Everything About eBooks

eBook Hardware: an "Executive" Decision

2006-12-08T11:37:00.000-08:00

By Gigi Reynard

I am a reader. To call me a voracious one, my friends would say is an understatement. And then there is technology, of which I have an obsessive-compulsive love-hate relationship. Then, of course, there is the blatant fact that I have a passion for potential and very little patience.

Over the last five years I have been alternately amused and frustrated as I have evaluated various eBook readers. Some,like RocketBook, HieBook, Franklin Reader and Cybook are no longer sold.

Today the most prevalent eBook reader is the eBookwise-1150. It resembles a paperback book – heavier, but about the same size. The monochrome screen is backlit so you can take it to bed and turn out the lights. For straight reading it works well, but don’t try to look at pictures -- the graphic quality is poor. The price is right; around $100. The real problem is that it is maddeningly proprietary and only reads books in Open eBook format or basic universal formats like html and Word.

This is a good place to take a detour into the arcane world of reading software. As you read this, remember that the success of CDs and DVDs is in large part due to standards that ensure discs can be read on any reader; brands do not matter. Unfortunately, not so with eBooks.

With eBooks each hardware manufacturer makes a decision about which formats to include with the operating system. There are the popular favorites – Adobe PDF, Microsoft LIT and the Palm eReader. There are simple universal formats such has html, Word and RTF. There are proprietary formats like HieBook and Franklin. And finally there are two competing standard initiatives – the Open eBook standard and the Open Reader format.

Some machines use a version of Microsoft Windows that allows readers to use a type of Adobe PDF or the Microsoft reader. The eBookwise-1150 has a proprietary operating system and has opted to follow the Open eBook standard.

Back to reading . . .The PDA (personal digital assistant) is the most widely used reading device today.

The Blackberry, which displays PDF files, was the first widely-used handheld device to read electronic documents. Palm introduced their own version of a PDA (the Palm Pilot) in the late 90’s followed by Pocket PCs. Today, if you sit in any public place you will see many people (mostly young) staring into their little devices and reading. It took me about two weeks to decide that no matter how convenient it seemed, my eyesight was more important.

In the last year the outlook for eReading has changed dramatically. The catalyst was the introduction of a new screen technology, the Electronic Paper Display – also known as eInk. eInk is a thin light display that has a paper-like high contrast appearance and uses ultra-low amounts of power. It gives the viewer the experience of reading from paper.

The first announcement came from iRex Technologies, a Netherlands company; they introduced the iLiad as an eReader that exploits the eInk technology. The screen is about the size of a paperback (4.5 x 6.5 inches). And like all new electronic products, is a very pricy piece of equipment – almost $800. It is extremely light (13 oz) and thin. The ergonomics are great. The eInk screen is not back lit, no reading in the dark, but the technology works great in bright light so you can actually read at the beach.

So what is there not to like? Plenty as it turns out. First the setup: vague and convoluted. Even as an experienced technology person I found it frustrating. Once it was set up and I started trying to read there were other problems: it froze, the PDF viewer did not work well, and there were numerous software bugs. Most of the problems I experienced can be chalked up to the fact that this was an early release; the price you pay for being an “early adopter”. My other complaint: very limited available content that could be read by the iRex.

Last month with great fanfare, Sony released the Sony Reader PRS-500. The price point is much better: only $350.00. The screen is slightly larger (5 x 7) and the device is slightly lighter (9oz). There are about 10,000 books available but in true Sony tradition the eBook format is proprietary and you must buy books through the Sony Connect Store.

The one thing that both readers have in common is the painfully slow refresh rate on the screen. . . for non-techies this means it takes a loooong time to turn a page.

There are other alternatives available. A tablet PC works well at about $600. And for those with good eyes the Nokia cell phone is a popular device. There are reports that approximately 50% of book sales in Europe are to cell phone users. And then finally, there are the intrepid iPod readers.

Over the next six months Hitachi, Jinke and Panasonic will be releasing eInk-based readers. There are rumors that Amazon, Hewlett Packard and Apple will all be creating new eBook readers as well.

I am, however, holding out for the new OLED (organic light-emitting diode) technology. I will refrain from giving a long technical explanation. Let’s just say that it was created by Kodak as an alternative to LCD. The display is fast, light and has high contrast. The screen is so thin that it can actually be rolled up like a scroll. Evidently everything old is new again. Cell phones, MP3 players and video cameras have already incorporated this technology and there are reports that eBooks are coming soon.

