Pocket PC eBooks Watch - eBook and beyond  
 http://cebooks.blogspot.com 

Really Rare
Archive CD Books Project (Rod Neep)
A small, English company that offers CD-ROM reproductions of about 800 rare and antique titles in Adobe PDF format. An excellent resource for history students and family genealogists, the archive has everything from periodicals like the Illustrated London News to an 1869 edition of Isabella Beeton's Book of Household Management, plus an impressive collection of census and parish records from all over Britain. (info from Slate)

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/30/2002

Pocket PC Impassion
Zimmermann's Bring on DRM!
I am beginning to hope for efficient yet somewhat liberal DRM will put an end to this ever increasing level of copying. In the absence of feeling guilty, technical means are apparently the only way to go.
I've had to call Microsoft for the first time in order to get another activation for Office XP after switching PCs and it was no problem. I have a couple of Reader eBooks and it was pretty easy to get another activation granted due to the new PC.
"join the rants"

posted by Jerry permanent link

Live eBook
E-textbooks clicking with colleges
Most greet e-books with enthusiasm, but wariness remains
The student forum is one of dozens of interactive and multimedia features in the electronic textbook written and produced by astronomy and physics professor Ruiz. Along with his academic credentials, he's an accomplished musician, and a veteran experimenter in all types of technology.
All three of those interests contribute to the interactivity of his online texts, filled with music, movies, experiments, and incentives. He's also created an e-book for his physics of sound class, filled with online videos of his own piano and keyboard performances.
Fast updates, around-the-clock access: Ruiz's electronic texts are Internet-based. Students access the class Web site on a with a login and password. One major advantage over traditional texts is Ruiz's ability to update information, literally within minutes. And that's crucial, he says, in a field like astronomy, with constant discoveries and debates.

posted by Jerry permanent link

A Pair of Roses
Flesh Tones/The Tutor by MJ Rose
Flesh Tones
In a New York courtroom, a woman stands accused of a controversial crime. Genny Haviland, thirty-eight, is said to have drugged and suffocated legendary painter George Gabriel. For two decades the tempestuous Gabriel has challenged audiences with his wild work. And in the end, the prosecution claims, he alienated the woman he first seduced, then enslaved - enough to cause his own death at her hands.
The Tutor
A psychological thriller that will entangle you in its taut web - The Tutor sets a sociopath loose in a so-called normal American family...
The format of the ebook is MS Rose, oops MS Reader DRM5

posted by Jerry permanent link

Free eBooks
PalmBooks.Org
PalmBooks is a free resource for handheld enthusiasts to provide all your handheld reading needs free. All of the books on this server are believed to be in the public domain in the United States.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/29/2002

Prof Call
The Usability of eBook Technology:
Practical Issues of an Application of Electronic Textbooks In a Learning Environment
Recommendations to Improve Usability of eBooks: The following primary recommendations relate to the usability of eBooks. The recommendations have been logically grouped into four categories including: menu, user manual, functionality, and physical aspects. The menu group refers to the functions and forms related to the eBook menu. The user manual category refers to aspects concerning the version of the user manual available on the eBook device. Functionality refers to specific functions of the eBook. Finally, the physical specifications section deals with the eBook as physical hardware. (Much more data is available upon request).
Menu
Make the menu selections more descriptive of the tasks they perform.
Redesign the eBook menu system to clearly delineate where to download existing eBook material vs. newly purchased eBook material.
Place a PowerPoint like button sticker on the cover of new eBooks to facilitate simple, initial use.
Change the menu term ‘lookup’ to ‘dictionary’ or ‘define’ on the B&W.
User Manual
Provide a paper version of the user manual that covers all possible tasks in detail.
Create shortcut button to manual for easy access.
Functionality
Provide ability to page up or down more than one page at a time.
Label icons clearly and specifically.
Provide more font sizes.
Incorporate a drag and drop option for the book marking feature.
Incorporate a spelling help feature onto the word search function.
Implement page numbers instead of percentage of text on the B&W.
Ensure page numbers remain constant regardless of the font size or text orientation.
Physical Specifications
Increase screen size to 6” x 8.5” for easier readability.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Students Call
Students Complain About Devices for Reading E-Books, Study Finds
Navigating through digital texts was one of the e-book users' biggest complaints. They found moving from page to page "tedious." They also found it difficult to find specific chapters in texts and to find particular words.
With certain e-book devices, students were easily able to change settings, like font size and screen contrasts, but most students didn't find those features terribly useful. The researchers found that the students were most interested in features that let them use the e-books the same way they would use printed volumes -- for instance, an easily used feature that allowed them to highlight text.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Your Call
eBook Flames at PocketPCThoughts
eBooks you can actually afford: No painful DRM5 restrictions, no sky-high price tags, and no cheap marketing fluff packaged as an eBook. And the list below is just the beginning - he looks like he'll be a busy guy, with four new books already slated for a September release.
• Dreamy Themes: "Today Themes. Have you always wanted to change the look of your Pocket PC? Ever want to learn how to make your own custom themes, or find sites that have themes? In the eBook we show you how! This is the most detailed resource available!" Cost: $5.95
• Instant Messaging for the Pocket PC: "Instant Messaging for the Pocket PC. AOL, MSN, ICQ....are all very popular for talking with coworkers and friends. Now learn about each one, where to get them, how to use them and more with the *most* comprehensive resource on Instant messaging for the Pocket PC!" Cost: $5.95
• Word Up: "Pocket Word for the Pocket PC. This is the most comprehensive resource on how to get the most out of Pocket Word for the Pocket PC. From tips and tricks, conversion caveats, to using 3rd party applications, to step-by-step guides, this guide is what you've been looking for if you use Microsoft Word, a Pocket PC and Pocket Word!" Cost: $6.95

posted by Jerry permanent link

eBookMax
OfficeMax eBooks
OverDrive, Inc., a leading provider of digital media and eCommerce solutions, announced today it has partnered with OfficeMax, Inc. (NYSE: OMX) to open the OfficeMax.com Digital Bookstore. The new online digital library at (www.ebooks.officemax.com) is stocked with best-selling titles in Microsoft Reader, Adobe Acrobat and Palm eBook formats ready to help business owners increase knowledge, boost productivity and manage their companies successfully.
The OfficeMax.com Digital Bookstore features top management, finance, computer and reference titles from HarperCollins, Random House, John Wiley & Sons, St. Martin's Press, AOL Time Warner Book Group and other leading business and technology publishers. All titles are available for immediate purchase and download to desktop PCs, laptops, Pocket PCs, Palm PDAs and other mobile devices. OfficeMax.com customers are able to develop their own personal digital library from which they can securely retrieve their business titles 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/27/2002

Exclusive Interview
Palm Digital, You Are No Betamax
Here are exclusive Pocket PC eBooks Watch interview with Peter Fry and Lee Fyock from Palm Digital Media (was PeanutPress)
Q: 1. What do you think of Multimedia eBooks? Will Palm digital media moving toward that direction?
Peter: I can see all sorts of great title becoming available. From children's books with animations to Text-to-Speech for the visually impaired, computers add the ability for authors to break free of the printed page. We have begun looking at adding these features to our book making process, but we don't have anything to announce yet. :)
Lee: Multimedia eBooks are fun, but they aren't books. They're something else. Authors are not (generally) artists, producers or directors. For example, even paper books have had the ability to include pictures for quite some time, but most narrative fiction titles do not.
Some reference works gain greatly by the inclusion of non-linear and multimedia content, but for straight narrative fiction, I see text as the implementation method for the foreseeable future.
The best examples of interactive multimedia eBooks that I've seen are the Living Books series. Check out "Just Grandma and Me" at www.broderbund...asp?OID=4142150&SC=0120056015

Q: 2. You get a lot of praised as one of the most desirable DRM solution for the clients side. Have you ever found any case on cracking the security of your ebook?
We feel that, as long as we continue to offer good books with an easy-to-use DRM, our customers won't feel the need to crack our format.

Q: 3. Palm had been used by many students, will the Palm eBooks will support complicated tables, graphics, that will be required by student text book soon?
With the desktop versions of our Reader we are now looking at adding feature support for books that are intended for larger screens. All of those features will be added eventually, but for now we're concentrating on Palm and PocketPC screens, and books that we call "immersive reading".

