jwUzI4srQMwaPXpTYn4i-uP7fySTqLt8Mov1-7M9whrQ9kKM7nfAJjocp5mcZZxTNQGjw6zLeHbyrGmU3P0DAreT/s1600-h/RSSCloud.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghFKzwNEq3B3k-SReRtBi-FfrHeg6sKxAzUQpNWYWaYGXws9cjyzS_jwUzI4srQMwaPXpTYn4i-uP7fySTqLt8Mov1-7M9whrQ9kKM7nfAJjocp5mcZZxTNQGjw6zLeHbyrGmU3P0DAreT/s400/RSSCloud.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378880766221127538" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.scripting.com/stories/2009/09/07/teaseTeaseTease.html">Tease! Tease! Tease!</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/wordpress_just_made_millions_of_blogs_real-time_wi.php">WordPress Just Made Millions of Blogs Real-Time With RSSCloud</a><br /><br /><a href="http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2009/09/07/rss-in-the-clouds/">RSS in the Clouds</a><br /><br />Just two things right off the top of my head:<br /><br />1) Being notified by a publisher when an eBook from an author you want to read has been put on sale (not everyone gets the months-in-advance Dan Brown hype treatment)<br /><br />2) Being notified by your local library that an eBook you've been waiting to borrow has just been returned <span style="font-style:italic;">right now</span><br /><br />Is Steve Haber and his upcoming 3G-enabled Sony Reader Daily Edition paying attention?Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-82640508269864804482009-09-07T19:20:00.003-04:002009-09-07T19:26:24.166-04:00Should I Move This Blog To WordPress?The advantage of Blogger is that I can get a post up faster than at WordPress. The posting interface is less cloggy to my browser (which is Firefox 2.x because of my crap desktop hardware).<br /><br />Trying to divine reader stats for this blog is a royal pain with Blogger.<br /><br />Also, paradoxically, I've always found WordPress to be incredible for getting my posts into Google and other search engine results quickly.<br /><br />Last, I don't like the way photos are handled here. I can never tell how or when Blogger will resize something -- or the why of it, either.<br /><br />So, I've imported all of this blog into <a href="http://ebooktest.wordpress.com/">WordPress as a test</a>.<br /><br />None of the graphics have been imported -- they simply link back to here to for now.<br /><br />Should I move or not? Comment!Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-27045380867933601412009-09-07T18:56:00.003-04:002009-09-07T19:07:24.507-04:00The Continuing Horror Of ePub<a href="http://twitter.com/katmeyer">Kat Meyer</a> <a href="http://twitter.com/KatMeyer/status/3827732872">RTed this</a>. After reading it, I got pissed because it was some of the same things <a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/07/dumb-ebooks-must-die-smart-ebooks-must.html">I said before</a> and took crap for saying so.<br /><br /><a href="http://1889.ca/2009/09/on-formats-and-friction.html">On Formats and Friction</a><br /><blockquote>Let me state up front that I think all the current formats suck beyond words. We live in a world where a web app can behave just like a really fancy desktop app… where onscreen design can easily surpass what is economical in print design, and where a great many devices (desktops and smartphones at least) have enough raw power to get the job done. And yet we’re stuck with something akin to a spit-and-polish version of the Mosaic browser.</blockquote><br />After expressing my anger on Twitter ...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmuEzvQ6aA8k-D3UE5dy0PJ4OmfcLszJBzBcT9SP3okYBUnpUTNirQb0Vezsjrn8x87CyTVXr4w-nQ8vX7KUh5qXf2u1o2m-Sg6TNPwnJq8phVAYHWiC5eivRjGy24WS7jvfSKgX2qrJV/s1600-h/1889caTweet.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 260px; height: 65px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmuEzvQ6aA8k-D3UE5dy0PJ4OmfcLszJBzBcT9SP3okYBUnpUTNirQb0Vezsjrn8x87CyTVXr4w-nQ8vX7KUh5qXf2u1o2m-Sg6TNPwnJq8phVAYHWiC5eivRjGy24WS7jvfSKgX2qrJV/s400/1889caTweet.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378864543325540226" /></a><br /><br />Not me!Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-53976914048384347132009-09-07T18:54:00.003-04:002009-09-07T19:06:13.375-04:00Another Adobe Milestone In eBook History<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumQOMz3jlLi_8WTlB43mCQ0ZBM9dFBIdiv7Uu4ZBtmbl4xqOB5L9RUkQFqqbjiXug76UtPc3EBpmxnvSTEZ9Ds9ifoqa6ZIX_SxMzJhNSLQnP42m1kI5WNL5q2o_wQInUhe1hgmWNxY0e/s1600-h/Hewson002.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 357px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumQOMz3jlLi_8WTlB43mCQ0ZBM9dFBIdiv7Uu4ZBtmbl4xqOB5L9RUkQFqqbjiXug76UtPc3EBpmxnvSTEZ9Ds9ifoqa6ZIX_SxMzJhNSLQnP42m1kI5WNL5q2o_wQInUhe1hgmWNxY0e/s400/Hewson002.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378865717690921730" /></a>Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-84811748974035407452009-09-07T11:29:00.006-04:002009-09-07T12:09:53.679-04:00Asus Atomic Bomb eBook Reader?Two reports today confirming that Asus plans at least two models of an eBook reading device:<br /><br /><a href="http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article6822723.ece">Tech news: For the smarter kind of bookworm</a><br /><br /><blockquote>The budget version of the Asus ereader will be more in keeping with the Taiwanese company’s reputation for producing cut-price gadgets. Dubbed the Eee Reader, after Asus’s cheap-as-chips Eee PC netbook range, it is likely to take on the competition on price rather than features. The cheapest rival on the market is the Cool-er, which costs £189. Asus is thought to be aiming nearer the £100 mark.</blockquote><br />There's many things one can say about Asus, but none of them are what I've heard about the Cool-er. The Cool-er is fall-apart hardware from PVI that lives down to its bottom-feeder reputation. Asus EeePCs, on the other hand, have had generally stellar ratings all across the board.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/07/asus-planning-dual-screen-eee-reader-worlds-cheapest-e-book-re/">ASUS planning dual screen Eee Reader: world's cheapest e-book reader</a><br /><blockquote>According to president Jerry Shen, the Eee Reader will become the planet's cheapest e-book reader, though a premium model could also be launched to satisfy those craving higher-end features -- probably amenities like inbuilt 3G, a web browser and expandable storage.</blockquote><br />Asus is also a company that <a href="http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/06/04/american-tech-companies-wake-up/">dares to dream</a>.<br /><br />It pioneered netbooks, popularized them, churned out more of them in a shorter period of time than Sony did of PalmOS-based CLIEs, put MultiTouch in them, made them easily hackable, and created an entire new category of portable computing device.<br /><br />They came out of nowhere and created <span style="font-style: italic;">an Apple-like earthquake</span> in digital devices.<br /><br />And now they are aiming at the eBook.<br /><br />To say that the Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, and all other eInk devices have just been sent to their doom is to state the obvious.<br /><br />Here are a bunch of photos I've culled from the Net of a prototype eBook reader Asus recently displayed:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_fufhgXqOwaQufcHP4D1qZU3t6PJWg6l-1spzbLx6nNc87dsnaRSg_akVGXi7_ZrcN0twO7KMMM8VMplSwzLVO5UjaoC_39_0jo9AmPUVHGzD6d1shB2HIgbrgNIXOCnO6dzzgx1ygkAK/s1600-h/WePC_concept.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 351px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_fufhgXqOwaQufcHP4D1qZU3t6PJWg6l-1spzbLx6nNc87dsnaRSg_akVGXi7_ZrcN0twO7KMMM8VMplSwzLVO5UjaoC_39_0jo9AmPUVHGzD6d1shB2HIgbrgNIXOCnO6dzzgx1ygkAK/s400/WePC_concept.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378751943617284882" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/03/04/asus_dual_screen/print.html">The Register</a> <span style="font-style: italic;">Click = big</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisOp_rneTLU6B2jnd_GRwBMf58f47j9PH2YkOTotGsFY6Q06QUh_VovVYxHrTPGS0jPOAldBIv0WkxsgkiL-T3tfVOV9ocPt2KYnw-n7z269LFg3dgYVVQBGxhM2hG1CMNju3SbClMbzMI/s1600-h/asus-dual-screen.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 333px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisOp_rneTLU6B2jnd_GRwBMf58f47j9PH2YkOTotGsFY6Q06QUh_VovVYxHrTPGS0jPOAldBIv0WkxsgkiL-T3tfVOV9ocPt2KYnw-n7z269LFg3dgYVVQBGxhM2hG1CMNju3SbClMbzMI/s400/asus-dual-screen.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378751937217996786" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://forums.techarena.in/portable-devices/1138246.htm">TechArena</a> <span style="font-style: italic;">Click = big</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc1egrFcenTA6bzMatR40gXuiuUVGsjVTPCWZBf9mjsQXObAwdQ37t0odvzr_28ZJQjUcWemtvTiSffI7g7HO7XRqjbTDAUzwDTRxXd-H1aIlXUmY4tK4pOMOElS3QnVYe5VEH1-Fp1H_B/s1600-h/asus_screens_02.