So, I’m waiting (still) for technology to live up to its potential. eBook hardware is experiencing growing pains and there are no clear winners. But the momentum has started and it is a matter of time until eBooks become common electronic devices.
What eBook reader should you buy?

My answer: if you are young, get a Pocket PC to use as a reader, organizer and cell phone. If you are older or want a more book-like experience, spend the money and buy a tablet PC. Of course at $600 you can get a great laptop complete with keyboard; you just won’t be taking it to bed.

Gigi Reynard is the Executive Director of eBooks About Everything.

e-Bon Mot

2006-11-06T13:14:00.000-08:00

From time to time, I will be sharing little e-Bon Mots I pick up along the way...mostly quotes about technology and anything I believe e-Worthy. For those of you who don't know what bon mots are, exactly, they are clever sayings, phrases or witticisms. "Bon Mot" is borrowed from the French and literally means "good word". So without further ado, here is this week's e-Bon Mot:

The proper artistic response to digital technology is to embrace it as a new window on everything that's eternally human, and to use it with passion, wisdom, fearlessness and joy.

– Ralph Lombreglia

Adieu 'til next time,
Alice

The iLiad: Not Yet an Epic Success by Mark Bookman

2006-10-26T11:35:00.000-07:00

E-book acceptance has been a long time coming. I have worked in the book business for a very long time and have stood back and watched eBooks come into fashion…and go out…and come back in again. I have also had the opportunity to investigate and experiment with eReaders – hand-held electronic devices used to read eBooks.

My personal “research” has brought me to the conclusion that viable hardware, interchangeable formats and a universal standard would go a long way towards bringing eBooks into the mainstream. iRex (a spin-off of Philips) has an opportunity to push the reading public towards a real eReading solution with its new iLiad.

However, the iLiad in its present form is a long odyssey away from epic success.

Before buying my iLiad (I must say, I have – what I deem – a nasty habit of purchasing each eReader I research. It’s like Carrie Bradshaw and shoes), I read everything I could find about the device, talked to the iRex people and actually held one in my hands last May. One of the main attractions was the promise of reading PDF eBooks on a large screen. Being in the book business, PDFs are mainly what comes my way. Also, I do quite an intensive bit of reading, and a larger screen is quite beneficial for my eyes.

After a seemingly endless wait, my iLiad arrived. The packaging is beautiful and the form factor is exactly right—slim and light. The reader as currently shipped, however, has three significant limitations:

The Documentation

The documentation did not come with the device. The only paper was a 5×7 sheet that welcomes you to the world of electronic reading and then warns you that if the iLiad runs out of power your unit will be irrevocably damaged. Interestingly enough, there is no indication that you should charge the machine before turning it on, or indeed, how to do that.

Screen Readability

The PDF reading software shows a full page in approximately a five-point typeface. The software does not allow the user to adjust the font size. The E-Ink technology shows a clean crisp image that is virtually impossible to read because the font is so small.

The PDF Reader

It might be possible to persist in reading the very small type face, but the real killer is that the device will not read protected PDF files. All of the literature, packaging and documentation clearly state that the device reads PDFs. There is no mention that it won’t read protected files. Incidentally, there are no search functions available; an unexpected weakness.

The overall implementation has other noteworthy flaws: the unit freezes on a regular basis, there is no power management and an exceedingly slow screen-refresh rate occasionally leads to ghosting (when the image is actively gone from the screen it still leaves the shadow of the previous image – as in a ghost).

As a self-proclaimed “eReader eXperimenter”, my view is that this device is barely at beta quality (i.e. a first version - along the lines of a technical preview) and yet it is being sold as a finished consumer product. The documentation and the Web site both state that new software will be regularly released. Obviously iRex realizes that it has work to do, but the company never uses the word beta in describing the product.

All of the problems I encountered are eminently fixable. None of them are serious enough to damage the long term prospects for the device. Unfortunately, they have done the consumers and themselves a disservice in the short term.

While this incarnation is certainly a disappointment, it is too early to write it off. The E-Ink screen is a true breakthrough technology. And though the technology is the basis – obviously - of making an eReader user-friendly, my advice to iRex/Philips is: Remember that eBooks are really about the reading experience not the technology.

Mark Bookman is a consultant for the eBooks About Everything store and will be a contributing columnist for the Everything About eBooks blog.

That's me - Alice!

