There are currently six main e-book devices or readers on the market and each has their own competitive advantage over another. They are the Sony Reader, iRex iLiad, Bookeen Cybook Gen3, Amazon Kindle, Hanlin eBook, and STAReBook eRead. Following are some specifications for the 4 most popular e-book devices.
Sony Reader
- Weight
- 8.8 ounces
- Size
- 6.9” x 4.8 x 0.3”
- Storage/Battery
- 7,500 pgs or 3 weeks
- Competitive Advantage
- None
- Cost
- $300
iRex iLiad
- Weight
- 13.7 ounces
- Size
- 6.1” x 8.5 x .63”
- Screen
- 16-level gray scale
- 768 x 1024, 8.1”
- Storage/Battery
- 80 books/up to 12 hrs
- Competitive Advantage
- Uses integrated Wacom Penabled technology( touch screen)
- Built-in wireless
- Cost
- $700
Bookeen Cybook Gen 3
- Weight
- 6.13 ounces
- Size
- 4.7” x 7.4 x 0.3”
- Screen
- 4-level gray scale
- 166 dpi, 6”
- Storage/Battery
- 300 books/8,000 pgs
- Competitive Advantage
- Built-in MP3 player
- Cost
- $350
Amazon Kindle
- Weight
- 10.2 ounces
- Size
- 7.5” x 4.9” x 0.7”
- Screen
- 4-level gray scale
- 600 x 800, 6”
- Storage/Battery
- 200 Books/up to 1 week
- Competitive Advantage
- Built-in Whispernet technology
- Based on Sprints EVDO network
- Has QWERTY keyboard
- Cost
- $260
Oddly, though, there are no favorites among publishers. Rothberg quips, “We love all of our children. Ultimately, the consumer will decide what it likes” (qtd. in Baker par. 4).
Although this may be the prevailing consensus among leading publishers, the different e-book readers offer distinct advantages. While all of the e-book devices can convey only black and white text and images, the iRex iLiad screen has a 16-level gray scale compared with a 4-level gray scale screen for the other 5 e-book devices. While this won’t matter much if someone is reading an e-book, it will matter if they are using their e-book reader for searching the Internet. However, there are currently only two e-books devices that enable a user to connect to the Internet wirelessly, the iRex iLiad and the Amazon Kindle. Through this wireless connection, end-users are also able to access and sign-up for postings from their favorite blogs.
While being able to access blogs and the Internet are definite advantages, purchasers of e-book devices are currently looking toward the devices for reading e-books. Consumers are concerned with three main aspects when deciding whether to purchase an e-book reader:
1) Functionality
2) Ease-of-use
3) Cost
There are proprietary issues involved that determine the functionality and ease-of-use with e-books and their associated e-reader. DRM, or Digital Rights Management dictates the format of the e-books and how the e-book devices operate. DRM is “access control technologies used by publishers and copyright holders to limit usage of digital media or devices … becomes controversial because DRM imposed limitations on the use of legitimately acquired digital media do not necessarily match the fair use rights granted by law to owners of copies … “ (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_rights_management).
The Bookeen Cybook Gen3 is the most flexible when it comes to DRM. The Gen3 supports DRM MOBI files, which allows end-users to buy books from any eBookstore supporting DRM MobiPocket, such as, Fictionwise, CyberRead, eBooks, and Franklin. With that being said, the Gen3 cannot open Sony Reader or Amazon Kindle e-books. The Amazon Kindle limits users to DRM books from Amazon and the Sony Reader limits users to DRM books from Sony Connect.
These proprietary issues limit a user’s options and are another crucial reason why e-book sales haven’t been greater. A person who owns an Amazon Kindle cannot “lend” a book that they’ve read to someone who owns a Sony Reader or BooKeen Cybook Gen3. States Levy states in his article, “The Future of Reading“, that although these proprietary issues do not affect book reading, “it is limiting and annoying. You can’t print out a passage, e-mail it to a friend or copy it into a document. You can’t lend a book to someone, or sell it after you’re finished” (64).
This copy protection issue for e-books and their devices may soon be at an end. International Digital Publishing Forum CEO, Steve Potash, speaking about the functionality and propriety issues that e-books and their devices face, “the field is wide open, and Adobe is well-positioned to seize the market” (qtd. in Baker par. 5). In the last half of 2007, Adobe Systems released a new software application, Adobe Digital Systems 1.0, “for acquiring, managing and reading eBooks, digital newspapers and other digital publications” (Baker par. 6). This software is free and can be downloaded for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh systems.
