Archive for January, 2010
ExoPC Slate Tablet no comments
It looks as though the tablet market is on its way to getting just as crowded as that of the ereader.
Engadget has details of a newly announced tablet by the French company
ExoPC. This one will have an 8.9-inch multitouch screen. Unlike the iPad, the ExoPC Slate will support multi-tasking and Adobe Flash. Some of the other features:
- Processor: Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz
- Screen resolution: 1024 x 600
- Storage: 32 GB SSD drive; SD/MMC card reader
- Memory: 2 GB DDR2
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi; Bluetooth and 10/100 LAN
- 1.3 Megapixel webcam
- 3 USB ports
- Battery life is only four hours, but the battery is removable, so presumably you can buy spares.
The ExoPC will run Windows 7 Pro. The tablet is 9.8 x 6.6 inches is a little over 3/4 inches thick and will weigh about 1 3/4 pounds. The ExoPC will be available in March at a price of $599.
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Amazon Statement on Macmillan Books Removal no comments
Amazon just released a statement on the Kindle boards regarding their dispute with Macmillan.
The Amazon Kindle team says:
Dear Customers:
Macmillan, one of the "big six" publishers, has clearly communicated to us that, regardless of our viewpoint, they are committed to switching to an agency model and charging $12.99 to $14.99 for e-book versions of bestsellers and most hardcover releases.We have expressed our strong disagreement and the seriousness of our disagreement by temporarily ceasing the sale of all Macmillan titles. We want you to know that ultimately, however, we will have to capitulate and accept Macmillan’s terms because Macmillan has a monopoly over their own titles, and we will want to offer them to you even at prices we believe are needlessly high for e-books. Amazon customers will at that point decide for themselves whether they believe it’s reasonable to pay $14.99 for a bestselling e-book. We don’t believe that all of the major publishers will take the same route as Macmillan. And we know for sure that many independent presses and self-published authors will see this as an opportunity to provide attractively priced e-books as an alternative.
Kindle is a business for Amazon, and it is also a mission. We never expected it to be easy!Thank you for being a customer.
This sounds as though you will end up having to pay more if you choose to read an ebook from Macmillan or one of its imprints.
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eReader Sales and Free Kindle Books – 1/31/10 no comments
Newegg.com still has a good price on the JetBook Lite at $129.99 + $1.99 shipping. You will also find the JetBook for $159.99, the Sony PRS-600 for $269.99 and the Sony PRS-300 for $189.99 at Newegg. The Sony ereaders come with free shipping.
Amazon actually has a better price of $174.97 for the Sony PRS-300
Free and Low Priced Kindle Books
These same titles may also be available for free in other formats for other ereaders at various online ebook stores. Usually titles are free temporarily, so if you see something you want don’t procrastinate. Also check out my Free and Cheap Kindle Books page.
Deadlock by James Scott Bell (4 1/2 stars/15 ratings) Legal thriller with religious overtones.
Sins of the Fathers by James Scott Bell (4 1/2 stars/15) Legal thriller with religious overtones.
Harvest by Steve Merrifield (no rating) Free at Smashwords, Horror, paranormal. Available in multiple formats.
Tiger’s Curse by Colleen Houck (4 1/2 stars/50) Romantic adventure is available at the Amazon Kindle store for $1.00.
While looking through Kindle books I found Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States for $9.99. This must be a pretty recent addition, as it was one of the books that was not available as an ebook when I did my ebook store comparison post or the follow-up post . I see that this title is still not available at Barnes & Noble, but the Sony Reader Store does have it for $11.19.
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Amazon vs Macmillan – More Details no comments
Macmillan’s CEO John Sargent published an open letter in PublishersLunch yesterday in which he makes it clear that the deletion of Macmillan’s books from Amazon was a direct result of the publisher trying to force the same terms on Amazon as were negotiated for the Apple iPad.
This past Thursday I met with Amazon in Seattle. I gave them our proposal for new terms of sale for e books under the agency model which will become effective in early March. In addition, I told them they could stay with their old terms of sale, but that this would involve extensive and deep windowing of titles. By the time I arrived back in New York late yesterday afternoon they informed me that they were taking all our books off the Kindle site, and off Amazon. The books will continue to be available on Amazon.com through third parties.
The “deep windowing” of titles refers to the practice of delaying the release of a new title in ebook format, just as paperback releases are windowed or delayed until sometime after the hardcover release. Apparently if Amazon didn’t choose to accept Macmillan’s new terms Amazon (and Kindle owners) would be punished by having the release of Kindle editions of new titles significantly delayed.
