A single portal to download all E-Magazines might not be too far away
filed in Ebook Reader, Mobile Productivity, Web Productivity on Nov.25, 2009
With the popularity of Ebook readers like Sony, Kindle and Nook, we might be seeing a shift in the magazine and newspaper market.
Warren Buffett the legendary investor who invests in Washington Post, famously u-turn and declared that this industry is going to die and I have to say he has a point.
The iPhone really change this with its 3.5 inch screen because at that size it can be a good e book reader. Even nowadays i read story books and pdf books using Good Reader on my iPod and i enjoyed it. If not i can read it off Safari which is not too shabby.
With the coming of iTablet and 5-10 inch mobile devices, the book and magazine publishers cannot ignore this segment.
Source says that Time and other publishers are looking at setting up a single web portal for downloading magazines from all different companies to any reader device as well as ordering print copies. The sources described it as like iTunes, but for magazines.
The venture is being driven by Time Inc and Time’s Executive VP John Squires. The companies in on the venture include Time Inc., Condé Nast and Hearst. Between those three they publish more than 50 magazines, such as The New Yorker,Vanity Fair, Vogue, Time, People, Sports Illustrated, Esquire and O, The Oprah Magazine.
The e-magazines will be designed to run on all possible platforms, including iPhones, Ebook Readers, PCs and tablets. No ebooks will be involved, just magazines. The report says the deal is not finalized since more publishers may be coming into the deal, but it could be announced within weeks the next few weeks.
The way i see it they have to offer it in PDF or a universal format. if no universal format is reached the success of this portal will eventually make this an universal format.
What we will see:
- The transformation of publishing industry and the cost and revenue associated with it
- The standards war for Ebook and Emagazine format
December 8th, 2009 on 11:51 PM
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December 14th, 2009 on 11:13 AM
First, let me say that the Kindle 2 is my first dedicated ebook reader (previously I’ve read ebooks on my computer). So I’m not approaching the new Kindle from the standpoint of whether it’s worthwhile to upgrade, but whether it’s worth it for a new buyer.
My conclusion: It definitely is. I love this device!
I love the lack of eyestrain. I’ve read steadily since I got it (four and a half long books thus far), and it doesn’t strain my eyes any more than print reading– less, really, since I need bifocals but haven’t quite gotten around to getting them yet, and the Kindle lets me adjust the font size. Reading novels on my computer made my eyeballs feel like they were going to pop out after a while. Reading on the Kindle, on the other hand, is a pleasant and easy experience. The lack of backlight is not a problem for me, as I read it just as I do any other book.
It’s just as lightweight and easy to handle as promised. I’ve read it lying down in bed, lounging on the couch, sitting in the carpool line at preschool… I find it awesomely convenient to be carrying around a library of twenty-five books (hey, I’m just getting started here!) on a device that’s smaller than a trade paperback. I’ve already gotten to the point where my Kindle goes everywhere I go. If I have to wait in line at a restaurant or a doctor’s office, it’s great to be able to grab my Kindle and start reading whatever I feel like reading at that moment. The buttons are self-explanatory and easy to handle, and yes, after a while the device really does seem to “disappear.”
I love the automatic bookmark feature. The fact that the Kindle remembers where I was reading, so I don’t have to, is nice. Also, the built-in dictionary is very useful and will probably improve my vocabulary, as it enables me to look up the word instantly, rather than trying to remember to look it up later (and usually forgetting). I also enjoy the ease of ordering books– I do tend to do my surfing of Amazon on the computer, because it’s faster, but if I’m in the bookstore and spot a book I want to read, it’s nice to be able to order it directly from my Kindle.
The selection of Kindle books is good. I have found a few I couldn’t yet obtain (Catch-22 is not yet available in a Kindle edition, go figure!), but I do realize that’s in large part a publisher issue– some publishers may not be willing to have their books put into e-format. So I don’t blame Amazon for that. Overall, the pricing structure seems reasonable– $9.99 for a book that sells for much more in hardback doesn’t bother me (I do draw the line at spending any more, however), and many books are cheaper than that. I’ve also found plenty of free or almost-free older books, which has allowed me to pad my library with comfort reading like “White Fang” and “Little Women,” as well as classics I’ve never gotten around to reading somehow.
The device itself is certainly not cheap, and even in the long haul, I don’t expect that it’s going to save me significant money. I don’t have a problem with that, as it’s a luxury item. It’s like buying an iPod– no one HAS to have an iPod, but it’s a great thing to have. I am getting a great deal of enjoyment out of my Kindle, and don’t begrudge the price at all. I bought the standard leather cover, since I carry the Kindle with me in my purse, and I like the way it folds back out of the way when I read.
The one thing I would like to see in the next generation of Kindle is a larger screen. If the designers could figure out a way to have the screen extend all the way down the front of the device, I think that would improve the reading experience just a bit. But that’s not a complaint, just a suggestion. Overall, I’m very pleased with my Kindle 2. In fact, after only a couple of weeks, I’m already addicted to it!
December 14th, 2009 on 8:07 PM
im glad you enjoyed it chris. i love reading on my ipod touch as well. The screen is much smaller than yours but it goes whereever i go and that means i bring alot of books with me all the time!