Q: 4. Lastly, one time in a seminar, I discussed about Palm format vs. MS Reader format, one of the audiences compared them as Betamax (Palm Digital Media) vs. VHS (MS Reader). Do you think it is a fair comparison? Are you going to keep the exclusivity of your format for Palm Digital Media store only or are you going to spread them to conquer the market share?
Peter: No, BetaMax lost. :^) We've licensed our DRM to OverDrive (www.overdrive.com) and Lightning Source (www.lightningsource.com) and very soon our DRM will be available at most of the online bookstores. You can purchase books using our DRM from WHSmith (ebooks.whsmith.co.uk) already.
Lee: In addition, we support more OSes and more devices than the Microsoft Reader does. That puts us much more in the "VHS" camp than in the "Betamax" camp.
Fictionwise just announced the availability of over a thousand eBooks in Palm Reader format -- http://www.fictionwise.com/. Our format is spreading far and wide, and that's the way we like it. :-)

posted by Jerry permanent link

JokesPG
The Case of the Compressed Image
Forgent Networks from Texas wants to collect a royalty every time someone compresses an image using the JPEG algorithm. It urges third parties to negotiate with it separate licensing agreements. It bases its claim on a 17 year old patent it acquired in 1997 when VTel, from which Forgent was spun-off, purchased the San-Jose based Compression Labs.
The patent pertains to a crucial element in the popular compression method. The JPEG committee of ISO - the International Standards Organization - threatens to withdraw the standard altogether. This would impact thousands of software and hardware products.

posted by Jerry permanent link

eBook Software
Forges of Creation.com
Growth tools for writing.
::: BulkOPF 2.0 :::
Bulk compile hundreds of package files into MS Reader ebooks with a single click.
::: freeLIT 2.0 :::
A command line compiler for MS Reader ebooks.
::: freePDF 1.0 :::
A simplified cookie cutter solution for creating PDF ebooks - without all the hassle of precisely placing every individual document element.
::: xml2ini 1.3 :::
Convert xml to ini, and ini to xml.

posted by Jerry permanent link

PalmWise
Fictionwise Launches Secure Palm Reader eBooks
Special 30% Micropay Rebate on eBooks in New Format
Fictionwise.com, a leading independent eBook publisher and distributor, announced today that it has launched Secure Palm Reader formatted eBooks, including best selling titles from many major trade publishers. Secure Palm Reader eBooks can be read on popular handheld devices including PalmOS PDAs and Pocket PCs, as well as personal computers and Macintosh computers.
As part of Fictionwise's launch of the format, all Secure Palm Reader eBooks are eligible for a 30% Micropay Rebate promotion. When members purchase Secure Palm Reader eBooks using a credit card, 30% of the purchase price will be rebated to their Micropay account, allowing the customer to buy additional eBooks. The promotion runs through September 8, 2002.
Over 1,000 Secure Palm Reader eBooks in all popular genres are now online at:
http://www.fictionwise....securepalmreader

posted by Jerry permanent link

Rose's Calling
M.J. Rose here - i am writing an article for my E-Publishing Ink colum at Wired.com on the serious, zany, off the wall and sometimes desperate things self pubbed authors have done to get reviews. How it worked and if the reviews matter.
Having been a self pubbed author in fiction - and still being one in non fiction I am not out to humiliate anyone here but rather want to present the reality of what's going on out there with reviews.
If you have a story please email it to me OFF LIST to parispoet@aol.com.
And yes - pass this on to your friends, POD publishers and co-writers. Deadline 8/28/2002.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/26/2002

DRM Buster: Scan those books!
ScanSoft Ships OmniPage Pro 12 Office
Extends Benefits of Document and PDF Conversion to All Businesses
ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT), a leading supplier of imaging, speech and language solutions, today announced the immediate availability of OmniPage(R) Pro 12 Office, the newest release of the world's most popular optical character recognition (OCR) and PDF conversion application. OmniPage Pro 12 Office sets a new standard for OCR accuracy and page layout retention, and provides a new set of unique automation, XML and republishing capabilities that expand the usefulness of OCR for any business. With this release ScanSoft has delivered a single, affordable solution to convert, edit, process and share both paper and PDF documents.
OmniPage Pro 12 Office is a powerful productivity application that delivers highly accurate document and PDF conversion, replacing the need to manually re-create paper and image-based documents with an automated, electronic process. The software helps businesses save time and money by instantly turning paper and PDF files -- letters, contracts, spreadsheets, magazine articles, manuals and more -- into editable word processing and spreadsheet documents.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Best of the Bests
Text and Reference Software Nomitations from Pocket PC Mag Awards
Subcategory include:
eBook Readers: Palm Reader, Starbuck, Mobipocket, ...
Thesauruses
Dictionaries
Bible Readers
Web Utulities: Mazingo, Avantgo,...
and many more...
Thanks to Peter Lim for the info

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/25/2002

Islamic eBook
A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam
This Islamic guide is for non-Muslims who would like to understand Islam, Muslims (Moslems), and the Holy Quran (Koran). It is rich in information, references, bibliography, and illustrations. It has been reviewed and edited by many professors and well-educated people. It is brief and simple to read, yet contains much scientific knowledge.
Click here to download the PDF, size is 5MB

posted by Jerry permanent link

Polling #43 Result:
Q: Have you really find your favorite books in ebook format?
(of 314 respondents)
24% Yes, and it is the format that I like
4% Yes, but I don't like the format
9% Yes, but I still buy the printed ones
46% No
17% Haven't check it yet/ Don't Know
Since Beseen Polling is shutting down its service today, anyone who know any similar free service like beseen please email me for the information.

posted by Jerry permanent link

No Comment
Russian Coding Firm Back for More
You would think that the owners and programmers of Moscow software company ElcomSoft would want to stay as far away from electronic books as possible.
But despite the courthouse angst, ElcomSoft plans to continue to market exactly the sorts of products that led to their entanglement with the U.S. legal system.
"We have serious plans for the eBook market," Vladimir Katalov, managing director of ElcomSoft, said. "All perfectly legal, of course."
At least, Katalov hopes the new software his company intends to offer for Adobe and Microsoft eBooks is legal. He said no one at Adobe or Microsoft will discuss it with him.
"We tried to contact Microsoft ... describing the software we're going to release, and asking what do they think about that.... Will that violate any Microsoft patents, copyrights, licenses or whatever," Katalov said. "(Microsoft) responded that, 'Microsoft's legal department does not give advice to third parties.'"
Microsoft did not respond to requests for comment.
Much the same situation exists with Adobe, Katalov said.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/24/2002

Old Wisdom: Don't Fix it, if it Ain't Broke
IMPORTANT: Trojan Activation Updating Trend
DO NOT APPLY OFFICE SP-2 UPDATE
Too many problems may be encountered:
* Graph can't be edited in Powerpoint (temporary solution found)
* Suddenly asking for activation in corporate copy.
* Outlook breakdown
* Some applications become not activated
"Now when I do the same with Service Pack 2 it all goes well until I run Office after the installation: The damn program demands that I activate Office XP, although it is an volume license version." click here
DO NOT UPGRADE TO PHOTOSHOP 7.01
Problem encountered include:
* Retired serial number, requiring your to call to Adobe and send proof of purchase
* cannot find Photoshop.exe during installation
"To those who are having trouble with the PS7.01 updater and have not yet contacted Adobe, I have pulled the list of retired serial numbers from the setup.ins file used by the updater and created a web page where you can see if your serial number is in that list. Just go to and click on the related link in the menu."

posted by Jerry permanent link

Weekend eBook:
The Vagina Monologues - the V-day Edition, (Palm Reader Edition)
Eve Ensler's Obie Award-winning play, The Vagina Monologues, currently enjoying a sold-out run at Off-Broadway's Westside Theatre and playing in theaters all over the world, initiated V-Day, a global movement to stop violence against women.
"It is with great pride and purpose that Ensler invokes the 'V' word. Like a precocious child, she repeats those telltale three syllables guaranteed to get a rise out of the grown-ups. 'I say vagina,' she explains, 'because I want people to respond.' And they respond, she says, because they know they shouldn't. Since learning the word's liberating power for herself as an adult, Ensler has hardly tired of its cryptic joys. 'I say it in my sleep,' she boasts. 'I say it because I'm not supposed to say it. I say it because it's an invisible word – a word that stirs up anxiety, awkwardness, contempt and disgust.'" Salon

posted by Jerry permanent link

More Scalable Arts
Scalavisions
Downloadable Renaissance
Downloadable Hermitage
Downloadable Modern Artists
Downloadable Van Gogh
Downloadable Musee D'orsay
Downloadable Uffizi
Downloadable Neoclassical Artists

posted by Jerry permanent link

Mayor of the Capital of the World
The Quotable Giuliani: the Mayor of America in His Own Words
During the chaotic aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, Giuliani's courageous actions and bold decisiveness propelled him from his place as the leader of a city under siege to the beloved Mayor of America. On that day and for many days afterward, he stood up and spoke with strength and compassion -- and for that he will be remembered by not only New Yorkers, but all Americans (and the free world)

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/23/2002

The new execuBook
Reinventing the Bazaar
by John McMillan
Markets have existed throughout history, but they have never been as important as they are today. How do markets work? Why do they sometimes fail? What can be done to improve them?
for hardcover click here

posted by Jerry permanent link

PDM Special
Get Peanuts this Weekend
Get Gaiman!
Buy Neil's newest book, Coraline, and get American Gods for half price.
http://www.../nl
Get Terminated!
Buy T2: Rising Storm, by S. M. Stirling, and get T2: Infiltrator for free.
http://www.../nl
Get In Gear!
Buy The Procrastinating Child by Rita Emmett and get The Procrastinator's Handbook for free.
http://www.../nl
Get Romanced!
Buy On a Wild Night, by Stephanie Laurens, and get All About Love free.
http://www.../nl
Get Mummified!
Buy Elizabeth Peters' newest Amelia Peabody mystery, The Golden One, and get The Lion in the Valley free.
http://www.../nl

posted by Jerry permanent link

Citizen Script
Film Script of Citizen Kane
The Best Film ever made in this planet by Orson Welles.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/22/2002