Before this new software became available, Adobe Digital Systems was already compatible with over 150,000 commercially published titles. Adobe Digital Systems 1.0 works with Adobe InDesign CS3 and allows publishers to create new digital content, helping to reduce cost and conversion time. E-book readers will find that this software is compatible with most e-book devices. This software also supports Adobe Flash software, “which promises to enhance digital publications through the integration of rich audio and video” (Baker par. 8). Not only this, but Adobe Digital Editions works in conjunction with Adobe Digital Editions Protection Technology (ADEPT), “a new, hosted content protection service to guard publishers’ rights while maintaining ease-of-use for consumers” (Baker par. 11).
One final barrier that e-book devices must overcome so that e-books will be more accessible to a wider audience is purchasing price. While individual e-books typically cost less than $10 to purchase, even for new titles, e-book devices range from $300 for the Sony Reader to $700 for the iRex iLiad. This price barrier limits many people from purchasing e-book readers, no matter what the propriety issues may be for e-books. Once the price comes down for e-book readers and the proprietary problems are ironed out for e-books, e-books will eventually be big business.
Summary of Advantages and Disadvantages for the 4 main e-book readers:
Sony Reader
Advantages
- Supports native pdfs
Disadvantages
- No native HTML script
- Limits user to DRM books from Sony Connect
- Does not support DRM’d or encrypted MobiPocket books
- No wireless
- Battery not user replaceable
- Connect Software does not work with Apple/Macs
iRex iLiad
Advantages
- Supports both encrypted & unencrypted MOBI files
- Supports unprotected PDF, HTML, TXT, JPEG, BMP, PNG, PRC files
Bookeen Cybook Gen3
Advantages
- Supports DRM MOBI files
- This allows end users to buy books from any eBookstore supporting DRM MobiPocket, such as, Fictionwise, CyberRead,eBooks, and Franklin
Disadvantages
- Cannot open Connect or Kindle books
Amazon Kindle
Advantages
- Supports unprotected MS Word, HTML, TXT, JPEG, GIF, BMP, PNG, PRC files
Disadvantages
- Limits user to DRM books from Amazon
- Does not support PDFs
- Only supports unencrypted MOBI files
Through this survey of blogs, e-books and their various characteristics and technologies, it is evident that these tools and products are the future of publishing. In fact, it is the future of how people approach every type of media. Blogs and e-books combined influences are affecting the business model of traditional publishing. Books are the last bastions of the 20th century, but that is slowly changing and will continue to change as publishers find new, innovative ways to produce, market and sell digital content.
This concludes my overview of e-books and their associated devices. My next couple of posts will focus on e-ink and the technology behind it. These posts will also include a commercialization plan for e-ink.
Works Cited
Baker, Pam. “The Next Chapter for eBooks.” Ecommerce Times. 29 June 2007. 11 May 2008.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/OlzzGQnOQrPywV/The-Next-Chapter-for-eBooks.xhtml
Castro, Kimberly. “The Future of E-Books.” Business Week. 29 Oct. 2007. 27 Feb. 2008. <http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/oct2007/pi20071026_777647.htm?campaign_id=yhoo>.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_rights_management
http://vspedia.com/1140-Amazon-Kindle-vs-iRex-iLiad
Levy, Steven. “The Future of Reading.” Newsweek. Nov. 2007: 56-64.
Mitting William and Simon Nias. “HarperCollins opts into growing eBook market.” Printweek.com. 1 Apr. 2008. 13 May 2008. <http://www.printweek.com/environment/news/802648/HarperCollins-opts-growing-ebook-market/69154CEB384F1C5B074162AD43BAB816/>.
Nelson, Meredith. “The Blog Phenomenon and the Book Publishing Industry.” Publishing Research Quarterly. 22.2 (2006): 3-26.
Saffo, Paul. “Paul Saffo Examines an Old Idea: E-Books.” Stanford Publishing Courses for Professionals. SPPC 2007. Pod Cast. 11 Feb. 2008. <http://publishingcourses.stanford.edu/blog/labels/SPPC%202007.html>.
Zeitchik, Steven. “Open eBook Forum: People Who Like PDAs and Books Are Likely to Like eBooks.” PW Newsline – Publishers Weekly. 16 Dec. 2002. 7 May 2008.