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 315px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc1egrFcenTA6bzMatR40gXuiuUVGsjVTPCWZBf9mjsQXObAwdQ37t0odvzr_28ZJQjUcWemtvTiSffI7g7HO7XRqjbTDAUzwDTRxXd-H1aIlXUmY4tK4pOMOElS3QnVYe5VEH1-Fp1H_B/s400/asus_screens_02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378751930724505346" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/03/04/asus_dual_screen/print.html">The Register</a> <span style="font-style: italic;">Click = big</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNj-t6gef7WXzc-yQZgomlebQ_wC4TYVzy6I5UZMMywtl0_PsKkih2CrzRc5AZTTks86JlV_xK-FJrrKilhA6txXudDjKDt44VIXs8M2CbzhjlHq_Fed2iD-Np6jtg8QdEEqi0pfxDt-O-/s1600-h/asus_ebook.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNj-t6gef7WXzc-yQZgomlebQ_wC4TYVzy6I5UZMMywtl0_PsKkih2CrzRc5AZTTks86JlV_xK-FJrrKilhA6txXudDjKDt44VIXs8M2CbzhjlHq_Fed2iD-Np6jtg8QdEEqi0pfxDt-O-/s400/asus_ebook.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378756589421073858" /></a><br /><a href="http://ferralabs.ru/index.php?news=792">Ferra Labs</a> Click = big<br /><br />As for a screen, really, there is only one choice for Asus: <a href="http://www.pixelqi.com/">Pixel Qi</a>, which states on <a href="http://www.pixelqi.com/products">its website</a>:<br /><blockquote>Our first screens will be 10" diagonal screens for netbooks and ebook readers that are sampling now and will ship in high volume in late 2009. These screens rival the best epaper displays on the market today but in addition have video refresh and fully saturated color. The epaper mode has 3 times the resolution of the fully saturated color mode allowing for a high resolution reading experience without sacrifice to super color fidelity for graphics. In addition these screens can be used in sunlight. Look for them in the market in the second half of 2009.</blockquote><br />This is a photo comparing the Pixel Qi screen in ePaper mode to the eInk display of the Amazon Kindle in outdoor sunlight:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2USuq2-25J7sJ5OXYPKqa4nOLkoHSHg7cLVYR9dyfE-nzWEP72tK5p8kIFLY0ptkXnMsax-aJ4j4fc06mBLdxz_VjPv5ZfkFtarxHzagtVJyQw4I98mYN8vZdbPNpPJxrlD9rvI1zZUd0/s1600-h/kindle_3qi_detail.155134839.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 186px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2USuq2-25J7sJ5OXYPKqa4nOLkoHSHg7cLVYR9dyfE-nzWEP72tK5p8kIFLY0ptkXnMsax-aJ4j4fc06mBLdxz_VjPv5ZfkFtarxHzagtVJyQw4I98mYN8vZdbPNpPJxrlD9rvI1zZUd0/s400/kindle_3qi_detail.155134839.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378754205637413874" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Click = big</span><br /><br />It's obvious the Pixel Qi screen is superior in terms of resolution and contrast.<br /><br />Asus could crank that sucker out at massive scale and plummet the per-unit cost. It could also then move it into its netbook line, causing refresh upgrades there for people interested in better battery life and outdoor use.<br /><br />It'd be all-win for Asus.<br /><br />The one question remaining is: Adobe-DRM ePub compatibility?<br /><br />Do we need to even ask that?<br /><br />Asus is the company that <span style="font-style: italic;">brought Microsoft to its knees,</span> causing it to slash the price of Windows XP.<br /><br />They will do the same with Adobe and its license.<br /><br />You think Adobe hasn't seen what happened to Microsoft? You think Adobe doesn't realize Asus = <span style="font-style: italic;">jillions</span> of sales?<br /><br />All of you companies that are planning on eInk eBook devices? Don't bother. Stop now. Liquidate your companies. You're dead.Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-74433617693194250382009-09-05T17:28:00.004-04:002009-09-05T17:44:50.234-04:00Qisda (Formerly BenQ) To Do eBook ReaderInflate that eBook Bubble!<br /><br />You wouldn't know it from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qisda">Wikipedia entry</a>, but Qisda was formerly <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/20/benq-renamed-qisda-but-still-benq-huh/">well-known as BenQ</a>.<br /><br />Now their website lists an eBook reader as in the pipeline:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifeCPTGjJ6UbBq2RHtpUW2aqd9YKny_jmhwcbMrmR-_t7krjtz7eOO9v-uWuJ8slJJiE_Pv9howpArdDI7y2469hut8xqEEXmp-hpCVa1ZsTtJntxBTx23g7keLP2SXTUJw16iYHJjjl2W/s1600-h/Qisda.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifeCPTGjJ6UbBq2RHtpUW2aqd9YKny_jmhwcbMrmR-_t7krjtz7eOO9v-uWuJ8slJJiE_Pv9howpArdDI7y2469hut8xqEEXmp-hpCVa1ZsTtJntxBTx23g7keLP2SXTUJw16iYHJjjl2W/s400/Qisda.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378099485367633986" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Click = big</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.emasiamag.com/article-6036-qisdatocarveoutnicheswithebookreaders-Asia.html">Qisda to Carve Out Niches with E-Book Readers</a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Previous eBook Bubble posts:</span><br /><br /><a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/09/toshiba-well-do-ebook-device-too.html">Toshiba: We'll Do An eBook Device Too!</a><br /><a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/09/yet-another-ebook-device-oaxis.html">Yet Another eBook Device: Oaxis</a><br /><a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/09/ebook-bubble-coming-to-ces-2010.html">The eBook Bubble Coming To CES 2010</a><br /><a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/07/ebook-bubble-notes.html">eBook Bubble Notes</a>Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-62223133392189668512009-09-04T14:02:00.010-04:002009-09-04T16:20:42.872-04:00Would A US$50 eBook Reader Be A Disaster?<a href="http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20090903/study-everyone-wants-a-kindle-for-50/">Study: Everyone Wants a Kindle–For $50</a><br /><br /><a href="http://blogs.forrester.com/consumer_product_strategy/2009/09/new-forrester-report-the-ereader-price-squeeze.html">New Forrester Report: The eReader Price Squeeze</a><br /><blockquote>What we found was that the price points for how most consumers value eReaders is <span style="font-weight: bold;">shockingly low--for most segments, between $50 and $99.</span></blockquote><br />Emphasis added by me.<br /><br />I've been down this road once before: Wednesday, October 8, 2008, <a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2008/10/sony-reader-prs-700-part-three.html">Sony Reader PRS-700: Part Three</a>:<br /><blockquote>When it came to Jim Malcolm, Sony's Director of Corporate Marketing for Mobile Lifestyle Products, I brought up the hardware pricing issue.<br /><br />He saw this poll result:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAivFo16jU9Q-ZXNugFRViGGcHDZcK0c4Q_3QoYoqPlRLeneN5IkMYV1MPRXvgx70pvPegqYVZJR8REaWY0F35XVSFenZuVZv16kz-GMsqmVEcKGkrGaNe-kwn4YEpz76Ct9rZ3K4pTL9J/s1600-h/ZDEBRPoll.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAivFo16jU9Q-ZXNugFRViGGcHDZcK0c4Q_3QoYoqPlRLeneN5IkMYV1MPRXvgx70pvPegqYVZJR8REaWY0F35XVSFenZuVZv16kz-GMsqmVEcKGkrGaNe-kwn4YEpz76Ct9rZ3K4pTL9J/s400/ZDEBRPoll.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240043719135651218" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I've <a href="http://mikecane2008.blogspot.com/2008/08/attention-sony-do-it.html">wailed for lower prices</a>. As recently as this week, <a href="http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2008/10/05/missing-the-market/">so has Dear Author</a>.<br /><br />This is basically what Malcolm told me. The poll results are from those who are <em>tech-savvy early adopters.</em> They already know the price of things and so, of course, would <em>love</em> eBook reading devices to even be as low as five for $20.00. Malcolm claims that <em>Sony's own research</em> shows that hardware price is actually <em>not</em> a factor. Can I argue with their expertise and proprietary, professional research?<br /><br />Yes. I know. I'm stubborn. Or I'm just an <em>absolute eejit</em> when it comes to real-world marketing, but I can't but help to point <em>once again</em> to the example of Henry Ford and <a href="http://mikecane2008.blogspot.com/2008/09/chronicles-of-depression-20-264-model-t.html">the Model T</a>. Plus, there are the more recent examples of the <a href="http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/04/15/is-the-asus-eeepc-the-new-commodore-64/">Commodore-64 and the Asus EeePC</a>.