High Tech Baby
Baby's First eBible
Well, if your kids is not a baby anymore, why don't you try Children's First Bible
This Holy Book is protected by Mr. Bill's DRM5 ;-)

posted by Jerry permanent link

Pulp Fictions
The Shadow Magazine
Hidden away in a sanctum in the heart of New York City, a being in black ponders beneath a blue light and chuckles slyly to himself as he peruses reports of his secret agents.
For The Shadow knows!
Over 300 adventures of The Shadow were written by Walter Gibson between 1931 and 1949 in "The Shadow Magazine". A couple dozen were reprinted in the 1960's and '70's, but the majority of the stories have never been reprinted. Those stories haven't been seen for over 50 years... until now.
Here, available for download, are the thrilling adventures of The Shadow from the original pulp magazines.
The file is in txt, covert them to .lit using MS Word Reader add-in

posted by Jerry permanent link

Self Inflicted Wounds
CD sales are down: Why Napster isn't the culprit
2001 may not be the year the music died, but the pop biz did develop a nagging headache, and it's not going away. The recorded-music industry's first slump in more than two decades continues this year; the number of discs sold is slipping and so is the appeal of last year's stars. Britney Spears' latest album has moved 4 million copies—a big number, but less than half what its predecessor did.
The Recording Industry Association of America, which represents the five major labels that dominate CD retailing, would like to blame much of the slide on Internet music-file swapping. Yet there are many other causes, including the fact that the big five are all units of troubled multinationals—AOL Time Warner, Vivendi Universal, BMG, EMI, and Sony—that are focused on short-term gain and have no particular interest in the music biz. There's also been a recession, of course, and resistance to CD prices that have grown much faster than the inflation rate. Perhaps the most important factor, however, is the major labels' very success in dominating the market, which has squelched musical innovation.
...Meanwhile, younger fans lose interest quickly and often don't develop strong loyalties. They're less likely to investigate a breakthrough act's previous albums or buy its next one. The genres that appeal to under-25 music fans continue to sell, but individual performers fade quickly.
This is a huge problem for the big labels, who still base their marketing on long-term stars who release multimillion-copy blockbusters. One album that sells 10 million copies is more lucrative than 10 that sell 1 million, because once a CD takes off, the only fixed costs are manufacturing and shipping, which are trivial compared to production and marketing. And long-term careers make each album less of a risk, since the most loyal fans will buy everything an artist releases and profits are high on back catalogs that keep selling.
Yet maintaining superstars is hard and getting harder. They require large advances, high royalty rates, and massive production and marketing money. And they keep demanding such things even when their careers tank (notable recent examples: Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey). The risk that a contemporary superstar's latest album will bomb is high, since attempts to reach the widest possible audience can easily lead to banality and overexposure.
=In the past, there were many ways to crack the biz: local radio stations, strong indie labels, regional clubs and promoters. Today, there are only a variety of separate-but-unequal circuits (alt-rock being the biggest) whose performers rarely break into the big time. (Of course, many of them don't want to, and some are major-label refugees with no intention of going back.) In erecting bulwarks around their domains, the major music businesses have left no entrance for the serendipity that kept the pop industry lively (and profitable) for decades. Yet the barbarians at those padlocked gates are the only people who can save the major labels' dwindling empires.
Download this Slate article and more in eBook format, for more information click here

posted by Jerry permanent link

hehehe, yeah right
Swotbooks.com
"Low Cost Books for Clever Dicks"
Welcome to the all new Swotbooks site. If you've used us before it's the same brand with the same extensive range and the lowest prices. However, you'll now find it quicker and much, much slicker! Although the site looks the same we've changed all the technical stuff at our end to make it even better. If you're new to us, enjoy the party. Our regulars spent £1m with us last year and we're currently growing at over 300% per annum. So be careful, saving money seems to be addictive!

posted by Jerry permanent link

Pocket Box Office Movies
PictPocket Cinema by DigiSoft
PictPocket Cinema truly revolutionizes the multi-media market for hand-held computing. DigiSoft's PictPocket Cinema has essentially placed a movie theater right into the palm of your hand (long lines, sticky floors and stale pop corn are sold seperately).
Utilize PictPocket Cinema in conjunction with your favorite web browser to download, open and view your favorite image files with one simple click on your PDA. Or use our new "OPEN URL" feature and stream your video right from PictPocket to your Pocket PC.
PictPocket is the only program that supports Windows Media Video (WMV), MPEG-1, MPEG-2, AVI and QuickTime video. This new release supports DivX AVI and many other AVI codecs. Not only can you view your pictures and image files anytime, anywhere on your Pocket PC, but now you can watch streaming video right on your handheld. Bring your favorite movie or TV show with you on a trip. Show off video clips of your child's first steps and then enhance them with real-time contrast and brightness adjustment.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Feel the heat
Borrowing Adobe eBooks For Free
This site provides a demonstration of the library lending capabilities in Adobe Content Server 3.0. The site is intended to show an example user experience in borrowing a PDF eBook and the automated expiration of the eBook. On a real library website the user experience may vary depending on how the library integrated the Adobe Content Server.
Check out an eBook from our demonstration library. You can borrow the eBook for up to three days.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/21/2002

Black is Back
BlackMask's
In second-commercial-title's-almost-ready news, if anyone out there wants an "advanced review copy," I've got a new translation of Gustav Meyrink's The Golem that I'll be offering Friday once I get the page nice.
Meyrink, by the way, was a failed 'n jailed businessman in the old Austro-Hungarian empire, who after a bit of hashish discovered that he could only think in pictures. The Golem was his first novel, dealing with Prague's Jewish ghetto, mysticism, Kaballah, revenge etc. From the back cover (this is the Dedalus translation by Mike Mitchell, not the flawed Pemberton), Jorge Luis Borges said it was the most horrifying thing he'd ever read.
First 10 people to respond get it free in any format, all you need to do is try and add a review when you finish.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Wisefree
2002 Hugo Freebies
Time is running out for our members to download 11 Hugo Award nominated stories! Once the awards ceremony is held labor day weekend these great stories will no longer be free. Why not go grab them right now? Once they're on your bookshelf you keep them forever.
(i seems the site is temporarily down, check again soon)

posted by Jerry permanent link

Over Peanuts
Process of Downloading Free eBook using Peanutpress format (Palm) via Over Drive
Here is the description:
This e-book can be read on your desktop or laptop computer and on your Palm or Pocket PC handheld device. Downloading this will require your credit card number, which acts as a digital key to unlock your e-book, but the download is still free of charge.
The Palm encryption technology uses your Name and Credit Card number to create an un-lock code for your eBook. Your credit card will not be charged for anything. Also, you are entering your credit card number on a secure server and your credit card number is not being stored. When you open the title for the first time, you will be asked for your name and credit card number. This un-locks the title.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Perfect
Free PerfectBound e-book
The Vendetta Defense
Lisa Scottoline is a New York Times best-selling author and former trial lawyer. She has won the Edgar Award, the highest prize in suspense fiction, and the Distinguished Author Award from the Weinberg Library of the University of Scranton. She has served as the Leo Goodwin Senior Professor of Law and Popular Culture at Nova Southeastern Law School, and her novels are used by bar associations for the ethical issues they present. Her books are published in more than twenty languages. She lives with her family in the Philadelphia area and welcomes reader e-mail at www.scottoline.com.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Update Watch
RealOne Player for Pocket PC 1.1 Preview Release
Now supporting RealVideo 9
Thanks to Mike Moon for the info

posted by Jerry permanent link

Readers' Running Shoes:
eBook Fonts
Agfa Monotype has solutions for book designers, publishers and consumers who are interested in fonts that offer a stylistic and highly legible on-screen reading experience. We understand that eBooks often require a different set of font, and we are applying our expertise and proprietary tools to our world-renowned typeface library to create innovative font solutions for eBooks.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/20/2002

Peanuts
How to Buy an eBook
Here is the step by step method of purchasing ebook via the most friendly DRM Peanutpress.com.
At the end, to unlock your ebook you need to input the name and your credit card number (only once), then on the second page of your ebook will be inserted your name (not your credit card number).

posted by Jerry permanent link

Recommended Reading
Crypto, by Steven Levy
Crypto is about the nerds and visionaries who, nearly twenty years ago, predicted that the Internet's greatest virtue -- free access to information -- was also its most perilous drawback: a possible end to privacy. Levy explores the unlikely alliance between computer geeks and big business as they fought the government's stranglehold on the keys to information. Crypto is a bestselling book and winner in the category of best Non-Fiction eBooks for the International eBook Award Foundation 2001 eBook awards ceremony in Frankfurt, Germany.
Punch in this week's Promo Code CRYPTO to receive a 10% discount off each book that you purchase. Offer good through August 27th on all books priced more than $3.00. Cannot be used in conjunction with other special offers.

