| The Kobo Glo HD has technology that allows you to read in the dark via an illuminated display. Traditional LCD displays have blue light that emits from behind the screen, causing eye strain for long reading sessions. Frontlight has 5 small LED lights at the bottom of the bezel that project light upwards, not into your eyes. How solid is Kobo’s new screen tech? The brand new Kobo Glo HD features a six inch e-ink Carta screen with a resolution of 1448×1072 and 300 PPI. It has the same front-lit display as the Kobo Aura H2O, so you will be able to read in low-light conditions or complete darkness. I think the lightning system on the Glo HD far surpasses most e-readers that are commercially available. It has pure white light that is distributed evenly across the screen. Unless you turn down the light to lower than 35% you will likely not notice any irregularities.
How Good is the Kobo Glo HD Comfortlight? is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
How Good is the Kobo Glo HD Comfortlight?
When Will Publishers Learn? Direct to Consumer Doesn’t Work
 Graphic courtesy of HollywoodReporter.com We’re going to go out on a limb here and make a sweeping prediction, one that hopefully will be ridiculed in fifty years: consumers do not buy books directly from the publisher. Why not? Because in most cases, they don’t know who the publisher is. In even more dire news for publishers, consumers also don’t care who the publisher is. That truth hasn’t stopped Penguin Random House from being the latest publisher to invest heavily in a newly revamped website that hopes to entice readers with blog posts, upcoming releases, contests and challenges, and more. But when is the last time a reader opened a browser and Googled, “Horse books for tween girls, published by Random House?” Seriously. When has that ever happened? Instead, readers find books where they are, namely, in bookstores, whether those stores are real or virtual. A study presented at a publishing event by Goodreads’ Otis Chandler actually demonstrated that readers largely discover books based on word of mouth or by finding them on display on retailers’ shelves (even non-book retailers). So why are publishers so intent on developing websites that will engage readers, when readers don’t even pay attention to who published the book? One theory is that they’re working feverishly to oust Amazon and its bookselling clout by engaging directly with their customers. That might even be enticing if consumers had any brand loyalty towards a publisher. But as other publishing news outlets have pointed out, that simply isn’t the case. Readers may have a favorite author whose works they enjoy, but at the same time, many readers choose their books based on genre or content matter, not author and certainly not the logo at the bottom of the spine. Interestingly, Penguin Random House’s new website doesn’t sell books. It actually requires several different clicks to even come across a Buy button, and then the button offers consumers several different retailers to choose from, including both Amazon and Indiebound. Whether the publisher will begin its own direct-to-consumer button in the near future remains to be seen.
When Will Publishers Learn? Direct to Consumer Doesn’t Work is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Sony Starts to Focus on Security for the Digital Paper DPT-S1
| It is almost a daily occurrence that we read about cyber attacks in the news. Law firms are not immune to this and they handle the most important aspects of our business and personal lives. 80% of the United States country's top 100 law firms have had a security breach and for the most part people are rather accepting that nothing can be done. I think there will soon be a tipping point when peoples acceptance turns to apathy and our decision to go with one company over another will have our security in mind. Quentin Tarantino developed a first draft script for an upcoming project called The Hateful eight. Suddenly it was leaked online and he made the decision to shelf the project. At the time, he said "I'm very, very depressed. I finished a script, a first draft, and I didn’t mean to shoot it until next winter, a year from now. I gave it to six people, and apparently it's gotten out today." The entertainment industry is very interesting in its reliance on tangible scripts. If a prospective actor is being courted for an upcoming project the script is sent via an armed guard and once its read it has to be hand delivered back to the studio. If the script is being read at the studio, there is often two people in the same room as the actor. One verifies that there is no copies made, or pictures taken. The second guy is normally there to make sure the 1st does his job properly. One of the big questions that law firms face when a prospective client is interviewing them is what security measures do they employ to safeguard their information. Most law firms do not have a proper digital infrastructure and rely on paper. I know many lawyers that have a 150 page document that they end up bringing home with them to read. It sits in their car as they stop by the supermarket and along the way opens up loss and theft. Some law firms have even brought in consultants to help them upgrade security policies and systems and then certify that their infrastructure are safe. At Shook, Hardy & Bacon, CIO John Anderson says his IT team recently spent 18 months and $60,000 to obtain ISO/IEC 27001 certification, a sort of Good Housekeeping seal for compliance with globally recognized security standards. The firm now promotes the certification in marketing materials and client pitches, he says. One of the