Entries tagged with “mobile devices” from Tools of Change for Publishing
O'Reilly iPhone App Tips and Tricks
Adam Witwer
September 4, 2009
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To address some of the most common questions we get, I recently added a page on oreilly.com. I cover three main topics:
- "Hidden" features -- handy things you can do that aren't always obvious in the UI
- Long code lines -- my attempt to help users deal with the question we get most often on the support queues
- Extracting the EPUB files -- yes, there is an EPUB file in that app, and you can get to it quite easily
CrunchPad Tablet Prototype Coming Together
Mac Slocum
June 4, 2009
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The low-cost tablet project ("CrunchPad") from TechCrunch is nearing the working-prototype stage:
This launch prototype is another significant step forward from the last prototype. The screen is now flush with the case and we've decreased the overall thickness to about 18 mm. The case will be aluminum, which is more expensive than plastic but is sturdier and lets us shave a little more off the overall thickness of the device ...
The next time we talk about the CrunchPad publicly will be at a special press and user event in July in Silicon Valley.
The post's associated pictures and video are worth viewing. CrunchPad looks like something Apple would cook up.
Apple is Now a Phone Company
Peter Brantley
October 22, 2008
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Apple reported stunning results for the last quarter, and it has clearly become a dominant phone company in a very short space of time. John Gruber from Daring Fireball has the real punchline, but his analysis of the results is excellent reading as a whole:
My answer: Not long.
Report: No Kindle Launch in UK This Year
Mac Slocum
October 16, 2008
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Europe's complicated mobile landscape will prevent the Kindle from launching in the UK this year, reports The BookSeller:
In an interview with The Bookseller, Brian McBride, managing director of Amazon in the UK, said it was not yet clear when the Kindle would launch in the country ... "In Europe it is a minefield as there are so many [mobile] operators. If you buy a Kindle in the UK and want to read it on the beach on holiday in Spain, unless we have signed deals in Spain it is not going to work on that beach."
Sony's Reader does not include mobile or Wi-Fi connectivity, which may have expedited its recent launch in the UK.
Open Question: All-in-One Devices or Single Use E-Readers?
Mac Slocum
September 15, 2008
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Comparisons between the Kindle and the iPhone often touch on functional differences: the Kindle is a dedicated reading device with a few extra features; the iPhone is a bundled gadget that can serve as an e-reader.
The gap between single- and multi-use devices raises key questions about the future of e-readers and ebooks:
- When it comes to reading digital books, do consumers prefer a dedicated device or an all-in-one gadget?
- Is the market big enough to support both types of devices?
On the Print is Dead blog, Jeff Gomez says dedicated e-readers work well for book reading:
One thing that I don't mind about the Kindle is that it's an extra device. I used to think that I wanted an integrated device -- one thing that did everything -- and that I wouldn't want to carry around yet another device or gadget. But I actually like the fact that the Kindle is (more or less) just a device for the reading of content. Maybe this harkens back to the fact that every book is a destination; you get into bed and pick up a book because you want to read. You don't pick up a book to take pictures, record video or get your voicemail. So the fact that I don't use the Kindle to play solitaire is fine with me. True, that means I can't read something if I leave the house and have just my cell phone in my back pocket. But then again, a cell phone screen is too small, and most books are too big, so carrying a Kindle seems the right compromise.
Alison Flood from The Guardian casts a vote for bundled devices:
I'm waiting for an e-reader that bundles many uses into one: music player, phone, BlackBerry, internet, ebooks. That's what will really make the market take off. Of course they won't ever replace books, but then they're not meant to. It'll be something new and different and very exciting. Just don't drop it in the bath.
Which type of device do you prefer? Please share your thoughts in the comments area.
Moving Ebooks into Mobility Culture
Peter Brantley
September 3, 2008
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Sherman Young writes about how ebooks should be seen in the context of mobile platforms and as part of mobility culture. From M/C Journal:
Instead of seeking to make an e-book culture a replacement for print culture, effectively placing the reading of books in a silo separated from other day-to-day activities, it might be better to situate e-books within a mobility culture, as part of the burgeoning range of social activities revolving around a connected, convergent mobile device. Reading should be understood as an activity that doesn't begin with a particular device, but is done with whatever device is at hand. In much the same way that other media producers make content available for a number of platforms, book publishers should explore the potential of the new mobile devices.
Over 45 million smartphones were sold globally in the first three months of 2008 ("Gartner")--somewhat more than the estimated shipments of e-book reading devices. As well as allowing a range of communications possibilities, these convergent devices are emerging as key elements in the new digital mediascape--one that allows users access to a broad range of media products via a single pocket-sized device. Each of those smartphones makes a perfectly adequate e-book reading device, and it might be useful to pursue a strategy that embeds book reading as one of the key possibilities of this growing mobility culture.
Open Question: Do You Read Books on a Cell Phone?
Mac Slocum
August 27, 2008
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Mobile book reading is already popular in Japan and anecdotal evidence suggests it could be catching on elsewhere. I'm curious to see how prevalent phone-based book reading is within the TOC community.
- Have you ever read an ebook on a cell phone? (This doesn't include Kindles, Sony Readers and other standalone e-reader devices).
