| Open Road Media, a three-year-old company who started out as an ebook publisher, has quickly grown to one of the most widely recognized names in digital publishing and ebook distribution. In the time since their official launch, Open Road now has a catalog of over 4,000 titles that they have either published or produced the digital version for, making them one of the highest trafficked digital-only entities. Now, Open Road has announced its deal with NewSpring Capital, a According to a blog post on the venture from Open Road Media’s co-founder and CEO Jane Friedman: "As we continue to build Open Road into the premier digital publishing and marketing company, we welcome NewSpring Capital with all its experience in the digital space. With their support and with the continued backing of existing investors Kohlberg Ventures, Azure Capital, and Golden Seeds, Open Road is the company that is looking to the future. It will become the model for the twenty-first century publishing and digital media company." The post went on to explain: Mike DiPiano, managing general partner of NewSpring, who now joins Open Road's board of directors, said, "There is huge disruption in the publishing industry as business models are rapidly evolving and ebooks are becoming a greater share of overall trade book sales. Open Road, as a digital publisher of ebooks with a focus on the vast number of backlist titles, is perfectly poised to deliver value to its authors, as its marketing approach uniquely focuses on authors as brands and systematically creates authentic connections between the authors and the reader. Jane and her talented team have developed a proven, scalable publishing and marketing platform and we are excited to join the company in its future trailblazing in the industry." The goal for this new deal is to help Open Road make some industry-changing innovations, especially in the area of technology and acquisitions on a global scale.
Open Road Media Takes on Tech Fund Investor NewSpring Capital is a post from: E-Reader News |
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Open Road Media Takes on Tech Fund Investor NewSpring Capital
Digital Newspapers as a Means of Limiting News Access?
| What’s one sure fire way to prevent the masses from from rioting over unpopular presidential decisions? Make sure they don’t know about them. According to an article by Amar Toor for The Verge, Ecuador’s president Rafael Correa is introducing legislation to demand that all newspapers in the country move to digital-only publication. This move, which the president claims is intended to stop the deforestation of the country’s landscape and cut down on the fuel consumption associated with printing, shipping, and delivering the newspapers, may actually be a calculated move to stop the opposition-rich media from reaching subscribers with news of Correa’s activities. Correa is currently under fire for his decision to open up almost 4,000 square miles of the rainforest in the country to oil drilling, a strange decision from a man whose determined to stop the oil waste brought on by the newspaper industry. This is not the first time that Ecuador’s media has lashed out over the president’s actions. Earlier, when the UN moved to block the drilling in Ecuador’s Yasuni region, President Correa stated that he would not allow the oil drilling if the country was given a total of $3.6 billion, paid out by other nations. The actual amount of international donations fell very short of Correa’s lofty goal, and he is now considering the drilling once again. But digitizing the newspapers is one potential way that Correa could sneak his measures past a voting population. In a country where only 25% of the adult population is reported to work full-time and the average household income is $4,500.00 per year, access to devices and mobile connection services may be limited. In a country where only 27% of the population is reported to have internet access forcing newspaper to be strictly digital will mean a significant portion of the population will be cutoff from news access and more importantly, a clear picture of the activities of their government. Digital publishing was supposed to be a step towards an environmentally sound portal through which geographically diverse populations could instantaneously reach various media, but there is also a justifiable backlash for print in instances where consumers are being deceived.
Digital Newspapers as a Means of Limiting News Access? is a post from: E-Reader News |
New Nexus 7 (2013) review
| The new Nexus 7 has the highest ppi screen (323) on the market. It’s easier to hold than a paper-back book, and it’s responsive as heck. Put all that together, and you’ve got one killer device.
For reading, it’s nigh impossible to beat the new Nexus 7. Seriously, the screen and features are just that good, and it starts at just $229. Even Engadget says, “The display is the best we’ve seen on a small tablet . . .”
The only potential weakness I’ve found with the new Nexus 7 is that the battery life isn’t amazing (though it isn’t horrible). On average, you can expect a day and a half to two days use.
Oh, that screen
Did I mention the screen is gorgeous? The color reproduction isn’t perfect, but it’s close, and the clarity is unsurpassed. I defy you to find a pixel with your naked eye. At 323 ppi and1920 x 1200, you’d have to have some insanely good vision.
