Sony

2007 might well be remembered as the year when, a few months after the final installment of “Harry Potter” hit the shelves to blockbuster acclaim, the “To Read or Not to Read” report was issued by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The report raised serious concerns about the future of reading in this country: Amount and proficiency are on the decline, the report found, especially among young adults and older teens. Then, there are new U.S. Census numbers, released in December 2007, that show that the number of hours per person spent reading consumer books has been basically flat over the

Sony Electronics has unveiled a new version of its e-book reading device, the Reader Digital Book. This second edition of the Reader offers users a host of upgrades from the previous model, including an enhanced display that delivers crisper, clearer text and images, and restyled controls for quick, easy navigation. A new USB-based, mass-storage capability allows users to directly transfer documents, images and other files to the device. An auto-sync feature also lets users set up file folders that can be automatically synchronized when the device is connected to a PC. “For people on the go, this device is compelling because

Borders and Sony are teaming up on a partnership that the companies hope will help ignite e-book sales in the United States. The agreement includes a new, co-branded version of Sony’s online store for e-book downloads, which is expected to be launched in October. In addition, Borders will expand the sale of the Sony Reader––the e-book reading device launched by Sony about 10 months ago––to more than 500 of its stores nationwide beginning next month. Currently, the Reader is on sale in approximately 270 Borders stores. The announcement comes at a time when e-book sales are booming in Japan, but remain underwhelming by most accounts in

The book industry is writing a new chapter, as Moka LLC, a “personal mobile knowledge assistant provider,” announces Moka mBooks—which delivers a selection of writings from best-selling books directly to cell phones or e-mail via Short Message Service (SMS) text-message and e-mail technology. SMS is available on most digital mobile phones and a steadily increasing range of other devices (including Pocket PC, desktop computers and some fixed phones) that permit the sending of short text messages between these devices. It is now offering text from 76 introductory titles from authors including Sylvia Browne, Dan Millman, and Wayne Dyer. “We are proud to be bringing

The staff of Zagat Survey LLC consisted of just Tim and Nina Zagat when the pair first set off in 1979 to compile restaurant reviews contributed by their friends to help create the first of their popular restaurant guides. The book series since has become virtually synonymous with dining, and the staff consists of 110 full-time employees, plus local editors in more than 70 cities around the globe. Tim Zagat, the CEO of Zagat Survey, faces the same challenges that other publishers do as his company prepares to face the opportunities and challenges that digital content delivery creates. What are the biggest challenges you

E-books may still be only a small part of the total publishing market, but e-book sales are growing, and many expect big things for the format in the near future. EBooks Corporation Ltd., which provides more than 70,000 e-book titles to consumers at eBooks.com, estimates that the e-book market hit $130 million in 2006, and expects it to reach $220 million this year. “Five years out, the total e-book market will be between $3 billion and $5 billion,” projects Stephen Cole, managing director of eBooks, which has partnerships with 327 publishers worldwide, including Random House, Simon & Schuster, Zondervan, Dell, Warner Books and Oxford University

Can Sony do for electronic books what Apple has done for digital music and video? The electronics giant took its first steps in finding out, as it formally revealed its much-talked-about digital reading device and a dedicated online electronic bookstore. The company began offering both to bibliophiles in the United States in early October. Sony announced that its paperback-sized Portable Reader System (PRS-500)—which is a half-inch thick and weighs nine ounces—would retail for $349.99. The device, which Sony states is able to hold up to 80 electronic books without expanded memory, went on pre-sale on the company’s Web site and became available in

Adobe is making a play in the world of e-books with the release of a new user-friendly application that will allow people to view digital editions of books and magazines on their computers. Nearly a month after Sony introduced its new Reader device to the market, the Adobe revealed Adobe Digital Editions, new, free e-book viewer and manager software, at the MAX 2006 conference in Las Vegas. Digital Editions will allow users to read and manage eBooks, digital magazines and digital newspapers on their computers. The software is a new introduction to the e-book viewer market for Adobe. The company currently offers Adobe Reader, a PDF-based

Another chapter in the battle for book search dominance was written last week as Google issued additional subpoenas to other major book search players in a bid for information the company believes could be used in its future legal battles. According to published reports this week by Bloomberg, the Mountain View, Calif.-based company filed paper on Oct. 5 in U.S. District Court to seek information from Amazon.com, Microsoft and Yahoo about each of the rival book searches for future use in several lawsuits Google faces. The world’s largest online retailer (Amazon), largest software producer (Microsoft) and most-popular U.S. Web site (Yahoo) have all announced or

Can Sony do for electronic books what Apple has done for digital music and video? The electronics giant took its first steps in finding out, as it formally revealed its much-talked-about digital reading device and a dedicated online electronic bookstore this week. The company said Tuesday that both would be available to bibliophiles in the United States starting in October. Sony announced that its paperback-sized Portable Reader System (PRS-500) -- a thin, half-an-inch device weighing only nine ounces -- would retail for $349.99. The device, which Sony states is able to hold up to 80 electronic books without expanded memory, went on pre-sale Wednesday on