posted by Jerry permanent link

The Simpsons please...
Erotica to order
Thinking of sending your significant other a custom-written erotic short story? You might find the perfect X-rated bon mot at Custom Erotica Source (for adult only please).
Offering a selection of 15 different writers who pen erotica to order, prices start at $25 for a 200-word quickie and go to $450 for a 20-page book. Erotic illustrations are also available for an additional fee.
Requests for stories include everything from diapers to Marie Osmond, but Vivant said she is uncomfortable disclosing too many details because people trust her to handle their fantasies with respect. More than 15,000 visitors per month use the service, she said.

posted by Jerry permanent link

eBookless in Seattle
Seattle Book Company Revs-up RosettaMachine
Seattle Book Company, an innovative electronic publishing infrastructure company using web-based technologies, announced today that the company has released its Express ePublishing System(TM) powered by RosettaMachine(TM), its automated file conversion technology.
The company's web-based electronic publishing system, ePublishEngine, offers many new workflow efficiencies, production time and cost savings not currently available to publishers.
"We're excited that our ePublishEngine offers the solutions that our customers have been waiting for," said Ted Treanor, President of Seattle Book Company.
"We have lowered costs and improved the time-to-market.
Seattle Book can deliver all popular eBook formats within minutes, rather than days, weeks, or even months.
Typically, publishers of a new eBook will touch the same data more than 10 times using various production applications and website distribution forms in order to acquire, produce, distribute, and sell eBooks in the most popular formats.
About Seattle Book Company Seattle Book Company provides Internet-based products and services to the publishing industry, booksellers, the government, and corporations.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Open Palm
Mike Segroves of Palm Digital Media Joins Open eBook Forum's Board
Lending years of innovative technology experience to the eBook industry's non-profit trade and standards organization, Palm Digital Media Director of Business Development Mike Segroves was elected to the Open eBook Forum board of directors. The announcement was made by Open eBook Forum Executive Director Nick Bogaty.
"The eBook industry is seeing real and substantial growth," said Bogaty. "With the support of business leaders such as Mike, we are looking forward to continued industry progress led by the Open eBook Forum."
As a member of the Open eBook Forum's board of directors, Segroves will play an integral role in shaping the growth of the eBook industry developing standards, industry-wide consumer promotions and collecting market data.
"It is my belief that electronic books are destined to become a significant segment of the publishing industry," said Segroves. "The Open eBook Forum is the ideal organization to effect and direct this change, by providing industry leadership and product advancements for eBook customers."
I hope he will open the eyes of Mycrowesoft and Aduhbee to follow Peanutpress' friendly DRM solutions

posted by Jerry permanent link

Bamm Boom!
BooksAMillion.com (BAMM.com)
Now features a broader selection, lower prices.
Browse popular eBook subject categories including Literature & Fiction and Computers & Internet.
All of the ebooks here seems to use the Boo DRM5...

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/19/2002

MobiOxford
Oxford Dictionaries Set
A fabulous collection of dictionaries, language reference, and subject reference works published by Oxford University Press.
That's include:
Oxford Concise Dictionary of Quotations
Oxford Essential Dictionary of Foreign Terms in English
Oxford Dictionary of the Internet
Oxford Dictionary of Accounting
Oxford Essential Dictionary of U.S. Military
Oxford Dictionary of First Names
and many more...

posted by Jerry permanent link

Bible Add-ons
Check out these great new add-ons for Laridian PocketBible®:
The Life Application Study Bible Notes - here is help for understanding and applying the truth of the Scriptures to your life! Includes notes, charts, cross-references and more from today's #1 selling study Bible.
The English Standard Version is a new "essentially literal" translation of the Scriptures from the original languages. The ESV emphasizes word-for-word accuracy along with literary excellence and readability.
Thanks to PocketPCPassion for the info

posted by Jerry permanent link

Real Audible
Mp3 eBooks
PDA Book Store provides some ebooks in MP3 formats, and the free samples are available.
This format is much better than the DRM controlled Audible.com, but currently the selections are still very few.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Englishman in New York
American-British-American Dictionary
The Dictionary provides a guide to almost common words that are spelt differently when using either American or British versions of the English language. With 2500 different words and 2500 Idioms it's not only helpfull for American, British but also helpful for who wants to improve English.
Displays all entries for faster selection.
American-British-American Dictionary.
Idioms Dictionary.
Cross-reference and creatively lookup terms.
Supports select and copy content.
Zoom In/Zoom Out at 4 levels.
Easy to navigate and switch to other dictionary.
Quick ,Easy, Convenient and Helpful.
The Dictionary is available for ARM,MIPS and SH3
Free upgrade

posted by Jerry permanent link

Gloosictionary
EDictionary Reader 2.0
eDictionary Reader is a special dictionary reader program to lookup terminology from in dictionary databases. Buying this program, you can open our free databases of international business terminological dictionary, Medical dictionary, Telecommunication dictionary etc, from this website.
New features on Release 2.0:
Considerable Speed Improvement.
Smart /Quick loading dictionary (up to 20 dictionaries).
Tremendous reduction of Application and database size.
Comprehensive cross-reference system.
Easy Historical searched words.
Auto-loading last-previous dictionary
Free dictionary contents
The individual documents and files stored at PPCLINK and made available for downloading by the public (hereafter referred to as 'documents') are the property of their contributors, as shown in the archive listings. Corporate use, or the re-selling, re-distribution, or indexing of these documents in any way, requires the previous written consent of PPCLINK. Free for personal purposes.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/18/2002

Waiting for Cayman Island's DMCA
Exemptions exempted in Europe's DMCA
The European equivalent DMCA is a done deal, but the implementation of opt-outs could make all the difference in each EU member state. And the United Kingdom is missing out.
Section 5.2 of the EU Copyright Directive provides a long list intended to protect cryptographers and academics, and preserve some notional 'fair use' for press and satirists, amongst others.
But the UK draft, published last week, has some key omissions.
"The Government has given us several but not all of the optional ones," says Julian Midgely, spokesman for the Campaign for Digital Rights.
The opt-outs are important: cryptographer Dmitri Sklyarov could not have been prosecuted under the EUCD for revealing details of Adobe's eBook encryption, but his employer Elcomsoft, most probably would have been liable for distributing software to bypass the crypto.
However, it's not too late to point these out, ever so politely, to the British Patent Office, and start building momentum for a rewrite. The UK draft can be found here,
and the consultation process here

posted by Jerry permanent link

Real Streaming
RealNetworks mulling adult pay-per-view
RealNetworks is considering adding adult programming to its multimedia subscription service.
The company is in discussions with several audio and video producers to expand the lineup on RealOne SuperPass, the company's fast-growing content subscription service, said Dave Richards, RealNetworks' vice president of consumer systems, in an interview this week.
Although Richards said there are no immediate plans to launch an adult channel on SuperPass, he added the possibility would not be ruled out.
"We expect we will have different tiers" of service, Richards said. "Maybe even an adult tier."
To get Real Player for Pocket PC click here

posted by Jerry permanent link

The Future is Now
Exec: Future of Newspapers Is Online
Despite predictions to the contrary, newspapers can have a bright future as technology-driven information companies, a top industry executive told editors and publishers Friday.
Acknowledging that "things are getting very strange out there" economically, W. Dean Singleton, vice chairman and chief executive of MediaNews Group Inc., said, "it's time to charge, not retreat.
"I'm a believer that the payoff on the Web is there, it's just waiting for us to discover the right models," he said. "We are well positioned as the cornerstone of media convergence when the chains of cross-ownership are released next year," referring to expectations that the Federal Communications Commission ( news - web sites) will remove restrictions on joint ownership of broadcast and newspaper outlets in the same market.
"It is indeed a delicious irony that the oldest communications medium is emerging as the most modern, most high tech and most successful," Singleton said.
Some have predicted that the Internet and the World Wide Web would undermine newspapers' future.
And Singleton said he once agreed with those who predicted the Internet would be a fad and have little long-term impact, but described himself as a "reformed skeptic."
..."This wave reaches well beyond the Web," he said. "Peer-to-peer computing, digital newspaper, new generations of mobile computing, all of these are part of the next wave. If we don't put them to work, someone else will and we'll be scrambling to catch up again."
While newspapers need to aggressively try new things, he said, they cannot forget what they do for a living, "which is to serve readers."

