ebooks

Buzz Out Loud 773: Spam on the lam

UPDATE: We just learned that the escaped Eddie Davidson, the "spam king," was found dead after having apparently murdered his family. Obviously, we did not know this at the time we recorded our podcast, and we apologize for any insensitivity that could be inferred from our remarks. We will definitely address this horrible turn of events in tomorrow's show.

The recently imprisoned "Spam King" goes straight-up mint jelly and escapes from federal prison (check your barns and garages, Coloradoans), Yahoo Music makes the MSN Music mistake with the benefit of hindsight, and Walt Mossberg slams … Read more

Sony opens e-book reader to outside publishers

Sony announced on Thursday that its Reader Digital Book will be able to read electronic books published using the .epub format that many of the largest book publishers are using.

Until now, Sony's e-book reader could only read books available from the Sony e-book store, PDF documents, and DRM-free text. Starting next month, the new PRS-505 Sony Reader model will be able to access secure DRM- and non-DRM-protected content in the .epub format, formerly called the Open eBook format. (Here's a review of the device.)

The Sony Reader Digital Book is the first e-book reading device to support … Read more

Free sci-fi e-books, for a limited time

A friend of mine told me recently about Tor.com, a new site managed by Tor Books, part of the Macmillan publishing group.

There's something cool going on there for just the next few days. And if you've bought an Amazon Kindle or a Sony Reader--or just like to read e-books on your laptop, cell phone, or other system--you'll want to scoot right over to the "Freebies Bonanza" page. [Update-- this content is no longer available.]

Buzz Out Loud 755: Issues of men and womthem

Thorny gender issues arise on Facebook, Bill Gates takes his leave, Sony announces movie downloads without any movies but their own, and anyone in North Carolina who's offended by their own, inadvertently rude "WTF" license plate can get it replaced at no cost. But we say: drive it with pride! Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 755

For Bill Gates, the next phase begins http://news.cnet.com/For-Bill-Gates%2C-the-next-phase-begins/2009-1014_3-6242476.html

Sony yet to sign PSN movie download deals http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11133&Itemid=2… Read more

Dual-display e-reader opens new chapter

In what seems like an eternity ago, Crave posted an item about a dual-LCD concept that was designed as a digital newspaper of sorts, folding at the center like a broadsheet. Now, finally, some universities are reportedly working on a prototype based on similar principles for e-books.

Researchers from Berkeley and Maryland are developing a dual-screen reader with digital pages that can be turned by way of a built-in trackball, according to Engadget. And for flexibility the two displays can be separated and viewed horizontally if needed.

There have been other double-display portable computers on the market, though none made … Read more

Get three free Stephen King e-books from Fictionwise

As a longtime fan of e-books (I used to read them on my PDA; now I read 'em on my smartphone), I've been waiting for a good deal so I could spread the word. Fictionwise answered the call: The Web-based e-bookstore is offering three complete Stephen King novels for free. Yes, there's a catch, but it's not hard to swallow.

Here's how it works: First, you create a Micropay account, which is basically a debit account into which you deposit funds from your credit card or PayPal. Next, you buy Carrie, Night Shift, and/or The … Read more

Paying for free content

Earlier this week, I noted that book publishers and authors had, so far, been largely protected from the mass copying that has helped to undermine the music recording industry's profits. The reason is simple. You can't copy dead-tree books for minimal effort and cost the way you can CDs or MP3s. But, with e-books finally seemingly establishing a bona fide foothold with Amazon's Kindle, that's going to start changing.

New York Times Op-Ed columnist Paul Krugman notes this trend in "Bits, Bands and Books" together with a corollary that Esther Dyson predicted in 1994:… Read more

ZOMG: Amazon.com drops Kindle price 10 percent

This story was updated at 9:30 a.m. PDT Wednesday to correct the estimated number of Kindles to be sold by 2010.

Q: Is $360 versus $400 that big of a deal?

A: On a slow news day, apparently, yes.

We're not talking an iPhone-level price cut here. Still, blogs here, here, here, here, and here are really excited about the 10 percent discount Amazon.com is offering on the Kindle.

It's not at all clear that a $40 discount is the shove fence-sitters considering buying a $400 device for reading electronic books are going to need. … Read more

Iriver releases a literate media player

With so many e-book readers coming on the market, it was only a matter of time before someone decided to build the technology into another type of media device. And what better way to complement a good book than music?

Iriver's new P10 portable media player does just that, though it's headed only for the Korean market so far. It has 33GB of built-in memory, handwriting recognition, and a 4.3-inch LCD with a 800 x 480 resolution.

If that's a tad small for reading the classics, you can still use it to watch the Simpsons because … Read more

Analyst: Amazon.com's Kindle to generate $750 million by 2010

Calling it the iPod of the book business, CitiGroup analyst Mark Mahaney says the Kindle e-book reader will generate three-quarters of a billion dollars for Amazon.com in less than two years.

That should account for up to 3 percent of Amazon's business. See his chart and reasoning here.

His calculations assume that unit sales will grow from 189,000 by the end of this year to 2.2 million units in just two years. By then he assumes the price of the device will be just below $300. Mahaney also points out that Amazon does have the largest … Read more