There are 323 tiny pixels crammed into each square inch of that screen. The iPad with Retina Display, for comparison’s sake, boasts 264 (which is still high). The iPad has a very, very good display, but the Nexus 7′s is just a bit better.
Will Apple beat 323 ppi with their next set of tablets? Maybe, but it won’t change the fact that the Nexus 7′s screen is downright awesome. The sharpness and clarity aren’t just pretty, they’re also better for your eyes. Here’s an article from when the Retina iPad came out that explains more, but basically, sharper screens equal less eye strain.
Build and form factor
The new Nexus 7 also feels pretty sleek. The Corning glass feels awesome, and the back has a nice, and somewhat grippy rubberized texture. The buttons aren’t up on the very edge of the device (near the screen), but down a bit on the curve (you’ll know what I mean when you pick one up) which takes a little getting used to, but it’s easy after a few presses.
There’s still no SD card slot (booo), but the micro USB port supports USB OTG, which means you can get a little USB adapter for less than $4.00 and plug in external storage if you want. In short, if you’re low on space, just move some audiobooks and comics to an external USB drive.
The bezels on the top and bottom are pretty large, whilst the ones on either side are very, very narrow. Holding it in landscape is thumb-friendly, and the narrow form factor allows for a one-handed grip in portrait even if you have relatively small hands. Oh, and it’s apparently very durable.
Software
This thing runs Android 4.3, which is pretty sweet. As you may know, the operating system is extremely customizable and has a wealth of apps to choose from.
Yes, iOS has a higher quantity of tablet-optimized apps, but, essentially, I think the app race between these two giants has become something of a wash in most cases. If not, it will be soon with Android’s recent surge in tablet popularity.
So what’s the verdict?
This thing is awesome. I work with, test, and use a whole lot of devices every day here at OverDrive. I get to play with all of the major new tablets as they launch, and have a good idea of what each can do.
If battery life is the most important consideration for you, you might want to pick a different tablet (like an iPad with Retina display). But the battery life isn’t horrid–it won’t keep you tethered to a wall socket all day long, and it can charge extra fast with a Qi wireless charger.
I read a ton of eBooks, and I’ve done so on a ton of different screens. It makes me extra sensitive to display quality, and let me tell you, ASUS and Google have knocked it out of the park on the new Nexus 7.
So if you surf the web a lot, read a lot of eBooks, or play a lot of HD games, this is the tablet for you. At $229 (16 GB), you get oodles of bang for your buck–one of the best deals on the market.
For anyone who is interested, the Nexus 7 (32 GB) would look beautiful in my Christmas stocking (I’m subtle).
If they stepped up the game this much on the Nexus 7, I can’t wait to see the next iteration of the Nexus 10.
Quinton Lawman is a Technical Writer with OverDrive  |
eBook Readers For The Disabled: Are There Enough Choices Available?
| eBooks might be all the rage right now and rightfully so, though unfortunately those with physical disabilities could be deprived of all the benefits that the digital version of books can offer. There seems to be just not enough ebook readers out there that those users more pronounced forms of disabilities can make the most of. "Consider people who want to read but have motor difficulties and aren’t able to easily turn the page of a book. Being able to just touch the screen or tap a button to move through a book is a fantastic breakthrough. That button could even be connected via Bluetooth and pressed by the nudge of a head or triggered by the blink of an eye. Think carefully before choosing your device, however, as by no means all of them offer this capability," said Robin Christopherson a founding member of the UK based technology charity AbilityNet. "Unless the ebook has been made accessible by the publisher and the device made accessible by the manufacturer, then the benefits can't be enjoyed by the disabled user," Christopherson, who himself is visually impaired, further added. Manufacturers of ereaders seem least interested in promoting their devices among the disabled, something borne out by the recent attempts by Sony, Amazon, and Kobo to seek permanent exemption of ereaders from the Federal Accessibility Law. The companies argued that they manufacture devices that just display text and therefore should not be included under the federal law which makes it mandatory for advanced communication services to be accessible to the disabled. (FCC is seeking comments on this until September 3, 2013). With the present crop of ebook reading devices, Robin believes it is the Apple iPad that seems most suited for use by the disabled. "Personally, I think that i-devices such as iPads and iPhones are the most accessible to the broadest possible audience, and they too have good ebook reading software already installed as well as being able to run Kindle software," said Christopherson, while adding that the Kindle range of ereaders lacks accessibility features. "As a great starting point, I would recommend the RNIB website page, which outlines the various devices and their features that are out there," Robin further suggested.
