TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home

Archive for the ‘e-book ergonomics’ Category

By David Rothman

“You can tell that no progress has really been made in changing cultural expectations when the same arguments that were trotted out a decade ago continue to be pursued. A Slashdot thread reprises the same debates about e-books that we’ve been having forever…’prefer real books,’ ‘turning pages is nice,’ ‘price of e-books is too high,’ ‘nothing compares to paper,’ ‘but free e-books are cool,’ ‘I read on my palm V etc etc.’” - Sherman Young, author of The Book Is Dead.

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By David Rothman

Q. What do the RIAA techies have in common with so many Washington bureaucrats?

A. Job preservation is Job Number One. The head of RIAA’s tech unit “made a list of the 22 ways to sell music, and 20 of them still require DRM.” 

Q. So what else are the RIAA and the rest of Washington doing to shaft the consumer?

A. Aggravating Cyber Prohibition, of course—or at least trying to, via a new bill.

DRM Alternatives—in an e-book/library context: Library books you can KEEP forever—and other ideas to help public libraries survive the digital era. No, libraries and e-bookstores can’t get rid of DRM overnight. But they can significantly reduce e-books’ reliance on this sales and lit toxin.

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By David Rothman

“The questions posed run a wide gamut, including patron complaints about the weight of books to why do large print titles go out of print so quickly, to criteria used for weeding large print to where to shelve them…” - From Library Journal summary of large-print seminar.

Related: Older adults and e-books—and how E could be the new ‘large print’  and E-books as the new large ‘print’: An eye doctor speaks out. In the first piece, librarian Isabelle Fetherston noted that “large-print books tend to be too heavy and unwieldy for many older people with arthritis to hold.”

Library image: CC-licensed photo from Michael K. Pate showing large-print collection from Laurens County, S.C., library.

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By Wayan Vota, Editor of the unofficial OLPC News

If you are in Boston on May 20th, may I strongly suggest you crash the invite-only “State of the State” event at One Laptop Per Child headquarters at 1 Cambridge Circle. Starting at 10 am the event sounds like its going to be a watershed moment in OLPC history. Just listen to the breathless press invite:

“Selected invitees will have the opportunity to hear Nicholas Negroponte give a “State of the State” address on the One Laptop per Child project to date and the evolution of the XO laptop. In addition, attendees will be privy to a discussion on the product roadmap for the XO along with the exclusive unveiling of the next generation of the XO.

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By David Rothman

Reading the TeleBlog, you’re in Niche Land. Whether the Iranians nuke D.C. or the Devil appears as a winged Afghan Hound in Times Square, you can bet we’ll try to find an e-book angle.

But what about big book-publishers? Even when they think E, too many of them still mess up on the details of the niche approach. For example, they promote their general URLs rather than directing people to in-house niche sites for baseball fans or origami enthusiasts. Small publishers, especially the specialized ones, can actually outperform the big boys in many cases.

Clueful comments from a major industry guru

With the above in mind, I nodded as I read some recent speeches by Mike Shatzkin, a  publishing guru who has pounded the table for both e-books and  the need for a niche approach. “Every book should be an e-book,” he said, “and just about every book should be loaded for print-on-demand. POD is not just for end of life; for many books, it can be critical during mid-life.” Right now, it would appear that Hachette is the only major publisher releasing all titles in E—partly, I myself suspect, because it’s standardized on ePUB as a distribution format and can enjoy its economies.

I also liked Mike’s interest in the elderly as a market for POD, although I wish he’d really played up pure-E for them as the best approach to take, despite the need for format choices.

Free wisdom from Mike

Via the PersonaNonData blog of Michael Cairnes, another outspoken consultant and also the ex-president of R.R. Bowker, I ran across links to the Shatzkin speeches. Even with some repetition among them, they’re well worth a read, whether you’re a big publisher who needs shaking up, or a small, niche-hip guy or gal who would enjoy a little vindication, or a writer pondering whether to self-publish or go the traditional route:

• End of general trade publishing (completely retold), Jan. 22, 2008—delivered for Random House’s Digital Day
• Publishing in the Digital Age panel remarks, March 10, 2008, for the Book Business Conference and Expo.
• The digital state of play in the U.S., April 16, for U.K. publishers at the London Book Fair.
• The Future for Publishers and Booksellers, May 7, for Danish publishers and booksellers in Copenhagen.

Another good point Mike makes: The fact that use of e-books within the industry—for sales reps “carrying” around many manuscripts, for example—will help led to general use of e-books.

