STFU && RTFM

Note: Eirik Newth is a Norwegian writer and lecturer, who blogs interestingly and well about eBooks. Here’s his take on the iPad and its impact on the eBook market. The original article (in Norwegian) can be found here.
 
A few days after the announcement of Apple’s netbook challenger, anyone would be hard pressed to say anything definitive about how it will affect the publishing world. Journalists in Norway are insisting that the world will never be the same, as they have over the last few months in their attempt to convince themselves that salvation for print newspapers is near. The norwegian publishing industry’s premiere pundit on eBooks, Gyldendal’s Bjarne Buset, has remarked to the norwegian newspaper Aftenposten that the iPad will lead the way, without really being given the opportunity to expand on what he means by that statement. Here are a few reflections on the subject:
 
The iPad will lead to increased sales of eBooks. Even if it proves to be a MacBook Air, rather than an iPhone, sales to the fanbase alone will likely be in the millions of units. Many of these will want to try out the iBooks-bookshop, which will mean an increase in a market that, for the time being, is based on a eBook reader customer base of two to three three to four million units.
 
The iPad will lead to increased attention to eBooks. As previously mentioned, Apple has an ardent following among journalists. Anything they do about the iBooks store will most likely get broad coverage in the media, with corresponding followup in various sosial media services, especially blogs and Twitter.
 
The iPad wil not be the final breakthrough for eBook readers. I’d be hard pressed to envision an average reader of books being tempted to invest in a gadget that is both bigger and heavier than the typical book, and that most likely will cost somewhere betweeen NOK 4000 and 6000 (plus the cost of the 3G subscription for those who get that). The size and pricing rather indicates the textbook market as the likely target audience. In that event, the decision to launch an overgrown iPhone is hard to understand, given no support for Flash and multitasking.
 

 
The iPad does not herald the end for Kindle 2, as indicated by, among others, Forbes. The iPad is big and heavy compared to other eBook readers, is much more expensive both to buy and to use. We should also take into account the low battery capacity and the backlit display. Not to be forgotten is the fact that the Kindle Store is the largest, cheapest and most advanced eBook shop in the world. You can be certain that Amazon will do their utmost to keep that position for the year to come.
 
The iPad will probably push eBook reader prices down. As a dedicated device, the convensional eBook reader will need to be considerably cheaper than a multi-feature device. Count on somewhat lowered prices for the Kindle 2, as well as the basic models of Sony et. al., as well as considerably lower prices for the larger and more expensive models, such a the Kindle DX and Sony Daily Edition.
 
The iPad will probably not change the price for eBooks. The standard price in iBooks will be 2-5 US$ above the 10$ mark set by Amazon. Apple and the publishing houses are obviously counting on the users willingness to pay an added “Apple tax”, and Amazon has little to gain by pushing prices further down.
 
The iPad heralds the en for the Kindle format. Over the last six months, I’ve spent a lot of time saying that Apple would choose one of the two major formats (EPUB and Kindle), rather than develop a third, and that the choice would probably be EPUB. That turned out to be a correct analysis, and even though the Kindle users will be able to read their books on the iPad using an app, the smart choice for the long term would be converting the store to the industry standard, like Sony did with the Reader Store just befor christmas.
 
The iPad does not herald the end of consumer format confusion. At the moment, it looks like Apple have chosen their own DRM-standard for EPUB, rather than Adobe Digital Editions. The result? Books bought in iBooks will not be readably outside the iTunes system. ADE-encrypted books can be read using an app, and publishing houses will thus be able to sell eBooks for the iPad, even if iBooks doesn’t open in Norway anytime soon. The result? In half a year, we might see eBook customers with three separate, mutually incompatible, book collections on the same device. Day what you want about DRM, consumer friendly it ain’t.
 
To sum up: This is unlikely to be an “iPod moment” for the publishing industry. Even if it is, it needs time to develop, just like the real iPod-moment did. For the Norwegian publishing industry, the important thing is to keep eyes on the target, and make sure that as wide as possible a selection of EPUB-titles are available for sale i March.
 
Note: Eirik Newth is a Norwegian writer and lecturer, who blogs interestingly and well about eBooks. Here’s his take on the iPad and its impact on the eBook market. The original article (in Norwegian) can be found here.
Note: Comments closed due to massive amounts of comment spam.

Yesterday, Apple announced the long-anticipated, much hyped iPad. Looking like an overgrown iPhone, it sports a 9.7″ screen, with a resolution of 1024×768, multi-touch and your choice of WLAN (all models) 3G (some models) and 16, 32 or 64 GB memory.
 
A commenter at NRK Beta said it was disappointing that it didn’t have some sort of eInk technology. Now, while eInk is GREAT for reading comfort and battery time, it has a deadly flaw for a device like the iPad; it has a screen refresh rate on par with, well a book (never mind the fact that eInk is so far only available as black and wh … err … gray).
 