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/17/2002

Pocket Dining Out
ZAGAT TO GO for Pocket PC
With over 20 years of experience, Zagat Survey is regarded as the leading provider of dining and nightlife ratings and reviews. ZAGAT TO GO for Pocket PC gives you trusted Zagat content for 30+ locales - all in the palm of your hand! Now you can find the perfect restaurant and nightlife spots even when you're "on the go!" With ZAGAT TO GO for Pocket PC, know where to go. Whenever. Wherever.
Key Features:
* Reliable Zagat content based on surveys of 100,000+ restaurant and nightlife go-ers just like you
* Unlimited access to 30+ locales with ONE subscription
* NIGHTLIFE for New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New Orleans
* Comprehensive coverage -- more than 18,000 restaurants and 1,600 bars, clubs and lounges
* Advanced Search and sort to help you quickly pinpoint options by neighborhood, cuisine, Zagat category ratings, and special features
* Quick access to Zagat Signature Lists – Most Popular, Best Buys, and more
* Power to add reservation time and address directly to your calendar as well as bookmark "Your Favorites"
* Free updates to current Zagat content for one year
The introductory price is $24.95 (regular 29.95)
Link courtesy of PocketPCThoughts

posted by Jerry permanent link

Time Out!
Swatch Megalink
Six Years and still going on. I just do a major update to my old site: Jerry's Swatch Megalink. I make lots of friends all over the world by collecting Swatch. And everytime I traveled, they are always Swatch friends to meet. For Swatch Pocket PC Themes click here.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Free MP3s
Garageband.com
The alternate and great world of music. You can feel the souls when you enter the site.
Garageband Records invites musicians to upload their music to the garageband.com site, where it is reviewed and rated by a growing audience of loyal registered users. The Company's on-line talent-vetting process is based on Garageband's proprietary LPE (Lathroum Preference Engine)TM comparative ranking and audience preference engine, which allows listeners to rate anonymously streamed songs from Garageband Records Artists. The LPE eliminates biases that are inherent in virtually every other form of voting on the Internet and also generates precise awareness of each band's appeal that is used in turn to focus marketing and promotion strategies. Garageband has applied for five patents on this and other elements of its proprietary technology.
Bands singled out by the LPE process are invited to become a Garageband Records Artist and work with Garageband to forward their careers.

posted by Jerry permanent link

DR.M
In Microsoft We Trust
To win its antitrust suit against Microsoft, Sun Microsystems will have to overcome judges trained to disregard the law.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/16/2002

RIP
Founder of SoftBook Press Loses Battle to Cancer
Jim Sachs, co-founder of Virtual Press, which later became SoftBook Press, died of lymphoma cancer today. SoftBook Press was later acquired along with NuvoMedia by Gemstar and became part of the Gemstar eBook Group.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Germ Watch
Murdoch, Yuen Play Endgame For Once Highflying Gemstar
Proposal Would Shift Firm to Traditional Media Focus, Away From Interactive Hopes
Now that Rupert Murdoch appears close to taking control of Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc., the once highflying patent company that promised to be the gateway to the 500-channel universe is likely to move forward with scaled-down ambitions but a more practical strategy.
Under founder and Chief Executive Henry Yuen, Gemstar has sought, through brutal negotiations and aggressive legal tactics, to establish its nascent on-screen interactive-program guide as the accepted standard in the cable and satellite-television market. But with Mr. Yuen supposedly agreeing to take a back seat in the operations of Gemstar in the future, the company will evolve into a more traditional media concern where old-fashioned print and cable-TV programming predominate.
Thanks to Roy Lewis for the info

posted by Jerry permanent link

Press Release
Digital Kiosk for Windows IT Professionals
Windows & .NET Magazine, part of Penton Media (NYSE: PME) today launched a new digital bookstore for the sale of Windows IT Technical Manuals located at http://ebooks.winnetmag.com. In addition to technical manuals published by the magazine, the site offers programming guides from leading IT publishers, including John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Complete hosting and digital rights management (DRM) services for the eBookstore is provided by OverDrive, Inc., a leading developer of outsourced solutions for the secure distribution and fulfillment of digital media.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Four Better
The Issue Of Accessible Ebooks
"I would like to point out a few more features which I like about MS Reader and which I would like to find implemented by more ebook reader programs:
1. The ability to stop or start reading with the press of a simple keystroke. Aside from sparing me those repetitive movements, this allows hands-free reading, great if you are doing something else like cleaning or knitting.
2. Thorough documentation of the keyboard shortcuts, or the keyboard commands used to navigate the GUI interface. You would be absolutely amazed at how few companies provide no documentation, or a mere short paragraph which they call documentation. To the blind reader, a GUI interface is not intuitive.
3. Control of the ebook from the keyboard. In MS Reader, this includes volume, rate of speech, easy toggling back and forth in the book in small or large increments, and easy navigation of the list of ebooks.
4. Buttons are all labeled, so a screen reader can speak what the button is and what it does."

posted by Jerry permanent link

Know Better
"The Survey Says..."
The results are in: KnowBetter.com, has teamed with eBookWeb.org to offer the first thorough look at the ebook reading market. The results come from our Spring 2002 survey of ebook readers and offer some surprising figures. It's the first in our series of surveys aimed at providing the industry with timely information about the needs and make-up of ebook consumers.
The main feeling we take away from the survey is one of exuberance mixed with frustration and anger. Ebook readers typically believe in the potential for the market, but are frustrated by what they see as the insensitivity of manufacturers and publishers toward readers' needs and angry that these practices are slowing growth in this market. However, a sense of optimism still seems to pervade the ebook-reading community.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/15/2002

Convertion Required
Islamic eBooks from LoveIslam.com
"Are you always trying to find some authentic sites which you can depend upon in learning about Islam? Do you want to study and surf some authentic books? Then this sie is for you. There are more than 90 E-Books in our database. and more than 30 authentic sites."
The eBooks are in HTML format you need to convert them for reading in Pocket PC

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/14/2002

DRM Watch
MS recruits for Palladium microkernel and/or DRM platform
Microsoft's efforts to disassociate Palladium from DRM seem to have hit their first speed bump. Some voices within the company (and we currently believe these voices to be right and sensible) hold the view that Palladium has to be about users' security if it's to stand any chance of winning hearts and minds, and that associating it with protecting the music business' IP will be the kiss of death. So they'll probably not be best pleased by the Microsoft job ad that seeks a group program manager "interested in being part of Microsoft's effort to build the Digital Rights Management (DRM) and trusted platforms of the future (Palladium)."
Oh dear. It's one of a clutch of Palladium job ads currently up on the site, and is the most blatantly off-message one. While the authors of Microsoft's discussion white paper on Palladium say, "Palladium will not require Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology, and DRM will not require Palladium...

posted by Jerry permanent link

Check this out!
50 most popular handhelds products ZDNET users are looking for.
No. 1&3 Toshiba, iPaq no. 8 and ...
Thanks to Sigit PD from ID-PocketPC for the info

posted by Jerry permanent link

Avantgo$
8MB Avantgo
The AvantGo Mobile Internet Service provides PDA users with access to content and applications from top companies from around the world. With thousands of channels of news, technology, business, travel and more to choose from, many AvantGo service users quickly reach their 2MB account size limit and still want more! For power users, the AvantGo service now offers the extra channel capacity option – enabling users to access up to 8MB in their account for only $14.95/year. If you would like to take advantage of extra channel capacity to add more content and applications to your PDA, please continue to the purchase section.
Spotted from PocketPCThoughts
8MB is nothing... in the world of multimedia Pocket PC, Mazingo is better at this point.
The only thing that Avantgo "was" better than Mazingo is its control over Custom Channel which we can opt for not including pictures and limiting download size.
Can anyone inform me whether this sevice allow us to fully use the custom channle again?

posted by Jerry permanent link

Tape it / PocketPC it
SnapStream
With SnapStream PocketPVSTM you can watch your favorite TV shows on your Pocket PC! PocketPVSTM is a module to SnapStream PVS which allows you to synchronize PVS shows to your PocketPC.
And SnapStream PVS v2.0 represents the next generation of SnapStream's TV recording software:
New Look and Feel: Completely re-designed user interface -- fresh and easier to use. [screenshots]
Basic TV Listings (U.S.): Click and record! Limited functionality integrated TV listings from 3rd party. [more]
Live Television: Stream and watch live television from anywhere on the network -- your home network or even the Internet.
Getting Started Wizard: Get started with SnapStream quickly -- autodetects and configures your TV card, scans for channels, configures your audio.
Windows XP Features: Multi-user support, basic parental control, fast user switching.
Enhanced ATi Support: Issues with many ATi Graphics cards have resolved including audio/video sync issues and some channel tuning issues.
Pocket PVS 2.0: New Pocket PVS client for the Pocket PC, re-vamped user interface.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/13/2002

See Review More in eBook format
Seymour - See More On Your Pocket PC
We know that Pocket PCs can multitask applications but we can only access on one application at a time. Seymour overcomes that limitation and gives you access to two applications at once.
Read the review offline! For Microsoft Reader with images.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Rumblings
8 reasons to check out a Tablet PC
The Tablet PC is coming out soon, and this is an option worth considering. For those of you who didn't follow the TechXNY/PC Expo in New York in late June — where it got plenty of attention — the Tablet PC is a fully equipped PC the size of a letter-sized notepad. It weighs less than four pounds.
PDAs: Who needs one?
So, PDAs — handheld computers used mostly for calendar, contact and task-list information — make you more organized and efficient in the workplace, we are to conclude.
Is that really the case?

