Handheld E-Book Reading
By Donna Loyle, Editor
They're getting smaller, smarter and cheaper—all at the same time. In the last year or two, numerous handheld e-book reading devices have hit the market. Innovative features include audio capabilities; built-in dictionaries; revolutionary easy-on-the-eyes type; backlit LCD screens; highlighting ability; direct Internet connections; and much more. While this article does not cover all of the e-book readers available (for example, many e-titles can be read on Palm PDAs, which are not marketed as e-book reading units), the information below offers a quick roundup of some of the latest and coolest devices recently introduced.
RCA REB1100
The new RCA-brand Gemstar e-book, REB1100 (successor to the Rocket eBook) is lightweight and includes a built-in 28K modem that enables consum-ers to download titles via regular phone lines, directly into the handheld reader; a PC isn't needed. The REB-1100's reading screen is about the size of a standard paperback book, is high-resolution and back-lit for easy viewing. Special features include touch-screen technology; built-in Webster's dictionary; stylus to underline passages and add notes; bookmark pages; and variable font size. The eBook Catalog Service comes with the device, and is updated regularly after the REB1100 is registered. Con-sumers can order new titles only from the catalog. Specifications:
Weight: 18 oz.
Display: 5.5-inch monochrome LDC touch screen with 320x480 resolution and backlight
Memory: 8MB (enough for 8,000 text pages); expandable via Smart Media expansion port to 72MB (70,000 pages)
Modem: 28K
Battery: rechargeable, non-removable Lithium-ion (rated for 20 to 40 hours of continuous use from a single charge)
Suggested retail price: $299
Available from: major electronics retailers, such as Best Buy and Circuit City. For more info: www.thomson-multimedia.com
RCA REB1200
The new RCA-brand Gemstar e-book, REB1200 (successor to the Softbook reader), features a vivid color display and a built-in modem and Ethernet connection that allows consumers to digitally download titles, via standard analog phone lines, directly into the handheld reader—bypassing the need for a PC. To the hand, the device (includes a protective flip-open screen cover) feels like a hardcover book. Special features include a back-lit screen capable of displaying three-dimensional photos; stylus to underline passages and add notes; bookmark pages; and variable font size. It also features the eBook Catalog Service (see REB1100). Specifications:
Weight: 22 oz.
Display: 8.2-inch diagonal color TFT LCD touch-screen
with 480x640 resolution and backlight
Memory: 8MB Compact Flash (5,000 pages); expandable to 128MB (up to 80,000 pages)
Modem: 56K
Broadband: 10 Base T Ethernet to support connections to LANs, cable and DSL modems
Battery: Rechargeable Lithium -ion (rated for 5 to 10 hours depending on backlight level)
Suggested retail price: $699
Available from: major electronics retailers, such as Best Buy and Circuit City. For more info: www.thomson-multimedia.com
Rocket eBook
The Rocket eBook is manufactured by NuvoMedia, a Mt. View, Calif.-based, wholly owned subsidiary of Gemstar-TV Guide International. The paperback-sized Rocket eBook holds about 3,200 pages at a time, while the Rocket eBook Pro holds about 15,200 pages. The device comes with a cradle that plugs into a serial port on the user's PC, from which e-titles can be downloaded, stored and read on the Rocket eBook. Digital rights management (DRM) solutions prevent the e-titles from being read on the user's host PC or Macinstosh, say officials. Device features include the ability to browse, search, annotate, highlight, bookmark, link and reference. There's voice-quality audio, and Rocketwriter allows users to create their own e-books. Each device comes pre-loaded with RocketEngine, an operating system designed for e-books. HTML, Word documents and ASCII text files can up uploaded to the Rocket eBook, but not PDF files. Specifications:
Weight: 22 oz.
Display: 3.5x5.5-inch, 106-dot resolution, touch screen, mono-chrome, white backlight
Memory: Rocket eBook: 4MB Flash. Rocket eBook Pro: 16MB Flash. 32MB card is available.
Battery: rechargeable nickel metal hydride, provides about 20 hours with backlight on or 40 hours without backlight
Suggested retail price: $199
Available from: www.bn.com and www.powells.com For more info: www.rocket-ebook.com
EbookMan
Franklin Electronic Publishers released a line of three hand-held multimedia devices designed to download e-books, audio books and MP3 music files, as well as synchronize personal management applications with the help of Microsoft Outlook. The two high-end units are bundled with value-added applications and content offerings.
Dr. Peter Yianilos, Franklin's acting CTO, recently won the Techno-logy Award at the Inter-national eBook Awards in Frankfurt, Germany, for the eBookMan product line.
The devices use Franklin's proprietary software format, as well as other text-based formats, including TXT and HTML, in addition to Microsoft Reader. Specifications:
* $129.95 unit:
Weight: about seven oz.
Display: 240x200 pixell LCD screen
Memory: 8MB
Battery: requires 2 AAA
* $179.95 unit:
Weight: about seven oz.
Display: 240x200 pixell LCD backlit screens
Memory: 8MB
Battery: requires two AAA batteries
* $229.95 unit:
Weight: about seven oz.
Display: 240x200 pixell LCD backlit screens
Memory: 16MB
Battery: requires two AAA
Available from: Amazon.com, Staples, Office Depot and
more. For more info, check out: www.franklin.com/ebookman
PocketPC
While Microsoft's PocketPCs aren't dedicated e-book readers, the hand-held devices come equipped with Reader software with ClearType, the company's revolutionary new reading software, which closely mimics the look of a printed page. The white background is clear and bright, and the black type looks remarkably like ink on a page.