eBook Readers For The Disabled: Are There Enough Choices Available? is a post from: E-Reader News |
Nintendo audio – on analogue instruments
| I don’t know much about this project. I spotted it earlier today on Twitter, where all I had to go on was this:
So I clicked on the link, which took me to YouTube – and I found this. Matt’s right. His friend Dave is a genius. What you’re seeing and hearing here is the music and sfx from Mario, Mario 2, Mario 3 and Zelda, played on a player piano and robotic percussion, all mediated by a couple of Raspberry Pis. In the “About” section under the video, Dave says: The piano and percussion play live during actual gameplay, mirroring the sounds that would normally be created electronically by the NES. All audio, including music and sound effects, is translated in realtime so that it is produced by the instrument most closely resembling the characteristics of the original electronic sound. Playlist: 0:00 - Mario For those interested in the technical details, both the piano and the percussion use solenoids to drive their player mechanisms. The piano uses Yamaha’s Disklavier system to strike keys, and the percussion uses a custom solution to strike the drum sticks. Both the piano and percussion are each controlled by Raspberry Pis which have custom software to control each instrument. The software is responsible for translating the NES audio to instructions which ultimately define which solenoid should be actuated. In full disclosure, there is normally a half-second audio delay that was removed in editing, but it’s still very playable live. The piano is controlled through the Disklavier’s MIDI interface, while the percussion’s solenoids are directly controlled through the Pi’s GPIO interface. Dave, we thought this was amazing. Get in touch when you see this; we’d like to know more about who you are and what else you’ve been doing with your Pis! |
NFC Enabled Smartphone Successfully Transmits Power and Image to E-Ink Display
| NFC is fast becoming a standard feature among the premium as well as the not so premium Android devices. However, while this technology enables compatible devices to transmit data simply by tapping them together, there could be other uses the NFC tech could be put to. Take for instance the recent endeavor attempted by Intel along with researchers from the University of Washington and the University of Massachusetts which successfully demonstrated the Near Field Communication technology can also be used to transmit energy as well across compatible devices. The demonstration used a NFC enabled smartphone along with a separate e-ink display wherein an image – some contact information – was successfully transmitted to the e-ink screen without the latter requiring a power source of its own. The virtues of an e-ink display are already well known as these require the least power backup, only draining the battery when showing a new image. There will be no power drawn when the same image remains displayed on the screen. The benefits of such a setup can be immense. For the secondary e-ink display can be used to display static images such as ticketing information, a map or such data. What is even more amazing is that the e-ink display won't require a power source of its own as the power required to display the image is transmitted through NFC itself. When a new image is required to be displayed, the same can be transmitted from the smartphone via NFC. This way, one can have a secondary display based on e-ink technology that can be used to carry an image for almost as long as one might wish to. However, this is just a technology demonstrator with no mention of how the same could be put to commercial use. Meanwhile, here is also a video of the same to let you have a better idea of it all.
