11:09 AM by zelda_pinwheel in E-Book General | News

In conjunction with the launch of the Sony Reader in French Fnac stores a secret source (named Alex Turcic ) has just revealed to me that the Reader is also now present on the French Sony site.

In addition, the French manual can be found here, and a PDF fact sheet is here.

It does not seem possible to order the Reader online; however, perhaps it will become available after the October delivery to the Fnac stores (or in the announced Parisian Sony Style shop). I suppose we will have to wait and see...

08:31 AM by zelda_pinwheel in E-Book General | News

Eagle-eyed member bookainss has spotted the new pre-order page for the Sony Reader on the site of the Fnac. As announced it can be had for 299€ ; delivery scheduled for the 23 October.

But what about books ??? After all, a Sony is very pretty but if there's nothing inside it's not much use... taking a look around the site I discovered that ebooks will be coming soon to the site as well. They announce "more than 2000 books to download" exclusively on fnac.com including the best of the new litterary season, fundamental works and classics. The page doubles as an ad for the Sony Reader with several testimonials from some lucky people who apparently got their sticky paws on an advance reader !

So what do you think of this offer ? Will French publishers finally catch on ? With the help of the (very well-known chain) Fnac will ebooks finally gain some much-needed visibility in France ? Will the french reading public throw themselves on ebooks with joy or cry "blasphemy ! we want paper !" ? Will they think 299€ is a bit steep given the price you can get the Sony for in the States, and the current exchange rate ???? Find out more in the next episode, same bat-time, same bat-channel !

05:03 PM by Alexander Turcic in Miscellaneous | Feedback

We're always being told that you can't - or shouldn't - judge a book by its cover; nevertheless, sometimes cover art may say a great deal about the content of a book (such as, for instance, it's theme, sub-genre, or mood). Many of the e-books you can download freely from the Net don't come with a cover. Which begs the question: Would you be interested in producing your own covers for your favorite books?

MobileReader Paul "pdurrant" takes the idea one step further, contemplating over a new forum section dedicated to the producing and uploading of custom e-book covers.

What do you think? Could we together manage such an effort?

PS: I thank Paul for his infinite patience in dealing with my forgetfulness.

04:51 AM by Alexander Turcic in E-Book General | News

User BeBook, who we assume works for the company BeBook, has just announced a firmware upgrade for their e-book reader. The upgrade adds support for the MobiPocket format, including for purchased Mobipocket e-books that are protected with DRM.

They also announced that they've sold over 30k e-reader units so far, which would translate to revenues in excess of 10 Million Euros. Keep in mind that the BeBook made its debut in April this year, so that gives us what... less than six months?

04:18 PM by Alexander Turcic in E-Book General | Deals and Resources (No...

wchris sent us the word that the UK's Telegraph is producing a new on-line novel by best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith. It's called "Corduroy Mansions" and is to be serialized for twenty weeks, from September 15 to February 13. You can get your free daily chapters by email or feed.

Set in London's Pimlico, the novel centres on a cast of characters living in an unassuming house nicknamed Corduroy Mansions.

You can find out more about this online novel at telegraph.co.uk/onlinenovel.

03:58 PM by MishaS in E-Book Software | Reading and Management

Do you know what FBReader is? Do you use it? Have your say!

Misha is co-author of FBReader - Alex

07:35 AM by Mitchll in E-Book Readers | Sony Reader

Sony's press release today:

This weekend, the Reader Digital Book by Sony will be available in Target stores nationwide. Beginning September 14, the PRS-505 model will be featured in the "Discovery Hub" endcap in the electronics section of all 1,634 Target stores. With the purchase of a Reader, consumers will also receive a coupon code to download a free copy of The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory from the eBook Store by Sony. The Other Queen is slated for release on September 16.

Alongside the device, the endcap will display Reader accessories including: eBook Store prepaid cards, Cover with Light Accessory, AC Charger and a Crocodile pattern cover with pouch for AC charger and USB cable.

06:00 AM by Alexander Turcic in Miscellaneous | Week in Review

Another week, another steady stream of e-book goodness here on MobileRead. Our authentic roundup of what's been going on:

E-Book General - News and Commentary

• How do you read PDF files?
• Adobe to release Content Server 4 and Digital Editions 1.6
• Plastic Logic Announces Their New Reader
• 100,000+ Sony Readers sold in UK?
• Sony's new chapter in digital reading: October 2nd

E-Book General - Deals, Freebies, and Resources

• Secret 15% off sale at eReader

E-Book Devices - Sony Portable Reader

• New Chapter on Digital Reading

E-Book Devices - Bookeen Cybook Gen3

• Cybook source code released (kernel and busybox)

E-Book Devices - Amazon Kindle

• Kindle exclusive content: Bios on Mrs. McCain and Mrs. Obama