Yvan,
Interesting idea about the iPods! I understand most of the screened devices can read text files now, so dedicated e-book SW isn't out of the question.
The malleable product placement idea is interesting, too, although as a writer, I might object to the connotations to a character changing because of changes to a product... in other words, James Bond isn't the same character when his Aston Martin is replaced with a Fiesta. Although I favor product placement as an advertising method, those products usually say something specific about the character involved, and I'm not sure that being able to change products will do the character, or the story, any good.
Remember, the advertiser only has to pay for the book once. Let his product stay there as long as the book is there.
Ads at the beginning or (preferably) end of a book can, I think, be related to any product the reader of that particular book might be interested in. If it's a cyberpunk book, computer hardware and games... If there's a sophisticated hero, Brooks Brothers suits and Razrs... If there's a sexy heroine, Victoria's Secret and Cover Girl... If there's an artist, painting supplies and Wacom Tablets... whatever. Of course, other books (and DVDs) about similar stories and characters. I personally wouldn't have a problem reading a sci-fi e-book and seeing ads for the DVD collections of
Galactica and
Babylon 5. And those would be things I'd likely buy, with the money I saved by getting FREE e-books!
