‘CHT, Microsoft, HTC team up for Chinese e-book market’
“Taiwan’s largest telecommunications service provider, Chunghwa Telecom (CHT), has teamed up with Microsoft, smartphone maker High Tech Computer (HTC) and others to start building an e-book business for Chinese language materials.” – IDG News Service via IT World.
Details: CHT “unveiled dozens of business and content partners at a news gathering in Taipei aimed at building support for its online Hami Book City and Hamibook software. The idea is to launch the online book store for content and sales and develop Hamibook software to work on smartphones and other devices such as e-readers…The company expects HTC and other smartphone partners to create devices for the e-book market, including smartphones with e-book screens as well as e-readers.”
The TeleRead take: I like this new interest in e-books and related hardware, especially the cellphone-related variety, but I wonder about the format issue, not to mention the DRM question. No mention of ePub in the IDG dispatch. Of course, over on the mainland, closed proprietary approaches would probably score with the Communist rulers.
About the image: That’s the HTC Magic, presumably similar to the company’s offerings in China.
Related: TeleRead exclusive on e-books in China (79M readers of digital books) and Smashwords’ ePub books reach Android phones via pact with Aldiko: Barcode eases app downloads. Let’s hope that the open, nonDRMed approach favored by Smashwords and Aldiko will prevail in the end in China and elsewhere.
August 21st, 2009 at 7:21 am
Alas, the Microsoft connection appears to be minimal.
The format to be used is very likely proprietary to CHT, not LIT. So any expectations of MS finally getting serious about ebooks or even updating MS Reader are likely to be unmet. Essentially, they’re a prop in the CMT photo-op as their reader software will be running on WinMo, Android, and 20 other linuxes.
Seriously doubt they’ll want to go with ePub and definitely not Adept-ePub. After all, they said they’re looking to “develop Hamibook software to work on smartphones and other devices such as e-readers.”
And if there is a market where DRM-use is essential for commercial content, given the levels of commercial piracy, it is China.
So, no; no open ePub here; just another wing for the tower of eBabel.
August 21st, 2009 at 7:45 am
Great observations, Felix, including that important little detail about Microsoft and e-books. Sooner or later Microsoft will do something. But when? Damn if I know. As for DRM being “essential” in China, I hope that’ll change in time, even if it means different biz models such as ad-supported books. Actually, with amateur and semipro works, it already seems to be happening on the mainland. David
August 21st, 2009 at 10:33 am
Dear David,
This news is happened in Taiwan, not in mainland China. We have a Taiwwan Digital Publishing Forum (TDPF) to promote this new e-book industry. Also, TDPF have decided to support the ePub stanard.
TDPF has already been the member of the International Digital Publishing Forum in June 2009.
http://www.idpf.org/membership/currentmembers.asp
Taiwwan Digital Publishing Forum (TDPF) website (Chinese Version Only)
http://www.dpublishing.org.tw/
TAIWAN: Digital Publishing Forum launched
New platform established for relevant parties to come together in developing high quality digital content
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=94466
The China Post
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
By Dimitri Bruyas
TAIPEI — Several renowned publishers, Internet providers and Web portals joined hands together yesterday in establishing the Taiwan Digital Publishing Forum, aiming to foster research in the publication of digital content, such as eBooks and eMagazines.
Vanessa Shih, chief of the Cabinet-level Government Information Office, who was attending the forum’s opening ceremony of the company of legislators from the ruling and opposition parties, stressed that the government has long been urging publishers to implement a new platform for high quality digital content.
“Within three to five years, the business model for book and magazine publishers could possibly change toward digital content,” said Jane Chen, vice president of the Internet Department at Commonwealth Publishing.
“You can’t survive on your own in such an environment,” she added, hinting at developing a standard platform for digital content for electronic devices in Taiwan.
During the inaugural meeting, members of the forum then elected Ho Fei-peng, publisher of Business Next, as the first director-general, and Wang Jung-wen, chairman of the Yuan-Liou Publishing Company, as executive director.
Also, Wang Li-Hsing, chairman of Commonwealth Magazine, Hau Ming-yi, chairman of Locus Publishing, and Arthur Lee, president of PC home Online, were selected as the forum’s top standing supervisors.
Date Posted: 7/8/2008
August 21st, 2009 at 11:38 am
Anthony: Thanks for your comments. I was mentioning mainland China in terms of potential markets–I didn’t mean to move you across the strait. My bad for not being clearer about that, although the post does mention the announcement in Taiwan. As for ePub, it’ll be wonderful if it indeed is used and without DRM when publishers allow this. Can you tell us more about ePub’s role in regard to the announcement and in other respects? Perhaps that info is on the TDPF Web site, but for the sake of speed, it would be great to hear it from you directly. Keep in touch.
David
August 21st, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Based on the info form the TDPF’s website, the forum organized an event in June, gathering major publishers, content providers and hardware manufacturers. It seemed both content providers and hardware manufacturers expressed support for the epub standard. (http://www.dpublishing.org.tw/2009/06/blog-post_30.html) There was another event organized by the forum in July, gathering telcos in Taiwan. Some telcos appeared to be in favor of the epub format. (http://www.dpublishing.org.tw/2009/07/kindle-2009729-sprintkindle-hbo.html)
The mission of TDPF is to promote ebook business in Taiwan and meanwhile it is a member of IDPF, maybe IDPF can work with TDPF to promote epub standard in Taiwan?