Amazon will be allowing third-party developers to offer apps for the Kindle eBook reader. Apps will likely be of the interactive book-type, as the Kindle does not have the same power as a netbook.
Offering active content is a way to compete with other eReaders currently on the market. The catch may be the connection. With the Kindle’s 3G connection, users can utilize 100 KB per month. If apps push that up, there will likely be an additional monthly data charge passed on to users.
Hilary Mantel walked away with the prestigious National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction for Wolf Hall (audio version narrated by Simon Slater). The novel already won the 2009 Man Booker Prize for Literature. I haven’t picked up this historical fiction work about Thomas Cromwell because I like very few books in this genre. Based on the press it’s getting… I might have to pick it up.
Italy has struck a deal with Google to allow up to one million books from its national libraries to be scanned into Google Books. The project is estimated to take about two years before it is available online.
Not to be left behind, Samsung has unveiled its new eReader E60. Equipped with Wi-Fi capability, similar to Barnes & Noble’s nook, the company may upgrade to 3G to compete with the Kindle. The device, offered at $259 USD, allows users to add notes to text and share content. On screen controls are accessible via stylus, which some may find more comfortable for writing than the nook’s touchscreen.
The E60 will synch with Outlook calendars and has journal, scheduler, and memo apps included. Samsung has chosen to partner with B & N for content. The 2G capacity will hold around 1,500 books and has a slot for Micro SD card expansion. Samsung has taken a page from the nook in allowing users to “lend” content to others for 2 weeks.
Apple iPad preorders began on Friday. The device, which will be released on April 3, will be able to read aloud the contents of any page. While this will be a computer-generated voice, audiobook sellers may be concerned. This will also raise issues regarding copyright infringement, just as it did with Kindle’s text-to-speech feature. Personally, I think that anyone who uses audiobooks prefers a live narrator and this should not be a huge issue.
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DorothyD
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