Sargent goes on to say
I regret that we have reached this impasse. Amazon has been a valuable customer for a long time, and it is my great hope that they will continue to be in the very near future. They have been a great innovator in our industry, and I suspect they will continue to be for decades to come.
It is those decades that concern me now, as I am sure they concern you. In the ink-on-paper world we sell books to retailers far and wide on a business model that provides a level playing field, and allows all retailers the possibility of selling books profitably. Looking to the future and to a growing digital business, we need to establish the same sort of business model, one that encourages new devices and new stores. One that encourages healthy competition. One that is stable and rational. It also needs to insure that intellectual property can be widely available digitally at a price that is both fair to the consumer and allows those who create it and publish it to be fairly compensated.Under the agency model, we will sell the digital editions of our books to consumers through our retailers. Our retailers will act as our agents and will take a 30% commission (the standard split today for many digital media businesses). The price will be set the price for each book individually. Our plan is to price the digital edition of most adult trade books in a price range from $14.99 to $5.99. At first release, concurrent with a hardcover, most titles will be priced between $14.99 and $12.99. E books will almost always appear day on date with the physical edition. Pricing will be dynamic over time.
The agency model would allow Amazon to make more money selling our books, not less. We would make less money in our dealings with Amazon under the new model. Our disagreement is not about short-term profitability but rather about the long-term viability and stability of the digital book market.
If Amazon agreed to these terms most bestsellers would probably go up 50% to $14.99. The reference to Amazon making more money under these terms refers to the way in which Amazon currently buys titles wholesale and then sells them for $9.99, which is sometimes below their wholesale cost.
So are we going to see an antitrust lawsuit, or perhaps if more publishers join Macmillan will they be guilty of collusion to set prices? Or is this a case of Macmillan merely attempting legal retail price maintenance? Dearauthor has a great article about some of the legal ramifications of Macmillan’s attempt to set prices – be sure to check out the comments as well.
And what about authors? There are some interesting posts from their perspective. Check out the blogs of Charles Stross, John Scalzi, Bob Mayer and Cory Doctorow’s post at Boingboing.
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Amazon Stops Selling Macmillan’s Books no comments
The NYT is reporting that books published by Macmillan, which is one of the largest publishers in the U.S., have been disappeared from Amazon’s shelves. You can still purchase these titles from third party sellers through the Amazon marketplace.
Most likely Amazon has stopped selling the books of MacMillan and its various imprints as part of an ongoing dispute over ebook pricing. Publishers are not at all happy about Amazon’s policy of pricing most bestselling books at $9.99 in the Kindle store, which is cheaper than the paper versions. Publishers like Macmillan seem to think that there should be little or no price differentiation between pbooks and ebooks.
Bestsellers on the Apple iPad will apparently sell for $14.99, and perhaps Macmillan thinks that they can use whatever threat the iPad represents to the Kindle ereaders as leverage to get Amazon to change its pricing policy. It is hard to see how higher pricing on the iPad will be of much benefit to publishers though. I am going to make a wild guess here that for every ebook that a typical iPad owner will download and read the typical Kindle ereader owner probably reads around 20 or so. eBooks on the iPad will probably generate nothing close to the sales the Kindle store does, but Apple is letting the publishers control the prices. Prices at Amazon are not controlled by publishers, but rather by Amazon.
The publishing industry is in crisis, and many in the industry seem to regard ebooks as another threat against their business rather than as an opportunity to revitalize it. Some publishers seem to wish ebooks would just go away – which is not going to happen.
eBook sales, even if more profitable than hardcover sales once the initial production costs have been covered, would generate less overall revenue for publishers because the selling price is less. Publishers, like any other business have their fixed expenses which they need to cover by generating enough revenue. I would think that in time ebooks could make up for the lower overall revenue generated by their lower selling price with increased sales volume. Anecdotal evidence suggests, and studies are starting to confirm that when people buy ereaders they start reading more books; in many cases a lot more.
Reading as a pastime faces competition from an ever-growing array of increasingly sophisticated technologies that also vie for our leisure time such as HD television, DVD’s and video games, etc. Now the paper book industry has the chance to actually go digital and capitalize on the advantages (mainly conveniences: downloading vs going shopping, carrying many ebooks on one ereader, adjustable fonts, built-in dictionary and search, etc. Plus there is also the coolness factor of ereaders) that portable digital reading devices offer. As ereader sales grow over the next few years reading could actually become a popular pastime again.
