01:52 PM by Alexander Turcic in More E-Book Readers | Bookeen

Thanks to Jason for pointing us (via TeleRead) to this video where the founders of Bookeen, Laurent Picard and Michael Dahan, demonstrate the Cybook Gen 3 e-book reader, which is the first device to feature E Ink's latest Vizplex technology. Check out how fast it refreshes the screen - clearly an improvement to the Sony Reader!

As a side note, TeleRead also reports that the initial software of the Cybook Gen3 will not be able to display Adobe PDF formats. Not that we are too unhappy about it, as long as Mobipocket is fully supported!

02:48 PM by Bob Russell in E-Book Uploads - Patricia Clark... | Upload Help

RWood, the creator of the MobileRead version of the Harvard Classics series, has added a nice reference listing of the volumes with links to the free downloads.

Be sure to check it out on this new Harvard Classics MobileRead wiki page.

The volumes continue to be offered individually in order to maximize the discussion of each volume in the associated forum threads, as well as making updates simpler. The are offered here at MobileRead in both Sony Reader and MobiPocket formats, with no DRM and at no cost, and this new index listing of the volumes should make downloads simple for everyone.

07:00 AM by Alexander Turcic in Miscellaneous | Week in Review

Missed some of our big mobile stories this week? Time to catch up:

E-book Devices - iRex iLiad

• Shell Access and Developer Package Automatic Installation

E-book Devices - Bookeen Cybook Gen3

• Cybook Gen3 e-reader in September 2007 for $350

Miscellaneous - Lounge

• Literary addict deemed fire hazard

Miscellaneous - Announcements

• The complete MobileRead edition of the Harvard Classics is now available!

09:08 AM by Bob Russell in Miscellaneous | Announcements

One of the most extraordinary collections of timeless literature is now available to the MobileRead community at no charge. The Harvard Classics collection was assembled originally in 1909 by Charles Eliot, president of Harvard University. According to Wikipedia, Dr. Eliot "had stated in speeches that the elements of a liberal education could be obtained by spending fifteen minutes a day reading from a collection of books that could fit on a five-foot shelf. (Originally he had said a three-foot shelf). The publisher P. F. Collier and Son saw an opportunity, and challenged him to make good on this statement by selecting an appropriate collection of works; the Harvard Classics was the result."

The MobileRead edition was completed in an amazing and monumental three-month effort by RWood, who painstakingly hand produced a very nice electronic version of the set for Sony Reader and MobiPocket (with the MobiPocket version to be complete within the next week). You will immediately see and appreciate the work that he has put into producing these volumes, in that they are quite pleasing for reading. Multiple versions of the source texts were used to produce these two (non-DRM'd) formats. The two formats cover a large range of e-book reading devices, including smartphones, and allow this collection to be accessible to large numbers of readers.

If you think this is all just an academic set of boring books, think again. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is considered by many to be the best ever written, and it seems to have a profound influence on just about everyone that reads it. While some books might not be for everyone, it's amazing to see how relevant they are, and to get such a nice glimpse into these critical people and times of history. They may just turn out to be more fun to read and skim than you would ever imagine. Wikipedia also points out that the set has become popular for home schooling, even today.

A paper version is available in various used book sources, and from Eaton Press in a subscription program for a whopping $3200! Incidentally, Eaton Press summarizes the content as "bring[ing] together more than 1,850 works by over 300 masters of thought and letters".

RWood describes the making of this e-book set in a bit more detail, and I'm sure he would appreciate comments and a "thank you" from everyone that has an interest in the set, and your thoughts as you read the volumes.

This unique e-book set is currently available at no charge as separate volumes at MobileRead's e-book upload section, and should be a welcome addition to any reader's electronic library. You can also do a MobileRead site search for "harvard classics volume" to find the threads with the volume downloads. Enjoy!

09:00 AM by Alexander Turcic in Miscellaneous | Lounge

Mobilereader Madam Broshkina sent us in this deeply sobering story of a man whose passion for collecting books has cost him his home. The Times Leader reports:

John Puchniak quite literally lives in a sea of books.

He reads constantly except when he's haunting bookstores, libraries and, when he's able to get there, the Philadelphia bookstore that he co-owns. He filled his house with about 3,000 texts until it was repossessed by the bank, which agreed to move them all to an apartment Puchniak rented on North Main Street specifically because there was plenty of storage space.

For about a month and a half, though, Puchniak has had to shuttle his papery world to the Red Carpet Inn on Kidder Street because his apartment was condemned after city code enforcement officers said the books were a fire hazard.

Of course, had Mr. Puchniak collected his texts on an e-book reader (along with a bunch of memory cards), this would never have happened... Another lesson learned, folks: e-reader devices make homes safer!

[via EarthTimes]

12:59 PM by Alexander Turcic in More E-Book Readers | Bookeen

Bookeen has tortured us all for the past few months revealing only few (but yummy) details on the new Cybook e-reader. Well, we think your long, arduous wait might be over soon. Michael Dahan of Bookeen sent in the official press release announcing that the Cybook Gen3 (finally this baby got a name!) has entered production and is ready to enter the market this coming September (at a starting price of US $350).

"The screen is truly like a sheet of paper, it can be viewed from nearly any angle and in a wide range of lighting conditions, including direct sunlight" said Michael Dahan, co-manager of Bookeen. "The ebook industry will clearly reach another stage with the new Cybook." Laurent Picard added: "Our ongoing partnership with Mobipocket is a great opportunity to bring their tremendous digital content to a new category of customers and to offer the most competitive device to the end user."

So the Cybook will be the second E Ink-based reader, following the iRex iLiad, to officially support Amazon's Mobipocket format which can display DRM-protected e-book content.

In case you've missed our earlier news, the Cybook Gen3 will be the first e-book reader to feature E Ink's next generation Vizplex e-paper technology which promises better contrast and a faster refresh rate than previous E Ink technologies. With a 6-inch screen and a 166 dpi resolution, the device will have a total weight of only 6.1 ounces (174g).

Follow the official press release after the jump.

Related: Official answer for battery and some general information, Specs of Bookeen Cybook E-Ink reader

04:47 AM by tribble in iRex | iRex Developer's Corner

Shell access for the iLiad can be requested now automatically and instantly. Go grab it here: https://myirex.irexnet.com/user.php/developer

This is very useful for users who recently have been waiting a few weeks after requesting with the old method. If you had previously requested access, but had not received it, you may need to do so again.

Shell access, for those who don't know, allows you to run the many community developed applications and viewers. These include FBReader (viewer for many new formats), Dillo (web browser), MP3/OGG Jukeboxp, and many more.

07:00 AM by Alexander Turcic in Miscellaneous | Week in Review

Welcome to another digest entry of MobileRead, where we transform the profound into the bite-sized.

Mobile Devices - Handhelds and Smartphones

• Duke University's WLAN suffers a Denial of Service attack ... from the iPhone!

Mobile Devices - Others

• The Return of the "Luggable" Computer

Miscellaneous - Lounge

• iPod vs. Mobile phone. Do carriers have a chance in the mobile entertainment battle?
• Pirate Bay and the Torrent on Fire