Wrong Analysis
Singapore: Amidst e-book gloom, one firm hangs on
The firm, E-Book Systems, has signed a distribution agreement with Japanese broadband giant Softbank, which will publish titles in Japan using E-Book's Digital Flip platform.
E-Book Systems makes software that helps users author and display on-screen text, images and multimedia in a flip-through method similar to book-reading. Instead of trying to copying paper, the platform allows for audio and video and is designed to be viewed on PCs, not handheld devices.
However, competing formats are many and pack daunting advantages, as many defunct e-book companies have discovered.
Some, like the Web browser-based hypertext, are free. Others, such as Microsoft's Word and eBook and Adobe's PDF and Reader require commercial software to create. All are entrenched and believed to have helped make the proprietary book reader file formats of the late '90s go under.
eBook Systems should know that most ebook reader are using Handheld devices not PC to read the ebook, and ebooks sales has been great lately.