posted by Jerry permanent link

ArTime
Art Zine Stands Test of E-Time
Online endeavors come and go faster than you can say Pets.com. But this month, the electronic magazine fineArt forum celebrates its 15th anniversary.
Created in 1987 as a bulletin board service celebrating the intersection of art, science and technology, fineArt forum has blossomed into a free online news service with a global readership of 85,000.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Forgotten Friend
Myfriend Review
Myfriend is a Windows CE 3.0 ebook reader designed in Italy by IPM-NET. It has a comfortable form factor and an excellent 150 dpi high-resolution color screen. When running Microsoft Reader 2.0 with its ClearType sub-pixel font renderer, it produces incredibly sharp text. However, what could have been a perfect ebook reader is hampered by a fatal flaw- Microsoft does not support the activation of this device for access to encrypted owner-exclusive ebooks, making many exclusive premium titles inaccessible.
As a result, it appears that IPM-NET is now positioning Myfriend more towards niche vertical business markets such as sales force automation. They have recently announced the M800 model which integrates a GSM/GRPS modem for wireless connectivity. However, the base price tag of $1200 seems prohibitively high for what is quickly becoming an obsolete hardware and software platform. When it was first previewed in 2001, the form factor and screen made Myfriend one of the most highly anticipated devices. It is currently available for purchase but, when all is said and done, perhaps it is best left forgotten.
Thanks to Francis Li for the Information

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/12/2002

Ghostbuster
Who will Microsoft call for tech support?
Next time Microsoft Corp. employees have problems with their laptop computers, they will have to call Hewlett-Packard Co.
The world's largest software maker announced on Monday that Hewlett-Packard had won a contract to run the help desk for its 61,000 employees and contractors worldwide. That could include advice on how to use advanced features of Microsoft's own software.
I hope iPAQ and Jornada users might have direct access for help ;-)

posted by Jerry permanent link

Gulp!
"Unmasking Deep Throat"
John Dean's e-book is a thrilling Watergate detective story, with new evidence on the identity of history's most elusive news source
Buy the e-book: costs $8 for the e-book, with a special discount rate for Salon Premium subscribers of $5.95. The paperback edition costs $15.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Bed Rock
The Top 30 Book Manufacturers
Keeping in line with the supersizing trend, BookTech's list of the top 25 book manufacturers has been expanded to include the 30 highest grossing book printers in the United States and Canada. The decision to add to the list was to offer production professionals a more expansive look at those manufacturers at the top of their field. The types of products offered by the various companies run the gamut from fine editions to best-selling paperbacks to trade publications to textbooks to yearbooks. More detailed information about each printer follows the list in the form of brief synopses.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Damn
The Right Time
Digital asset management is akin to cleaning out the garage: you know once you do it you'll be glad you did, but for some reason (Sunday football/kids' dance class/Must See TV) you keep putting it off.
As the publishing industry barrels towards convergence, more and more companies are realizing it is time to clean out the garage by way of digitizing assets.
The reasons for putting this off are numerous (money/available resources/finding the right solution), but the consequences of failing to do so are a little more substantial than not organizing a collection of power tools.
...DAM has come a long way since that summer of 1999. But the AOL Time Warner Book Group hedged its bet through conducting careful research and planning, establishing an open relationship with Artesia and providing incentives to adopt the new system. "A lot of vendors try to associate technology with revenue. The notion that technology equals revenue is false," says Holst. "Either the vendor is naive or they hope the buying public is naive. The technology [supporting DAM] is constant, not variable. In the beginning DAM got a bad rap. [But now] DAM is very successful in paying for itself, reducing risks and creating more conducive business propositions."

posted by Jerry permanent link

eWaterproof Reader
Aquapac
If you're looking for something a little more special than the average waterproof bag, you've come to the right place.
Thanks to iPacbatavia for the Info

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/11/2002

FYI.
Missing CNet News at Mazingo?
CNET News channel in Mazingo has not been updated for the last 11 days (counting), while the same channel in Avantgo works OK. I think they change its mobile server address.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Germstar
Active Gemstar Publishers: The Future of Gemstar's Format
by John Landahl, InfoStrategist.com
A recent post in the eBookWeb Main Forum expressed concern about the future of the Gemstar reading devices from a reader's standpoint, drawing attention to a June 25, 2002, BleedingEdge.com article by Charles Wright entitled "Electronic Books Lose the Plot." Mr. Wright goes on to point out that these ePublishers contributed to their own failure by adopting what might be termed a "hard cover pricing model" as opposed to a "paperback pricing model," he also states that a decline in demand for the RCA 1100 "...influenced publishers to stop formatting their content for the device."
This last statement raised questions in my mind because, as an independent ePublisher specializing in Gemstar eBooks, I know that Gemstar requires that each title submitted to them for distribution be provided in RCA 1100 (.rb) format as well as RCA 1200 format (Open eBook Standard or OEB format). Thus, unless Gemstar changes its policy, for a publisher to drop support for the RCA 1100 format would mean ceasing to publish Gemstar eBooks entirely.

posted by Jerry permanent link

eBookation
New eBook forum leader targets education market (reg req'd)
Nicholas Bogaty, founder of the online intellectual property marketplace rightsworld.com, was tapped to head the Open eBook Forum in April.
Bogaty became the third executive director in the four-year history of the group, which aims to establish common specifications for electronic publishing.
By bringing aboard an industry pioneer as its new leader, the forum also intends to jump-start a movement that has been slow to catch on so far among consumers.
One step Bogaty is taking to address this problem is the enhancement of the Open eBook Publication Structure (OEBPS), the group's XML-based specification for eBook content and presentation.
"The growth of eBooks in school libraries is a big aspect our members want to pursue," he said, citing benefits such as their lower cost, greater accessibility, and the searchability of electronic texts.
Although eBooks are used in a few school districts now---Houston's Aldine Independent School District, for example, opened an eBook library with 375 titles last spring---schools overall have been slow to embrace the technology.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Streaming Contents Watch
VTurner.com
Founded in 1997, vTuner.com is the leader in Internet broadcast content organization. Based in New York, the company develops consumer-based software designed to enable users of personal computers, and other consumer electronic devices to easily find and access media content over the Internet
What is vTuner?
vTuner is an easy way to find and listen to radio and TV broadcasts over the Internet. vTuner lists thousands of stations from over 100 different countries around the globe, and hundreds of different live events are available each month. vTuner is your complete guide to the world of live entertainment, music, news and talk on the Internet.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/10/2002

Palm in your Pocket
Palm Reader for Pocket PC Review
If you like using your Pocket PC for reading eBooks, check out the Palm Digital Media Web site. It offers the Palm Reader for the Pocket PC program and a wide collection of eBook titles in Palm Reader (.PDB) format. This program is available in two versions: a standard version, which can be downloaded for free, and a Pro version, which can be purchased for $9.95 or for $19.95 with an additional font pack. The Pro version of the software has more features than the standard version, including full text justification and auto scrolling. It supports the optional Agfa Monotype Font pack, which installs some new fonts that can be used with the Palm Reader Pro software. It includes Webster's New World Vest Pocket Dictionary. You can also choose different colors for the text, links, and background. Both the Pro and regular versions of Palm Reader have a font-smoothing option. click here for complete review

posted by Jerry permanent link

Retro
Oprah, Bill Gates and the Future of Books
Last year was a bad year for book publishing—sales were down, returns were up, and even good news somehow ended up as bad. The oddest example of that was when Jonathan Franzen, author of a fine, smart novel called “The Corrections,” expressed dismay when his book was chosen for Oprah’s Book Club, apparently fearing that the designation stamped his work as middlebrow. Oprah immediately withdrew her selection, costing Franzen and his publisher truckloads of additional copies sold—and depriving hundreds of thousands of readers a literary experience they would have found both challenging and rewarding.
... In short: the Internet presents all the elements needed for a true reinvention and renaissance of book publishing. While Franzen’s “The Corrections” takes a jaundiced view of corporate technology—the Internet’s primary role in the book involves an hilarious international swindle—it may actually be the counterbalance that frees authors like him from the Oprahs of the world. But both readers and writers will need to be patient, because publishing—the oldest mass medium—will almost certainly be the last to take advantage of the newest.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Smaller, Better, Cheaper
Toshiba e310 Pocket PC with rebate and extra
Special Offer: Buy this and get a $50 mail-in promotional certificate via e-mail. See details. Offer expires August 25, 2002. See details.
Special Offer: Buy this PDA and receive a free Viking Components 32 MB Secure Digital card free with promo code AUGPDAMEMYSD. Offer expires August 25, 2002.
Packaged in an attractive, sleek design, the Toshiba e310 Pocket PC features a familiar user interface and tools powered by Microsoft Windows Pocket PC 2002. It weighs just under 5 ounces and is less than a half-inch thick. Equipped with a 206 MHz Intel StrongARM processor, the Toshiba e310 features a 32 MB SDRAM memory and 32 MB of flash ROM (for future upgrading). It's powered by a built-in lithium rechargeable battery, which recharges via the included USB cradle.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Except reading this book in Pocket PC,
How to Do Everything With Your iPAQ
Do more with your iPAQ than you ever thought possible using this easy-to-use guide. Get step-by-step guidance for using Word, Excel, and Outlook, manage your finances, and secure your iPAQ from theft or loss. Covering wireless connections, troubleshooting, as well as fun things to do with the most popular pocket PC--this book will show you how make the most out of your iPAQ. (affiliated link)

posted by Jerry permanent link

Questionable ???
Top 20 Best Read eBooks
Questia Media announced today that it has launched a monthly list of the books most frequently used on Questia, the world's largest online library of books. The first installment of the list, attached below, reveals the top 20 accessed titles for July 2002 out of Questia's collection of more than 70,000 books and journal articles spanning a broad range of subjects in the social sciences, history, and the arts, among others. This best read list provides a snapshot of the most active titles and subjects on Questia and will be published on a monthly basis at Top20eBooks.com .