NFC Enabled Smartphone Successfully Transmits Power and Image to E-Ink Display is a post from: E-Reader News |
Morgan Stanley Analyst looks at Amazon Kindle e-Reader Sales
| It is no secret that Amazon keeps all sales data private and never divulges sales data on Kindle Fire and e-Readers. An analyst from Morgan Stanley is trying to crack the code and has some fairly interesting data. In a report released last week, Morgan Stanley is proclaiming that Amazon will sell $4.5 billion worth of Kindle e-readers and tablets this year, up 26% from 2012. This increase is due to more brand awareness and three new tablets and an e-Reader to be announced in September. The report stated that “Growth will slow next year, when the business will do $5 billion in sales, Morgan Stanley estimates, followed by similarly modest growth in 2015, when Amazon will do an estimated $5.5 billion in Kindle sales.” $5.5 billion is a fair amount of sales but keep in mind that, in 2012, Amazon’s total revenue was a whopping $61 billion, with forecasts for 2013 somewhere between $73 and $76 billion. Most of this stems from eBook and sales through their massive e-commerce system. The company has also been on an expansion tear, launching in Japan, China and India. One of the ways Amazon maximizes their revenue stream is to avoid paying taxes by having offices in Ireland and other tax friendly countries. In the UK alone, Amazon made £4 billion in revenues in 2012. In contrast, for the same fiscal period, they paid a total of £2.4 million in taxes. That’s £0.1m short of the government grant they received to expand the company’s warehouse operation in Scotland. Morgan Stanley Analyst looks at Amazon Kindle e-Reader Sales is a post from: E-Reader News |
Monday, August 19, 2013
Simon and Schuster and Barnes and Noble Resolve Book Selling Dispute
| Publisher Simon and Schuster and bookstore chain Barnes and Noble have been locked in a quiet battle since March. The bookstore chain wanted deeper discounts on books and leveraged their in-store ordering to make it happen. Authors also contended that this spat was damaging their sales. Barnes and Noble locations were not providing display space or allowing book tour appearances. The New York Times reported that “The dispute centers on the financial arrangement between Barnes & Noble and Simon & Schuster. While neither side will specify exactly what new terms Barnes & Noble is seeking, a senior executive familiar with the negotiations said that the bookseller wanted to pay less for books and receive more money for giving titles prominent display in its stores. Such display spots are coveted because they are thought to be critical in helping customers discover new books.” It looks like the heavy handed approach worked and today both sides released a brief statement saying that the dispute has ended. “Barnes & Noble and Simon & Schuster today announced that they have resolved their outstanding business issues. Both parties said they look forward to promoting great books by Simon & Schuster authors.” There is no public information on the new terms and what type of discounts Barnes and Noble is getting from one of the largest publishers in the world. Considering how deeply eBook sales are being slashed in price, B&N should be a little bit more sustainable in their retail book selling business. Simon and Schuster and Barnes and Noble Resolve Book Selling Dispute is a post from: E-Reader News |
B&N Cuts Price of Nook Glow to $99; Nook Touch on Sale for $49
| Yesterday Barnes and Noble announced a new lower price on the Nook Glow ebook reader. When it was first released the Nook Glow sold for $139. Then when Amazon unleashed the Kindle Paperwhite on the world for $119, B&N matched the price. Now Barnes and Noble is cutting another $20 off the price to make […] |
Barnes and Noble Launches Nook Video for Android and iOS
| Barnes and Noble unveiled Nook Video when they originally launched their Nook HD and HD+ last year. This service allows for the buying and renting of television shows and movies, but was only reserved for the companies official line of tablets. This has all changed today, with Barnes and Noble announcing it has unleashed Nook Video for iOS, Android and Roku boxes. One of the elements that makes Nook Video stand out from the competition is the integration of Ultra Violet. If you purchase a DVD or Blu-ray movie from select retails, a free digital edition via UV is provided. You can enter the code in the app, and automatically have the content delivered right to your device. Customers who have the previous generation Nook devices, such as the Nook Color and Nook Tablet will now have access to Nook Video. iPad, iPhone, Android and Roku users can download the app right away via Apple and Google Play. This is a USA exclusive though and the app will not show up in unsupported countries. Barnes and Noble has been fairly quiet since the CEO shakeup and the company has been slashing prices on their entire product line. Their entry level Nook HD can be picked up for a paltry $139 and their 9 inch tablet is only $10.00 more. Yesterday, they also dramatically lowered the cost of the Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight and is now available for a paltry $99.99. You can download Nook Video starting today, check it out for Android or iOS. Barnes and Noble Launches Nook Video for Android and iOS is a post from: E-Reader News |
National Library Board of Singapore leads world with library innovation
| Over the weekend the library world began to gather in Singapore for the International Federation of Libraries (IFLA) annual conference. The National Library Board of Singapore (NLB) offers state of the art facilities to its customers and leads the region in forward thinking technology, making it an ideal location for IFLA attendees. In addition to participating in the IFLA program, OverDrive has also provided grants enabling 60 delegates to attend the ASEAN caucus and IFLA conference in Singapore.