2006-10-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

Having a better hair day, my dears. No more eReading in the bath tub for me!

Just wanted to make sure you are all able to put a face to a name.

I will be posting something eWorthy later today and hope you will all come back and visit - and post as well. I do so love a good dialogue - second only to a good book!

'Til then,
Alice

eBooks: A WONDERful Way to Read!

2006-10-12T20:59:00.000-07:00

Once there were tablets, then scrolls and then handwritten books. But in 1450 A.D. everything changed with the Gutenberg printing press. And the WONDERful world of books was open to all!

Oh, my dears – please forgive me. As if you, reading this blog, needed a history lesson from me. It’s just that every time I think about books and how they’ve developed over time – oh - well, it just thrills me to absolute pieces!

Well, obviously the 20th Century brought more changes. The paperback debuted in the 1930’s, audio books have made their way into mainstream readers’ ears, and the first eBook was introduced in the 1970’s.

Though eBooks were once considered a fad that went out as quickly as…as…well…as quickly as the Flash Dance look – for lack of a better comparison. Simply for lack of a better comparison, ladies and gentlemen. eBooks are back. And, I believe, they are here to stay.

I don’t believe that eBooks will ever replace traditional print completely. Most of us book lovers won’t let that happen. The printed word – bound in leather, hard cover or soft – is precious! Ahh – the smell, the feel, the…humanness – yes! The humanity of a traditionally printed book: it’s magnificently powerful and flawed all within the same binding.

But eBooks offer so much and are such a worthy alternative that I can’t help but bubble over in my enthusiasm for them. When I talk about eBooks (or write about them, as this case may be) I feel…I feel…“I feel like a shitzu hound: My tail’s a waggin', my tongue’s hangin' out. It makes me wanna shout...”* Oh, oh, oh, dear! Oh, my! I’m so sorry. Pardon me. I’ve just recently gotten interested in contemporary country music and, well…those were just some lyrics that…well…What was I saying?

Oh, yes: eBooks. And my excitement about them. Now, mind you, at first I was quite tentative about them. Quite fearful actually. I thought them very “Big Brother”. Very technological. But once someone showed me how to use one and once I received my first eBook Reader – well, wouldn’t you know it?! I was hooked!

The benefits are numerous! Personally, my favorite thing about my eBook Reader is that I read many books at the same time – I am forever in the middle of at least five good books. And I can put them all on just one device. Because I travel frequently (to book conferences and consortiums around the country and, of course, I make it a point to visit some of the world’s best and oldest libraries in Europe), I love that I carry no more than a pound when I bring my eBook Reader and can put up to 100 books on it to boot! My back loves eBooks (and so do bellboys’)!

I also feel good about myself when I read eBooks. You wouldn’t think that reading eBooks would be such a self-esteem booster, but it is! There’s an article for Cosmo, isn’t there?! That was a joke. In case you didn’t catch that. But seriously, I truly do feel better about myself because I know no tree has been cut down in order for me to be able to read the book I’m reading. It makes me feel quite ecologically correct!

The other WONDERful things about eBooks are that I can notate, bookmark, enlarge the font and my eBook Reader is backlit! This means I can read in bed with all the lights out and not have to get up to turn out the light before going to sleep. It means if I had a husband, I wouldn’t bother him if he wanted to go to sleep and I wanted to stay up and read!

I do want to caution everyone: Do not…I repeat: DO NOT take your eReader into the bathtub with you! I am sure that it’s written clearly in the eBook Reader’s instruction manual but, well – I just found out first hand. Last night. Which is why there is no photo of me on the blog…yet. I suppose you could say I’m experiencing a “bad hair day.”

One of the main things that I love about eBooks is that I have been given another glorious choice when it comes to reading. How I read is a choice, but another is that there are actually quite a lot of WONDERful books out there by some very, very talented authors who haven’t been granted a chance to be published by traditional publishing companies who are now being published in eBook formats. I have discovered some amazing books that I am so glad I didn’t miss reading.

I could go on and on about the benefits of eBook reading, but I do so want you to all come back and visit, and don’t want to “talk” too much on this, your first introduction to Everything About eBooks.

I would like to encourage you all to come back next Thursday and see what’s posted here. And I encourage all of you to comment as much as you like. Your thoughts and ideas are most welcome. Your suggestions about the blog, the postings – please post them here, whenever you like. I am so excited to have others who are as interested in eBooks as I am.

‘Til next time,
Alice Keyes