posted by Jerry permanent link

Deep Down
"Unmasking Deep Throat": The Anatomy of the eBook
June 17, 2002, marked the thirtieth anniversary of the Watergate break-in, and the debut of Salon.com's Unmasking Deep Throat by John Dean, the online magazine's first e-book released for sale.
Donnali Fifield, of the Times Two Publishing Company, looks at the formatting, design, and distribution of John Dean's book to deduce how Salon.com chose to present and sell the first electronic book the company has released for sale. This four-part review includes an in-depth analysis of the cover art.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/09/2002

Essential Adult Education
Drucker Up
"The Essential Drucker" contains twenty-six selections on management in the organization, management and the individual, and management and society. It covers the basic principles and concerns of management and its problems, challenges, and opportunities, giving managers, executives, and professionals the tools to perform the tasks that the economy and society of , -- otherwise ungrammatical -- tomorrow will demand of them.
(To buy from Amazon click here) - affiliated link

posted by Jerry permanent link

Adult Education
Pucker Up
From her popular columns and website to her videos and lecture series, Tristan Taormino has garnered raves for her unabashed straight talk about sex. Now, for the first time in book form, she imparts wisdom gleaned from years of adventurous and informative sexual anthropology. As a sex educator, Tristan has listened to thousands of people's most intimate questions. In Pucker Up, she responds to those queries -- no matter how taboo -- giving honest, useful advice that doesn't shy away from sensitive topics.
(To buy from Amazon click here)

posted by Jerry permanent link

Three in One
iSilo's Versions of Software
Just realize it after reading from MyPDACafe that iSilo actually have three versions:
Trial mode (Free 30-days)
When you install iSilo™ for the first time, iSilo™ starts in trial mode. Trial mode provides a 30-day period during which you can use iSilo™ in its full capacity. All of iSilo™'s features in trial mode are fully functional. This allows you to know exactly what you are getting and allows you to make an informed decision as to whether or not iSilo™ meets your needs and likes.
During trial mode, you receive reminders every now and then telling you how many days you have left in the trial period.
Registered mode $17.50
If you would like to continue using iSilo™ beyond the 30-day trial period with all features fully functional, you must purchase a license. After purchasing a license, you receive a license registration code that allows you to convert iSilo™ to registered mode.
Free Mode $0.00
In free mode, iSilo™ has the following feature limitations:
No Hyperlinks
No Images
No Color
No Tables
No Mixed font sizes
No Copying text to the clipboard
No Bookmarks
No Text (just Kidding)

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/08/2002

Look Mom!
Multimedia and Wireless Campuss in Singapore
Hundreds of PocketPC device owners at the National University of Singapore (NUS) can now watch network television wirelessly anywhere on the campus.
Programmes from 14 current affairs and educational TV channels, including BBC, CNN, Discovery and MediaWorks channels U and i, are being streamed live to the handheld devices as well as to desktops and notebooks across the campus. About half of the university's total student strength of 30,000 use notebooks.
Mr Soh Hock Heng, senior systems engineer at CIT, said: "With the service available on PocketPC-based devices, our students can enjoy the programmes anywhere, anytime."
That's exactly what Ms Ma Seow Lin, 23, a student at the School of Computing, has been doing. "We often have breaks between our various classes, lasting between one and three hours," she said. "Watching TV on my iPaq handheld is an ideal way for me to spend the time." Ms Ma felt that students would benefit if class lectures could be beamed to their PDAs (personal digital assistants). The university says videos of class lectures will be available on the PDAs soon.
Gu Hai Tong, 22, a final-year computer science student who stays in a university hostel, said: "There is no need for us to buy TVs, as everything we want to see is available on our desktops, notebooks and, now, our PocketPC devices."
Thanks to Willy Poon for the link!

posted by Jerry permanent link

Passport Control
Microsoft, FTC reach privacy settlement
Microsoft on Thursday agreed to make sweeping changes to its Passport authentication system as part of a settlement agreement with the Federal Trade Commission.
The settlement addresses allegations that Passport collects too much information, uses unfair or deceptive practices, and fails to adequately protect the privacy or security of personal information, particularly of children.
The FTC's investigation and settlement came in response to a series of complaints made against Passport last summer, said agency chairman Timothy Muris.
Passport is Microsoft's online authentication system, which allows customers to use single sign-in to access multiple Web services.
The idea behind Passport is simple: Microsoft would collect and store an ID, password and other personal information such as a shipping address or credit card number.
This electronic "wallet" would travel around the Web with a consumer, making it easier to engage in a range of online transactions, such as banking, making travel plans or subscribing to an online publication.
The service also is a cornerstone for .Net, Microsoft's slowly evolving Web services strategy.
But critics have assailed the plan on several fronts, particularly privacy and security, and the FTC on Thursday agreed on some points.
As part of the settlement agreement, Microsoft has changed its privacy statements to accurately reflect what information is collected and how it is used, Brad Smith, Microsoft's general counsel, said in a separate conference call.
Passport rejected A group of privacy organizations, including EPIC and Junkbusters, filed a complaint in July 2001, alleging Passport and the accompanying Wallet service violated Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act.
As part of the settlement, Microsoft has agreed to make numerous changes to tighten up how much information it collects or what it tells consumers about how information will be used.
In an eight-page settlement (in pdf)released Thursday, Microsoft also agreed not to engage in unfair or deceptive practices and to protect the security and privacy of personal information.
The FTC's privacy complaint focused on a single issue: Microsoft's collecting of very detailed information from people's sign-in information and the Web sites onto which which they logged on without notifying customers of the activity.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/07/2002

Say it with a smile, "Yahoo!"
Yahoo! and Sonera zed Announce Strategic and Commercial Partnership
Yahoo! Inc, a leading global Internet company, and Sonera zed Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sonera Corporation (HEX:SRA)(Nasdaq:SNRA - News) and a leading provider of entertainment, communications and information services for mobile devices, today announced that Yahoo! has acquired a 15 percent share of zed, and the two companies have entered into a commercial agreement to deliver co-branded mobile services across Europe.
Under the terms of the commercial agreement, zed and Yahoo! will provide a wide range of co-branded mobile services which will be promoted across Yahoo! Europe, beginning in the UK, Germany, and Italy. The companies also hope to expand their services to additional Yahoo! properties in the future. Initially, Yahoo! and zed will introduce logos, ringtones, picture messages, chat and news. In addition, the commercial partnership will also enable Yahoo! to leverage zed's technological platform to deploy Yahoo! Messenger and Yahoo! Mail to mobile consumers in Europe.
"We see this partnership with Yahoo! as a major endorsement of zed's strategy, business model, and recent performance. We welcome the investment that Yahoo! is committing to," said Juha Varelius, chief executive officer of Sonera zed Ltd. and executive vice president of Sonera Corporation. "zed's customers will be able to experience new and interesting services from zed and Yahoo. In addition, we anticipate that our partnership will enable us to further grow our revenues from our mobile services, which our partner operators would also benefit from."
Zed provides entertainment, communication and information services for mobile devices, mainly by text messaging (SMS) and in some markets by Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), via direct relationships with 17 operators in six countries. As of June 2002, zed had an average of 3 million customers per month, who execute approximately 30 million commercial transactions per month. Zed's suite of products includes ring tones, logos, picture messages, games, chat, sports, directory, stock quotes, traffic reports, pranks, horoscopes, news, finance, movie guides, currency converters, and restaurant guides.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Say it low, "AOL"
The Right Time
Digital asset management is akin to cleaning out the garage: you know once you do it you'll be glad you did, but for some reason (Sunday football/kids' dance class/Must See TV) you keep putting it off. As the publishing industry barrels towards convergence, more and more companies are realizing it is time to clean out the garage by way of digitizing assets. The reasons for putting this off are numerous (money/available resources/finding the right solution), but the consequences of failing to do so are a little more substantial than not organizing a collection of power tools. Not content to procrastinate, the staff at AOL Time Warner's Book Group (AOLTWBG) began seriously assessing its digital asset needs and researching available solutions in the summer of 1999. But like any major household project, the company quickly realized assembling a DAM system would require a significant amount of human resources, time, patience and money.
...
DAM has come a long way since that summer of 1999. But the AOL Time Warner Book Group hedged its bet through conducting careful research and planning, establishing an open relationship with Artesia and providing incentives to adopt the new system. "A lot of vendors try to associate technology with revenue. The notion that technology equals revenue is false," says Holst. "Either the vendor is naive or they hope the buying public is naive. The technology [supporting DAM] is constant, not variable. In the beginning DAM got a bad rap. [But now] DAM is very successful in paying for itself, reducing risks and creating more conducive business propositions."

