The News, 12-31-2009 & 1-01-2010
- News24.com: Playlists for digital publishing. Really?
- E-readers in the 2010 technology wish list.
- J.S. McDougall: Apple’s iSlate: The Kindle Killer
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Poll: The top publishers’ wishes for 2010
We’re about to start 2010 -Hey! New year and decade!- and it would be great to know what we publishers’ want for the months to come. Here are some options based on my own knowledge (I worked for years for the print industry) and on Mygazines’ experience. Which one should be at the top? What do you think?
Loading ...Video: A quick look at the future of digital editions
Very soon, digital magazines will be delivered on thin and bright tablets, devices that will ‘wirelessly’ update themselves and store tons of issues. Although we have no common hardware yet, no standard interface, there are dozens of prototypes that will fight hard to conquer the market. This is a very inspiring video that shows what these devices would be capable of doing.
BTW, Mygazines’ digital editions are designed for these cutting-edge devices. They will all have a big enough screen, fast internet connection and mimic the experience of web-based digital editions like Mygazines’.
Thoughts?
Gallery: The Top (Rumored) E-Readers
We’re close to the end of 2009 and we notice that more and more tech companies are about to launch e-readers in the form of tablet devices. Apple, Asus, Microsoft, Dell… the most important players in the computer market are preparing similar products: slate-shaped computers, equipped with a touchscreen or stylus to operate it.
They would all make navigation through digital editions much easier and portable. So let’s take a quick look at the ones that are bound to be launched soon. Most of the photos are fan-made, but might give an good idea on how the devices will look like (click on each name to read more details).
Apple Tablet. Expected: March 2010
Microsoft Courier. Expected: Mid-2010
Dell Android. Recently launched
Plastic Logic. Expected: January 7th
The challenge for tech companies is not the creation of the product anymore, but rather sealing deals with content partners. The companies will find it difficult convincing the most important publishers. In the end, the one with more added value and a wider variety of content will win.
Photo Credits: Realkarachi, Mobilemag, Techfresh, Phandroid, Plasticlogic, Pcpro
The News, 12-30-2009
- National Geographic goes ‘green’ and offers all its issues in one external hard drive (for $200).
- Apple tablet rumors of the day: It will only be an e-reader. Oh, some predict that its name will be iSlate and that it will have a tough road ahead.
- Comics had a happy 2009: some migrated to digital platforms.
- Another e-reader tries to capitalize in the growing e-publishing market: Alex.
Photo Credit: Erictric
The News, 12-29-2009
- Is 2010 the year of the digital magazine?
- Amazon: e-books outsell print books on Christmas. E-reader may be publishers’ salvation.
- Tablet rumor of the day: Apple intends to kill the Kindle
- More vendors tap e-readers trend.
The News, 12-24-2009 & 12-25-2009
- Publishers are optimistic about 2010.
- The decade in books. Magic, vampires and e-delivery.
- Will e-piracy be the next enemy of the publishing industry?
- Vook (book that includes videos in its text) is one of the buzzwords of 2009.
- CBC wants you to pick the best books of 2009.
- Indian editors worried about paid news.
- Kindle available in Canada.
Who will win the e-reader war?
As we’ve all been reading (hearing and seeing as well, no doubt), there’s a lot of anxiety about the future of the publishing industry. Yeah, the recession hurt publishers (and other people) but they have also suffered for more specific reasons: their audience is migrating to digital editions and ad sales have decreased.
But here at Mygazines, we believe in the written word, not necessarily on the printed page. And we are excited to see how companies are developing hardware (e-readers, tablets…) where to upload written content, ‘iPods’ for publications. Of course, content will always be king, but up until some months ago there was no device to deliver it, at least not according to the new trends.
Looks like 2010 will be the year for the tech revolution in the publishing industry. E-readers, tablets and other gizmos are about to start a war. Here’s a list of the (big) ones that are already fighting:
- Amazon Kindle ($259) Pro: Automatically connects to a free network (3G) so you can buy books, newspapers and magazines on the go. Cons: Not very good for multimedia content. So far, it’s the device to beat.
- Sony Reader Touch Edition ($299.99) Pro: Has a touch screen that allows you to navigate menus, add notes and turn pages with a finger swipe. Con: Needs a PC or Mac to download books and articles from the web.
- The Nook ($259) Pros: Also comes with a 3G connection. It has a black and white screen for reading and a narrow colour touchscreen for browsing and buying. Con: Only available in the US.
- iPhone E-readers. Pro: Apple’s device has apps to process digital editions. Stanza, eReader and the Barnes & Noble app are popular and free to download. Con: Small screen.
- Laptop E-readers. Pro: Portable, great for rich content (videos, photos, sounds). Con: Limited battery life and weightiness. That could change year. Keep an eye on the (rumored) Apple tablet.
So, which one will win? We bet for any device that allows you to read a digital edition with a big enough screen, fast internet connection and mimics the experience of web-based digital edition like Mygazines’.
Do you agree? Any additions to the list?
Photo Credit: AdvogadaOnline
An e-paper
Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) revealed a number of flexible display screen technologies in Taipei as part of a show promoting e-readers and e-paper. “This is the first time we’ve showcased this OLED technology. It’s more flexible, light and thinner than before. It’s for the next-era of portable devices,” said John Chen, general director of the Display Technology Center at ITRI.
That would really mimic the experience of reading a magazine/newspaper. Let’s just hope that it gets a commercial release. Any comments?
Photo Credit: TechWorld
The News, 12-23-2009
- American publishers have a name for their digital content partnership: Next Issue Media.
- Hearst Corp. to launch e-store and digital publishing system.
- Slate.com: Tablet will not save print publishing.
- Top court rewrites Canada’s libel laws.
Photo Credit: Teleread
Poll
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