To me, the iPad is NOT ideal for reading, for the exact same reasons why a device with eInk is; backlight and screen refresh. The backlight and screen refresh makes your eyes go tired much quicker, and, eInk having neither, it is actually like reading off darkish paper.
 
The book function being less than interesting to me, my interest, which, I admit, is piqued, is fading. As a websurfing device, well, it just doesn’t fo it for me. If I want an instant-on, touch screen device, I’ll use my phone. If I want to seriously surf the web, I want a computer, complete with a mouse and a keyboard.
 
Playing music? Sure, I could, but why not use an iPod or a Creative Zen; they’re smaller and have better power usage times. As for reading and editing documents, I’d rather have a computer to edit and either paper or eInk to read, so that’s out. Photo viewing and editing? Again, I want a computer.
 

The iPad
 
The form factor looks good, but I am still critical of both the weight and how long the battery will last. I notice that, like the iPod and iPhone, the iPad does not look like you can exchange the battery yourself, which I find a curious choice. Sure, for a tiny unit like the shuffle, I can understand it, but for an everyday usage unit like the iPhone? I don’t get it.
 
Using iPhone OS is an obvious, albeit exciting choice. Apple are basically saying that the iPhone OS is mature enough and powerful enough to be used on this kind of device. Also, by all accounts, it does exactly what an OS for a device like this should do; IT JUST WORKS.
 
While the tech geek in me goes “OOOH! SHINY!”, the sensible guy sitting somewhere deep down, right next door to the justification department, is going “Meh. Yet another device I have no use for.” And that, really, is what it all boils down to, isn’t it? The answer to the question “Do I have any real use for this?”
 
When all’s told, my interest is piqued, but I am not convinced, and I doubt that I will shell out the $499-$699 for one of these units. There are three main reasons for this:
 

1. Lock-In
   • To a certain degree, Apple=Lock-in. Now, if they’d announced an Android version in addition to the iPhone OS version, I might be more interested. Now, Apple is obviously never going to do that, which is fine, but it is, to me, an argument in the “Cons” column. I also keep in mind the problems with applications in the App Store, and I assume that Apple will, in practice, have total control over the iPad, and what’s on it.
2. Not enough connection options
   • Once more, I’m annoyed at Apple’s insistence on using their own proprietary solutions for connection and charging, as well as the fact that they have not included what I would have thought was an obvious feature for a device such as this; a memory card reader. The counter argument, I suppose, is what memory card format to choose, which I would counter by telling them to give us an SD(HC) reader, which is likely to cover the needs of most users.
3. Size
   • To me, the iPad would be too big and heavy to use as any kind of music device, while it’s too small for a lot of other tasks, such as photo viewing and (especially) editing, document editing and web browsing.

 
In the end, to me it comes down to this: If I have a small-ish laptop (say 13.3″) and my ebook, I am covered, and with better battery capacity than I would have with the iPad. Sure, I’d lug around more weight, but I don’t always have my laptop with me. I almost always have my ebook with me.

Working in IT, I often have people ask me about issues they are having with their computer. Now, while I’m happy to help out, I often find that the problems I solve for them are problems they could have solved themselves. Mitch Tulloch, a Microsoft MVP and lead author of the just-published Windows 7 Resource Kit (Microsoft Press, 2010; ISBN: 9780735627000; 1760 pages), has created a short e-book called “What You Can Do Before You Call Tech Support.” Here are the opening paragraphs:
 

Your sound card has stopped working, your computer seems sluggish, the network is down, your hard drive is clicking, you can’t view a website, your monitor is hard to read, your new webcam isn’t working, your favorite program won’t run, and a funny burning smell is coming from your computer. What can you do on your own to try to troubleshoot the issue before you pick up the phone to call tech support?
 
If you’re running Windows 7, quite a lot. Microsoft has included a lot of self-support tools in Windows 7 that you can try using before you seek the help of others, and we’ll examine these in a moment. Then there are the tools you were born with—your five senses (see, hear, smell, taste, touch) and most importantly your brain. And by brain I’m including your memory, experience, and capacity for logical reasoning. Finally, there is ancient and sacred lore passed on in secret from Master to Disciple over the millennia. We’ll see shortly how your brain, your senses, and the secrets of the Wise Ones can be very helpful for troubleshooting computer problems. But first let’s look at what troubleshooting tools are built into Windows 7.

 
You can download the e-book in XPS format here and in PDF format here. Enjoy!

Wrapping up my series on eBook usage, I provide you with a list of handy links for legal download of books for your eBook, as well as other links that might prove useful:
 
Software:
Adobe Digital Editions
Calibre
Sony eBook Library
 
Free eBooks:
Baen Free Library
ManyBooks.net
Project Gutenberg
 
eBook shops:
Books on Board
Waterstones

Note: For the next few posts, I will be discussing my choice of eBook, what I think of the device, the software, and finish off with a few tips for users.
 
