Zinio adds textbooks to its e-magazines offering

Gaurnim · 01-16-2009, 03:43 AM

I've received yesterday an email from the Read Green Initiative (http://goreadgreen.com/) which announces that Zinio is now offering textbooks along with the digital magazines subscriptions.

Excerpt from the mail :

Quote:

Zinio Offers College Students a Digital Alternative to Traditional Textbooks
As colleges and universities nationwide begin their spring semesters, students preparing to spend hundreds on textbooks for their spring classes now have a cost-effective and sustainable digital alternative with Zinio. Available at www.textbooks.zinio.com.
Digital textbooks give you:
• 50% off the same printed book prices with $0 shipping!
• Immediate access, buy it late and still have it on time.
• Archive/store on your laptop - no need to lug heavy books around campus.
• Read online or offline and click through to hyperlinks referenced inside.
• Highlight and take virtual notes to mark important information.
• Search inside your book - save time by searching for specific content.

Here is the URL of this service :
http://www.textbooks.zinio.com/

Zinio is offering the magazines in a proprietary format, you can either read them online or download them and view them through a proprietary viewer.
Their reader software is available for Windows and Mac, I haven't see it yet for Linux (which doesn't mean it isn't available).

zelda_pinwheel · 01-16-2009, 10:03 PM

Proprietary format and viewer notwithstanding, this could be very good news for students. 50% off the paper book price is substantial savings. If this service does well, perhaps we will see more textbooks available as ebooks, with fewer format restrictions, so they could be read on any device.

keng2000 · 01-17-2009, 04:47 AM

I have tried zinio since it started. It is about 10 years ago with several magazines.
For reading on PC/MAC, PDf textbooks have already been done for while.
As universiy professor, We are waiing for e-book on e-Reader.

Spectrum · 01-17-2009, 07:54 PM

I am using a textbook in Zinio format given complementary as I use it in my class in the last three years. I can read from Laptop and two desktops at home and school.
It will print any number of pages but with huge watermark of my name on each page.
If I print it to pdf then it will ask me to save each page with a different name...

Gaurnim · 01-19-2009, 08:02 AM

Yeah, it's a pity that it's in a proprietary format, but this is another step in the right direction.
The price reduction is nice. I'm curious about what they will do for upgrades to current version, as it seems new versions are pretty frequent and often required in this market.

The next step would be adding the Iliad or Digital Reader as a supported platform.
It has already been asked, 2 years ago, with little reactio from Zinio.

See post #3 :
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...ht=Iliad+Zinio

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01-16-2009, 10:03 PM	#2
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	Proprietary format and viewer notwithstanding, this could be very good news for students. 50% off the paper book price is substantial savings. If this service does well, perhaps we will see more textbooks available as ebooks, with fewer format restrictions, so they could be read on any device.

01-17-2009, 04:47 AM	#3
keng2000 Researcher and Consultant Posts: 210 Karma: 364 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Bangkok, THAILAND Device: MACBOOKPRO17" HP2400TX SONYUX27	I have tried zinio since it started. It is about 10 years ago with several magazines. For reading on PC/MAC, PDf textbooks have already been done for while. As universiy professor, We are waiing for e-book on e-Reader.

01-17-2009, 07:54 PM	#4
Spectrum Zealot Posts: 126 Karma: 570 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: iPad 1 and iPad 4, KF HD 8.9"	I am using a textbook in Zinio format given complementary as I use it in my class in the last three years. I can read from Laptop and two desktops at home and school. It will print any number of pages but with huge watermark of my name on each page. If I print it to pdf then it will ask me to save each page with a different name...

01-19-2009, 08:02 AM	#5
Gaurnim Final Five n°42 Posts: 789 Karma: 3599 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Lyon, France Device: Cybook Gen3	Yeah, it's a pity that it's in a proprietary format, but this is another step in the right direction. The price reduction is nice. I'm curious about what they will do for upgrades to current version, as it seems new versions are pretty frequent and often required in this market. The next step would be adding the Iliad or Digital Reader as a supported platform. It has already been asked, 2 years ago, with little reactio from Zinio. See post #3 : https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...ht=Iliad+Zinio

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