Amazon Kindle: Just another e-book reader?

Amazon.com announced the launch of their new product Amazon Kindle, an e-book reader designed to transform the way people consume and produce book-form publications. Though the book has evolved partially into the digital realm, most forms of e-books are smaller, less cumbersome and time-consuming reads. Though novels and extensive works are available, it seems the book is a product that cannot be replaced so easily, unlike other medium such as music and video. Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com elaborates on the subject saying:

“Music and video have been digital for a long time, and short-form reading has been digitized, beginning with the early Web. But long-form reading really hasn’t.”

The question begging to be asked is, ‘Are people ready to add yet another device to their already stuffed briefcases and bags?’ Most people today have a slew of devices they are required to lug around – cell phones, laptops, mp3 players – so why one more?

After all, this is the book we’re talking about. “If you’re going to do something like this, you have to be as good as the book in a lot of respects,” says Bezos. “But we also have to look for things that ordinary books can’t do.” Bounding to a whiteboard in the conference room, he ticks off a number of attributes that a book-reading device—yet another computer-powered gadget in an ever more crowded backpack full of them—must have.

Though e-book readers are nothing new and have little spread within the literary consumer market, Kindle does have a few tricks up their sleeve. By taking lessons from newer technologies such as the Apple iPhone, Kindle is tapping into the market through WiFi and massive storage space.

The Kindle’s real breakthrough springs from a feature that its predecessors never offered: wireless connectivity, via a system called Whispernet. (It’s based on the EVDO broadband service offered by cell-phone carriers, allowing it to work anywhere, not just Wi-Fi hotspots.) As a result, says Bezos, “This isn’t a device, it’s a service.”

Even so, WiFi is on the verge of becoming a standard ‘fixture’ in electronic devices. Is it so important for readers? What market of people are willing to add this device to their inventory – or, better said, is this technology catering to the gadgetless (such as my grandmother), which means that it will soon be obsolete once other providers (like Apple and the iPhone) allow access to this type of material easily through their proprietary service?

While looking at the photos and specs, my initial thought was, “man that’s big.” Granted, it’s about as thick as a pencil, but for an electronic device, it took me back to the days of the Apple Newton (image from www.engadget.com):

Unfortunately, as cool as the Newton was in those days, it wasn’t something you could just chuck into your bag and go, it required space, which is why the PDA took on an entirely different evolutionary track. So, I guess my point is, why re-invent the wheel? Why not push those already promoting the products (and doing a wonderful job at it) to sign on to what you foresee the device accomplishing?

Related Articles:

Kindle: Amazon’s New Wireless Reading Device
Live from the Amazon Kindle launch event

Google to take on magazines

As if Google doesn’t have hands in nearly everything, the company now wants to allow individuals to publish personalized magazines. Recently, Gilbarco introduced a kiosk system that enables Google local search, maps and coupons to be accessible in gas stations, convenience stores and the like. In addition, Google, with its patent filed in May of 2006, shows interest in expanding this type of “on demand” content by introducing itself to the magazine publishing industry.

Though do-it-yourself publishing is now available through services such as Lulu.com, Google’s vision takes on a very different user-generated content model. In the article, Google looking at DIY Magazine Publishing, puts together coherent details of the project:

You will have the ability to create your own ‘customize publication’ that contains the content (and advertising) that you have chosen. There is the ability to search content to add to your ‘personalized’ publication as well as suggestions generated through user history. The system can track a given topic a user is monitoring and update/suggest new related content as it becomes available. Content could also be searched by price, topic and dates for example, or any other information ‘deemed to be useful to either a user and/or a content provider in locating content to be provided in a customized publication’. You could also set updates on a given frequency (weekly, monthly) and set which content items you wish to have updated for that given period.

Overall, the idea seems more like a novelty than an actual product. Considering Google’s constant drive to gather up as much content as it can get it’s crawlers to capture, the aggregation side-note to this seems plausible for their business model. However, convincing the magazine subscriber that this model is ‘better’ because of its customizability will create a challenge. And in all seriousness, who wants to take the time to physically publish information that is probably available through online subscriptions. We’ll have to see how this plays out – if it ever does…

Digitize your personal library – then distribute it…illegally…

Atiz Innovation, Inc., a company specializing in content digitization, announced the release of BookSnap, the “first consumer book ‘ripper’.” For a mere $1,595, researchers, genealogists and readers have the ability to digitize their collections at a rate of 500 pages per hour. Using OCR (optical character recognition) technology and outputting to PDF format, publications can now be accessed through e-book readers and mobile devices while on the go.

“We designed the BookSnap for people who have always wanted to digitize their personal libraries but haven’t had a viable way to do it – until now,” said Nick Warnock, president, Atiz Innovation. “We sat down and said, ‘Can we innovate reading?’ How do we take what we are doing with our professional products and make a version tailored to the consumer?’ The result gives archival power to everyone, and changes the way people convert and access their books collections.”

The greater-than $1,500 price tag may still be a deterrent for the average consumer, however, we can expect to see distribution of these ‘digital copies’ take off just as we did with the onset of the mp3. In addition, copyright will become a greater issue for publishers as well as those who take it upon themselves to scan and distribute their personal libraries.