</blockquote><br />Since then, <a href="http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ratcliffe/?p=360">that poll</a> has added votes:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJqonoe4MUaC1iozR-hGuADF-Fdik-pMMjA6C-mlaAVENhZkZQJYA10jyvqcrN7URM4MVHtd-VZEj5zWVbB9s4zK7pdse_Ig-bI-NiGU34LCZOCkrwDlpxarHXoVMHL7suDOtYM8u5Ac6i/s1600-h/ZDNeteBookPrice02.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 398px; height: 201px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJqonoe4MUaC1iozR-hGuADF-Fdik-pMMjA6C-mlaAVENhZkZQJYA10jyvqcrN7URM4MVHtd-VZEj5zWVbB9s4zK7pdse_Ig-bI-NiGU34LCZOCkrwDlpxarHXoVMHL7suDOtYM8u5Ac6i/s400/ZDNeteBookPrice02.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377681640623539906" border="0" /></a><br /><br />But wait, as the bad TV ads say, <a href="http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ratcliffe/?p=357">there's more</a>:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVFvwXTMSt5LEu1-l6_8DBrShyphenhyphenTNjbgN1JS0pbmiYe53axo4PRee52XgdZP4yOEzFVdlNG8KXDS_rgEvVzVrZFuVefGLFGvZfg9MbIMybJ3byvUdhWHAhc79U97hyWb_G2lM5I7B-oH6z3/s1600-h/ZDNeteBookBuying01.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 171px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVFvwXTMSt5LEu1-l6_8DBrShyphenhyphenTNjbgN1JS0pbmiYe53axo4PRee52XgdZP4yOEzFVdlNG8KXDS_rgEvVzVrZFuVefGLFGvZfg9MbIMybJ3byvUdhWHAhc79U97hyWb_G2lM5I7B-oH6z3/s400/ZDNeteBookBuying01.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377681636613746242" border="0" /></a><br /><br />If half the people who own these devices are buying nothing, then there are at least three things happening here:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">1) Piracy is rampant.</span> That depends. So far, the only popular eBook format that has not been cracked is Sony's own BBeB. Most people say it's because the market is too small to attract the pirates. Most of the pirated material I've stumbled on has been either plain text or PDF -- not file formats for the Kindle, the Sony Reader, or other such devices. So I doubt piracy.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">2) People are reading only free eBooks.</span> Really? I doubt this too. Why spend money on an <span style="font-style: italic;">expensive</span> single-purpose device to read free?<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">3) There is no market for eBooks people must buy.</span> And yet there's the Kindle Store, the Sony eBookstore, Smashwords, et al. Yet none of them have actually published sales figures. And when writers have, the amounts of money mentioned have been equal to less than a one-month rent payment in New York City. Plus: <span style="font-style: italic;">that earned amount is not sustained over the long run.</span> Is there no real market -- yet?<br /><br />Would a US$50 or even US$99 eBook reading device explode the market?<br /><br />That's possible ... but the ramifications of that would not be good for many.<br /><br />Right now, people are paying at least US$200 for an iPhone (a little more for an iPod Touch) -- and there is <span style="font-style: italic;">resistance to paying for software!</span><br /><br />See: <a href="http://ps3computing.blogspot.com/2009/07/iphone-piracy-cold-hard-figures.html">iPhone piracy - the cold hard figures</a>.<br /><br />That app retailed for an impulse-buy price of just US$1.99!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblxc2ZzpeEcav4cYi8MhTliXncRHup_5aLgrMYSbv6nm5OYSsQq7k8Siq2VKr_nf7drXb4aYv1m7rxHIVSMdGIC_vrYHgGI-BNIZolUAHlVxklWTSIZtiBIk-I_ilxQCf1yEErIAnUKvu/s1600-h/iPTankApp.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblxc2ZzpeEcav4cYi8MhTliXncRHup_5aLgrMYSbv6nm5OYSsQq7k8Siq2VKr_nf7drXb4aYv1m7rxHIVSMdGIC_vrYHgGI-BNIZolUAHlVxklWTSIZtiBIk-I_ilxQCf1yEErIAnUKvu/s400/iPTankApp.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377685499705333394" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And yet people were <span style="font-style: italic;">stealing it right and left.</span><br /><br />So what would happen when someone buys an eBook device for only US$50 or $US99?<br /><br />Do you think people are going to look at <span style="font-style: italic;">an eBook priced at US$9.99 as being reasonable?</span><br /><br />Hell no!<br /><br />"Wait a minute. If I buy just five (or ten) eBooks, I<span style="font-style: italic;">'ve paid as much for them as for this hardware.</span> The hell with that!!!111"<br /><br />This does not bode well for the future. At least in the United States. Elsewhere, such a low price for an eBook reader would be a boon. See: <a href="http://living.scotsman.com/books/In-the-footsteps-of-Carnegie.5617585.jp">In the footsteps of Carnegie</a>.<br /><br />And speaking of Carnegie, we don't exactly live in a society where people express the sentiment he once did:<br /><blockquote>When I was a working-boy in Pittsburgh, Colonel Anderson of Allegheny – a name I can never speak without feelings of devotional gratitude – opened his little library of four hundred books to boys. Every Saturday afternoon he was in attendance at his house to exchange books. No one but he who has felt it can ever know the intense longing with which the arrival of Saturday was awaited, that a new book might be had.</blockquote><br />Has anyone ever witnessed a line <span style="font-style: italic;">to a public library</span> to rival, say, one to <a href="http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/07/09/southern-nyc-iday-2007-in-56-photos/">buy an iPhone</a>?<br /><br />No, don't bring up <span style="font-style:italic;">Harry Potter</span> and bookstores. That's an event. The lines <span style="font-style: italic;">disappeared</span> after that event.<br /><br />Learning is not a one-off event. Yet public library patronage increases only during tough economic times. Like now.<br /><br />So where does this leave us?<br /><br />1) A public that is generally indifferent to book buying<br /><br />2) A public that if given an inexpensive eBook reader would likely resist current eBook prices<br /><br />3) The continued <a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/08/devaluation-of-ebook.html">devaluation of the eBook</a><br /><br />None of this is good for things as they <a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/08/why-eink-epub-and-ebooks-will-fail.html">are currently arranged</a>.Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-4232621692661227492009-09-04T13:16:00.003-04:002009-09-04T13:21:20.932-04:00Toshiba: We'll Do An eBook Device Too!<a href="http://www.t3.com/news/toshiba-to-launch-an-e-book-reader-mid-2010-exclusive?=40661&cid=OTC-RSS&attr=T3-Main-RSS">Toshiba to launch an e-book reader mid-2010 - EXCLUSIVE</a><br /><blockquote>Due to launch in "mid-2010", Simons claimed they are "looking at 7 and 9-inch models", however they'll have to "see how much the 9-inch would cost", before that size ever makes it to the market.<br /><br />Interestingly, Simons said Toshiba won't be going down the touchscreen route like Sony did with its Reader Touch model (pictured), instead preferring a non-touchscreen model. Simons told us "you don't need a touchscreen to make an e-book reader work", with the buttons doing it justice apparently.</blockquote><br /><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/04/toshibas-journe-touch-to-get-voip-and-ebook-functionality-dedi/">Toshiba's JournE touch to get VoIP and ebook functionality, dedicated e-reader planned for 2010</a><br /><blockquote>Perhaps more intriguing is confirmation that Toshiba is planning a new ebook device with similar inspiration as the JournE (Toshiba already makes the much different Biblio reader for Japan), but is holding off until a standard book format and distribution model is nailed down by the industry.</blockquote><br />I predict it will never come to market. It will be killed in early development after the upcoming Christmas sales bloodbath and early 2010 burst of the <a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/08/why-eink-epub-and-ebooks-will-fail.html">Axis of E Bubble</a>.Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-10891966088155427842009-09-04T13:02:00.003-04:002009-09-04T13:15:42.444-04:00Google Books Settlement Notes #2Publishers Weekly: <a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6687448.html?nid=2286&rid=##CustomerId##&source=title">Authors Guild Slams Amazon Over Its Google Settlement Stance; Other Groups Opt Out of Settlement</a><br /><br />National Post: <a href="http://www.nationalpost.com/arts/story.html?id=1957311">Deadline looms as opposition mounts to Google Book Settlement</a><br /><br />Guardian UK: <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/sep/03/google-books-project-digital">Google tries to sidestep criticism of $125m book project</a><br /><br />ZD Net: <a href="http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=23844">Sniping over Google Books Settlement intensifies</a><br /><br />Library Journal: <a href="http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6687537.html">Library Groups Step Up Criticism of Google Settlement; Some Academic Institutions Support It</a><br /><blockquote>“Sony wants to file an amicus brief in support, since they think the Google Book project will boost e-reader sales.”