If you've read Part 1 that was online yesterday, today's story delves deeper into issues revolving around eBooks and the technology surrounding them. Let's start by looking at options as far as eBook readers are concerned. While most readers are free, an exception is the Rocket RCA eBook 1100, currently priced at US $ 299. It's a neat-looking portable device that promises to hold up to a dozen books in one little piece of hardware, apart from offering lots of other features.
For a comparison of three main readers in detail, to help you choose one that suits you best, check out (http://ebooks.barnesandnoble.com/education/compare_readers.asp?userid=3WRU8AGL6L).
Assuming you've downloaded a reader, what do you do next? Why, you're ready to browse through eBook bookshelves around the world! Ebooks.com has a unique concept that lets users cut pieces from many books and pack them into a single digital anthology. It's fast, cheap, convenient and extremely useful for students. Barnes and Nobles also has a full fledged eBook section and offers the latest releases in a number of formats ranging from Microsoft Reader to Rocket editions.
Back to the copyright issues involved. After the current imbroglio the music industry is going through, the protection of digital material from infringement and unauthorised proliferation is an issue being dealt with very seriously by developers. Says Patricia Halstead of Versaware, Pune, a leader in the Internet and electronic publishing industry: "Most ebook formats have their own encryption rules e.g. for a palm book, the user has to key in his PID (which is the device number), and this gets encrypted on the fly so the downloaded book can only be read on this device."
Currently, eBook developers hope to unify the industry with the Open eBook 1.0 Publication Structure Specification (http://www.openebook.org/), a public domain offering that outlines a common file format for eBook based content based on HTML and XML. One of the biggest issues is the lack of security, though Open eBook Authoring Group and other developers are addressing this issue. Working together, they have crafted proposals in DRM and a common content format to secure the future of eBooks.
A good reference guide to the who's who in the digital copyright industry and their initiatives can be found at the ePaper Center at Adobe.com (www.adobe.com/epaper/features/newleaf/whoswho.html).
Where there are eBooks, there have to be people providing the content in readable form. Worldwide, a number of companies have jumped into the fray recognising that, as the epublishing industry advances, the need for providers of econtent will also see a significant rise. Versaware Inc (www.versaware.com), a world leader in the Internet and electronic publishing, has fuelled the exploding worldwide demand for 'intelligent' feature rich content, with its proprietary enabling technology and platform neutral distribution channels.
Versaware Technologies headquartered in New York City USA, has a
Research & Development plant at Jerusalem, Israel and a large Production
& Development set up at Pune, India. This division is responsible for
e-book creation and formatting for various electronic devices and
intermediate formats. The production process entails converting e-files
and printed books into any of the desired electronic book formats - XML,
HTML, LIT, OEB, PDF(Scan and Text), Glassbook, Gemstar and VEB.
Versaware Technologies doesn’t just produce ebooks, it also facilitates
creation and design of electronic bookstores which allows online
purchase of ebooks.
Proof that eBooks are here to stay comes in the form of a number of related developments around the world. There's the launch of RCA's REB1100 eBook device, for example, which hit retail stores in the US this month. Many eBook enthusiasts have had difficulty finding answers to all of their questions about the device, which differs from the Rocket eBook in some important ways. To help stem the confusion, eBookNet has assembled this unofficial list of answers (http://www.ebooknet.com/story.jsp?id=4173) to frequently asked questions. A demonstration of the new REB 1100 can also be found at the RCA site (http://www.rca.com/)
Now for some good news -- an eBook reader for the blind. News sources online reveal that a U.S. government standards body is close to unveiling an ebook reader for the blind that transforms electronic text into Braille. The reader was demonstrated at the National Institute of Standards and Technology's ebook conference (http://www.itl.nist.gov/div895/ebook2000/) in Washington, D.C. It connects to a computer or a portable device and translates any document -- be it an e-book, email or other text file -- while browsing on the Web. The reader will cost less than $1,000 as compared to current Braille models that can run up to $15,000!
Keeping in mind the impact eBooks can have for students warrants a little more on Versaware eStudyBooks. Powerful and interactive, these textbooks allow users to search through multiple books and highlight important passages. Students can create notes directly inside their books and export them to their friends. They can also save web research in binders, and check out fully embedded motion media such as video, sounds, speeches and interactive charts. Leading publishers including McGraw Hill, Prentice Hall, Addison Wesley and John Wiley and Sons have chosen Versaware eStudyBooks as their format of choice for electronic textbooks. Online learning companies like eCollege.com have also partnered with Versaware to offer students a privately branded bookstore where they can purchase Versabook textbooks and reference titles, and then view then online.
BBC Worldwide recorded a new first this month when it published its first ebook on November 13 -- the novel, 'On The Edge' (www.ontheedgebook.co.uk) by Rupert Smith. The USP here is the speed of accessing the eBook, which will enable users to read the work ten days before it is published in paperback format in the UK.
While it is probably unlikely that you will curl up on a bench beside the beach with an ebook, the verdict seems to be clear - ebooks are here to stay! Which brings us, finally, to the question haunting bookworms, publishers, and booklovers everywhere: Will all this lead to the end of the paperback?
An answer comes well encapsulated from the author of Ice Candy Man, Bapsi Sidhwa who, in a recent interview with rediff.com, said: "The world around us is changing at such a dizzying pace that I dare not predict what the future of reading will be like. Already I find some of my students do their reading and research only on the Internet. I am fairly sure of one thing only -- and that is that storytelling and the need to hear stories will never die."
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