In my last post, I mentioned that metadata-handling was my best argument for using Calibre instead of Sony eBook Reader. What I didn’t say, was why.
 
I read several different series of books. Among others, I am currently reading the First Law series by Joe Abercrombie. Having bought these with Adobe Digital Editions-protection, I then loaded them into Calibre, and then edited the metadata to reflect that this was a series. I then added info on which number in the series each book was.
 
When I uploaded this to the Reader, each series was recognized as a collection, and the books are displayed in the proper order within each collection.

Note: For the next few posts, I will be discussing my choice of eBook, what I think of the device, the software, and finish off with a few tips for users.
 
As I have stated, Sony eBook Library is not a bad piece of software, but there is no handling of metadata whatsoever. The better choice is called Calibre, and is a free, open source alternative to using Sony eBook Library.
 
Calibre supports Kindle and iPhone as well as Sony Reader, and not only handles metadata, but also has features like automatic news subscriptions, format conversions and even a content server option, allowing you access to your eBook collection from anywhere in the world.

Note: For the next few posts, I will be discussing my choice of eBook, what I think of the device, the software, and finish off with a few tips for users.
 
Since the firmware for the Sony Reader reached version 1.1, the Sony Reader has had support for Adobe Digital Editons, a DRM-protected format for eBooks. To use Adobe Digital Editions with your Reader, you need to do the following:
 

1. Go to the Adobe Digital Editions website
2. Sign up for an account (it is free)
3. Download and install the software
4. Authorize your computer
5. Connect the Reader
6. Authorize the Reader

 
After that is done, you simply need to buy books (which I will cover in a later post), download them, and then copy them to your Reader. You don’t actually need to use Adobe Digital Editions for this, which has an advantage; Adobe Digital Editions is unable to edit the metadata of the files.

Note: For the next few posts, I will be discussing my choice of eBook, what I think of the device, the software, and finish off with a few tips for users.
 
One of the two CDs shipped with the Reader contained a program called eBook Library. According to Sony it is
 

…an Internet interface for finding and downloading eBooks from the World Public Library to the Sony eBook Reader. All 500,000 files are in either Adobe PDF or in MP3. These file formats have been selected and optimized for the Sony eBook Reader.

 
Simply put, this is for the Sony Reader what iTunes is for the iPod. It is software created to manage the content on the Reader, and copy new content to the Reader. It is simple to use, but has its flaws. I found it too simple, giving the user too little control.
 
Even so, there is one thing you will need Sony eBook Library for; upgrading the firmware on your eBook. In my next two posts, I will write about alternative software.

Note: For the next few posts, I will be discussing my choice of eBook, what I think of the device, the software, and finish off with a few tips for users.
 
As I stated in my previous post, I decided to go for Sony’s Reader as my choice of eBook. Getting one was easier said than done, as the Reader was not available in Norway at the time (a fact that has since been remedied).
 
The Reader comes with a brown faux-leather cover, adding to the book-feel. It is encased in a silver material of unknown type, though it seems to be some kind of metal. The eInk display is 6 inches, and the reader has ten numbered buttons, as well as a bookmark button, zoom button, two sets of page turn buttons and a directional button set. There is also an on/off slider and volume buttons.
 
Sony claims a battery life of up to 7500 page turns, which seems a little high, but close enough to the mark. The OS of the Reader is simple to navigate using the buttons, and the unit is very intuitive to use. Any supported files you might want to read can be either loaded to the Reader via USB, or copied to a memory card (SDHC and Memory Stick expansion ports are located on the top of the book) that you insert into the Reader, which will then display them in the menu system.
 
The Reader is slightly heavier than a book at 9oz, and a bit wider and taller than a paperback. The design of the Reader makes it immediately obvious that this is a Sony. The look and feel of the device is simply unmistakeable.
 
Along with the Reader comes a CD with one hundred books (all in the public domain), a user’s manual, a software CD, a USB cable and warranty information. A charger is available at an extra charge.

Note: For the next few posts, I will be discussing my choice of eBook, what I think of the device, the software, and finish off with a few tips for users.
 
For a while, I’ve been wanting to buy an eBook. The reason is simple enough; I spend a lot of time and money on books, but I’m not too keen on carrying them all around with me.
 
When the Kindle became available, I looked into getting it, but as I do not live in the United States, I can’t readily buy one. Also, I think it looks like it is too heavily tied into Amazon’s specific DRM system for my liking.
 
I looked around the web, reading a lot of reviews and commentaries, and at last found that what seemed to be the perfect choice for me would be Sony Reader (PRS-505). The reason was that it handles a lot of formats (PDF, TXT, RTF, DOC, LRF, LRX, ePub, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP, MP3, AAC w/o DRM), it connects to computers via USB, and it has two expansion slots (SD and Memory Stick).