Senior Editor Erik Rhey reports from this major publishing-industry event; thanks, Erik!
Mention "eBooks" in a room of techies, or the literati--or both--and you'll get rolling eyes aplenty. But according to a panel discussion at the Book Expo America conference in New York today, eBooks may finally ready for prime time--for authors, readers, and publishers.
The first hopeful sign is the emergence of some new standards that make it easier to read books online or via a reader device. Nick Bogaty, executive director of the IPDF (International Digital Publishing Forum) announced the rollout of two specifications: OPS 2.0 (Open Publication Structure) and OCF (OPS Container Format). OPS is an XML-based standard for authoring digital publications, and OCF is the container formation for distribution (similar to a ZIP file), which uses the EPUB file extension. The advantage here is that text is more dynamic than static documents in PDF, so readers can zoom, change typeface, and navigate documents more easily.
Also on the panel was Bill McCoy, GM of Adobe's ePublishing business. McCoy demoed the new Adobe Digital Editions, software for reading and managing eBooks. The upshot of this new software is that text is reflowable, meaning that you can display it many different ways for easier reading. Digital Editions also integrates with Adobe In-Design for graphics and images. McCoy said that the company is also planning an open-standard version of PDF. He's hoping to get the social networking crowd involved by including a feature to make notes in an eBook and share them with friends (although eBook DRM may get in the way of this). The software is still in beta, and Adobe Labs is offering a free version for users to try out and offer feedback.
On the hardware side, reps from Sony and a startup from The Netherlands called iRex Technologies showed off their eBook readers. The Sony Reader is not exactly news (PC Magazine reviewed it in July) but the company is still trying to gain some traction on sales. The Reader has some cool features, such as page-turning buttons, support for SD cards (not just Memory Stick), and the 800 by 600 "electronic paper" display (which offers clear reading in daylight). But at $350, it's still beyond the reach of most, save for early adopters.
The iRex iLiad uses the same display technology and has some niceties the Sony device lacks. For example, the iLiad comes with built-in Wi-Fi, so you can grab content such as newspapers and magazines online. It also has a USB slot and supports CF and MMC. Al-though more readable than the Sony Reader, this is not a pocket device; its screen is 8.5 inches diagonal. And get ready for this price tag: $650.
It was apparent that amid big advances in the past couple years, eBooks still have a ways to go before mass adoption becomes a reality. According to Adobe's McCoy: "We shouldn't wait for the iPod of eBook devices. It won't work that way. I see the industry developing more like the digital camera industry, with many different types of readers for different needs."
And with publishers demanding DRM on eBooks, one can only hope that they will learn from the music industry's mistakes by creating DRM that is invisible to the user and doesn't cause compatibility headaches.
Post by Erik Rhey
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June 4, 2007 2:27 PM
DRM = DOA for eBooks.
I can LEND from our paper library.
Go PUBLIC DOMAIN and read MACHIAVELLI..
and The Art of War...
It's all about the MONEY now. Publishers won't stop unless they have pay on each PAGE you read...
June 4, 2007 4:03 PM
Not all publishers demand DRM. Check out Baen's webscriptions.com, for a 7+ year successful sales model.
June 4, 2007 4:05 PM
correction: webscription.net
June 6, 2007 8:50 PM
well, the big problem is less drm, but more the generally closed approach of these devices. i'd love to see and use ebook readers, but i want them to be smart enough to handle html in a reasonable way, and i want to be able to take html and pdf content with me.
pdf mostly is unreadable on the currently available ebook hardware due to the screen size, the pdf implementations reportedly are far from perfect, and sony of course bets on its own closed format, as usual trying to create a closed world.
the iliad looks very promising when looking at its specs, but the company seems to have big trouble getting the software right, the power management to a decent level, and implementing a marketing strategy for their product.
i have believed for a long time and still believe that there is a huge market for a device like an ebook reader, power-efficient, paper-like, much less intrusive and complicated than a pc, and providing storage for all my digital documents. but then again, i also believed that pdas were a good thing, but nobody wanted them anymore, so i am still using my trusty old psion and fear the day when it finally breaks, and all i have is the choice between a windows laptop and a windows phone. that's sad, symbian was and is so much better for this task, but apparently there was no market for it, it either never existed, or it was successfully killed by the colorful and flashy stuff based on palm os and windows ce.
June 12, 2007 3:09 PM
>DRM = DOA for eBooks.
>I can LEND from our paper library.
The Iliad now does MobiPocket & DRM. MobiPocket is what the local library uses, so I can borrow books for three weeks without driving to the library. And since I travel a lot, I can do it from anywhere.