This is relevant to anyone interested in reading books on converging devices.
Rim (who produce BlackBerries) have unveiled their new tablet – the Blackberry PlayBook. It will be officially launched in December 2010. It has a seven-inch screen with touchscreen and WIFI, with 3G and 4G capabilities on the cards. Amazon and Kobo have both launched ebook reading apps for the Playbook.
This is relevant to anyone interested in ebooks via web browsers.
Primarily intended as a marketing tool, Kindle for Web beta has been launched, which allows you to try out first chapters of Kindle books on a web browser, without having to download or install any software.
The link below has it embedded, so you can sample the various display options; the same as those available on most Kindle platforms: ability to change font size, words per line, line spacing, choice of background colour of white, black or sepia.
This is relevant to anyone interested in ebook reading software and accessible ebooks.
This week brought the official launch of Blio, a free multiplatform ebook reader from KNF-B Reading Technology, a company founded by futurist Ray Kurzweil in cooperation with the National Federation of the Blind in the US.
Unfortunately, it’s not yet available in the UK – the launch was for North America only. Also, though it is supposed to be accessible, the website claims that an accessible version will be available in October. More to follow as and when.
The following link has received prominent coverage in the Bookseller (book industry trade magazine) and in BookBrunch (book industry newsletter), so has been highly visible to the publishing industry, as well as appearing in nationals such as the Guardian.
Speaking as a UN Ambassador for Peace to WIPO, he launched his “declaration of freedom for people with disabilities”, challenging delegates to make an agreement to boost access for VIPs by the end of the year, and promising a celebration concert if it is achieved. He said: “We must declare a state of emergency and end the information deprivation.”
This is relevant to anyone interested in ebook readers.
Amazon have released an updated version of their Kindle app for Android. New functionality includes the facility to speak a word or phrase to search within a book.
This is relevant to anyone interested in the availability of ebooks.
“The growth in e-book sales in genres such as romance and science-fiction is leading to a cannibalisation in sales of printed books, according to Nielsen BookScan data. Sales of printed romance books have fallen for the first time since records began at a time when e-book sales have more than doubled.”
This is relevant to anyone interested in the availability of ebooks.
“Hachette [the biggest book publisher in the UK] e-books have been removed from the websites of Waterstone’s, W H Smith, Tesco and The Book Depository after the publisher said it would move to agency terms from today. But Amazon.co.uk is still selling Hachette titles on the Kindle, and appears to still be setting the prices.”
The ‘agency model’ is one where the publisher sets the ebook price, rather than the retailer, so retailers are unable to compete with each other on price. It was implemented with publishers in the US by Apple, who didn’t want Amazon undercutting them on price. It remains to be seen how long the ebooks remain unavailable, and whether any other publishers in the UK will follow Hachette’s stance.
This is relevant to anyone interested in the accessibility features of e-ink ebook readers.
The new pocket reader from Sony has some features that may be of interest to low-vision users, such as improved (and adjustable) contrast (the same display as that on the Kindle 3 is used), custom zoom with on-screen panning and page lock, and various page views including column splits.
Unfortunately, there is only one font option, and according to this review, the type is thinner than the standard one on the Kindle so the effect isn’t as good. Adjusting the contrast settings can make the font appear bolder, but can also make it appear rough around the edges.
It is relevant to anyone interested in the use of ebooks in education.
In the US, “digital textbooks are expected to grow to 4 percent of overall sales this year from under 3 percent, rising to 11 percent by 2013, according to Simba Information”.
“Analysts say that unlike Amazon.com Inc’s Kindle — briefly touted as an educational tool — the iPad can play video and illustrate charts and graphics in full color. It also allows for easy note-taking and the online component allows for integrated tests, exercises and updates.”
This is relevant to anyone interested in the accessibility of the new Kindle device.
This is relevant to anyone interested in DAISY format and DRM.
O’Reilly publishers in the US, who have supplied digital files to BookShare for many years, have decided, through a collaboration with BookShare, to offer DAISY files as part of the DRM-free ebook bundles they offer for sale through their website. This could contribute to the mainstreaming of the DAISY format . . .
This is relevant to anyone interested in ebook readers.
Sony has revealed that they have added a Google books link to their new ebook reading devices, offering direct access to Google’s free books.
While the new devices are not wireless, Sony will provide access via their Reader website. There are 500,000 Reader-compatible books available from Google Books for free, and Sony hopes this number will be closer to one million by the end of the year.
They also commented re. colour e-ink: “We don’t see the point in doing something if we can’t do it properly and at the moment colour e-ink technology only offers four colours. We’re hoping full colour e-ink will be available within a year though.”
This will be of interest to anyone interested in ebook readers.
Sony has unveiled new versions of their Pocket and Touch ebook readers, which are available for pre-order now but will be released on Friday 17th September.
Initial specs suggest that both devices now feature the new Pearl e-ink screen, which the Kindle 3 also features, which should benefit low vision users as the display will have improved contrast. Despite speculation, neither device has wireless or 3G capability, and both feature touchscreens.
This is relevant to anyone interested in digital provision of newspapers and magazines.
The News of the World website will go behind a paywall in October, with the Sun to follow, according to a report 18 August by newmediaage.co.uk (article requires subscription). News International are refusing to comment on the claim.
This is relevant to anyone interested in ebook readers and text to speech.
“Nuance Communications and K-NFB Reading Technology Inc. announced today that the Nuance Vocalizer text-to-speech (TTS) technology will be available as a downloadable accessory to the Blio eReader Software when it launches next month. Readers will be able to choose from Nuance’s “Samantha” and “Tom” voices. Nuance’s TTS technology will also be available to manufacturers who are equipping their devices with the Blio software.”
NB: Blio’s launch has been postponed for months on end, so I would not count on this platform being available next month, as this article suggests.
