Weekly links on mobile e-books & self publishing 06.02.2010

Author: nizejpodpisany

Date: February 6, 2010

Category: English, Shared

iTablet launches in the UK. This is uncanny…
February 5, 2010
Well this is awkward. A UK company has launched a range of Windows or Linux-based tablets and branded it the iTablet. A screenshot can be found to the right, and while it’s hardly likely to have Jobs knees wobbling, it doesn’t look all that bad. Due to start shipping in April 2010, it runs Windo...
Sony hints at iPad competitor
February 4, 2010
The Apple iPad may have disappointed some that expected the device to do and offer more. Most gadget fans can find something that they like about the iPad. The device will be shipping soon and we will see how well the buying public responds to the price and features of the iPad. Sony has dropped a...
E-reader statisfaction study shows 93 percent of users are happy, just not you
February 4, 2010
The wind sure changes very quickly, eh? Just a week ago the University of Georgia revealed that many of its study participants -- Athens residents who were given a Kindle to play with -- weren't happy with their e-reader experience, but yesterday a new study reported something fairly contrasting. Ra...
iPhone Apps Get Web Previews
February 4, 2010
Back in November, Apple quietly rolled out iTunes Preview, which created a web-based page for iTunes albums and song tracks. Earlier this year, the company added song samples to iTunes Preview, further fueling speculation of a web-based iTunes client. Today, the company is completing the circuit, so...
Is it vanity to self-publish?
February 4, 2010
It's hard to say when respectable, even sensible ambition, shades into hollow ego-trippingI still remember the rising excitement as I ripped open the envelope. The letter inside glowed with praise for my work. "At last," I thought, "somebody has 'got' what I'm trying to do with my writing. A real L...
Polish author finds “reading devices” is inapropriate langage
February 1, 2010
Polish author Piotr Kowalczyk has found out something very interesting. This is from his English language blog Password Incorrect: I opened last week a little Amazon store at my blog, where I list products which fit my interests. Today I was trying to create a Listmania list with e-reading devices...
Wattpad Annouces iPad-Optimized App
February 3, 2010
Wattpad, the eBook-based social network, sounded what's likely to be a very, er, popular note yesterday, announcing an iPad-optimized version of its iPhone app. Wattpad says the optimized app will be available concurrently with the iPad launch at the end of March. Ivan Yuen, CTO of Wattpad, said...
Google Chrome Tablet vs. iPad: Open vs. Closed
February 4, 2010
There's talk that one of the things up Google's increasingly packed sleeve is a tablet PC built to run Google's upcoming Chrome OS. Yesterday, ReadWriteWeb posted a comparison between what Google would offer with a Chrome tablet and what Apple is promising with its iPad. Basically, the difference...
Is the Apple vs. Amazon eBook Battle Going to be Vicious? Stanza Forced to Remove USB Book Sharing Feature
February 3, 2010
Did you know that Amazon has two ebook reader apps for the iPhone? The first app released was not the Kindle for iPhone app. The first ebook reader app released was... Stanza ...although Amazon didn't buy its parent company (Lexcycle) until after its initial release (company purhcased in April 200...
How many apps do you use?
February 4, 2010
How many applications that you have installed on your phone do you regularly use? I have installed 31 applications on my T-Mobile myTouch phone, of which I probably use 6 on a regular basis. The counts do not include the Android built-in applications that I also use on a daily basis. Like most peopl...
Stanza eBook App Forced By Apple To Remove Book Sharing Feature
February 2, 2010
Users of the popular Stanza e-book reading app for iPhone can no longer move books to their PC with a USB cable. In an updated version to its Stanza app, Amazon Inc.-owned developer Lexcycle said Apple required the company to remove a function that allowed USB file transfer.
Gil Laroya: Does Technology Replace Humanity?
February 3, 2010
Something that I've always feared about technology and social interaction, is what it brings us, versus what it takes away. With all of the cool features, gadgets and innovations that come with technology, "how" you ask "can technology take things away?". It's as simple as this -- technology dumbs d...
Textbook Publishers Embrace iPad Apps for Education
February 3, 2010
Textbook publishers have already enlisted the third-party services of developers to build adaptations of textbooks for the iPad, the Wall Street Journal reports. McGraw-Hill, Houghton Mifflin, Pearson and Kaplan have struck deals with iPhone and iPod touch developers ScrollMotion Inc. to build appli...
Amazon Said to Buy Touch Start-Up
February 4, 2010
The Internet retailer has acquired Touchco, a New York start-up, according to a person briefed on the deal.
Entelligence: Lessons from the iPad launch
February 1, 2010
Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and ma...
How the iPad is Changing Interaction Design
February 1, 2010
Applications that looked amazing on larger multi-touch experiences like Microsoft Surface may have a more affordable consumer-facing counterpart. While the iPad has been widely criticized, many startups are thrilled by its possibilities. In mid-November we featured Paris-based Pearltrees as a new de...
5 Essential Tools for the Mobile Journalist
February 1, 2010
The multi-function playground that is the smartphone has shrunk the capabilities of a van-sized 1970’s news team into the pocket of a single reporter. Today, front-page news can stream from any individual with a cell phone camera and a Twitter account, as it did during Iran’s election protests l...
Random rules for ideas worth spreading
January 31, 2010
If you've got an idea worth spreading, I hope you'll consider this random assortment of rules. Like all rules, some are made to be broken, but still... You can name your idea anything you like, but a google-friendly name is always better than one that isn't. Don't plan on appearing on a reality sh...
Too much data leads to not enough belief
January 21, 2010
Business plans with too much detail, books with too much proof, politicians with too much granularity... it seems as though more data is a good thing, because data proves the case.In my experience, data crowds out faith. And without faith, it's hard to believe in the data enough to make a leap. Big...
How To Create a Detailed Apple iPad Icon in Photoshop
February 1, 2010
The Internet world exploded with the news of the Apple tablet launch last week. Named the iPad, it’s set to bring yet another revolution to the way people access and browse the web. An iPad icon would be a sensible addition to any web designer’s resources toolbox, so let’s fire up Photoshop an...
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