Though a consumer-grade book scanner may be the answer for family historians or personal archivists with the intent to preserve and share their microcosmic histories, a device of this kind is bound to cause havoc and we can expect discussions about digital rights management to flourish. The main question that needs to be asked of Nick Warnock, president of Atiz, is “Are you going to take responsibility for illegal content distribution and the lawsuits that follow? Or, are you going to take responsibility for the product you are releasing and become involved in the fight for DRM reform?”

HighBeam Research to launch new website, Newser.com

UPDATE October 30, 2007: Newser — an Online News Service from HighBeam Research and Michael Wolff — Debuts Today

This Tuesday, October 30, HighBeam Reseach will release Newser.com, a news website that creators Patrick Spain and Michael Wolff hope will change the current trend of content aggregation.

Newser stories run approximately 120 words in length, and feature photos licensed from the Associated Press as well as links to the original story source. Readers can also determine their mix of hard and soft stories through a “slider box,” which Spain hopes will introduce “different ways of how to perceive news.” The site, which was designed by Chicago-based Duo Consulting, also features the top stories of the day and categorizes news by topic and publication date.

So what makes Newser different from others like Google or Yahoo? The answer: Humans. Instead of using “spiders” or “crawlers” built off of algorithms to gather information from the web, an entire staff has been hired to contribute to content found on Newser.com.

“Nobody is really aggregating news in a meaningful way,” said Spain, 55, who ran and sold business-information service Hoovers.com. “Google in a robotic way [aggregates stories] from hundreds of brands and sources. But it doesn’t have any editorial zest.”

Genealogical Society of Utah, National Archives and Footnote.com work to digitize Civil War Era pension files

The Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU) and the National Archives have announced a partnership to “digitize approved pension applications of widows of Civil War Union soldiers…” Operating as FamilySearch.org, the GSU, in conjunction with Footnote.com, intents to work with the National Archives to release more than 1.2 million files.

These records, of great interest to genealogists and others, are currently available only at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC. The widows’ pension application files, a rich source of information about ordinary American citizens of the time, include supporting documents such as affidavits, depositions of witnesses, marriage certificates, birth records, death certificates, and pages from family bibles.

Six million military personnel files to be released

Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs) will be made available by the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) for the first time. The initial release will include more than 6 million records, however more than 57 million total files are expected to be released through the year 2067.

These archived files are treasured by family members, historians, researchers, and genealogists. Contained in a typical OMPF are documents outlining all elements of military service, including assignments, evaluations, awards and decorations, education and training, demographic information, some medical information and documented disciplinary actions. Some records also contain photographs of the individual and official correspondence concerning military service.

For more information, please refer to the original press release, “National Personnel Records Center Opens more than Six Million New Military Personnel Files”

California Newspaper Project goes digital

University of California Riverside will announce the release of its digital archive. The California Newspaper Project, started in 1990, will feature a searchable database that provides online access to publications such as The San Francisco Call, The Daily Alta California, and the Amador Ledger.

“Newspapers are the most important history in the state,” said center Director Henry Snyder, who retired as a history professor in 1994 and turns 78 next month.

More information about the project can be read in The Press-Enterprise article, “UCR’s long effort to preserve California’s newspapers goes online”

More than 400 Yale University Press titles added to the OCLC’s NetLibrary

Online Computer Library Center, Inc. has added more than 400 titles from Yale University Press to its NetLibrary database. In addition, the OCLC will add at least 1,500 more Yale titles once the content’s digitization process is complete.

“These titles represent works that promote a greater understanding of our world, and will be of great benefit to users of all libraries, and particularly academic institutions,” [Chip Nilgles] said.

ProQuest Historical Newspapers gains The Guardian and The Observer

More than 212 years of British news contained within The Guardian and The Observer has been added to ProQuest Historical Newspapers. Dating from 1791, the collection will allow researchers near-instant access to millions of pages, digitized by Olive Software, Inc.

The ability to cross-search the archives of two major British newspapers with ProQuest’s existing American historical newspapers provides researchers with contrasting perspectives on key international events, such as World Wars I and II, the Middle East peace process, and the terrorist attacks in the United States September 11, 2001. Researchers will be able to compare news, political cartoons, and editorials about the same events in both American and British newspapers.

The Guardian’s and The Observer’s archive will be cross-searchable with ProQuest Historical Newspapers, the world’s largest digital newspaper archive, encompassing more than 17 million pages dating from 1764.

New online advertising widget available for newspapers and magazines

NewspaperDirect Inc., a multi-channel newspaper and magazine distributor, is launching a new product for publishers that currently use NewspaperDirect SmartEdition technology. Adget, an online “advertising widget platform” will create a more cost-effective and efficient solution for local business advertisers who want to harness the online market.

Adget embeds ‘Cost-per-Action’ advertising directly into a digital newspaper. Adget-enhanced ads can contain an embedded video, audio file or graphic to promote special offers from local merchants. Within the Adget, buttons or links allow the reader to ‘click to transact’ with the advertiser.