04:08 PM by NatCh in E-Book Readers | Sony Reader

This just came to my attention (I haven't tried it): Digital Reading is reporting a patch to make RSSOwl output files that are fitted to the Sony Reader.

Thought it might be of interest.

10:53 AM by Bob Russell in Miscellaneous | Lounge

Happy birthday wishes go out today for Sammy McLoughlin, Editor-In-Chief of Palm Addicts, and great friend to MobileRead. Palm Addicts is the best Palm blog around, and has quite a history... in fact, it has passed the test of time, being quite literally established in the previous century!

10:33 AM by Alexander Turcic in Miscellaneous | Announcements

While we upgraded our security measures this week, it seems that a few of the changes collide with the functioning of our Web software.

We are sorry about those who encounter(ed) this error, and we working on optimizing the server to prevent it in future.

Feel free to contact me if the problem persists.

Alex

12:56 PM by Bob Russell in Miscellaneous | Lounge

I first heard about the NewerTech USB 2.0 Universal Drive Adapter some time ago from JkOnTheRun. If I remember correctly, it was presented as a nifty way to hook up an internal (and therefore cheap) hard drive to a computer via USB, and a great alternative to buying an external drive or an enclosure.

What struck me about it was the opportunity to use it for archiving all those backups on hard drives. It's probably not a great solution for a permanent hard drive storage that's always attached to your PC, but if you want to be able to leave it in a drawer or move it between computers, this is a pretty good gadget. And at about $25, you can probably recoup your investment with the first internal hard drive you buy instead of an external hard drive.

Mobility site currently has a great review of the NewerTech USB adapter, and they say "it does exactly what it is supposed to do: seamless connectivity to a myriad of different drives".

09:14 AM by Alexander Turcic in Miscellaneous | Lounge

I've got a bunch of invites for Amazon's Askville beta; if you like to receive one, simply reply to this thread and PM me your e-mail address.

What's Askville? It's Amazon's new way to find information on the web by typing a question and having other people give you an answer. You can also earn experience points and virtual coins when you help others find answers.

08:01 AM by Bob Russell in Miscellaneous | Lounge

It may not be mobile computing news, but we're always up for a new display technology. According to Afterdawn, "Australian firm Arasor International and its US partner Novalux have unveiled what they see as the next revolution in visual technology - the world's first laser television which is poised to be half the price, twice as good, and consume a fraction of the electricity of conventional plasma and LCD TVs."

It is expected to be available at the end of next year, and cost less than $1000, but the screen size wasn't mentioned. Chief executive of Novalux, Jean-Michel Pelaprat, was quoted as saying it will be strong in the larger-than-40" television market. "All of a sudden what you see is a lifelike image on display. Combine that with energy efficiency, price advantage and the fact that the laser TVs will be half the weight and depth of plasma TVs, and... plasma is now something of the past."

Thanks to Joe B. for the tip.

05:10 AM by Alexander Turcic in E-Book General | News

The Financial Times reports that Microsoft has joined Cornell University in their efforts to digitize the school's scholarly collections. Starting early next year, the books will become gradually available to the general public through Live Book Search with access restrictions to copyright-protected books.

Microsoft will use the book scanning technology from Kirtas Technology. Kirtas' APT Bookscan 2400 is a $100,000+ automatic book scanner which zips along at 2,400 pages per hour. Best of all, its automatic page turning process SureTurn is reportedly gentler than a human hand.

And for those who wonder... the name Kirtas is an anagram for "at risk", implying the risk of cultural heritage because of paper deterioration.

05:42 PM by Bob Russell in E-Book Readers | Sony Reader

Do you have a Sony Reader and want your friends to be able to give you the gift of e-books? MobileRead has discovered that, according to Sony Connect Store support, friends can purchase Best Buy gift cards for that purpose. Specifically, you can redeem Best Buy gift cards at the Connect E-book Store for e-books for your Sony Reader.

Until now, it was only known that you could buy a gift certificate using the Sony Reader software: "In order to purchase or redeem a gift certificate you would need to install the software that comes with the Sony Reader."

Now we know that there is an additional option also available. "You can purchase a gift card at any Best Buy store in your location. To redeem a Best Buy gift card Launch the CONNECT Reader, go to eBooks Store, and register to create an account. If you already have an account, please login with your existing username. Click on 'Gifts' in the menu and click on the 'Redeem a gift certificate' link on the bottom of the page. Enter the gift code that you received and click on 'Submit'. This will automatically add the amount of the gift certificate into your account. Now search for your favorite books, download and enjoy."

But until someone confirms that this actually works, I'd still recommend proceeding with caution.

WARNING & UPDATE: A little birdie has whispered in my ear that, in fact, Best Buy gift cards will NOT work at the Sony Connect Ebook Store.

ANOTHER UPDATE: On further consultation with Sony it was learned that, as we already know, you can log on from your Reader's Connect software, and buy a gift certificate at the Connect store for someone else. Additionally in the future, Borders will be selling pre-paid cards.