Sony Partners With Google To Bring More Than 500,000 Books To The Reader - Page 4

zelda_pinwheel · 03-19-2009, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

[idle musing]

This may not be a momentous event but when you add this to last year's new hardware from Sony, the ability to read epub and reflowed DRM-laden pdfs, and the apparent recent surge in titles that Sony is making available in their proprietary format, I'm rather pleased and surprised at the way ebooks are moving at Sony. And when you add those events to the recent release of the Kindle 2, news that sales of readers is high, all the other new devices that are becoming available including some with color, ipods becoming a readily usable reading platform, etc. - I'm simply amazed at what's going on. What will happen tomorrow?

[/idle musing]

yes, it's exciting, isn't it ?

AnemicOak · 03-19-2009, 10:52 AM

I think it's great.

I've downloaded a few just to check it out and some of the OCR's seem pretty bad (whole paragraphs that are unreadable). Does anyone know if they have some kind of mechanism in place for the books to eventually be corrected over time or is this just a scan it and throw it out there type of effort where there more worried about numbers?

Greg Anos · 03-19-2009, 10:53 AM

If we want cleaned up versions, I guess it's up to us. I'm putting Cabell's From the Hidden Way on my work list, after yard, Red, Thoreau's Cape Cod, and scanning the images from the first 6 OZ books for inclusion in MR's editions.

Lady Blue, you might cross-reference your epub version of the 1813 book against the PDF. That should help spot/fix OCR errors.

Back to grubbing Cannas.

pilotbob · 03-19-2009, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elsi

Did you put the ePub file on the Memory Stick? or an .LRF file you created from the ePub?

I wonder if google books works with re-captcha. I always wonder what repository of books re-captcha is working with? Yea, I guess I could read the web site. But, at quick glance it doesn't really say.

BOb

pilotbob · 03-19-2009, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexxxm

I can confirm that some scan errors are present, but being used to the books illegally downloaded from IRC, I'm used to it.

Did you really just post this?

BOb

zelda_pinwheel · 03-19-2009, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I wonder if google books works with re-captcha. I always wonder what repository of books re-captcha is working with? Yea, I guess I could read the web site. But, at quick glance it doesn't really say.

BOb

that would be an excellent idea. the reCAPTCHA site says they are currently working with the internet archive and old copies of the New York Times, no mention of google. hopefully someone at google will get the bright idea to work with them.

pilotbob · 03-19-2009, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Somebody call me when they've gone and corrected that material. Until then: Pass.

Except this gives a huge amount of material to work with to get the books done right and uploaded to MR.

Is it possible to view the scanned pages so as you proof read you can compare it to the scan to ensure you are making the proper corrections?

BOb

pilotbob · 03-19-2009, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

No: http://books.google.com/

I see a "download PDF" link here. But no way to get the ePub version. Am I missing it?

BOb

pilotbob · 03-19-2009, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Does anyone know if they have some kind of mechanism in place for the books to eventually be corrected over time or is this just a scan it and throw it out there type of effort where there more worried about numbers?

That is a good question. They should have a way for users to submit corrections back into the library. Make it like a giant ebook wiki. "Wikibiblioa" ??

BOb

Seabound · 03-19-2009, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Except this gives a huge amount of material to work with to get the books done right and uploaded to MR.

Is it possible to view the scanned pages so as you proof read you can compare it to the scan to ensure you are making the proper corrections?

BOb

Even without Sony, you can already access all of Google's books in text or PDF format. The PDF is the scanned book which you can use to proof the text files.
Downloading the ePub format from Sony only adds an extra, unnecessary step to the work flow.

alexxxm · 03-19-2009, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Did you really just post this?

BOb

yep indeed.
But please, do not let us restart that old flamewar ...

alessandro

DixieGal · 03-19-2009, 11:28 AM

Their version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol is very lovely. It is the only thing I have previewed so far.

BTW, at the Google books site, there were ads for B&N and Sony readers, which I personally think is cool.