Other e-book device makers have begun put-ting the software into their units, as well. The program offers features such as instant find, a dictionary, and the ability to bookmark, highlight and adjust font size. The Pocket-PCs—which use the Windows CE operating system—also include scaled-down versions of Microsoft's Word, Excel, Outlook, Internet Explorer and more. Several hardware manufacturers are now marketing the Pocket PC, including Casio, Compaq and Hewlett-Packard. Specifications:
Weight: six to nine oz.
Display: 320x240, 16-bit active matrix color display
Memory: 16 to 32MB
Battery: Lithium-ion
rechargeable (Casio and HP);
lithium-polymer rechargeable (Compaq)
Suggested retail price: $499
Available from: PocketPCs from various manufacturers are available from retailers nationwide. For a list, see the Web site: www.pocketpc.com
Free reader software can be downloaded at www.microsoft .com/reader or www.bn.com.
eBookMan, Simon & Schuster, iPublish Among Winners of e-Book Awards
Peter Yianilos, president and CTO for Franklin Electronic Publishers, received the Technology Award at the first annual eBook Awards held at the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany in October. Franklin Electronic Publishers recently unveiled its e-book reader, eBookMan, a handheld, electronic, multimedia device.The top prize of $100,000 for best fiction work originally published in e-book form was split between two authors: David Maraniss, author of When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi (Simon & Schuster); and E.M. Schorb for his murder mystery e-book Paradise Square (Denlinger's Publishers).
The goals of the awards program were to recognize and hone e-book authors, promote e-publishing to a wide variety of authors from around the world and bring e-books to the wider attention of the reading public, according to Peter Mollman, judging director for the IeBAF foundation, a sponsor, and a former publishing and software executive with World Book and Random House. "Especially gratifying," he adds, "was that so many of the submissions came from pure e-book publishers,
pioneers in this new world." Other award winners include:
* Original e-book category: Ed McBain, The Last Dance (Simon & Schuster); and Larry Colton, Counting Coup (iPublish.com at Time Warner Books)
* E-Book converted from print category: Zadie Smith, White Teeth (Random House).
IeBAF is sponsored by e-book industry leaders such as Microsoft, Reciprocal, Overdrive, Adobe/Glassbook and Open eBook Forum. For more information on the awards: www.iebaf.org
Reciprocal Integrates Microsoft Reader DRM
Reciprocal, a digital rights management (DRM) and digital commerce services company, integrated Microsoft's DRM solution into its 24/7 Digital Clearinghouse Server product. Digital Asset Server (DAS) is Microsoft's technology for providing secure distribution of e-books in Microsoft Reader format. With this integration, noted Reciprocal officials, the company answers demand from its growing network of publishers, e-tailers and distributors for the e-book Reader software format.
www.microsoft.com/reader
www.reciprocal.com
MightyWords and Barnes&Noble.com Team Up to Deliver Digital Titles
MightyWords, the seller and distributor of unique digital content, in partnership with Barnes&Noble.com now offers downloadable and printable titles at the bookseller's Web site. The deal makes digital content from top publishers, branded content providers, and best-selling authors available to Barnes&Noble.com customers, noted partnership officials. The titles are available for download to the Glassbook Reader and Microsoft Reader portable
reading platforms.
www.mightywords.com
www.bn.com
Random House Releases Classics in E-Book Format
Officials of the Modern Library, a Random House imprint, electronically released more than 100 works of classic literature from their bound book backlist in November. The backlist includes works from many cherished authors, including Jane Austen, James Joyce, Charles Dickens, Marcel Proust, Henry James and Willa Cather. Random House officials are working with Reciprocal, a DRM and e-commerce service provider, on the project. The e-book editions feature introductions by familiar writers, updated text and other highlights distinguishing the titles from their earlier printed versions. Titles are available for download in Adobe PDF, Glassbook Reader PDF and Microsoft Reader LIT formats.
www.modernlibrary.com
www.reciprocal.com
Running Press Puts Children's Mystery Series Online
Running Press, a Philadel-phia-based publishing house, released the first editions of the Digital Detectives Myster-ies, printed books with an innovative online component. Children use a designated Web address furnished in the printed books to go online and locate clues to solve the stories' mysteries. While on the Web, readers conduct investigations of suspicious sites and interview "suspects." The publisher teamed up with Philadelphia-based digital content provider EnhanceNOW on the project.
www.runningpress.com
www.enhancenow.com
Palm Users Can Download E-Books
Reciprocal, the Buffalo, New York-based digital rights management (DRM) provider, is planning an early-2001 release of its DRM solution for secure e-book and digital text for 3Com's (Santa Clara, Calif.) Palm Pilot devices, using the Open eBook (OEB) format in secure HTML, notes company officials. Palm users who want to buy e-books or secure text will be able to download and install reader software to their devices. By opening a single consumer account, the user can download a document or e-book to be read on either a PC workstation or Palm Pilot. Meanwhile, Franklin Covey Co., Salt Lake City, Utah, publishers of the bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and other books, announced that its new Franklin Planner Software Suite for Palm handhelds is now bundled with AportisDoc Reader 2.2 from Aportis Technologies, Portland, Ore.. This gives Franklin Coveycustomers the ability to read text documents of any size—including e-books—from the Covey Reference Library, on any Palm device.
www.reciprocal.com
www.franklinplanner.com
www.aportis.com