</blockquote><br />If you do that, you suck, Sony!<br /><br /><a href="http://blogs.ubc.ca/dean/2009/09/google-will-win-but-itll-be-pyrrhic/">Google Book Search Will Win – But It’ll Be Pyrrhic</a><br /><br /><a href="http://micheladrien.blogspot.com/2009/09/google-book-search-settlement-deadline.html">Google Book Search Settlement Deadline</a>Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-9684946786747415442009-09-03T12:23:00.004-04:002009-09-03T12:31:10.890-04:00Tomorrow: Google Books Settlement Deadline For Writers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUHW8mz0rmB-VW0xvdXjR13UEne1JaRhOAu4fEQKEzqOjEsVcZ-NBmjwP_h51ClGr35DuxQ9Lv8YSX-ZzmT1eCD5orVgshpogw2DDHyuDVSYX7G7xVNVEBbX0bgt5fahYCvvlsl6for8m4/s1600-h/SayNo3.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 262px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUHW8mz0rmB-VW0xvdXjR13UEne1JaRhOAu4fEQKEzqOjEsVcZ-NBmjwP_h51ClGr35DuxQ9Lv8YSX-ZzmT1eCD5orVgshpogw2DDHyuDVSYX7G7xVNVEBbX0bgt5fahYCvvlsl6for8m4/s400/SayNo3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377277906483672690" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.googlebooksettlement.com/r/enter_opt_out">Google Book Settlement Opt-Out page</a><br /><br /><a href="http://scrivenerserror.blogspot.com/2009/08/9830x.html">Advice re: opting-out</a><br /><br /><a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/08/reject-google-book-search-settlement.html">Reject The Google Book Search Settlement!</a><br /><br /><a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/08/capitulation-of-print-publishing.html">The Capitulation Of Print Publishing</a><br /><br /><a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/08/googles-one-million-ebooks-of-crap.html">Google's One Million eBooks Of Crap!</a><br /><br /><a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/08/googles-great-writer-rip-off.html">Google's Great Writer Rip-Off</a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">None of you who opt-in get to cry about how you've been screwed a few years from now.</span><br /><br />You've been warned.Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-64008525188045250682009-09-02T12:03:00.003-04:002009-09-02T12:10:09.644-04:00Cooler Adds Google's One Million ePubs Of Crap!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhulfA7xiWcIUksMf-NEBspbL5kU5G1m3UqkVilHyr6Zrbk9EbGWxbgOhyIbO_AFxfbeD9ugx_Va-xnPBTbaAxOtlQixFG83K-D5AdFHbpw55OYbllwoenSmiwo_nMZ1KuME3y8y1oF1yTe/s1600-h/CoolerGoogle.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhulfA7xiWcIUksMf-NEBspbL5kU5G1m3UqkVilHyr6Zrbk9EbGWxbgOhyIbO_AFxfbeD9ugx_Va-xnPBTbaAxOtlQixFG83K-D5AdFHbpw55OYbllwoenSmiwo_nMZ1KuME3y8y1oF1yTe/s400/CoolerGoogle.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376901585562882738" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Click = big</span><br />Red underlining by me.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.interead.co.uk/media.asp">COOLERBOOKS.com announces Google partnership</a><br /><br />Wow. Just wow. So eager to proclaim themselves "the largest ebookstore in the world," they apparently don't give a damn that they're palming off <span style="font-style:italic;">utter unreadable crap</span> to their customers.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Previously here:</span><br /><br /><a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/08/suckups-suckers-and-sloppiness-mislead.html">Suckups, Suckers, And Sloppiness Mislead eBook Readers</a><br /><a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/08/googles-one-million-ebooks-of-crap.html">Google's One Million eBooks Of Crap!</a>Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-83027894033274807792009-09-02T11:22:00.004-04:002009-09-02T11:37:07.489-04:00And Sony Thinks IT Can Format eBooks?!!?Just look at this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4XEPjSuC3-dBI3GIGJYdDxirP-sgwSN1ttFSn1-MQTcvnis6CxipBRqwygj7eEDV5EqQYwNDLdQ8qJfIyP8VypJkRHUF6VhNyEoWbzXDAd-gLSCKV3DR2knqVu4p3LNXO-SIpudeJBeaY/s1600-h/BBeBFormatFAIL+copy.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4XEPjSuC3-dBI3GIGJYdDxirP-sgwSN1ttFSn1-MQTcvnis6CxipBRqwygj7eEDV5EqQYwNDLdQ8qJfIyP8VypJkRHUF6VhNyEoWbzXDAd-gLSCKV3DR2knqVu4p3LNXO-SIpudeJBeaY/s400/BBeBFormatFAIL+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376891292702728770" /></a><br /><br />It's <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/david-baldacci/the-collectors/_/R-400000000000000048491">The Collectors</a></span> by David Baldacci.<br /><br />That's done by <span style="font-style:italic;">Sony's</span> people (whether in-house or a service bureau doesn't matter -- these are the Formatting Priesthood Sony blesses with paychecks for their toil!).<br /><br />That's an eBook in Sony's locked-down proprietary -- and now being kicked to the curb -- format, BBeB. You know BBeB, the format that Sony created just for its Reader. BBeB, the format that Sony wouldn't provide creation tools for everyone to create their own eBooks. BBeB, the format that Sony charges <span style="font-style:italic;">at least two hundred dollars for each title</span> to a publisher to convert into.<br /><br />Sony still requires publishers to go through <span style="font-style:italic;">its</span> people even for ePub.<br /><br />How stupid is that?<br /><br />What kind of world does Sony exist in where there is no <a href="http://moriahjovan.com/mojo/the-legend-of-atlantis">Atlantis</a> and no <a href="http://code.google.com/p/sigil/">SIGIL</a>?<br /><br />If Sony had created the Internet, it'd be exactly like AOL was: based on a proprietary and stupid scripting language (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainman">Rainman</a> -- I kid you not!) that made grown men cry.<br /><br />Let <span style="font-style:italic;">go,</span> Sony!<br /><br />Your own formatting is shown to be crap at times. You think <span style="font-style:italic;">writers who want to succeed</span> would do worse on their own?!Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-72676511039786079032009-09-02T10:52:00.004-04:002009-09-02T14:08:00.171-04:00Sony Drowns In Its Own Juices Of Unreality<a href="http://mckainviewpoint.com/">Scott McKain</a> clued me in to a post by <a href="http://www.twitter.com/Lefsetz">Bob Lefsetz</a> that is absolutely worth reading in its entirety, but I can't resist quoting two bits of it.<br /><br /><a href="http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2009/09/01/e-books/">e-books</a><br /><blockquote>My inbox is cluttered with mail from people railing against pirates, telling me that music is fairly priced at over ten dollars a CD. Think of all the effort! Think of all the mouths to be paid! Think of all the enjoyment!<br /><br />What I love to tell these assholes is to continue to stare into the screen… What’s the value of their computer? You can buy one for $400, but the CPU, the RAM, never mind the monitor…what’s the value? Oh, don’t tell me about creativity, the artist toiling in isolation. Do you know how much research, how much effort goes into these technological revolutions? <span style="font-weight: bold;">Furthermore, unlike you and your lazy ass, these programmers, these researchers, work almost ’round the clock, not tweeting to the faithful saying how great they are, but focusing on breakthroughs. The work ethic of the average person stinks…and you wonder why he’s broke and complaining.</span></blockquote><br />Emphasis added by me.<br /><br />Although I disagree with his perspective on how artists work (there is much slack time precisely because it isn't <span style="font-style: italic;">science,</span> like those researchers do), that still made me laugh.<br /><br />And a stab at Sony, which really deserves it:<br /><blockquote>Meanwhile, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sony, a name revered only in the minds of oldsters,</span> has a competing product that’s overpriced and under-featured. But Sony just announced that they too will have wireless downloading. With a one inch larger screen, which will be touch-sensitive, yet more expensive. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Howard Stringer needs to be waterboarded.</span> Doesn’t he get it, that the old Sony paradigm is dead? Where you overpay for the name, believing you’re getting a premium product? Sony’s TV sales have tanked, the PS3 is a disaster, yet he can’t compete on price with e-books?</blockquote><br />Emphasis added by me.<br /><br />Howard Stringer has been and continues to be a disaster for Sony.<br /><br />Read the entire post by Lefsetz. It's sooo good.<br /><br />And what the hell is Sony doing with its <a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2008/11/sony-ebook-store-publishers-portal.html">Publishers Portal</a>? <span style="font-style: italic;">Nothing</span> as far as I can tell!<br /><br />Here's a lesson for Steve Haber, who apparently still frikkin needs to learn what the hell to do with that Portal:<br /><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">Order generated without design can far outstrip plans men consciously contrive.</span><br /><br />-- economist F.A. Hayek</blockquote><br />Stop trying to <span style="font-style: italic;">plan</span> success, goddammit. <span style="font-style: italic;">Open the gates and let loose the dogs of war!</span><br /><br />We now live in a world with <a href="http://moriahjovan.com/mojo/the-legend-of-atlantis">Atlantis</a> and <a href="http://code.google.com/p/sigil/">SIGIL</a>. <span style="font-style:italic;">Any writer can now create 100%-compliant ePub!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Previous posts about Howard Stringer:</span><br /><br /><a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/05/will-sony-even-exist-in-five-years.html">Will Sony Even Exist In Five Years?</a><br /><a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/05/sonys-howard-stringer-is-delusional.html">Sony's Howard Stringer Is Delusional</a><br /><a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/02/when-will-sony-wake-up.html">When Will Sony Wake Up?</a><br /><a href="http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/08/28/omfgzz1-sonys-stringer-has-heard-of-ebooks/">OMFGZZ!!!1 Sony’s Stringer Has Heard Of eBooks!</a><br /><a href="http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/08/10/sony-fumbles-its-ebook-reader/">Sony Fumbles Its eBook Reader</a><br /><a href="http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/05/28/sony-the-new-titanic/">Sony, The New Titanic?</a><br /><a href="http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/02/07/sonys-in-worse-shape-than-i-thought/">Sony’s In Worse Shape Than I Thought</a>Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-23370001514253304812009-09-01T19:02:00.003-04:002009-09-01T19:05:51.999-04:00Yet Another eBook Device: OaxisBecause the market hasn't been flooded <span style="font-style:italic;">just yet.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLCKRMXm2HBG-rAUlFKXdsp5hqg4MSk86gFxM7rW-hgDzuY6q_QLpcxa2BF2b7vUec3v6fXvrsH9yOl1k8C9jD2QeKgjLTdVXkXrAVCqXDe73dS0XAe2E9Q7npTYMwOWcrW3VVlXT0kmSt/s1600-h/Oaxis.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 253px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLCKRMXm2HBG-rAUlFKXdsp5hqg4MSk86gFxM7rW-hgDzuY6q_QLpcxa2BF2b7vUec3v6fXvrsH9yOl1k8C9jD2QeKgjLTdVXkXrAVCqXDe73dS0XAe2E9Q7npTYMwOWcrW3VVlXT0kmSt/s400/Oaxis.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376638553286812082" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Display</span><br />6 Inches Electronic Paper Display<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Resolution</span><br />600x800 pixel (16bit Greyscale )<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Processor</span><br />Samsung Arm 9 Core<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Operating System</span><br />Linux 2.6<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">RAM Memory</span><br />64MB SDRAM<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Battery</span><br />900mAh Li-ion Battery<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">I/O</span><br />High Speed USB 2.0<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Expandable Memory</span><br />SD Card/ MMC<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Text Format</span><br />TXT, PDF, EPUB, RTF, TCR, PDB, PRC,MOBI, OPF, OEB, HTM, HTML, CHM,FB2, DJVU, IW44, IW4, DJV<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Supported Audio Formats</span><br />MP3 (32kbps-384kbps)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Supported Image Formats</span><br />JPEG, PNG, TIF, GIF, BMP<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Language Supported</span><br />English (UK), English (US),Chinese (Traditional /Simplified),German, French, Spanish, Dutch,Portuguese, Italian, Russian<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Dimension</span><br />178(L) x 128.4 (W) x 9.9(H) mm<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Weight</span><br />228g<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GbUHIQ1TLD0&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GbUHIQ1TLD0&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-65121738061892459662009-09-01T17:22:00.002-04:002009-09-01T17:27:18.014-04:00Google Books Settlement Notes #1<a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-10322574-265.html">An author's guide to the Google Books flap</a> -- if you have a book in danger, there are only two words you need to know: <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/08/googles-great-writer-rip-off.html">OPT-OUT</a>.</span> Period!<br /><br /><a href="http://madisonian.net/2009/08/31/the-google-book-search-settlement-goes-meta/">The Google Book Search Settlement Goes Meta</a><br /><br /><a href="http://mbanks.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/08/symposium-report-the-google-books-settlement-and-future-of-information-access.html">Symposium Report: The Google Books Settlement and Future of Information Access</a><br /><br /><a href="http://palblog.fxpal.com/?p=1690">The Library of Google</a><br /><br /><a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKN0149201520090901?rpc=401&">Germany: Google book deal violates copyright law</a>Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-22360844947756177592009-09-01T17:14:00.001-04:002009-09-01T17:14:35.247-04:00eBook Notes For Tuesday, September 1, 2009<a href="http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55224">iRiver's new e-book reader 'Story'</a> -- at first glance, it looks like a K2 clone. But the buttons look flat, hinting at a touch-sensitive area below the screen (shades of Palm Pre's Gesture Area!).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.joestump.net/2009/08/pass-the-lubricant-as-were-getting-fucked-by-apple-too.html">Pass the lubricant as we’re getting fucked by Apple too</a><br /><blockquote>Stories of developers being absolutely bent over the barrel and fucked hard aren’t new, but I’ve got no other recourse so I’m throwing Blunder Move’s story into the ring. What makes our story different? I’m lucky enough to personally know people at the iTunes store. People who actually work at Apple that I drink beers with. I’m guessing most iPhone developers are in a different boat, but it doesn’t matter (just look at the Facebook app, which was featured in an iPhone commercial, taking 10+ days to get approved) that I know people there. At least Apple are equal opportunity ass fuckers.</blockquote><br />When is Apple going to grow up and start getting this corrected? Application updates should have their own Express Lane. Apple is opening itself up to lawsuits for contributing to the besmirchment of developers. They are ruining reputations.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6687027.html">Lookout Kindle, Here Comes CellStories.net</a><br /><blockquote>The future of digital reading, says Sinker, is the cellphone, not dedicated reading devices like the Kindle and the Sony Reader.</blockquote><br />He's right.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/sep/01/nick-cave-publishers-phone-ebooks">Nick Cave joins publishers' push for phone ebooks</a><br /><blockquote>The novelist and music legend Nick Cave is sprinkling a little rock'n'roll glamour over publishing's latest front in the battle for readers, by releasing an iPhone version of his new novel, The Death of Bunny Munro. The text, which scrolls downwards on chapter-length virtual pages, is accompanied by readings and music specially recorded by the author himself.</blockquote><br />Try that with eInk.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.dailyiowan.com/2009/09/01/Metro/12588.html">E-texts roil market</a><br /><blockquote>"If it catches on, we’re doomed," said Iowa Book manager Joe Ziegler.