Some publishers today seem unable or unwilling to adapt to the new technology, but hopefully this will change. In the meantime, it is we readers who are caught in the crossfire between Amazon and Macmillan.
History is littered with the corpses of companies and whole industries that, when faced with disruptive technology, dragged their feet in a futile attempt to slow down or stop the new tech rather than embracing it and trying to adapt to and grow with it. Publishers are not just purveyors of physical paper books; they are also the distributers and sellers of the stories, knowledge, ideas and content contained within those books. Perhaps they will need to concentrate less on the paper container and more on selling the actual content in order to survive and thrive in the future.
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The Apple iPad 3 comments
The wait is finally over; Steve Jobs presented the iPad today, and it is a pretty impressive giant iPod Touch.
Just to recap the features, which you have probably already seen:
- 9.7 – inch backlit LED multitouch display with a fingerprint – resistant coating; 1024 x 768 resolution
- 16GB, 32GB or 64GB flash drive
- Lots of formats supported, including MS Word, PDF, MS PowerPoint, EPUB
- Language, keyboard and dictionary support for European languages as well as Japanese and Simplified Chinese
- Video playback up to 720p
- Battery life of up to 10 hours playing video, using Wi-Fi, etc. Up to one month standby
- Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1; optional 3G
The most surprising thing for me is the pricing: $499, $599 and $699 depending on the size of the flash drive. 3G will cost an additional $130 plus a monthly data plan. I was expecting pricing starting at around $700. Unfortunately (for me anyway), Apple has decided to go with AT&T again for the 3G, which would be unacceptable for me. If I buy an iPad I guess I will have to just get the base model with Wi-Fi.
Some things that the iPad doesn’t seem to have (at least not yet):
- No Flash support for internet browsing
- No Multitasking
- No expandable memory
- No non-backlit screen for ereading
So is the iPad going to make the dedicated ereader extinct? Am I going to rename my favorite gadget the ereaderosaurus and make plans to visit it at the museum? I think not.
I think that the iPad will probably appeal mostly to fans of multifunction devices and, as far as ereading goes, to casual readers. It will be great for reading magazines. Textbooks and other graphics–rich material should also be well suited to the iPad, at least until a color Kindle comes along. Schools will not be embracing the iPad or any other ereading device that does not include accessibility features, but students who choose to do so should still be able to utilize a digital version of their textbook on the iPad rather than the paper version. The iPad does have a VoiceOver screen reader and full screen zoom features, but not sure if this will be enough to satisfy the NFB.
For serious readers who want an ereader to read a lot of books that are mostly text a dedicated ereader will still be best. The iPad’s LCD screen does not compare to e-ink or other non-backlit ereader screens for reading. There are also reports that Apple is letting publishers set the prices of their ebooks, so they will likely be more expensive than versions from the Kindle store. It’s not clear yet if Kindle iPhone apps will be okay on the iPad.
Obviously larger format ereaders will feel more competition from the iPad than the smaller ereaders with 5 or 6-inch screens. The one ereader that I see taking the biggest hit form the iPad is the Plastic Logic Que. At an announced price of $650 and $800 the Que just doesn’t seem to be a viable business plan after today. I hope I’m wrong, of course, we’ll have to wait and see. I can’t imagine that there are many smiling faces at the Plastic Logic compound today.
Multifunction devices such as the Entourage eDGe and even the Spring Design Alex will also probably stand to loose sales to the iPad. Prices will have to come down on these devices as well as the larger format ereaders such as the Kindle DX for them to stay competitive for some shoppers. Netbooks are probably also going to be under pressure from the iPad although most of these are $100 -$200 less expensive.
It also remains to be seen what Amazon has up its sleeves. If we can get a non-backlit color Kindle later in the year with something like a Mirasol or LiquaVista display that would certainly be much better than the iPad for my ebooks.
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Disturbing Cracks Starting to Appear in the nook’s Facade no comments
There are a few disturbing reports on the Barnes & Noble nook related forums of nook ereaders which are already developing stress related cracks on the page turning buttons. There are also reported sightings of cracked nook demos in B&N stores.
Unlike most other ereaders which have a page turning button presented through a cutout in the bezel, the nook uses a flexible plastic bezel that when depressed activates the page turning mechanism. This repeated flexing is apparently causing fatigue in the plastic which is then cracking.
The picture above shows the page turning buttons on the Kindle and the nook, and a close-up shot of a cracked nook bezel submitted to the B&N forum by icebike.