OverDrive has worked closely with NLB to enhance the user experience by providing an OverDrive Media Station for in-library discovery, creating the first branded version of OverDrive Media Console and adding the Simplified Chinese language translation to their user interface. NLB is also planning to integrate OverDrive's APIs in their library OPAC to make content discovery even easier for customers. These enhancements, combined with their robust digital collection of nearly 70,000 titles (including 350 titles created by local authors from the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies), have led to an average of 28,000 checkouts and 1,700 new patron registrations per month. You can learn more about NLB's collection here: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/nlb-s-ebook-collection/763294.html
The U.S. Embassy in Singapore has also contributed to NLB's growth, having donated hundreds of eBooks as part of a "sponsored collection". Additionally, they recently donated 400 eReaders for patron use to provide access to digital titles for more customers.
All of these innovations are be on display as the library world gathers in Singapore for IFLA's annual conference through August 22nd.
Adam Sockel is a Marketing Communication Specialist with OverDrive  |
As a world leader in developing their digital collection, NLB understands the importance of providing a variety of content in formats that can be accessed and discovered by their users in new and inventive ways. This has led to a number of initiatives, including partnerships with OverDrive and the U.S. embassy. When OverDrive launched NLB's Next Generation website in June 2013, they saw a circulation increase of 100% compared with the previous June.Samsung Rumored to Develop 12 inch Tablet
| Apple is not the only one thought to be developing a bigger tablet device at the moment. Sources also mention Samsung to be considering something similar as well. This latest revelation has come from the Korea Economic Daily, that mentioned a 12 inch tablet could be the newest addition to the South Korean company's tablet lineup. Earlier, there was news that Apple is testing a tablet having a 12.9 inch display. We don’t know much else about the device right now, which is hardly surprising. However, speculation is rife that the tablet will feature Samsung's latest Exynos 5 Octa chip, as well as a full HD display. Sources further state that the tablet will reach markets by October. If so, then there are good chances of Samsung having something up for public consumption during the upcoming IFA event in September.
Samsung Rumored to Develop 12 inch Tablet is a post from: E-Reader News |
Fifty Shades of Grey Author El James Ranked Highest Paid Author
| For EL James (real name Erika Leonard), giving up the job of a TV producer to pen her thoughts has proved highly lucrative. In early 2012, James decided to focus entirely on her writing career. Of course, there was enough reason to do so. The first of three Fifty Shades of Grey titles had been published in May 2011 and had been an instant hit. Whether it was the eroticism or her style of writing that appealed to readers is a topic of debate, though what perhaps matters the most is that the book went on to sell in millions. What followed later were two more sequels, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, with sales of all three combined being well on the other side of 70 million worldwide. The book, which deals with the steamy relationship between a young college student and a slightly older and thoroughly intimidating business magnate, has already made it pass the Harry Potter series as the fastest selling paperback in history. All of that has translates to an earnings of $95 million for James which has made her the highest paid author in the world right now. Crime writer James Patterson is a close second with earnings of $91 million, while Suzanne Collins, writer of young adult fiction, is at the third spot with earnings of $55. On the flip side though, the book trilogy has also received some negative criticism for glamorizing the darker side of men's sexuality and subsequent behavior towards women. A film based on the novel is slated for a release on August 1, 2014.
Fifty Shades of Grey Author El James Ranked Highest Paid Author is a post from: E-Reader News |
More hot topics webinars coming in September!
| September is almost here, so why haven't you heard anything about Training Month yet? We are shifting what you've traditionally known as Training Month into quarterly hot topic webinars, and for September we're going big. We'll have 4 new or updated courses (2 sessions each) on Next Generation Basics, and here's an idea of what you can learn:
Wednesday, September 4 at 6 PM EDT Thursday, September 5 at 10 AM EDT 2. WE Are the Next Generation – In this forward looking session, OverDrive CEO Steve Potash shares his vision for partnering with libraries and schools to serve the next generation of readers.