</blockquote><br />You're doomed.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/09/01/adobe_buys_business_catalyst/">Adobe makes mystery web buy</a><br /><blockquote>Adobe Systems quietly acquired web platform outfit Business Catalyst (BC) for an undisclosed sum on Monday.<br /><br />The software maker has remained silent about the deal, but BC said that Adobe had bought Business Catalyst and its sister firm, GoodBarry, according to an official statement on the company's site.<br /><br />Business Catalyst, which was founded in Australia in 1997, offers a one-stop-shop to internet businesses that want a single platform for their developers to work on.</blockquote><br />This sounds like B-2-B, but I think Adobe has something else up its sleeve here.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/31/oled_technique/">Japanese boffin boasts electrospray OLEDs</a><br /><blockquote>Displays created using self-illuminating organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology <span style="font-weight: bold;">"could be manufactured as inexpensively as printing newspapers,"</span> according to one of the researchers involved in developing the new manufacturing process.</blockquote><br />Emphasis added by me.<br /><br />That's a claim we've heard over and over and over. When the hell does it actually <span style="font-style: italic;">happen?</span><br /><br />The First World War Poetry Digital Archive: <a href="http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/blunden">The Edmund Blunden Collection</a><br /><blockquote>Edmund Blunden was born in London on 1st November 1896, the eldest of nine children. When Edmund was four the family moved to Yalding, Kent, where he discovered the love of rural life and natural history that were to be a major influence on his writing.</blockquote><br /><a href="http://www.nursingschools.net/blog/">100 Useful Online Libraries for Nurses and Nursing Students</a><br /><br />UT Health Science Center (San Antonio): <a href="http://www.library.uthscsa.edu/find/pdas.cfm">PDA Resources</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.libraryjournal.com/blog/1090000309/post/1470048347.html">The Great Web Site Die-Off: Why It Matters</a> -- not even the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine is permitted to capture everything. History is being lost.<br /><br /><a href="http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/09/despite-changes-wikipedia-will-still-fail-within-5-years.ars">Despite changes, Wikipedia will still "fail within 5 years"</a> -- wikipedia becomes the new Politburo of the Internet. This is a story that should be read by anyone engaged in social media. There is a lesson here.<br /><br />And to end this post on a cheery (yes, really!) note, go see this at Maud Newton's blog: <a href="http://maudnewton.com/blog/?p=9517">Scene from the era of the supposed Death of Reading</a>Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-36980900097580677432009-09-01T14:56:00.004-04:002009-09-01T15:16:25.865-04:00The eBook Bubble Coming To CES 2010Oh is that eBook Bubble inflating, inflating, inflating!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2009/09/01/4349728.htm">eBooks TechZone Sells out for the 2010 International CES; Additional Space Added to Meet Customer Demand</a><br /><blockquote> "The eBook category is experiencing astounding growth, with more than one million units expected to sell in the United States this year," said Karen Chupka, senior vice president, events and conferences at CEA. "We have received overwhelming response from companies interested in exhibiting in the eBooks TechZone for the 2010 CES. In fact, <span style="font-weight: bold;">the original space allocated for the TechZone has already sold out and we are adding additional floor space to accommodate our customers.</span> This exciting new TechZone is sure to draw plenty of attention at the 2010 CES." Consumer demand for eBooks continues to increase significantly, as eBook sales are expected to reach $317 million in 2009, with $647 million in sales projected for 2010. Additionally, shipments of eBooks are expected to increase by more than 100 percent in 2009, with 1.19 million units expected to sell.</blockquote><br />Emphasis added by me.<br /><br />Future exhbitors that make me wonder:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.onyx-international.com/en/">Onyx International</a>, which has now set up an actual site for the Boox reader first seen at a recent tradeshow. A video at that site shows impressive PDF handling that's clearly superior to what Sony has done. Also, the built-in web browser is based on WebKit. And although ePub compatibility is not mentioned, I'm certain if someone wanted this to be the platform for their branded device, such an arrangement with Adobe could be made.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXcvePaB_76F284hJB7bd2iqaTPO9jfv8ueNtoHmr5Z_gcKQgw8PM7F8CvoSh_Ce7anz81afK8Fpyl13JR5mtrPMcBX5-CeuzzvUsb5J8qJyMd8LPlJYyJ6yuANRQIgZFVC70nyEhZVmC/s1600-h/OnyxBoox2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 264px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXcvePaB_76F284hJB7bd2iqaTPO9jfv8ueNtoHmr5Z_gcKQgw8PM7F8CvoSh_Ce7anz81afK8Fpyl13JR5mtrPMcBX5-CeuzzvUsb5J8qJyMd8LPlJYyJ6yuANRQIgZFVC70nyEhZVmC/s400/OnyxBoox2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376577882161230370" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://entouragesys.com/">Entourage Systems</a>, which has a sparse and very vague website that touts it's aiming at the educational market.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJOW_AzdS1iQL80ILOcylOxqDVta545OSaLsIjN9298hF8mZWou9yNg-vpgzDeJdUKQWLcxAx7gzuVmt3K0QyU-i1Ty_xwG05i46Slj10k9sKYADBlVO2PxZcvTtkozY7ZLch9GmAy-fF/s1600-h/Entourage.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 340px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJOW_AzdS1iQL80ILOcylOxqDVta545OSaLsIjN9298hF8mZWou9yNg-vpgzDeJdUKQWLcxAx7gzuVmt3K0QyU-i1Ty_xwG05i46Slj10k9sKYADBlVO2PxZcvTtkozY7ZLch9GmAy-fF/s400/Entourage.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376577874302473602" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.liquavista.com/products/default.aspx">LiquaVista</a>, which claims to have a revolutionary color eInk superior to the junk we've seen in the Fujitsu Flepia device. This screen has several display modes, which makes me wonder how it'd do against the Pixel Qi screen we've seen.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylFPpQIPvPys7YBpHMsDtQ2ifYUPv7YWWqqPcZ8dP0urP0wLQ26-lbO_5z5gsmzP-J-2A18oQY3XzZah9GxDvVam3PSR4xLpBKVenU_gCLYbhaHlufr3ueG0wywEZ7mePGphqsxh2P0se/s1600-h/LiquaVista.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 373px; height: 307px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylFPpQIPvPys7YBpHMsDtQ2ifYUPv7YWWqqPcZ8dP0urP0wLQ26-lbO_5z5gsmzP-J-2A18oQY3XzZah9GxDvVam3PSR4xLpBKVenU_gCLYbhaHlufr3ueG0wywEZ7mePGphqsxh2P0se/s400/LiquaVista.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376577864010095074" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.hw99.com/">Hanwang</a>, whose hardware has been the basis for the <a href="http://www.jetbook.net/">ECTACO jetBook</a> reader (ECTACO will also exhibit). They keep putting out new models -- more than any other hardware manufacturer, it seems. Will all eBook hardware eventually be cheap and from China?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHteIxlXBDnW4elIH3HdUldJPR6Wxxgd5GA61yUXw0WnURnKID0Lit4B0SW_slNLqEMEeKyvYpqU2cTRhFecTdXdckdk3m6aiWRx9LVLtuOe2Gbt25-2TE8DdyypppPLhe7xsoz0WBhFcu/s1600-h/Hanwang.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHteIxlXBDnW4elIH3HdUldJPR6Wxxgd5GA61yUXw0WnURnKID0Lit4B0SW_slNLqEMEeKyvYpqU2cTRhFecTdXdckdk3m6aiWRx9LVLtuOe2Gbt25-2TE8DdyypppPLhe7xsoz0WBhFcu/s400/Hanwang.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376577871469097154" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Click = big</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.freescale.com/">Freescale</a>, whose chips power the Sony Reader. Hackers might be interested in this <a href="http://www.freescale.com/files/32bit/doc/data_sheet/MC9328MXL.pdf">PDF datasheet</a> for the Freescale MC9328MXL, which powers the Sony Reader PRS-300.<br /><br />Ominously, <a href="http://www.aiptek.com.tw/default.php">Aiptek</a> is also <a href="http://myces.bdmetrics.com/CDT-6277594/Aiptek-International-Inc-/Details.aspx">listed as having an eBook device</a>. Aiptek does <span style="font-style: italic;">very</span> low-end hardware. A $150.00 -- or even $99.00 -- eBook reader in 2010? Good luck putting the squeeze on Adobe, Aiptek, to get that Adobe DRM compatibility!