- Have you read more than one ebook on a cell phone? If yes, how many do you typically read in a year?
- What inspired you to first read books on your phone?
- In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of reading books on phones?
Please share your thoughts in the comments area.
A Vote for One-Use Gadgets
Peter Brantley
August 14, 2008
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Jeff Gomez, in his series on owning a Kindle, voices a preference for multiple gadgets each doing one thing well:
One thing that I don't mind about the Kindle is that it's an extra device. I used to think that I wanted an integrated device -- one thing that did everything -- and that I wouldn't want to carry around yet another device or gadget. But I actually like the fact that the Kindle is (more or less) just a device for the reading of content. Maybe this harkens back to the fact that every book is a destination; you get into bed and pick up a book because you want to read. You don't pick up a book to take pictures, record video or get your voicemail. So the fact that I don't use the Kindle to play solitaire is fine with me. True, that means I can't read something if I leave the house and have just my cell phone in my back pocket. But then again, a cell phone screen is too small, and most books are too big, so carrying a Kindle seems the right compromise.
Kindle Projections, Roadblocks and Sightings
Peter Brantley
August 12, 2008
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Theresa Poletti from MarketWatch comments on the relative absence of Kindle sightings, particularly in Silicon Valley:
The biggest problem is the fact that the Kindle is only available online, via the Amazon.com Website. For many consumer electronics products, potential buyers need to touch and feel the device, to pick it up and play with it, before making any kind of purchasing commitment ...
Another roadblock for the Kindle is design. The company offers no alternative colors to the chalky white, which gets dirty easily and "looks cheap" according to [Rob] Enderle. He notes that the competing Sony eReader is more stylish, though it lacks many of the service components that make the Kindle popular.
Which Game is the Kindle Changing?
Mac Slocum
August 7, 2008
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Labeling the Kindle a game changer is premature, says Liz Gunnison from Portfolio:
... the Kindle's target buyer would be a person who reads so much that they have ceased instilling books and periodicals with nostalgic value...yet not so much that they are rarely far enough from a computer to really need a separate device.
To top it off, one can imagine a single device (and Amazon account) being used by an entire household. And we're talking only about those that choose a Kindle, of course, rather than a competing device such as Sony's portable reader.
So, all things considered, how many Kindles does that work out to? Two million? One million? Five hundred thousand? [Emphasis included in original post.]
Gunnison's analysis looks at the Kindle as a book game changer, but Gary Frost from futureofthebook.com says the device is actually a shopping disruptor:
The book reading function is a decoy to disguise a portable shopping device. The one click is a well known Amazon purchase feature. The connected Kindle device makes this relation portable and the format is just as accessible for a baby register or power tools as it is for books. Its also worth a mention that Kindle sells print books.
Frost is on to something. Amazon built its early business on books, but it eventually diversified with thousands of additional product categories. The Kindle might follow a similar path: sink the first mobile-buying/digital-consuming hook into early adopters with the Kindle, then expand.
Mobile Frenzy Feeds Mobile Carriers
Peter Brantley
July 25, 2008
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During the "2018: Life on the Net" panel at the Fortune Brainstorm: Tech conference, Joichi Ito noted that money sometimes follows money in a not necessarily thoughtful manner. One example is in mobile, where the mobile frenzy is in actuality pumping very significant amounts of money into the carriers' pockets. It's an important point to remember. Here's the clip from Silicon Valley Watcher:
And here is some supporting food for thought from mocoNews:
Matt Murphy, partner at Kleiner Perkins Caulfield Byers and head of their "iFund" investment pool for the iPhone, said early results from the App Store prove the potential growth opportunity. In just 10 days more applications were downloaded for the iPhone than what a carrier will typically see in a month from wallpaper and ringtone sales, he said.
Mobile Barcode Scanners and Retail Stores on Collision Course
Peter Brantley
July 15, 2008
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Ilya Vedrashko points out a near-term future scenario in which retail sites are going to have to entirely rethink what integration into online services means:
The obvious future of in-store experience: you find something you like, reach into your pocket for a small device, scan the barcode, and the device tells you whether and where the same product is available for a lower price. Brick-and-mortar stores become little more than showrooms for merchandise bought elsewhere.
This future just got one step closer today [July 12] with the release of an iPhone app Checkout SmartShop, "a shopping assistant meant to help you find online and local prices when you're out and about shopping." For now, you still need to type in the UPS code; they are working on converting the iPhone camera into a barcode scanner.
Ebook Adoption Could Come from Mobile Apps, Not Hardware
Peter Brantley
July 11, 2008
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Martyn Daniels speculates on the real breakthrough for Apple -- its store -- and the ramifications for ebooks; particularly, who is best positioned to take advantage of providing tools to the market:
Many have said that if Apple were to create an ebook reader then the market would take off. Others have agreed that the content and it[s] packaging would need to change also to fit the mobile demands. What is clear is that the mobile applications market is hoting and opening up and it may not be Apple who now has to create that magic connection. Interestingly it is not rocket science to understand that the reason that Adobe back[ed] the epub standard so heavily and developed the only DRM to support it today was to have re-flow text that can be rendered on the mobile platform.
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