On dedicated e-devices and formats: “When research I did…demonstrated pretty convincingly that most e-books sold in the US are not read on devices, but are Adobe files that are most likely read on PCs,” Mike said, “I was surprised. Only about a third of sales are of Palm, Mobi, or Microsoft dot lit formats that we’d expect to be read on a handheld. The emergence of the Kindle and the vitality of Sony Reader may change that balance soon, but that’s what it has been.”

A related aside: I’ve queried a Sony PR rep for the latest on Adobe Digital Editions for the Sony Reader—just when will we see it available? Digital Editions is to let people read DRMed PDFs, not just Sony’s proprietary BBeB format. Let’s hope that ePub is also still on tap.

Detail: Unlike Mike, I continue to believe that cellphones will matter far, far more as e-readers than will Kindle-style devices, and I also wish he’d pay more attention to the eBabel crisis and the damage that the DRM mess has done to the book industry. But, hey, he’s entitled. Furthermore, I agree with him that the Kindle has done e-books a service in encouraging more publishers to digitize. It’s just that the real action, as I see it, will be on cellphones as they improve and rollout E Ink displays become common. Wireless, as an easy way for people to get books, can in effect be built in.

Image: CC licensed from Kapungo.

Technorati Tags: Mike Shatzkin,pubishing,book-pubishing,Michael Cairnes,PersonaNonData

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By David Rothman

For e-book lovers, the tiny OLPC XO-1 endearingly offers a tablet mode. At seven inches, its screen might actually be better for certain people’s recreational e-reading than the much-larger displays of some Tablet PCs.

So what would a rich man’s version of the XO-1 be like?

Vye’s stylish Mini-v S41, weighing just 2.75 pound and featuring a screen about the same size as the XO-1’s, just might qualify as such as machine. Price is $1,499—actually $300 less than the listed one for Apple’s MacBook Air—from Dynamism. Vye’s company motto is “Living life to the full,” a cheery line appearing on the home page with a beach scene.

As long as OLPC’s less in love with Linux…

The Vye Mini runs Vista Premium, a distinct negative for Linux fans. But, heck, we keep hearing that the XO-1 people are destined for XPdom, at least as an option on new machines.

Back to the Mini. There’s the expected trackpad. Plus, you get a seven-inch touch screen with at least an adequate res of 1024 x 600 pixels as well as built-in WiFi and an Intel Intel A110 800 MHz chip cruising at 800Mhz.

A bit skimpy in the RAM Department

RAM, alas, is a mere 1G, with just 2G max ($179 for the upgrade), a way to keep you in touch with your eco-budgeted buddies. But at least storage is 80G and presumably you can read your Project Gutenberg DVDs with a Super Multi drive. Oh, and the keyboard is said in the  New York Times to be “standard,” whatever that means.

Dynamism is now accepting “preorders.”

Also sold by Dynamism: The ASUS  Eee PC  900: “8.9″ WSVGA, 2.18 lbs, 12GB Solid State or 20gb HD, WiFi, Webcam.” Cost: $550 with your choice of Linux or XP. Shipping is said to be set for mid-May.

Note: I’ve lightened up the photos so the details will be more visible.

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By David Rothman

Could reading newspapers online be harder on the environment than enjoying them the old-fashioned way—on paper?

Perhaps in some respects, if you rely on a desktop computer rather than a little PDA or a dedicated E Ink reader such as a Kindle, Sony or iLiad.

“Reading online on a desktop computer for 10 minutes produces the same load on the environment as reading an e-book for half an hour, and reading online for 30 minutes has the same overall effect as reading a print newspaper.”

So says Would you like that book in paper or plastic?—an article in Environmental Science & Technology—in summing up some recent research.

E-book angle

Now, what are the implications for people (1) reading the newspaper online longer than half an hour on a desktop or (2) reading an entire book? Check out ES&T.

Oh, the variables to consider, and I don’t just mean disposal of old computers or whether you use an LCD or cathode ray tube monitor! Remember, many people like to leave their desktops on constantly to download podcasts or for other reasons, such as avoidance of boot-up delays. If so, that would reduce the extra eco-strain from actual reading—since the equipment would have been humming away regardless. Then again, some might say: “Does your desktop really need to be on all the time?” Power saving tips, welcomed! Your thoughts on power management and the rest, in an e-book context?

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By David Rothman

Yes, the actual book—the paper and cardboard—accounts for just part of what you pay at the store.

But new hikes in paper and fuel costs may make e-books more competitive with P than before. And of course we know which approach is greener.

Related: P-books as global warmers: Another argument for E. Paper books are a speck of paper consumption, but e-book readers can also display newspapers, far more villainous as polluters in P format.

And speaking of the p-to-e transition: Reluctantly, a daily stops its presses, living online, the New York Times’ write-up on the Capital Times in Madison,Wisconsin. Also see Wikipedia item.

