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Google eBooks now live
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Google, Internet
Today the rumored Google Editions, the new ebooks service from the search giant, was revealed as Google eBooks, along with their eBookstore. The basic idea is to provide everyone books they can purchase that are available in a format that allows them to be read on the web, on devices, anywhere they are, as a simple web page. As of now they have around 4,000 publishing partners and are offering the service in the US only, although they also offer their free ebooks worldwide as part of the greater Google Books project. They are said to be working on around 35,000 publishing partners worldwide for their launch in other markets. Major publishers will get 70% of the list price, while others will keep 52%. Many of the bought books use DRM, or copy protection, and can be viewed on devices supporting ACS4, which includes the Nook but not the Amazon Kindle. If you use their online web reader platform, all your ebooks will be stored on the cloud, and remember your current page wherever you go, as explained in the colorful video above.
Read More 
| Google ebookstore
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Google Editions ebook service set to launch this year
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Google, Internet
Google Editions is an initiative Google has been working on for a while now, their own e-book venture that aims to compete with Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and others. Word is now making the rounds that t's set to launch by the end of the year in the US. As Google describes it, one of the main features that sets it apart from competitors is the fact that the books sold through this service will be open, available through a web browser, and thus readable on any device that can connect to the Internet. They also plan to have native applications so people can access the e-books offline. Finally, referrals will be available, in order to create an ecosystem between Google and publishers of all types. The company will obviously need to create deals with those various publishers, but that is said to be well on its way. Prices are not known yet, but they should be equivalent to other stores.
Read More | WSJ
2010 Holiday Gift Guide: Amazon Kindle
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Handhelds, Women, Men, Techies, Under $250
The latest release of the Amazon Kindle, the company's ebook reader, seriously changed the game in the ereader world. It's thinner and lighter than any previous model, it packs in Wi-Fi for the first time, and it is much cheaper despite being the best Kindle they've made to date, and that's why we're adding it to our 2010 Holiday Gift Guide. You can get the Wi-Fi model for just $139, or if you need the Wi-Fi + 3G model, that one goes for $189. Thing is, we'd bet that most anyone would do just fine with the Wi-Fi only model, and for $139, you get a cool gadget that book lovers will...uh...love! They're available in white and graphite colors, and we'd recommend picking on up sooner rather than later, because these are gonna be a hot one this year.
Read More | Amazon Kindle
Forrester: E-book sales to hit $1 billion this year
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Corporate News
Research firm Forrester has released some numbers on E-book sales for the year, and they're betting that this is the first year where e-book sales will reach close to $1 billion. They also say that by 2015, that amount will pass the $3 billion mark. The survey questioned 4,000 people and indicated that more and more people get their books in digital form. While only 7% read books in e-book format now, they spend a lot of money on them, and that figure will continue to grow. It seems the most popular device to read e-books on is the desktop computer, followed by the Amazon Kindle, Apple iPhone and Sony eReader.
Read More | CNet
Barnes & Noble Nook Color announced
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Handhelds
Barnes & Noble just announced the nook Color, their next-generation color touchscreen nook ebook reader with 7-inch display, powered by Android. They're saying it's a cross between a tablet device and e-reader, and it'll obviously integrate with a bunch of web services and apps (it's already got Facebook and Twitter integration.) Wi-Fi (but not 3G) is built right in, and the display is impressive at 1024x600 resolution with IPS technology and supporting 16 million colors which B&N refers to as "VividView." The nook Color will ship on November 19th, and you can pre-order it now for $249.
Read More | nook Color
Comic Book Jobs: Tokyopop
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, TokyoPop
One way to measure the health of an industry is whether or not you can find a job in it. It’s been a couple of years since the Los Angeles-based Tokyopop experienced a rapid decline in sales and cancelled bunches of books and let some people go amid a massive restructuring.
Now they appear to be hiring again, and good news for them, and for you, if your resume meets their qualifications.
First up is a Manga Editorial Line Coordinator who will report to the CEO.
You’ll assist in the “acquisition process, plan and schedule releases, make freelance assignments” and even better “keep fans apprised of new releases.”
You’ll need a Bachelor’s Degree, at least 3 years of professional experience and familiarity with the usual social media marketing techniques as well as Japanese language skills.
Is there a downside? Well oh yes. “This is a demanding position requiring significant overtime on a weekly basis.”
Amazon Kindle 3 review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Handhelds, Product Reviews, Wireless / WiFi
With the release of the iPad, many started writing off dedicated eBook readers like the Kindle and the nook, saying there was no place for devices that were dedicated to doing just one task when there are more powerful devices that can do the task just as well, while also meeting a myriad of other needs. Sure, in theory, that sounds about right; but you have have to take things like price into account. With the third generation Kindle, Amazon decided they’d rethink the price structure for the Kindle eBook reader, while also revamping the design a bit. Rather than going full color like many were hoping for, Amazon instead made the decision to try and make the best eBook reader on the market, and to sell it at an extremely competitive price. They announced the third gen Kindle a month ago, and it has finally started arriving on the doorsteps of eager buyer. So, how’d they do? Read on for our full review.
Click to continue reading Amazon Kindle 3 review
Amazon Kindle 3 (2010) unboxing gallery
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Galleries, Handhelds
When Amazon announced the Kindle 3 last month, the price alone made it obvious that it would be the best-selling Kindle that Amazon has ever put out. However, the specs and size of the device just add to the fact that this is the eBook reader to own if you are looking for a standalone device. Our Kindle 3 review is also live, giving you all our thoughts on the latest from Amazon, but feel free to feast your eyes on our unboxing gallery and get a look at the new hotness from all angles.
Gallery: Amazon Kindle 3 (2010) unboxing gallery
Apple adds eBook publishing to iWork with 9.0.4 update
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Software
In an apparent effort to make it easier for the common-folk to publish eBooks, Apple has added the ability to export documents from Pages using the ePub format. As many of us know, ePub is the eBook standard used by Apple’s iBooks app, their eBook reader software for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. The update also addresses other issues in Keynote, Pages, and Numbers, but that’s the most significant change. You can grab the update now by firing up Software Update.
Read More | iWork 9.0.4 details
Win a copy of Bartleby’s Book of Buttons for iPad
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Announcements, Apple, Features, Handhelds, Software
We’ve covered Bartleby’s Book of Buttons a few times here on the site, mostly because we think it’s a great app that has a lot of potential to set the stage for some truly interactive storytelling on the iPad and other gesture-based devices. Okay, enough of all that future talk, let’s talk about what we’ve got going on today. We will be giving away two copies of Bartleby’s Book of Buttons Vol. 1: The Far Away Land for iPad at the end of the day to two randomly chosen entrants.
Here’s how to enter:
- Follow the Gear Live Twitter account
- On Twitter, post this tweet about our contest: “Hey @gearlive hook me up with Bartleby for iPad! http://gear.lv/e-bartleby-ipad-i” (Click here to tweet this now)
That’s it! We’ll announce two winners later on, and get them download codes that’ll score you Bartleby from iTunes at no cost. You can check out our Bartleby photo gallery and our Bartleby video interview with Monster Costume for more - and you can also check it out on the App Store.
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