This is a worrisome development as the nook ereader has only been on the street for less than two months. Hopefully this will prove to be a production problem that only affects a certain percentage of nooks, though I really doubt it. B & N should have known better than to expect a strip of plastic like this to withstand thousands and thousands of flexes as users advance pages. As the nook ages this could blow up into a major headache for both owners of the nook ereader and Barnes & Noble.
Barnes & Noble appears to be replacing nooks with cracks; but from what I have read I would advise that when you call their customer service you stress that the crack is interfering with your use of the ereader rather than just being a cosmetic problem. Even if it seems to you to be only a cosmetic problem at first, it will interfere with your ereader’s operation as the crack gets worse.
It might also be a good idea to use the LCD touchscreen for page turns as much as possible.
Update: It seems a reasonable assumption that this problem is exacerbated by cold. If you are out and about in the winter wonderland with your nook, you might want to let it warm up a bit before using the page turning buttons.
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Kandle for Kindle and Other eReaders (LED Reading Light) 2 comments
The Kandle is a new LED reading light that will work not only with the Kindle
ereader but because of its adjustable grip can also be used with Sony Readers and other ebook readers, and even paper books.
The Kandle reading light’s adjustable arms also allow you to customize the illumination for your ereader. When not in use the Kandle folds shut into a compact package. Currently the Kandle reading light
Via The Gadgeteer
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eReaders on Sale and Free Kindle books 1/24/10 no comments
This week Newegg.comhas the Sony PRS-600 Touch Edition ereader on sale for $269.99 + $1.99 shipping. They also have the Ectaco Jetbook (black or white) priced at $179.99 + $1.99 shipping and the Jetbook Lite for $129.99 + $5.74 shipping. If you like burgundy (as a color – not to drink), then you can get the Jetbook in that color for $149.99 + $1.99 shipping which is a pretty good deal.
Fry’s has the Foxit eSlick for $239.99.
Sonystyle.com has refurbished PRS-300 Pocket Edition ereaders for $159.99, and the PRS-600 Touch Edition for $239.99. (I think I owe thanks to Teleread for this, but I can no longer find the original post). Thru January 30 it appears that they will deduct a further $20 off when you place an order – in my case that would almost cover the sales tax. It also looks like they are not charging for shipping, though I didn’t see that advertised anywhere. Sony Style also has a few secondhand covers to go with their pre-owned ereaders.
Free Kindle Books
These titles may also be available for free in other formats for other ereaders at various online ebook stores. Usually titles are free temporarily, so if you see something you want don’t procrastinate. Also check out my Free and Cheap Kindle Books page.
Cape Refuge (Cape Refuge Series #1) by Terry Blackstock (4 stars/42 reviews) Mystery, Religious?
Southern Storm (Cape Refuge Series #2) by Terry Blackstock (4 1/2 stars/21) Mystery, Religious?
Duality: Guardians of the Light, Book 1 by Renee Wildes (3 1/2 stars/11 reviews) Fantasy, romance
Pure Pleasure: Why Do Christians Feel So Bad about Feeling Good? by Gary L. Thomas (4 1/2 stars/32) Religious
Once a Cowboy by Linda Warren (3 1/2 stars/12) Romance?
A Very Special Delivery by Linda Goodnight (2 1/2 stars/11 reviews) Romance
Speed Dating by Nancy Warren (4 stars/21) NASCAR + Romance
The Renovation: Carter Mansion (Project Restoration Series, Book 1) by Terri Kraus (5 stars/10) Christian romance
101 Degrees by Eva Gale (3 .3 star rating) at Smashwords, Erotica, available in various formats.
First Light Chronicles: Omnibus by Randolph Lalonde (5 star rating) at Smashwords, Sci-Fi and Fantasy, available in various formats
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A New eReader From BeBook no comments
Endless Ideas, which is the company behind the BeBook ereaders, has announced a new ereader – the Neo. Is this finally The One?
The Neo does have some interesting features. For example, WiFi and a webkit based browser. A Wacom technology touchscreen which gives you glare-free annotating, freehand drawing, etc.
BeBook also claims that the Neo is the fastest ereader currently available, with speeds of up to 2.5 times faster than the competition.
The Neo supports over 15 different file formats including ADE for your DRM ereading pleasure.
I’m not sure about this, but the Neo appears to be a rebranded Boox.
The Neo will be available on February 25, but you can preorder now for $299 plus shipping. This is the lowest price that I have seen yet for an ereader with a touchscreen based on Wacom technology.
