BUZZZZ about e-readers

Hi, it's Desiree, GTP Intern.

So, there’s a ton of buzz lately, especially since the introduction of the iPad, to the idea of eReaders. How can you even begin to try to understand the differences? The first eReaders were mostly black and white and solely capable of viewing text. The second generation was also capable of simple graphics and web connectivity. What’s happening now though?

Here’s the major eReaders available on the market and a brief synopsis on each:

1. The iPad – Produced by Apple and release April 3, is unique because it is technically a tablet computer capable of using applications as opposed to an eReader. This could very well be the push towards color images, video, etc in eBooks. It will feature the iBooks application and several large publishers (Penguin, Harper-Collins, Macmillan) have already committed to publishing books for it and several magazines (GQ, Vanity Fair, Wired) are planning to sell subscriptions for the iPad.
2. The Nook – Produced by Barnes and Noble, based on the Android platform and started sales in November 2009. Features a 6 inch display, a microSD slot for extra storage, and a user replaceable battery. Has a “LendMe” feature that allows users to share certain books once with other users for up to two weeks.
3. The Kindle – Produced by Amazon, uses e-ink and has 16 shades of grey scale. Doesn’t connect to computers and uses Amazon’s Whispernet instead for downloading. Estimated 1.5 million devices sold as of December 2009.
4. The Sony Reader – Uses e-ink and had 8 levels of grey scale, and is viewable even in direct sunlight. It requires no power to maintain a static image and can be used in portrait or landscape modes. DRM settings allow books on Sony Readers to be read on up to 6 devices, but not to be shared. As of December 2008, 300,000 units had been sold since the Reader’s launch in 2006.

Of the four, all but the Nook are scheduled to sell more than 2 million units in 2010. Psst, if you happen to want more info and to see comparisons of more than these four, I recommend that you give this page a look: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_e-book_readers

What about formats? One of the biggest problems with eReaders is that you can’t just put any book on any reader and expect it to work. They’re more complicated than different music files and music players in this regard. Here’s the breakdown on which reader supports which type:

• Apple iPad: EPUB, PDF, HTML, DOC (plus iPad Apps, which could include Kindle and Barnes & Noble readers)
• Amazon Kindle: Kindle (AZW, TPZ), TXT, MOBI, PRC and PDF natively; HTML and DOC through conversion
• Barnes & Noble Nook: EPUB, PDB, PDF
• Sony Reader: EPUB, PDF, TXT, RTF; DOC through conversion (Gizmodo.com)

EPUB is the most supported form for ebooks and will very likey be what most of GTP’s text books are styled in once we move to make our books available for eReaders.

EPUB has become the most common format for digital publishing because it is free and openstandard, as well as being based in open specifications. This means that, like OpenOffice, anyone can use it and it can be changed to suit a variety of uses. EPUB is maintained by the International Digital Publishing Forum, which consists of everyone from HarperCollins and McGraw-Hill to Adobe and HP in its membership. EPUB is such a flexible format that it was selected by Google to use for the Google Books project.

It’s XML based, so it’s great for storing information and offers some great benefits against other standards, like PDF, because of reflowable text and a page layout that can adjust to a device’s screen size. EPUB is also capable of using style sheets, embedded fonts, color images, SVG graphics, interactive elements, and video.

Sources:
http://gizmodo.com/5478842/giz-explains-how-youre-gonna-get-screwed-by-ebook-formats
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Reader
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Kindle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nook
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPad