A quick heads up: Jeff Young has an inforÂmaÂtive piece in The ChronÂiÂcle of HighÂer EduÂcaÂtion on what hapÂpened when one uniÂverÂsiÂty delivÂered all textÂbooks to stuÂdents elecÂtronÂiÂcalÂly. It’s defÂiÂniteÂly worth a read. MeanÂwhile, on a relatÂed note, Walt MossÂberg, the Wall Street JourÂnal’s tech guru, doesÂn’t like the new KinÂdle DX very much. AmaÂzon designed the superÂsized e‑book readÂer (see it here) to bring portaÂbilÂiÂty to textÂbooks, newsÂpaÂpers and othÂer periÂodÂiÂcals. If you get one, let us know your thoughts, whether pro or con.
Apple announced a new line of prodÂucts this mornÂing. Most will focus on the new, speedÂiÂer iPhone. But what caught my eye is the IceÂberg e‑book readÂer that will bring 1,000,000 books to the iPhone. This will include, accordÂing to EngadÂget, 500 bestÂsellers, 50 major magÂaÂzines and about 170 daiÂly papers, plus textÂbooks by Houghton MifÂflin, HarÂcourt and McGraw Hill. Sounds awfulÂly like what AmaÂzon is doing with the new KinÂdle DX. You can learn more about the IceÂberg readÂer here.
The ground underÂneath traÂdiÂtionÂal pubÂlishÂing has shiftÂed once again. Scribd, the “YouTube of docÂuÂments,” has opened up a new store where authors can upload and sell their books. And here’s the clinchÂer. You don’t need a costÂly gadÂget (like the KinÂdle) to read these digÂiÂtal books. Any comÂputÂer with an interÂnet conÂnecÂtion will do. And apparÂentÂly, you can use smart phones as well.
As notÂed in the LA Times, KemÂble Scott, a bestÂselling author from San FranÂcisÂco, has pubÂlished his secÂond book — The SowÂer — on Scribd, and it goes for $2 per copy. Of that, Scott will get to keep $1.60, which beats the cut he received for his first traÂdiÂtionÂalÂly-pubÂlished book. You can watch a video introÂducÂing the new digÂiÂtal book marÂketÂplace above. You can also read more about it in The New York Times. If you have some thoughts about ScribÂd’s new move, let us know in the comÂments below.
Before you get disÂsuadÂed by my origÂiÂnal comÂments, please see my latÂest update down below.
As we menÂtioned earÂliÂer this week, AmaÂzon unveiled its new KinÂdle this mornÂing in NYC. The KinÂdle DX ($489) feaÂtures a large screen (9.7 inchÂes meaÂsured diagÂoÂnalÂly) and it’s intendÂed to make readÂing newsÂpaÂpers, colÂlege textÂbooks and PDFs a more user-friendÂly expeÂriÂence. PlenÂty of news outÂlets have proÂvidÂed covÂerÂage of the unveilÂing: EngadÂget, GizÂmoÂdo, Ars TechÂniÂca, etc. And it’s mostÂly posÂiÂtive. But I’m left wonÂderÂing if the KinÂdle DX addressÂes the major probÂlem with KinÂdle 2 ($359). If you spend some time on AmaÂzon’s KinÂdle disÂcusÂsion forum, you’ll see that one of the longest threads (so far conÂtainÂing 857 posts) is devotÂed to comÂplaints about the Kindle’s light fonts and dark backÂground — a bad comÂbo, espeÂcialÂly when you try to read it at night. (OthÂers have kvetched about it here.) I bought the KinÂdle 2, and realÂly loved it in many ways. But I couldÂn’t use it in lowÂer light conÂdiÂtions. At night, the screen gets mudÂdy, and the words don’t pop off of the page. And that’s a deal breakÂer for me. MeanÂwhile, with the same lightÂing, a traÂdiÂtionÂal book reads perÂfectÂly well. The major probÂlem with the KinÂdle gets down to this: Users can’t realÂly cusÂtomize the look & feel of the readÂing mateÂrÂiÂal. Yes, you can increase and decrease the size of the fonts. But you can’t make the fonts darkÂer (unless you know how to hack the darn thing). Nor can you make the backÂground lighter. This one-size-fits-all approach is what GutenÂberg gave us in the 15th cenÂtuÂry. (SorÂry, don’t mean to knock on GutenÂberg.) It shouldÂn’t be what AmaÂzon gives us for $359 in 2009. Could you imagÂine Apple servÂing this up? HardÂly. And speakÂing of Apple, it may have its own e‑book readÂer comÂing soon. AccordÂing to PC MagÂaÂzine, Apple may be rolling out the iPad ($699), which could be an e‑book/internet readÂer and media playÂer all rolled into one. For now, I’m waitÂing to see what Apple brings to marÂket and hopÂing that AmaÂzon finds reliÂgion. When they get the KinÂdle right, it will be great.