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By David Rothman

Below is news release, edited. Also see earlier post on the Book Edition.

Borders UK will sell iRex Technologies’ iLiad Book Edition  in seven of its stores for  £399, starting Saturday 10th May. Borders will be the first high street retailer in the UK to showcase the product, which has already had a high-profile launch in Holland, and the first bookseller in the UK to sell an e-book device.

“Here at Borders we are firmly committed to delivering the best range, the best browsing environment and best customer experience in the marketplace”, said Neil Fitton, Head of Marketing for Borders UK. “With this agreement to offer the iLiad Book Edition to Borders customers, we are adding an exciting new device that gives those who are passionate about reading another way to indulge that passion. We are delighted to be associated with iRex Technologies, the inventors of electronic paper technology, in introducing this great new product.”

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By a TeleBlog Contributor

Press release, slightly edited, appears below. Also see earlier item.

Readdle announces its plans to release a native iPhone application for storing and reading office documents and eBooks on the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Readdle is a Web-based application for transfering, organizing and viewing documents on the iPhone and iPod Touch. The upcoming iPhone application will extend service functionality, ensuring seamless storage of files on the device and viewing them with no live Internet connection. The document viewing functionality will feature page-by-page reading, adding bookmarks to the text, iPhone optimized PDF rendering and other options.

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By David Rothman

Love the iLiad’s eight-inch screen but don’t want to pay some €650?

The silver “Book Edition,” on sale Friday, might be the answer.

It omits WiFi but comes loaded with 50 free English-language classics—in Mobi format?—and sells for €499. Among the titles are Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Pride and Prejudice and Dracula.

U.S. price question

Yes, I have questions. What does the €499 mean for U.S. consumers in practical terms?

The current iLiad goes for US$699. Will the Book Edition’s price be in the lower 500s? I’ve emailed iRex Technologies.

Helping out novices

I also wonder about iRex’s documentation, based on my experiences with the older model. In iRex’s place I’d offer a simple, colorful illustrated guide, going beyond a “QuickStart” card, and distribute it on paper.

Many novices want to focus on the information, as opposed to accustoming themselves to e-reading right off the bat. Especially I’d play up how to buy books, download Mobipocket Desktop (screenshot) and synch the main PC to the iLiad.

Remember—the wireless Kindle lets you download e-books in a blink; no need to synch or use a memory card. That’s what iRex must compete against. Gang, how do you feel? Remember, iRex wants nontechies to be among the Book Edition’s buyers. What works for you, as an e-connoisseur, might not work for many bibliophiles.

Praiseworthy commitment to many formats

On the positive, beyond that awesome screen, it’s great to see iRex offering the 50 preloaded books and aiming for a lower price.

Furthermore, I like iRex’s continuation of its commitment to a choice of formats. Now supported are “PDF, PRC (Mobipocket), HTML and TXT” and “support for additional E-book formats will become available over the coming months.”

Let’s hope that the IDPF’s ePUB standard will be added shortly, and that iRex will encourage its software partners to cut back on use of DRM, so people can own their books for real.

Titles available: iRex talks about 49,000 books in Mobiformat. The Kindle has 115,000 titles, though at least some of of these are newspapers and blogs, and the screen isn’t as large or readable in general as the iLiad’s is.

Links: Press release, specs

(Thanks to Wiebe de Jager at Ebookreaders.nl and MobileRead.)

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By David Rothman

Wide-screen desktop monitors aren’t just for the home video crowd.

For us e-booklovers, they’re better  than the usual portrait variety. The trick is to use a two-column, booklike view. The left screenshot shows what Mobipocket looks like on the Soyo 22-inch LCD that TigerDirect is selling for $199.00. Click here for a detailed view, although you may have to scroll.

Now, in the booklike mode running in “Full screen,” not shown, I can easily see more than 1,000 words at a time with Mobipocket and a font smaller than tried here. By word count, that’s far more than with a typical paper book—and perhaps faster, more enjoyable reading for many. Not the worst setup for reading Moby Dick or other public domain works with some interminable paragraphs. While a standard 19-inch-monitor would also have worked in the two-column mode, the extra width does make a difference, as I see it.

Catnip if you want to laze back

With Mobipocket Desktop you can use the mousewheel to change pages. Combine that wrinkle with a wireless mouse, and you can laze back in your reclining chair and enjoy the bigger fonts without a keyboard or cable to spoil the fun.

FBReader, which I most often use on handhelds, lacks double-column capability, at least in the Windows version, although I suspect it’ll be coming in time. One free program which does offer it on Windows boxes is yBook. uBook has similar capabilities and runs on Windows and CE systems and maybe others. What are your own favorite apps for double-column e-reading on various operating systems, and why?

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