ways that the legal and entertainment industries are trying to focus on security is through the use of the Sony Digital Paper. This is a new product category that focuses creating, editing and sharing PDF files. It does all of this with a high degree of encryption and replaces physical paper in a safe and secure manner. With the recent price reduction from $999 to $799, likely will will start to see a broader adoption rate as companies start to realize that leaks and data theft will never go away and something has to be done to mitigate a potential disaster. The Sony Digital Paper received a major firmware update in December 2014 that added the ability to password lock the device and encrypt stored PDF files. The device also has the capability for unified shared cloud storage via Box. This has really opened up the eyes of the legal market and the Digital Paper has been the star of the show at events such as the ABA Tech Show, which brings lawyers and technology offers together. One of Sony’s largest partners in the legal field is Worldox. They were the 1st company that was an authorized re-seller of the DPT-S1. Over 5,000 law firms and legal departments of every size and specialty use Worldox, making it one of the world's top legal document management solutions. A key innovation is quietly in development that leverages the internet browser on the Digital Paper to tie into the Worldox Gx4 solution, that will allow submitted PDF documents to be safely stored on a central web server. This will allow many people on a legal team to share and read edited documents, but also assists in tracking billable hours. The legal and entertainment industries have security in mind when it comes to tangible paper. There are many websites that would pay millions of dollars for a leaked Star Wars Episode 7 script and with a billion dollar franchise, its no small wonder why a leak of this magnitude has not occurred. Sadly, most law firms and small studios don’t have the financial resources that Disney has. We can only do the best we can to secure ourselves from a world that wants to know every secret we have. The Digital Paper is a practical and proven device that can replace paper, in a safe and secure manner. Sony Starts to Focus on Security for the Digital Paper DPT-S1 is a post from: Good e-Reader |
New Samsung Galaxy Tab A Tablets Released 4 Years Too Late
| Samsung has another new set up Galaxy Tab tablets that are set to arrive next week. There’s an 8-inch model and a 9.7-inch model. They are called Galaxy Tab A tablets. They are available for pre-order from Amazon.com and other retailers, with an official release date of May 1st. The 8-inch model sells for $229 […] |
Girl on the Train Read-Alikes
| If you've heard anything about the latest in marriage thriller novels this year, you know that the one to read is The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. But, if you've been trying to get your hands on it through your library (as you should), you may have noticed that you're not alone. While you wait for your hold on this thrilling title, we've got some other books you can check out to tide you over. The Good Girl by Mary Kubica—This thrilling novel uses a shifting viewpoints writing style that is similar to The Girl on the Train and tells the story of a girl who is kidnapped. Mia, the daughter of a Chicago judge is abducted, but her kidnapper decides to go against the plan…you won't believe the twists and turns ahead. The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison—What do you do when your husband, a committed cheater, decides to actually leave you? Jodi finds out when her husband Todd decides to dissolve their marriage and start a new life with another woman. But Jodi won't let him go that easily… Unbecoming by Rebecca Scherm—A woman who calls herself Julie from California is living in Paris with a big secret. Her real name is Grace and she's from Tennessee, a place where two men have just been released from jail for a crime that she planned in great detail. When things went sour, Grace got out on a flight to Europe while the two men took the fall. What will happen if they find her? A Small Indiscretion by Jan Ellison—Annie is a happily married wife and mother with a relatively good life. But when a photograph arrives in her mailbox from days long gone, trouble begins to brew. Annie must quickly try to put together the pieces of her life when her past threatens to ruin it all. Click here to view these titles and more in marketplace. Titles may have limited regional or platform availability. Check OverDrive Marketplace to find what is available for you.
Emma Kanagaki is a Collection Development Analyst with OverDrive  |
Benton Park Live Coding Orchestra – The Planets
| The kids from Benton Park have gone on to media superstardom in this short from the BBC. You’ve met the Benton Park Live Coding Orchestra before – they live-code music in Sonic Pi for school performances. This time, they’re making music about the planets, using Holst’s Planets Suite as a jumping-off point. The Live Coding Orchestra kids are in years 5 and 6 (so they’re all between nine and eleven years old); the dancers in this performance are all from the Reception class and the Nursery group (aged five and under). As well as providing music for the little kids to dance to, the Live Coding Orchestra spent some time teaching them how to create music in Sonic Pi – you can see them doing some training at the start of the video. The music sets the mood for dancing on three different planets, with a rocket trip between each planet orchestrated by Holst. Best thing we’ve seen in ages – thanks Live Coders, and thanks dancers! |