Tuesday, September 10 at 2 PM EDT Wednesday, September 11 at 6 PM EDT
Tuesday, September 17 at 6 PM EDT Wednesday, September 18 at 10 AM EDT
Tuesday, September 24 at 6 PM EDT
Beau Livengood is a Training Specialist with OverDrive
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New Book Lending Initiative via Shanghai Public Transit
| The dreaded commute is getting another literary facelift, this time in Shanghai. Just like initiatives in other parts of the world that aim to improve travelers’ often lengthy metro and subway rides by providing access to borrowable reading material, Shanghai’s bookselling chain Aizhi Bookstore is allowing commuters to rent a book for the ride and drop it off at a bookstall at the end of their rides. There are currently twenty-six book borrow stalls on the metro lines, and thirty locations in office buildings and neighborhoods where readers can return material. Like other free programs such as Books for London, Books on the Underground, and Readioactive Books, Aizhi’s inexpensive book rental works strictly on the honor system by assuming that the borrower will actually return the book later. There are no registration cards or credit cards to secure the rental, just the willingness of the reader to return the book so that another passenger can borrow it. Sadly, so far most of the unreturned books and magazines have been borrowed from rail station that ends at a major international airport, indicating that some patrons may be taking the reading material on flights with them. But Aizhi is not concerned, as most of the content that makes its way to the borrow stalls is not high-commodity or new release material. Like other programs of this kind, the company and individual readers can donate titles to the program.
New Book Lending Initiative via Shanghai Public Transit is a post from: E-Reader News |
Tesco Supermarkets to Launch a Tablet to Rival the iPad
| While the largest supermarket chain in the UK is keeping quiet and refusing to comment on market speculation, the news is out from reputable papers that Tesco will be launching its own branded tablet in time for Christmas gift buying. The tablet, an Android-powered device that is intended to compete with the iPad, will come pre-loaded with the Blinkbox entertainment streaming app as well as Tesco-specific shopping helps. What makes this grocery store uniquely suited to a move into the digital realm? Its large presence in India, for one, where it has forged strong ties to technology manufacturers. Of course, Tesco is not entirely new to the technology market, as its cell phone carrier service is currently in the top five in the UK. Tesco also currently sells tablets and other devices for other companies, so adding its own branded device to the slate of tablets it offers is not a large stretch. Tesco actually has two very important allies in this venture if they go forward with it. Apart from having a communications provider already under its umbrella, and in response to losing out to Amazon and Apple for sales of movies, books, and music, Tesco bought streaming service Blinkbox, which is already rumored to come installed on the tablets. Second, Tesco also owns a consumer trend tracking company Dunnhumbly, which helps it leverage marketing to its clients’ specific purchasing habits through its Tesco Clubcard. With an entertainment giant in the family and a marketing data provider already within the company, Tesco has probably done its homework in terms of offering something unique to its customers in terms of mobile communication, data, and downloads.
Tesco Supermarkets to Launch a Tablet to Rival the iPad is a post from: E-Reader News |
Dewarping 360° images from the Pi camera board
| Katherine Scott, newly equipped with a Raspberry Pi camera board, was looking for an image processing challenge. She realised she had an unused panoramic lens for an iPhone rolling around in a drawer somewhere at home, and got to work with the silly putty and cardboard to hook it up to the camera board.
The raw output from a lens like this gives you a doughnut-shaped image and a lot of surrounding cruft – Katherine uploaded some unmanipulated footage from the camera to YouTube to demonstrate what she had to work with. Katherine’s job was to cut and unfold that doughnut, until she had a dewarped it into a recognisable rectangular image. To do this, she needed to understand where the centre of the doughnut was, what the radius of its hole was, and what the radius of the doughnut itself was. This information meant she’d be able to be able to map all the points in the image, and then translate them to a rectangle instead of a torus. Here are her notebook calculations: Katherine coded all this in Python and has made it available for you to play with on GitHub. The results: You can read much more, including a first draft of the dewarping code, Katherine’s plans for the project (which include 3d printing a more robust shim to attach the lens to the camera – we’re kind of sad about that, because we love the silly putty) here on her blog. The rest of the website is also well worth a browse; Katherine’s got some really interesting computer vision projects on the go. Thanks Katherine – we’re looking forward to seeing what you do next with the camera board! |
Quebec Considers Move towards Uniform Book Prices
