08:07 PM by Bob Russell in E-Book General | News

I've stumbled upon great start for a libraries best practices wiki. And being naturally curious, I browsed around looking for all the wisdom on how libraries can and should implement an online e-book and audiobook program. Nothing there.

While they don't seem to have particularly asked for information along those lines, I'm sure we have some readers that are librarians knowledgeable in that area who might be able to contribute. Or if you know someone like that, be sure to pass this web site on to them! Everything we do to spread the word will certainly help the market for e-books and e-book reader hardware more forward.

07:18 PM by Bob Russell in Archive | Portable Audio/Video

Not many mp3 players can impress me these days. But the look of the Samsung K5 is pretty neat. The unit has slide out speakers, and a generally smooth sophisticated look. Yet the speaker grill almost has a retro look reminding you of the old portable transister radios.

It's available in 1GB, 2GB and 4GB configurations, and plays over 30hrs of music between charges. The screen is a touchpad OLED, it has an FM Radio, and something called "photo slides."

The 4GB version is available at Amazon and Best Buy for about $260.

04:45 PM by Bob Russell in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

It's odd, isn't it? One of the most basic applications isn't available on smart phones. You might think it's just because most mobile operators provide their own free voice mail systems. But those systems require you to make a call to get messages, and you can't keep your favorite messages as long as you might like.

It turns out that there's another reason - according to Windows Mobile guru, Werner Ruotsalainen, it can't be implemented.

"Unfortunately, I have bad news for all these people: there is NO way one can implement such software on the current (mostly HTC-manufactured) crop of Pocket PC Phone Edition devices because of the hardware limitations I’ve explained in my article on recording conversations. That is, it’s pretty futile to look for any answering machine software for your Pocket PC phone – unless you have the GIGABYTE G-Smart..."

There's much more info in the rest of his article if you want all the details.

Side note:Those of you that follow Windows Mobile news on MobileRead have probably noticed the fantastic information that Werner seems to keep coming up with. Very few people provide this level of detailed information on interesting Win Mobile topics, and I just want to take a moment here to say "bravo!" Excellent job, and thanks for the remarkable work that you do!

03:14 PM by Bob Russell in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Palm Addicts has a nice review of the new keyboard from Brando. It's bluetooth and very small. People who want a desktop keyboard experience will need to look elsewhere, but this one seems to have a good handle on compactness.

"For those looking to improve their device's data input...in the smallest possible package...the Brando Mini BT Keyboard is a very attractive alternative. With a retail of $56 (US), it is also a very cost-effective one."

One caution, though. Check your device for compatibility. For example, it is not currently compatible with the Treo 700p. Other than that, it looks like a great alternative keyboard.

03:07 PM by Bob Russell in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

These days, everyone seems to be working so hard to put Linux on anything that can compute. Whatever happened to good 'old DOS emulation?!

Well, Tam's palm is reporting that the emulator required to play old DOS games, run old versions of MS Word and program with Q BASIC has been written. This is most certainly a very rough version, and I don't think the code has even been released. Not at Tam's Palm anyway. But it's pretty neat to see something like this created. PC apps on a Palm device. Certainly the new handhelds must have the processing power of early PC's, so even under emulation you can see it as possible.

We'll look forward to hearing more about it. It would be very nice if it eventually even becomes a program that's sturdy enough to be made available to all PalmOS users.

Via Tams Palm.

01:54 PM by Stuart Young in E-Book General | Deals and Resources (No...

First came our beloved E Ink, and now it looks like others about are to enter the race. Bit Tech report that scientists from Cambridge University are attempting to create a roll-up screen to make our mobile life styles far more pleasant.

Dr Seffen who works on the project explains:

"Flexible electronics is a burgeoning area, people are looking into making very thin flexible displays that could be used for electronic newspapers, or other portable electronic media like a roll-up laptop or compact mobile phone."

Original Bit-Tech article here
Source from BBC here

I can just see the forums buzzing, with a story about Bob sitting on the roll-up screen of his latest gizmo... and flattening it to death.

01:48 PM by Bob Russell in E-Book General | Reading Recommendations

We've covered Steve Jordan Books before on MobileRead. He catches our attention with his philosophy of selling non-DRM'd novels at low price points. He also has a book available at his site for free, so you can determine whether or not you like his writing.

It turns out that he's also a very good writer. Others had told me that they liked his stuff, so I decided to give it a try. I started with the free book, The Onuissance Cells. The download is at the bottom of the page, in many formats. It's actually sort of a collection of stories, but it keeps your interest.

Now I'm in the midst of Encephalopath, which he makes available in many non-DRM'd formats for $2.50. It's a great book. My only complaint is that there is a bit more sexual R-rated themes than I would like, but it doesn't dominate the story, and actually probably helps it do well with popular book markets.

The story is about future kinds of communications. An extreme extension of the world wide web, where they have found a way to connect and integrate it directly into your brain. No more typing into computer terminals to access the internet. There are some really creative descriptions of the "link" and potential ramifications. You have intrigue, drama, romance, lots of scifi technology, and of course some corporate spys, government bad guys and more. Somehow it all comes together naturally in the story, so you don't feel like he is forcing the topics.

One of the topics he touches on (in both this one and in The Onuissance Cells) is the subject of skin color. I usually cringe when that is brought up in any book, because there are often such strong emotions pent up in the author, that poison tends to spew out of the pen or keyboard. In this case, Steve uses the futuristic setting to come up with a very interesting way to look at the issues in a very abstract manner. I won't spoil the idea, but if you read the book, be sure to look for it and think a little about the topic. He doesn't dwell on it, so it's really up to you to do the thinking. I found it very interesting.

So if you are looking for more content in addition to Baen's collections or the olders books from Gutenberg or ManyBooks, this is an excellent new author to give a try. For those who want to reward a publisher with a fresh and non-DRM'd approach to book selling, it's also a great way to support the cause. And if you like the book, be sure to send him a note to let him know how much you appreciate his strategy.

Related: Free Steve Jordan Book.

11:16 AM by Bob Russell in E-Book General | News

The Deccan Herald (click on "Direct Access Click here"), has gone online. That wouldn't be very interesting, except that they did it in a rather adventurous manner.

You really have to look for yourself to see (this link might get you directly in), but you get a full view of the actual newspaper. Move your cursor over an article and it has a brief text popup about the article. Click on the article and you see the article as if it was in print. There are more tools for each article available that I haven't explored yet. If you register, it seems that you can also get customized versions of the newspaper.

On the main login page (no login is required to view the paper), there is also a list of some other publications that are also available online, including magazines. Most of us won't be able to read much from those, however, because they aren't in English.

I don't believe that this is the right paradigm for putting a newspaper on a computer or mobile device or dedicated e-book reader. But it is interesting to see publishers exploring options. Sometimes you have to try some mediocre ideas before you can zoom in on the right approach.