UPDATE: A year latÂer, a new KinÂdle is out (see Wifi verÂsion here, and 3G wireÂless verÂsion here). The conÂtrast is noticeÂably improved with this modÂel. But, even betÂter, AmaÂzon now sells (sepÂaÂrateÂly) a case that has a built in retractable light. TakÂen togethÂer, you can now read the KinÂdle fairÂly well at night, under pretÂty much any light conÂdiÂtions. This KinÂdle I kept, and I’m a bigÂger fan than before.
AnecÂdoÂtal eviÂdence seems to sugÂgest that AmaÂzon’s KinÂdle is appealÂing, perÂhaps counÂterÂinÂtuÂitiveÂly, to an oldÂer genÂerÂaÂtion. AccordÂing to MarÂginÂal RevÂoÂluÂtion, “over half of reportÂing KinÂdle ownÂers are 50 or oldÂer, and 70 perÂcent are 40 or oldÂer.” Why is the KinÂdle skewÂing toward a more senior demoÂgraphÂic? At least one reaÂson is that it allows oldÂer folks to navÂiÂgate around varÂiÂous physÂiÂcal disÂabilÂiÂties, rangÂing from visuÂal probÂlems to arthriÂtis to carpal tunÂnel synÂdrome. If you have bad eye sight, then you can expand the Kindle’s fonts and you’re good to go.
In the meanÂtime, on a difÂferÂent front, The New York Times is reportÂing today that newsÂpaÂper pubÂlishÂers may be hopÂing that the KinÂdle can save their indusÂtry. Instead of disÂtribÂutÂing free conÂtent via the web, papers may be lookÂing to cirÂcuÂlate conÂtent through big screen e‑book readÂers on a subÂscripÂtion basis. Charge a fee + elimÂiÂnate printÂing costs = back in busiÂness. That’s the thinkÂing.
AccordÂing to Steven JohnÂson’s piece in The Wall Street JourÂnal, the “breakÂthrough sucÂcess of AmaÂzon’s KinÂdle e‑book readÂer, and the matÂuÂraÂtion of the Google Book Search serÂvice” could “make 2009 the most sigÂnifÂiÂcant year in the evoÂluÂtion of the book since GutenÂberg hamÂmered out his origÂiÂnal Bible.” JohnÂson goes on to explain why e‑book readÂers (like the KinÂdle) will stimÂuÂlate book sales (nevÂer a bad thing for a batÂtered indusÂtry), and why it will also transÂform the way we find, read, talk and write about books. DefÂiÂniteÂly worth a quick read. And if you have more thoughts on what the digÂiÂtal book uniÂverse will look like, add them to the comÂments below.
Just a quick fyi that AmaÂzon has released a free app on iTunes that lets you downÂload AmaÂzon ebooks to the iPhone. This means that you don’t necÂesÂsarÂiÂly have to buy a KinÂdle in order to purÂchase & read ebooks from the largest venÂdor of ebooks– although I find the KinÂdle readÂer to be conÂsidÂerÂably preferÂable to the iPhone’s small screen. But that is just me. One nice feaÂture built into the new AmaÂzon app is the abilÂiÂty to keep text in sync on the two devices. So, for examÂple, if you’re readÂing Anna KarenÂiÂna on the iPhone, your KinÂdle will know where you left off and autoÂmatÂiÂcalÂly start you at the right place the next time that you pick it up. A nice idea. But will I use it? Not sure. You? For more details on the new app, see LifeÂhackÂer’s covÂerÂage.
Update: VisÂit our colÂlecÂtion of Free eBooks, and load free books right to your PC, Smart Phone or KinÂdle.
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