| In what is sure to become a hotly contested issue, the government of Quebec is looking at legislation that would make book prices mandated by the publishers and nearly unchangeable by the retailers. In what was supposed to be a move to give the independent booksellers a leg up over major chain retailers, online retailers, AND ebook distributors, the publishers would set one price per title and no seller would be allowed to discount that title more than five percent. Despite the support of authors’ organizations and booksellers, there are some nearly unbelievable flaws with the proposal. First, the price of the book will remain the same, regardless of whether the consumer buys the print or digital edition. Despite the fact that ebook readers are not consuming paper, ink, or fuels associated with shipping costs, they would now pay the same price for a digital download as they would be required to if they had bought print. Second, this legislation would only affect Quebec, so consumers in other parts of Canada would not have to pay the artificially inflated price, meaning readers who live along the borderline between Quebec and a neighboring province would simply move their book purchases across the line to avoid paying a higher price. Finally, it appears as though the legislation still wouldn’t affect online retailers who don’t have the proverbial “physical presence” that allowed Amazon to avoid collecting sales tax in US states; this would not only strengthen Amazon’s power to provide cheaper books to citizens in Quebec, but would also prevent the retailer from ever building a distribution center or affiliate relationships in the province. A similar measure was passed in France and actually did have some of the desired effect for independent booksellers, but the key difference is their “Lang Law” was universal within the country, so there was no incentive to shop in a different region or buy online from retailers who would not be held to this regulation. By passing such a law in only one province, this stands to hurt independent bookshops even more than the current situation. For its part, Canada’s second largest book retail chain, Renaud-Bray, is against the proposed legislation, and its president and CEO Blaise Renaud openly states that the only people who will benefit from the measure are the book distributors, not the sellers and certainly not the readers.
Quebec Considers Move towards Uniform Book Prices is a post from: E-Reader News |
Indigo Tech to launch today in Chapters Bookstores
| Chapters and parent company Indigo plan on unveiling a new program called Indigo Tech. The bookseller plans to launch their expanded tech area in 40 different stores by the beginning of 2014. Not only will they continue to sell e-Readers and tablets, but they have just signed a deal with Apple to carry iPads and Apple TV. Indigo recorded an $8.2-million loss for the last financial quarter, compared to the $125 million profit they had over a year ago. The main reason the company is in a state of decline is mainly attributed to selling their stake in Kobo. Indigo basically does not hold any allegiances to any one specific vendor and can now expand on their tech portfolio. A few Indigo stores in Toronto are already starting to develop their core tech area, and will see wider rollout within a few weeks. We have reports that the Brampton location is launching today. We also have confirmed reports that they are expanding their tech offerings and will have close to 10 new e-readers and tablets. Most of these will be Apple products, as Indigo signed a distribution and retail agreement. By October, you are likely to see the iPad 5, iPad Mini 2, Apple TV and various cases and accessories be made available. Indigo said during a recent investors call that it will revamp many of its large format stores to fall in line with the growing popularity of the store-within-a-store concept at many other retailers. The new physical format store will feel like you can meander through a series of shops, each one anchored by books. Indigo Tech is one component of the new format, alongside Indigo Home and Indigo Kids. Indigo Tech to launch today in Chapters Bookstores is a post from: E-Reader News |
Next Generation Amazon Tablets Revealed
| When new tablets are almost ready to be commercially released they often go through benchmark testing. This gives an accurate reading of the hardware and if there is any inconsistencies with the software. Amazon is testing three new tablets, that are codenamed Soho, Thor and Apollo. The Kindle Fire Soho is basically an entry level tablet, that is reminiscent of the current generation Kindle Fire. It has a 7-inch, 1280 x 800 display and will be running Android 4.2. Meanwhile the Amazon Kindle Thor is a revamped Kindle Fire HD 7 and will have a very respectable resolution of 1920×1200 pixels. The Kindle Fire Apollo will have a 8.9 touchscreen display and pack an amazing resolution of 2560x1600p pixels. The processor on the Apollo will be fairly robust, packing a 2.15GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU. It will also have a rear facing 8 MP camera and 2 GB of RAM. The new Kindle lineup is basically just refreshed with modern specs and quad-core processors. It won’t bring any new and exciting hardware to the table, but instead be a small upgrade to a very successful product line. Amazon is expected to formally announce three new tablets and an e-reader in the first few weeks of September. Love to dig deep into specs? Check out the benchmark pictures below to dive into all of the specifics.
Next Generation Amazon Tablets Revealed is a post from: E-Reader News |