<br /><br />Finally, a company called <a href="https://www.cydle.com/">Cydle</a> is also <a href="http://myces.bdmetrics.com/CDT-6278193/Cydle/Details.aspx">listed under eBooks</a>. Their product page is mainly GPS and HD radio hardware. Some of which is running Windows CE 5.x. What do they have in the wings?Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-5420544476091195082009-09-01T12:52:00.006-04:002009-09-01T13:04:35.299-04:00Book Covers Turn To BlehVia a tweet from <a href="http://maudnewton.com/blog/">Maud Newton</a>, I wound up at <a href="http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/">Alison Bechdel</a>'s blog and eventually came upon <a href="http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/the-little-stranger">this post</a>.<br /><br />But since her Flickr item was designated All Rights Reserved, I had to go steal the covers from elsewhere. Which was better, as I came upon a third one.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMS3XylM-zd3tw6TdE9muHq8c8l5KSGV2523C0oem0uZ3xilapG2WJzzPiWJ8Y4TuDqyB_vvsdECFvzKnjZTHfG0TlE0nYhoJT0VPyg21GDAKPSn5iMbiFBsljjA2fVsRw9gMNj-Q5UeA4/s1600-h/LittleStrangeCover1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 249px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMS3XylM-zd3tw6TdE9muHq8c8l5KSGV2523C0oem0uZ3xilapG2WJzzPiWJ8Y4TuDqyB_vvsdECFvzKnjZTHfG0TlE0nYhoJT0VPyg21GDAKPSn5iMbiFBsljjA2fVsRw9gMNj-Q5UeA4/s400/LittleStrangeCover1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376543899212667026" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6L3zbQU6Vq56QdEJvy3-OkVMl2XIxbR4vgG2xc-YoizvAsLmRR9yKrKkAWpsWfEib-GYAJ2w2Jpm2SOPsT8aVXGJMM_7Wqp2xMhUz2kBlvVuwKRM0zzY8fQetZTqRpiCWa8_KbDnHeRB5/s1600-h/LittleStrangeCover2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 252px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6L3zbQU6Vq56QdEJvy3-OkVMl2XIxbR4vgG2xc-YoizvAsLmRR9yKrKkAWpsWfEib-GYAJ2w2Jpm2SOPsT8aVXGJMM_7Wqp2xMhUz2kBlvVuwKRM0zzY8fQetZTqRpiCWa8_KbDnHeRB5/s400/LittleStrangeCover2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376543894208904402" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOK7dYli1TTt2iT9x0yyFaV1A1TXpZtDaRFo5bv4Hzwn3Sit2XA_wLZYtPRrB9V2TRL-w36mbHvZOFjsnWDrH0qabHbFAKHy2J2V3Gyn4ECjIhr-1Hr-yj5mjKXU0dmCF50Fd3rgacOskR/s1600-h/LittleStrangeCover3.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 261px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOK7dYli1TTt2iT9x0yyFaV1A1TXpZtDaRFo5bv4Hzwn3Sit2XA_wLZYtPRrB9V2TRL-w36mbHvZOFjsnWDrH0qabHbFAKHy2J2V3Gyn4ECjIhr-1Hr-yj5mjKXU0dmCF50Fd3rgacOskR/s400/LittleStrangeCover3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376543889537467538" /></a><br /><br />I don't know about the rest of you, but I think the most recent cover lacks character and is very generic. How many other covers sort of, kind of resemble that? Too many, I think! Some cover designs are just too full of themselves, imparting a gravitas that might not exist in the book itself (note that I don't mean <span style="font-style:italic;">this</span> book, which I haven't read and didn't know of til now).Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-64120995000029735002009-08-31T18:07:00.007-04:002009-08-31T18:25:45.206-04:00Suckups, Suckers, And Sloppiness Mislead eBook ReadersOn Wednesday, August 26, 2009, I posted: <a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/08/googles-one-million-ebooks-of-crap.html">Google's One Million eBooks Of Crap!</a><br /><br />On Thursday 27th August 2009, <span style="font-style: italic;">Computer Shopper</span> did: <a href="http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/news/267379/google-turns-classic-books-into-free-gibberish-ebooks.html">Google turns classic books into free gibberish eBooks</a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">No other coverage of the one million eBooks from Google mentioned they were crap!</span><br /><br />And how many linked back to the original story?<br /><br />Here is the list of shame:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yFt6CmoEeeVJHfF70N14JZvJ0fhQWRhkGsmmG-RpzXXlfEJaU5kdldcAasNyy4Kxi3picEtCE6GL8KDVeieZCpjRVbFcUZEJ8p3aKP97g2RcKxi74e90gx42rF2SBRY2jYHIEoPRctkd/s1600-h/GoogleLinks001.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yFt6CmoEeeVJHfF70N14JZvJ0fhQWRhkGsmmG-RpzXXlfEJaU5kdldcAasNyy4Kxi3picEtCE6GL8KDVeieZCpjRVbFcUZEJ8p3aKP97g2RcKxi74e90gx42rF2SBRY2jYHIEoPRctkd/s400/GoogleLinks001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376254874033464578" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Click = big</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivlNyNF9oU1ozejJ9CLfrKpYAMzuRQYcNO1RSyzsqmyLOE5xLYp6_-hZVtUmFihEwYbXf67JU3azWL_VUeLV2oq3uZ8gE_3xDlsi-FK4H_9SCkwkck9PKqJxxaAWhnsCJ10ztZA3mTw58-/s1600-h/GoogleLinks002.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 277px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivlNyNF9oU1ozejJ9CLfrKpYAMzuRQYcNO1RSyzsqmyLOE5xLYp6_-hZVtUmFihEwYbXf67JU3azWL_VUeLV2oq3uZ8gE_3xDlsi-FK4H_9SCkwkck9PKqJxxaAWhnsCJ10ztZA3mTw58-/s400/GoogleLinks002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376254868326678082" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Click = big</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzP72ozMd1kPveyrX3YWEwjQjArK6fTPjorSwtY1mjhH9ZnbeTdDGa9DERIiWyOwVrXz2L1nev5sWReY2dB1iY1L7rOoqECNtdk6ljkiMmYGEDVHAk8GCL_aK-rhsdkHDS7IOi5mWFqHjV/s1600-h/GoogleLinks003.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzP72ozMd1kPveyrX3YWEwjQjArK6fTPjorSwtY1mjhH9ZnbeTdDGa9DERIiWyOwVrXz2L1nev5sWReY2dB1iY1L7rOoqECNtdk6ljkiMmYGEDVHAk8GCL_aK-rhsdkHDS7IOi5mWFqHjV/s400/GoogleLinks003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376254862314820594" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Click = big</span><br /><br />Once again, I can't trust most of the coverage out there.<br /><br />How much of a suckup do you have to be to <span style="font-style:italic;">pimp free?</span><br /><br />How unqualified to write about eBooks are these people that they never even took a <span style="font-style:italic;">simple few minutes to check the quality?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Update:</span> One other site did. Munsey's Technosnarl: <a href="http://www.munseys.com/technosnarl/?p=870">Did Google Just Give a Million Reasons for Publishers to Opt Out?</a>Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-62000147116607238072009-08-31T17:28:00.003-04:002009-08-31T18:04:14.967-04:00eBook Notes For Monday, August 31, 2009<a href="http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/26618/ebooks-will-make-us-read">How eBooks plan to save libraries, newspapers and make us read: Can DRM be a good thing for once?</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/26619/how-to-loan-an-ebook">How to borrow an ebook: What you need to know</a> -- a very good overview, even if they leave out that MobiPocket books and PDFs are available in public libraries using Overdrive. After reading that, see: <a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/08/sony-reader-101-borrowing-public.html">Sony Reader 101: Borrowing Public Library eBooks</a><br /><br /><a href="http://publishingperspectives.com/?p=5069">German Buch News: 65,000 Ebooks Sold in Germany So Far in 09</a> -- it's a start.<br /><br />Google English: <a href="http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ansa.it%2Fsite%2Fnotizie%2Fawnplus%2Finternet%2Fnews%2F2009-08-31_131222176.html&sl=it&tl=en&hl=en&ie=UTF-8">eBooks will replace print in 20 years</a> -- waiting for the generational shift to happen. (<a href="http://www.ansa.it/site/notizie/awnplus/internet/news/2009-08-31_131222176.html">Original item</a>.)Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-21485358528042708712009-08-31T16:15:00.001-04:002009-08-31T16:16:31.768-04:00A New MastheadBecause I want it made clear that I do what I do for <span style="font-style:italic;">them.</span><br /><br />I answer only to <span style="font-style:italic;">them.</span><br /><br />Cheated, ridiculed, crushed into poverty during their lifetimes.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I am their agent of vengeance.</span>Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-55618862394537070352009-08-31T14:20:00.008-04:002009-08-31T14:41:23.299-04:00The Devaluation Of The eBook<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywyuSvnS6iOfsj-SFHbxRR5WoNvam8djZcm6mAZUCVWkTfIH9IVQAlkaex6E67_PhK3FKJRe3ovVIhBko91aJe-lso79cfoIEfDxSYnLzjcnNixs-8AFhhkBDkYVeTlVC72Z5MDXkYoSC/s1600-h/CrybabyFace.