Simple_Graduate
Broken In
*www.businessworld.in/issue/images/images/invogue/02.gif
(image of SONY e-book reader with top 10 e-books of 2005)
Imagine crowding your bedside table with piles of your favourite books. Or lugging them in your bag to read on the bus. Not anymore with the advent of portable eBook Readers. Pretty much the same size as an average paperback novel, these devices can store plenty of books in digital format and display them on a wide screen page by page.
At least four new e-Book devices are being launched this year — Sony’s Portable e-Book Reader, Philips spin-off iRex Technologies’ iLiad, and Chinese manufacturer Jinke’s Hanlin V2 and V8. Although a few e-Book Readers were launched earlier — like the Gemstar e-Book, Franklin’s eBookman and Hiebook — they did not come anywhere close to matching the real thing, and most of them tanked. The devices were clunky and felt more like a ‘gadget’.
The new devices are trying to create an experience akin to that of reading a ‘real book’. And 2006 is being touted as the year of the eBook.
Two things can change users’ experience this time. One, the technological advancement made since. The eInk technology used tries to emulate the feel of ink on paper. The screen is not backlit, it can be read from all angles. And unlike their bulky predecessors, they are slim.
Second is the emphasis on ease of use. The devices support popular text formats like PDF and HTML. You can plug in these Readers into your PC (via USB cable) and download documents of your choice. You can also read a wide range of content. Previously, readers used proprietary format, which meant downloading content from select sources.
The eBook market has not yet created ripples. But coupled with better access to a large number of titles, manufacturers hope to change that. Typically, an eBook is 20-25 per cent cheaper than the actual book. Also, there is plenty of content for free download. Parallels are being drawn with the digital music scene a few years ago. The advent of iPods and online music stores revolutionised the music industry. Sony has already tied up with major publishing houses like Random House and Harper Collins to sell thousands of titles on its Connect online stores. So, you can download a book by paying online and then upload it onto your Reader by plugging it to your PC. Can a Sony do to e-Books what Apple did to digital music downloads? Time will tell. Meanwhile, here are the Readers making the news:
*www.businessworld.in/issue/gadget.pdf
(image of SONY e-book reader with top 10 e-books of 2005)
Imagine crowding your bedside table with piles of your favourite books. Or lugging them in your bag to read on the bus. Not anymore with the advent of portable eBook Readers. Pretty much the same size as an average paperback novel, these devices can store plenty of books in digital format and display them on a wide screen page by page.
At least four new e-Book devices are being launched this year — Sony’s Portable e-Book Reader, Philips spin-off iRex Technologies’ iLiad, and Chinese manufacturer Jinke’s Hanlin V2 and V8. Although a few e-Book Readers were launched earlier — like the Gemstar e-Book, Franklin’s eBookman and Hiebook — they did not come anywhere close to matching the real thing, and most of them tanked. The devices were clunky and felt more like a ‘gadget’.
The new devices are trying to create an experience akin to that of reading a ‘real book’. And 2006 is being touted as the year of the eBook.
Two things can change users’ experience this time. One, the technological advancement made since. The eInk technology used tries to emulate the feel of ink on paper. The screen is not backlit, it can be read from all angles. And unlike their bulky predecessors, they are slim.
Second is the emphasis on ease of use. The devices support popular text formats like PDF and HTML. You can plug in these Readers into your PC (via USB cable) and download documents of your choice. You can also read a wide range of content. Previously, readers used proprietary format, which meant downloading content from select sources.
The eBook market has not yet created ripples. But coupled with better access to a large number of titles, manufacturers hope to change that. Typically, an eBook is 20-25 per cent cheaper than the actual book. Also, there is plenty of content for free download. Parallels are being drawn with the digital music scene a few years ago. The advent of iPods and online music stores revolutionised the music industry. Sony has already tied up with major publishing houses like Random House and Harper Collins to sell thousands of titles on its Connect online stores. So, you can download a book by paying online and then upload it onto your Reader by plugging it to your PC. Can a Sony do to e-Books what Apple did to digital music downloads? Time will tell. Meanwhile, here are the Readers making the news:
*www.businessworld.in/issue/gadget.pdf
