11:13 AM by Bob Russell in Miscellaneous | Lounge

Adobe has published an advisory notice due to a vulnerability in the the Adobe Acrobat software.

Specifically, your computer can be taken over by simply opening a pdf file from Internet Explorer. The vulnerability only affects the Microsoft Internet Explorer and is for Adobe Reader versions 7.0.0 through 7.0.8. Adobe is working on a patch.

Via The Register.

11:05 AM by Bob Russell in Miscellaneous | Lounge

The Internet Archive is not all that famous with the general public, but it has gained a lot of respect and appreciation from those familiar with the Internet who have found it. The site is an amazing feat, with archives of texts, audio, moving images, and software. In fact, there is an area with preserved texts, and they encourage people to contribute their own texts.

There are over two petabytes of storage, which is an incredible two million gig. You can find all kinds of older movies. In addition they have old versions of web sites such as this archive of MobileRead with the Way Back Machine. It seems a sure bet to embarrass anyone that has ever published material on the web!

This historic record has been threatened by copyright law, due to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Only now have the been given a reprieve with the six exemptions published recently by the Library of Congress. The Register points out that "The ruling grants exemption to 'computer programs and video games distributed in formats that have become obsolete and that require the original media or hardware as a condition of access, when circumvention is accomplished for the purpose of preservation or archival reproduction of published digital works by a library or archive.'"

"Another exemption allows educational establishments to 'break' digital rights management (DRM) technology for audiovisual works to be used by media studies or film classes, while another exemption that allows users to bypass DRM on CDs in order to test and fix DRM technology which might damage the user's computer. 'Thanks to the hard work of two great law school students of Peter Jaszi of American University, Jieun Kim and Doug Agopsowicz, the Internet Archive and other libraries may continue to preserve software and video game titles without fear of going to jail," said a statement from the Internet Archive.'"

However, there's a long way to go before we find a good balance in copyright law. That statement also said that the exemption still "leaves the overall draconian nature of the DMCA in effect."

02:20 PM by Alexander Turcic in E-Book Readers | Sony Reader

Paula J. Hane reviewed the Sony Reader in the latest print issue of Information Today. She concludes that while the Reader doesn't do all the fancy things a handheld device does, it's still pretty good for what it's meant to be. Her bottom line:

Early adaption of technology isn't for the faint of heart or the budget-conscious. But, if you must take 30 novels with you on vacation, then the Sony Reader could be the answer.

Pros:

• bright, paperlike display
• readable in bright light
• long battery life (7,500 page turns)
• convenient and comfortable size
• connects to PC's USB port
• CONNECT Store
• font magnification (200 percent)
• reads DOC, TXT, JPEG, RTF
• plays MP3 files
• SD/MMC, Memory Stick
• content onto six devices

Cons:

• no backlight
• gray-scale, no color
• slow page turning/screen refresh
• user interface controls could use some tweaking
• lacks Internet connectivity
• purchase via Sony
• problem with PDF readability
• proprietary BBeB format
• no user input (touch screen or stylus)
• lacks search capabilites on device
• high cost for a dedicated device

Related: Forbes gives Sony Reader short shrift

12:50 PM by Bob Russell in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

With Verizon's recent announcement about VCast offering some YouTube content on its mobile phones in the future, they are surely hoping to boost sales with some YouTube fans. It seems that everyone wants access to YouTube now, but I hope that you don't think you need a Verizon phone to be able to get it.

Orb recently announced that "its free MyCasting service (www.orb.com) is the first to take Internet videos mobile by making it possible to add, manage and stream them using any mobile device with a browser and media player. People can now enjoy their favorite videos from YouTube, Google, Guba and DailyMotion while on the move."

What that means, is that you download the desktop software and then you can see your home audio/video content from your mobile device browser. If you have a TV tuner, you can watch live TV. If you want to watch YouTube or Google video, you can do it, and Orb takes care of all the complexities and format conversions. And it's all free.

Ian McCarthy from Orb Networks shared with me that you can do a lot with YouTube through Orb, like browse the YouTube RSS feeds, play specific YouTube videos you've added to your personal Orb index with a browser plugin, and search metatags of the library of videos from YouTube, DailyMotion and Google video. More video sources are, of course, likely to be added later.

The future looks really bright for web-based mobile content. Orb appears to be leading the way with MyCasting, but you can be sure that many alternatives will be making this a very competitive market in the years to come, creating a huge battle for the eyes of the masses when home is no longer the dominant location for viewing media.

11:47 AM by Bob Russell in E-Book Readers | Sony Reader

I have received some clarification of the usage of Border's coupons with regard to purchasing the Sony Reader. The information comes from the Category Manager at Borders, responsible for managing the Sony Reader.

Here are the two relevant points:

* Any future coupons will exclude the Sony Reader
* There have never been available coupons and discounts for the Sony Connect card and there will not be going forward. (These are like gift cards in that they are never offered at a discount.)

While they are not aware of any Border's coupons that exist and which don't exclude the Sony Reader, they said that any such unexpired valid coupons would be honored.

And, finally, they also indicated that sales of the Sony Reader are doing very well. Specifically, "sales have been very brisk and have exceeded expectations." I'd love to be able to pass on some specific sales numbers for the Reader, but while everyone seems to be smiling about it, nobody is talking.

09:39 AM by Alexander Turcic in E-Book General | News

According to sources close to DigiTimes, Taiwan's Prime View International (PVI) witnesses strong growth in their E Ink panel business thanks to a rising demand in e-readers. According to the article,

• Sony Reader sales better than expected
• e-Read's STAReBOOK already sold out in Taiwan, introduced today in China
• Revenues of PVI to increase to US$45.9m in 2007
• Current monthly E Ink panel capacity: 60,000.

Full article

Related: E Ink display manufacturer PVI soars thanks to Sony Reader, Prime View launches E Ink ODM/OEM services

08:42 AM by Alexander Turcic in E-Book Readers | Amazon Kindle

Update: Well, roughly a year later the cat is out of the bag. $50 would have been too good to be true. For more, join our Kindle discussions

Rumors are that the Kindle, Amazon's leaked E Ink e-reader, may be heavily subsidized to push the online retailer's e-book sales. Quoting Nick Hampshire of Afaics:

This may only be a rumour but it certainly is a viable option, an analysis of the manufacturing cost of the device indicates that a subsidised retail price of about US$50 is possible. And, from market research we know that this would probably be low enough to create a sufficient demand for e-books and e-reader devices to ensure that the company not only recouped its subsidy cost but created a growing market. However, this would mean subsidising the sale of several hundred thousand Kindle readers.

Related: Amazon E Ink reader? (with specs), Remember Kindle? (with pics)

02:09 PM by Alexander Turcic in E-Book Readers | Sony Reader

The Sony Reader has received a lot of unfavorable press in mainstream media. This week, Forbes correspondent and Digital Duo co-host Stephen Manes joins the crowd by declaring, "Sometimes analog is better. For now the iPod of the literary world remains a philosophical construct, not an electronic one."

It seems when Mr. Manes looked at the Reader, he was all consumed by negative psychic energy, and he couldn't help himself, but to point out a mass of shortcomings (yes, we heard them all before): the small screen, "painfully gray-on-gray" low contrast, "lethargic" interface, missing search, missing built-in dictionary, missing speaker, "only" 64MB, and a "skimpy" book selection.

I don't know about you, but personally I find mainstream journalism on gadgets pretty boring these days. Most of it lacks creativity, humor and spine, and it's sad to see how the notion of investigative reporting seems to have lost its appeal. Otherwise, I am sure, Mr. Manes would have discovered this forum and perhaps also one or the other positive aspect about the Reader.