JenPen1 · 03-19-2009, 11:32 AM

I for one am very happy at the start of something that hopefully will become bigger. I did notice that when you go to download the book, Google gives you the option of contacting them if you have a problem with the book. I haven't actually tried that because of time constraints, but for those who have noticed garbage in their downloaded book, do you think contacting Google would help toward rectifying this problem??

~Jen

Elsi · 03-19-2009, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhadin

The real value is not the particular books being made available; rather the real value is that Google is making them available in DRM-free ePub. Google's adoption of ePub as the format gives a tremendous boost to ePub and its viability as the single standard. Consider the great number of European publishers who are adopting ePub as the standard for their books, and the slowly coming to it American publishers, and ePub is getting ready to rock-and-roll

.

That Google's books are DRM-free is also a plus, because it adds a 10-ton gorilla to the free-books-from-DRM-prison movement.

Of course, their is one other important point: Google intends to make all books ultimately available through Google Books. Partnering with Sony and choosing the open ePub format means that ultimately we will have access to the world's treasures. Even if it means that our access is limited to a chapter or two without paying, that will be a great boon to those who advocate a more open access to ebooks.

Unfortunately, I don't think we can assume that non-public domain books would be offered in a DRM-free edition. I agree that ePub is a great step forward, but it *could* turn into a bit of a problem when they move to DRM-protected books. When reviewing Sony's recent updates to support ePub, DRM Watch notes, "... the EPUB Open Container Format (OCF) spec leaves DRM unspecified. DRM implementations for EPUB files are up to the hardware or software vendor and therefore could remain proprietary. ... In other words, the lack of DRM standardization in the IDPF's EPUB spec enables device and software platform vendors to keep their platforms non-interoperable and save on any incremental costs of implementing interoperable DRM." (Read the entire article at http://www.drmwatch.com/drmtech/article.php/3762526 )

Elsi · 03-19-2009, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

scanning the images from the first 6 OZ books for inclusion in MR's editions.

I have snagged the images from at least one scanned Google book instead of scanning myself. Works fine.

03-19-2009, 11:32 AM	#58
JenPen1 Connoisseur Posts: 63 Karma: 80 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Manitoba, Canada Device: Sony PRS505 (given away), Sony 650 Touch, LG Nexus 4, Kobo Arc	Sony-Google combo I for one am very happy at the start of something that hopefully will become bigger. I did notice that when you go to download the book, Google gives you the option of contacting them if you have a problem with the book. I haven't actually tried that because of time constraints, but for those who have noticed garbage in their downloaded book, do you think contacting Google would help toward rectifying this problem?? ~Jen

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03-19-2009, 10:52 AM	#47
AnemicOak Bookaholic Posts: 14,391 Karma: 54969924 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Minnesota Device: iPad Mini 4, AuraHD, iPhone XR +	I think it's great. I've downloaded a few just to check it out and some of the OCR's seem pretty bad (whole paragraphs that are unreadable). Does anyone know if they have some kind of mechanism in place for the books to eventually be corrected over time or is this just a scan it and throw it out there type of effort where there more worried about numbers?

03-19-2009, 10:53 AM	#48
Greg Anos Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,248 Karma: 35000000 Join Date: Jan 2008 Device: Pocketbook	If we want cleaned up versions, I guess it's up to us. I'm putting Cabell's From the Hidden Way on my work list, after yard, Red, Thoreau's Cape Cod, and scanning the images from the first 6 OZ books for inclusion in MR's editions. Lady Blue, you might cross-reference your epub version of the 1813 book against the PDF. That should help spot/fix OCR errors. Back to grubbing Cannas.

03-19-2009, 11:28 AM	#57
DixieGal Hi There! Posts: 7,473 Karma: 2930523 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Ft Lauderdale Device: iPad	Their version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol is very lovely. It is the only thing I have previewed so far. BTW, at the Google books site, there were ads for B&N and Sony readers, which I personally think is cool.

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