09:07 AM by Bob Russell in Miscellaneous | Lounge

One of the consistent themes of e-books has been the popularity of two specific genres... romance and sci-fi/fantasy. True, there has been consistent interest in older classic works such as collections of the Harvard Classics and Charles Dickens. But the gadget freak favorite always seems to be sci-fi/fantasy.

Whether you fit that pattern or not, you might just find these 20 facts (and speculations) about science fiction to be fascinating.

1. Arguably the inspiration for much science fiction traces back to classical mythology. Think of it—Earthlings abducted by beings from the sky, humans morphing into strange creatures, and events that defy the laws of nature.

2. Birth of the (un)cool: In 1926 writer Hugo Gernsback founded Amazing Stories, the first true science-fiction magazine.

3. Gernsback loved greenbacks. He tried to trademark the term science fiction, and he paid writers so little that H. P. Lovecraft later nicknamed him “Hugo the Rat.”

4. Rat’s revenge: The most famous sci-fi writing award is called the Hugo.

5. Writers for the early pulp magazines would often write under multiple pseudonyms so they could have more than one article per issue. Ray Bradbury—taking this practice to another level—used six different pen names.

See the entire list at Discover Magazine's Top 20 article. You'll find out which technology was avoided by Ray Bradbury and Isaac Asimov, the book that apparently inspired Second Life and Google Maps and much more.

08:32 AM by Nate the great in E-Book Readers | Amazon Kindle

Waterfield Designs announced 3 new cases for the Kindle yesterday. The third one is actually a gadget bag.

The Kindle Sleeve Case protects the Amazon Kindle with: high-grade neoprene; impact-resistant plastic to protect the screen; a sturdy, black, ballistic nylon shell; and a lightly padded closing flap. A rear, open-top pocket stows items such as the USB cable and ear buds. A subtle grey-black checked fabric trims the bottom of the case.

The Kindle Slip Case sports the same vibrantly colored, water-resistant material on its exterior as the Travel Case; a lightly padded, scratch-free liner; and impact-resistant plastic to protect the screen. In the Slip Case, the Kindle remains secure while still sliding in and out easily. The open top provides quick access.

The Kindle Travel Case is designed with padded, internal compartments to keep the Kindle, the power adapter, the clip light, and any additional accessories tangle-free and organized. Self-locking zippers on a front pocket and on the main compartment ensure that contents don’t spill out. Available in six vibrant colors, the water-resistant case maintains its thin, compact shape, even when fully packed.

from:
http://www.sfbags.com/press/PR-06Feb2008.htm

08:30 AM by JSWolf in E-Book General | News

I was at Logan Airport in Boston, MA. yesterday and saw one of these Sony Kiosks. It had in it headphones, PSP games, memory sticks, a Sliver Sony Reader PRS-505, and other odds and ends.

Sony wants its electronic products to be readily available to consumers via automated kiosks strategically placed in malls and other such places.

But be sure not to call these vending machines. Gower Smith of Zoom Systems, which is providing the technology for Sony, says that these are robotic stores and not vending machines. These specially-designed kiosks will come in either of two versions, one four feet and the other eight feet wide, both with a touch screen where displayed products' info and specs, as well as trailers and music videos, will be shown. Movie will also be shown in here.

Link

07:42 AM by carandol in E-Book General | Deals and Resources (No...

Steven Brust has written a novel set in the Firefly universe, and he released it under a Creative Commons license. It's available in PDF and Word; so should be easily convertible to other formats.

I haven't read it yet, so I can't recommend it yet... But it's a Firefly novel, written by Steven Brust, how shiny is that?

You can find it here: http://dreamcafe.com/firefly.html.

07:51 AM by Martijn in More E-Book Readers | iRex

It seems that the 2.12 firmware is out.

I just received this mail:

Dear iLiad User,

Herewith we would like to inform you that a new software release is available to download from the iRex Delivery Service (iDS).

What’s new in the software release 2.12

This software release 2.12 is part of an ongoing process to extend the functionalities of the iLiad and to improve the overall performance to ensure an even better electronic reading experience for our customers. We recommend that all users upgrade to this latest version.

Support Tables in Mobipocket Documents

* Converted Mobipocket documents with tables can now rendered correctly. However, there is currently no solution to navigate a table that is wider than the screen.

Support Mobipocket folder on MMC, CF and USB

* It is now possible to create a ‘books\Mobipocket folder on MMC, CF, or USB memory. This will work the same as the Mobipocket folder located in the internal memory. Dictionaries will work from any of these locations.

Do not automatically connect to open WiFi Network

* A wireless connection preferences option has been added to the settings menu.
* An automatic connection can now be disabled in the iLiad settings menu. This will stop the device from automatically using any unsecured WiFi networks to connect to iDS.

Bug Fixes

* CDMA dialup profile: The CDMA dialup profile can now support an empty username and/or password.
* Disallow USB connection when not in Content Lister: To prevent problems with sporadic disk corruption, the USB connection now only works when the system is in the Content Lister view.
* MMC contents not visible after USB connection
* Several small stability improvements

08:53 AM by Nate the great in E-Book Readers | Alternative Devices

CUPERTINO, California - February 5, 2008 - Apple today added new models of the iPhone and iPod touch which have double the memory, doubling the amount of music, photos and videos that customers can carry with them wherever they go. The revolutionary iPhone now comes in a new 16GB model for $499, joining the 8GB model for $399. iPod touch now comes in a 32GB model for $499, joining the 16GB model for $399 and the 8GB model for $299.

from:
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2008...ipodtouch.html

Looks like I was right about that rumor a few weeks back.

01:19 PM by Alexander Turcic in E-Book Readers | Amazon Kindle

Those of you who own the Kindle -- would you actually want to change it?

How's about a color screen, for starters? Maybe a little more responsiveness? A little less '80, a little more '08 in the design?

Engadget

10:02 AM by RWood in Miscellaneous | Announcements

An index page has been added to the Wiki for Complete Works of Charles Dickens Available at MobileRead.

The twenty-five (25) works are listed in alphabetical order and contain direct links to the downloadable ebooks available in both Mobipocket PRC and Sony BBeB (LRF) formats. Many are illustrated with the original graphics scanned by HarryT.

These editions were created by HarryT and contain thousands of textual corrections beyond the public domain sources available at Project Gutenberg and elsewhere. Each book is a handcrafted masterpiece. Each volume is DRM free.

These are wonderful editions from one of the greatest writers in the English language.