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 349px; height: 387px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywyuSvnS6iOfsj-SFHbxRR5WoNvam8djZcm6mAZUCVWkTfIH9IVQAlkaex6E67_PhK3FKJRe3ovVIhBko91aJe-lso79cfoIEfDxSYnLzjcnNixs-8AFhhkBDkYVeTlVC72Z5MDXkYoSC/s400/CrybabyFace.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376197972224143714" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0df31226-958d-11de-90e0-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1">Hachette chief hits out at e-books</a><br /><blockquote>“On the one hand, you have millions of books for free where there is no longer an author to pay and, on the other hand, there are very recent books, bestsellers at $9.99, which means that all the rest will have to be sold at between zero and $9.99,” Mr Nourry said.</blockquote><br />First of all, the "millions" of books are primarily <a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/08/googles-one-million-ebooks-of-crap.html">unreadable crap</a> (Google) or poorly formatted (Gutenberg). They are no true threat.<br /><br />Second, whining about a $9.99 eBook price is too little too late. The <a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/08/why-eink-epub-and-ebooks-will-fail.html">race-to-the-bottom</a> of eBook prices has begun. You got in bed with Amazon's Kindle and now you complain about the blisters? Who forced you?<br /><br />Third, what makes you think your <span style="font-style: italic;">customers</span> see an eBook as having the same value as a $25.00-$30.00 hardcover? Wake up: <a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/08/issue-of-ebook-pricing.html">they don't</a>!<br /><br />Fourth, don't sit there like a weakling and whine -- <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/07/dumb-ebooks-must-die-smart-ebooks-must.html">do something</a>!</span><br /><br />Really, keep acting like this and my fantasy of buying Random House from Bertelsmann for a measly US$1.00 will come to pass. Thanks!Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-5085088477420215442009-08-30T16:23:00.004-04:002009-08-30T17:29:04.457-04:00Victor Gischler A Go-Go<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKF3DInyO3PMi10pM2sQQTNfMnDGLUwtniwruWjmfr8zwb2ZJ-zPhQY0WvPQuOgK5mn3OaCUZGjxk3XL7Qib3yK5HwqM-hgZmsOR1ibtjVhVFEHkBqj9NeC3FA_fKzbeNFmyooFxBiEnt/s1600-h/VampireAGoGoCover.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKF3DInyO3PMi10pM2sQQTNfMnDGLUwtniwruWjmfr8zwb2ZJ-zPhQY0WvPQuOgK5mn3OaCUZGjxk3XL7Qib3yK5HwqM-hgZmsOR1ibtjVhVFEHkBqj9NeC3FA_fKzbeNFmyooFxBiEnt/s400/VampireAGoGoCover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375856893189140770" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Victor Gischler's got a new book coming. Suprisingly, it's announced to be available as an eBook <span style="font-style: italic;">the same day</span> as the printed version!<br /><br />According to the publisher, Simon & Schuster, these eBook stores will stock it: Amazon's Kindle Store, Amazon.com, eBooks.com, ebooksabouteverything.com, Fictionwise, Mobipocket, Palm Digital Media, and Powells.com.<br /><br />Which is, not surprisingly, a big FAIL from the publisher. Because -- if the following listing is to be believed -- <span style="font-style: italic;">right now</span> it can be bought <a href="http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/victor-gischler/vampire-a-go-go/_/R-400000000000000172860">at the Sony eBook Store</a>. Which isn't even listed!<br /><br />The first chapter can be <a href="http://books.simonandschuster.com/Vampire-a-Go-Go/Victor-Gischler/9781416552277/excerpt_with_id/14029">sampled here</a>.<br /><br />Where Victor Gischler will be touring <a href="http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Victor-Gischler/44819953/author_appearances">is here</a>.<br /><br />Victor has also set up a <a href="http://www.vampireagogo.com/">Vampire a Go-Go website</a>.<br /><br />And this is <a href="http://www.victorgischler.blogspot.com/">Victor Gischler's Blogpocalypse</a>.<br /><br />I've read <span style="font-style: italic;">all</span> of Victor's books. They're a hoot! You'll want to get every single one.<br /><br />And yes, Marvel comic fans, this is the <span style="font-style:italic;">same</span> Victor Gischler who wrote <span style="font-style:italic;">Punisher</span> and is writing <span style="font-style:italic;">Deadpool.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Previous posts about Victor Gischler:</span><br /><br /><a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2008/07/victor-gischler.html">Victor Gischler</a><br /><a href="http://mikecanepics.wordpress.com/2009/04/01/go-go-girls-of-the-apocalypse/">Go-Go Girls Of The Apocalypse</a><br /><a href="http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/10/29/writer-victor-gischer-gets-library-luv/">Writer Victor Gischer Gets Library Luv</a><br /><a href="http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/08/21/transcript-gischler-vs-smith-live-on-twitter/">Transcript: Gischler Vs. Smith Live On Twitter!</a><br /><a href="http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/08/15/victor-gischler-breaks-under-questioning/">Victor Gischler Breaks Under Questioning!</a><br /><a href="http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/08/09/videos-out-of-the-gutter-magazine-party/">Videos: Out of the Gutter Magazine Party</a><br /><a href="http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/07/11/austin-texas-meet-victor-gischler-tonight/">Austin, Texas: Meet Victor Gischler TONIGHT!!!</a><br /><a href="http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/06/20/i-wade-into-shit-for-victor-gischler/">I Wade Into Shit For Victor Gischler</a><br /><a href="http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/06/14/victor-gischler-wants-you-punished/">Victor Gischler Wants You Punished!</a><br /><a href="http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/01/26/victor-gischler-alternate-covers/">Victor Gischler: Alternate Covers</a><br /><a href="http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/01/26/victor-gischlers-next-book/">Victor Gischler’s Next Book</a><br /><a href="http://mikecane.wordpress.com/2007/07/28/congratulations-to-victor-gischler/">Congratulations To Victor Gischler!</a><br /><a href="http://mikecane.wordpress.com/2007/07/09/victor-gischler-has-to-get-busy/">Victor Gischler Has To Get Busy</a><br /><a href="http://mikecane.wordpress.com/2007/06/09/victor-gischler-has-a-new-internet-berth/">Victor Gischler Has A New Internet Berth</a><br /><a href="http://mikecane.wordpress.com/2007/06/06/someone-tap-victor-gischler-on-his-noggin/">Someone Tap Victor Gischler On His Noggin</a>Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888403915883527494.post-58041645397448842902009-08-29T20:48:00.005-04:002009-08-29T20:53:47.545-04:00Sony Reader 101: For Mac UsersThere is some confusion regarding the Mac and the Sony Reader.<br /><br />Some people are confused, thinking it's necessary to use Adobe Digital Editions to transfer eBooks to the Reader from the Mac.<br /><br />No. Do not use Adobe Digital Editions. Use the Sony eBook Library software exclusively.<br /><br />See this screensnap of About Sony eBook Library:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbhQsNu4iZhRKMzwnXMXsIS9Zpv7MXEhoS7mxOcGFzxwZYcqHQngd4ndko0cAi1azQqPqj_XfkRKk5LwFnn94ou2oNRPtOIToMBohCB_ne2MlhailHfuseP4iZEiTCb9lREYJizgqWykk/s1600-h/SonyAbout.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 360px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbhQsNu4iZhRKMzwnXMXsIS9Zpv7MXEhoS7mxOcGFzxwZYcqHQngd4ndko0cAi1azQqPqj_XfkRKk5LwFnn94ou2oNRPtOIToMBohCB_ne2MlhailHfuseP4iZEiTCb9lREYJizgqWykk/s400/SonyAbout.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375552754114953522" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Click = big</span><br /><br />See the red highlighting? This means the Sony eBook Library software now takes over the functions of Adobe Digital Editions. While it's probably still necessary to have ADE installed -- for Adobe DRM authorization -- ADE should not be used to transfer eBooks to the Reader. Only the Sony eBook Library software should be used for that.<br /><br />Mac owners, feel free to chime in with Comments.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Previously here:</span><br /><br /><a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/08/sony-reader-101-borrowing-public.html">Sony Reader 101: Borrowing Public Library eBooks</a><br /><a href="http://ebooktest.blogspot.com/2009/08/sony-reader-101-if-you-insist-on-buying.html">Sony Reader 101: If You Insist On Buying One...</a>Mike Canehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396654716615965650noreply@blogger.com0