eBooks

Here's some interesting news - is Apple's iPhone more popular as an eBook reader than Amazon's highly publicised, dedicated eBook device?

The excellent 'Print is Dead' blog has a series of articles which look into Amazon's Kindle book reader in depth - 'The Kindle Kronichles' - which is well worth checking out. The series is:

• Part 1 - Meet the Kindle

• Part 2 - The Device
• Part 3 - Books
• Part 4 - Blogs and Newspapers

Still holding off on an e-book reader personally - but man, it would make my bedside table look a lot neater!

While PoD publishers are worried about Amazon using its influence in order to corner the print-on-demand market through Booksurge and Createspace, traditional publishers are also beginning to fear the Kindle - and what it means for the future of eBooks:

excitement about the Kindle, which was introduced in November, also worries some publishing executives, who fear Amazon’s still-growing power as a bookseller. Those executives note that Amazon currently sells most of its Kindle books to customers for a price well below what it pays publishers, and they anticipate that it will not be long before Amazon begins using the Kindle’s popularity as a lever to demand that publishers cut prices.

Fear the Amazon...

Amazon have launched their eBook reading device, the Kindle, to much fanfare:

We've been working on Kindle for more than three years," said Amazon boss Jeff Bezos in a statement. "Our top design objective was for Kindle to disappear in your hands -- to get out of the way -- so you can enjoy your reading," he said.

Content is delivered to the device via the EVDO wireless network - this could limit the gadget's overseas appeal as the technology is not widely used outside North America.

Owners of a Kindle do not have to pay to use this wireless network, Amazon pays the access costs and only charges for any content downloaded to the reader.

This wireless access is one of the key selling features of the Kindle, as opposed to the Sony Reader's need to sync with a computer. As mentioned in the BBC story though, it does create problems outside the United States.

Other reviews have been hot and cold, with a lot of criticism focusing on the look of the gadget (it reminds me of a Sinclair ZX-80, for those old enough to remember). The Boston Globe wasn't too sure about whether audiences would like the Kindle, while CNET was a bit surprised at how much electronic books cost.  read more »

Amazon's switch to exclusively offering the Mobipocket ebook format makes more sense every day, with news that their rival to the Sony Reader, named 'Kindle', is nearing release. The ebook reader will allow for a direct gadget-to-Amazon connection (although the connection mode is still under wraps), allowing readers to download books immediately to the Kindle whenever the mood strikes them. Word is that it has had positive reviews from test subjects who have been putting it through its paces.

That's the pros, now for the cons - the Kindle is likely to cost more than $400. Not to mention there's been plenty of comment about the '1980s beige' look of the reader (although all comment is based on the one image leaked last year).