Jun 15 2009
Weekly Tech Roundup
NPR Debates Google v Amazon. Powells thinks that Google will help to include more resellers in the digital market. My feeling? The more intermediaries, the greater the price. (Thanks Lucinda Betts).
Teleread.org wonders how many books stand up to the first chapter read that Amazon’s Kindle offers. Given the number of books that I try to read but can’t make it past the first three chapters, I am guessing not many.
Bringham Young is starting a pilot program of digital lending by allowing patrons to check out one of 3 Kindle readers. I’m not sure what books will be available digitally for those individuals to read but the article suggests books not obtainable through Interlibrary Loan (will those even be digitized?)
ASUS’s netbook tablet is coming stateside. The mini pc / net book is a booming part of the computer industry and ASUS is one of the leaders. The 7″ netbook offers a swivel screen that is touch sensitive. If ASUS puts out a 10″ one, I’m ready to jump ship. Speaking of ASUS, apparently it has an ereader ready to go but can’t work out the content details yet.
COOL-er ebook company hints at a sub $300 ebook reader coming this fall. (I call COOL-er clueless. Have you taken a look at their epub store? It’s almost impossible to navigate).
Send to Kindle
Jun 15, 2009 @ 12:31:51
Resellers is a problem–they’re leftover from warehousers and distributors in the print model, and make very little sense in the digital model.
Jun 15, 2009 @ 12:48:50
Amazon doesn’t give just a chapter as a sample. I think it might be a percentage of the book– the mobi Creator software allows a 20% of the total sample. I don’t think I’ve ever read than anywhere but it seems about right with the samples I have tried.
I requested a sample of Proviso yesterday and received several chapters. Enough to either become invested in the story or know that I won’t be finishing it.
Jun 15, 2009 @ 15:43:18
The Asus T91 has a 9 (8.9 technically) inch screen, not 7. But there is also supposed to be a T101 that’s pretty much the same as the T91 but with a 10 inch screen instead of 9 inch.
Other machines that are looking good, the TechCrunch CrunchPad and the Always Innovating Touch Book.
Jun 15, 2009 @ 19:32:36
I watching Asus with great interest – I’ve had an eee right from the get go, being lucky enough to have an educational contact. I love the stability, and the fact that I can get most any format on it. The battery life was a tad pants in the early models, but that’s improved drastically. I’d really like a swivel touchscreen and they seem most likely to come up with an affordable cross-platform one. Plus, the T101H is going to have a backlight which will be great for ebook reading.
Jun 15, 2009 @ 19:57:40
I covet an Asus, too. I can read LIT on it, which is unbelievably gorgeous and my preferred format anyway.
DS, I hope you enjoy it. :)
Stumbling Over Chaos :: Midweek Bookity Break
Jun 17, 2009 @ 02:06:29
[...] Dear Author had a nice look at the week in ebook news. [...]