posted by Jerry permanent link

Say it loud, "IOWA"
Who Needs Paper? Not Iowa College
Students at an Iowa college can forget the quintessential experience of pulling all-nighters at the library poring over stacks of books.
For one thing, there's no library. For another, there are no books.
The Des Moines Area Community College's West Des Moines campus is the newest of the college's six branches. It opened last fall with the mission to collaborate with companies to beta test education technologies.
Instead of a library, the school has a resource center equipped with computer workstations that can access the Web, e-books and online journals. The resource center also houses several meeting tables, audio-visual materials and a few paper magazines -- but no books.
West campus handheld initiative
The DMACC West Campus and Synerg.e™ Center will be one of the first educational institutions in the country to fully utilize handheld computer technology for delivery of course content and materials including texts and syllabi, wireless student interaction through e-mail and web surfing, notification of news and upcoming events, course and competencies assessment, and for general daily planning.
Why use handheld computer technology in a college environment?
As technology changes and people become more and more accustomed to using these changes in everyday life, educational institutions must shift classroom delivery methods in order to adapt to them. Handheld computer technology provides a number of features and benefits that have already proven themselves in both business and everyday life:
Mobility (On-the-go, 24/7 access)
Simplicity (Ease of use and understanding)
Versatility (Able to meet a variety of changing needs)
Functionality (Perform an assortment of activities simultaneously)
Organization (Keeps schedules, tasks, e-mails, documents and other forms of information consolidated and coordinated)
Low Cost (Extremely cost-effective relative to other forms of computer technology)
These reasons, and many others, were the basis for our decision to "reengineer" how we provide learning in our new environment. Des Moines Area Community College has always been in the forefront of technical education. The new West Campus and Synerg.e™ Center not only speak to this history, but also show our commitment to students at all levels by providing a technically advanced, robust environment for learning.
The DMACC West Campus and Synerg.e™ Center are committed to take students through the steps necessary for a successful learning experience - from building awareness and acquiring skills to applying the new knowledge in business. The information used to achieve this will be delivered in a new and compelling manner, one that more and more people are beginning to demand…learning and everything you need, right in the palm or your hand! (or in the pc from your pocket)

posted by Jerry permanent link

New Software
Super Explorer from Applian
Super Explorer makes it easy to copy, move and delete files on
your Pocket PC using a handy drag-and-drop interface. Plus you
can adjust the size of the folder and file windows by dragging
a separator bar. It's a superior file manager compared to the
built-in File Explorer application.
What's more, Super Explorer is a fully functional FTP client,
with the same, easy-to-use interface.
Here's some of the benefits of Super Explorer:
* Copy files to and from the Internet using FTP.
* Easily copy and move files and folders on your Pocket PC.
* Flexible interface lets you see more files or more folders.
* Choose a display font that works best for you.
* Change file properties.
* Customize display columns.
* Easily beam files to other devices.
Super Explorer is available now in 3 different packages:
For $19.95 by itself.
In the $29.95 Applian productivity Bundle of 6 programs.
In the $39.95 Applian Super Incredible Bundle with 15 programs.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/06/2002

Full-time Browser
NetFront v3.0 for Pocket PC
NetFront v3.0 for Pocket PC is a browser for information appliances that runs on Pocket PC.
It conforms to the latest specifications recommended by the W3C including HTML4.01, HTTP Cookies, CSS1 and CSS2, ECMAScript 3rd Edition (JavaScript1.5 equivalent), DOM Level1 and Level2, and Dynamic HTML.
It supports 128-bit SSL, tab browsing for switching between a maximum five multi-windows, offline browsing and many other functions, all of which can be implemented in constrained memory and low power consumption environments.
HTML4.01, XHTML1.0, cHTML (Compact HTML) and XHTML Basic
Part of CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) 1 and CSS 2
ECMAScript 3rd Edition (JavaScript 1.5 equivalent)
Part of DOM (Document Object Model) 1 and DOM 2
Supports various image formats: GIF/animated GIFs, PNG, JPEG, MNG
HTTP/1.1
SSL2.0/3.0, TLS1.0.
Multi-window function (switching between up to five window displays)
Full support for Cookies
Bookmarks and page memo functions
Image displays on basic set-up screens, animated GIF, table displays, JavaScript, CSS on/off settings possible
Spotted from MyPDACafe, which just celebrated its birthday, Happy Birthday Guys! I will wait for your Nasi lemak.

posted by Jerry permanent link

MJ Rose loves her Cat
Roses Are Red, Your PDA Is Dead
Gorelets: UnpleasantPoetry Creator Michael Arnzen, who writes horror fiction and poetry professionally, first discovered the joy of writing poetry on his Palm Pilot and then realized the handheld device was also the perfect place to read verse. But when he went searching for e-poetry e-books, there were none.
"And I found that strange because poetry better fits most e-book readers," he said. After all, it is far easier to read short, tight pieces than scrolling through screen after screen of prose.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Never read the book, read the reviews
Review Alert.com
ReviewAlert is a free service that enables you to be notified when new reviews are posted on Amazon.com for any items you want to track - dvds, music cds, books on any topic etc. Now you no longer have to go to Amazon.com to see if there is a new review, we'll let you know as soon as the new review is posted. Save time. Keep up to date.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Clearer Type
ITC eBook Fonts
Agfa Monotype has solutions for book designers, publishers and consumers who are interested in fonts that offer a stylistic and highly legible on-screen reading experience. We understand that eBooks often require a different set of font, and we are applying our expertise and proprietary tools to our world-renowned typeface library to create innovative font solutions for eBooks.
eBook Font Packs are for Palm Reader Pro
There are three font styles available in each eBook Font Pack - Serif, Sans Serif and Condensed. The Palm OS version of the eBook Font Pack includes different sizes for each bitmap font, while the Pocket PC version of the eBook Font Pack includes a scalable TrueType font for each design style. These TrueType fonts are from Agfa Monotype’s Enhanced Screen Quality (ESQ) range of fonts, and have been hand-tuned to work best in a low-resolution environment. This provides users with a versatile selection for displaying ebooks at a comfortable reading size based on the resolution of their handheld device.
The retail price of the eBook Font Pack for Palm Reader is $14.95

posted by Jerry permanent link

The Right ways for Writer's Rights on Copyright, right?
Never, Ever Release Any Of Your Rights To Anyone
One of the grandest scams on the Web, which goes largely unnoticed, is for a web-based bookseller or publisher to require some rights to your work in exchange for the service to be provided. Many demand the electronic rights, for example.
Don't do it!
Never, ever release any of your rights. Here's why.
The Writer's Goal
Winning the writing game means becoming an established author, one who sells a new book every year or two. One who earns enough to live comfortably from his or her writing alone.
The first step toward achieving this goal is to be published by a major house in the real world. That is, offline. Most will not even consider your book if you've muddied the water by releasing or selling any rights to it.
Sure, there are exceptions. Some have self-published, then later made a deal with a major house. And the stories make grand reading. But there are not a lot of them.
The Better Plan...

posted by Jerry permanent link

Americana
A legal hack? Only in America
Could record and music executives who take advantage of the hacking provisions of a proposed U.S. bill face stiff penalties if they travel to countries that outlaw computer break-ins? Possibly.
Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., has pushed a measure that would allow intellectual property owners to use technical measures to prevent copyright infringement. These measures include spoofing--the seeding of file-swapping networks with false versions of songs--and hacking into sharing systems.
For example, Australia's legal code contains a provision allowing a sentence of up to six months in jail if a person breaks into a computer system without legal authority. On Tuesday, Melbourne's The Age newspaper ran a story saying American executives could be banned from entering the country or face jail time if they employ the bill's hacking provisions.
Although the United States has similar laws outlawing computer break-ins, Berman's bill may shield intellectual property owners from prosecution in some cases if they're trying to protect their copyrighted works. (click here for complete article)

posted by Jerry permanent link

Open Palm
Palm Reader features and more
Tips and tricks and several built in functions, which you can learn from this article at Pocket PC Passion.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  8/05/2002

Copygreed
U.S. Copyright Law Has Hackers on the Defensive
When Adam Bresson showed how to make copies of copyright-protected videos in a speech at a hacker conference this weekend he realized he was risking arrest for violating U.S. copyright law that landed a Russian man behind bars after the same event last year.
"There's a fine line between creating technologies that bypass copyright protections and demonstrating them," he said on Monday. "I decided to do it because I think the message is important."
His message: people's rights to make "fair use" copies of copyrighted material for personal use are being eroded by copyright holders.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Left Pocket PPC
Heartsite.com
This not-for-profit public service site uses multimedia, animations, and online lectures to educate patients and their family members about the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease. It provides health care students with basic heart information. The site contains over 120 different Flash applets and claims to be the first major healthcare site that's fully compatible with the Pocket PC.
Spotted from Jim Karpen's Website

posted by Jerry permanent link