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

King's Trend
Stephen King eBook cheaper than printed edition

To be released the same day as the printed version
There were quite a few comments on my eBook blurb posted earlier this week, and a few mentioned the fact that eBooks are generally released after printed books have been out for some time. Well, just in time for Halloween Fictionwise.com has announced that you can pre-order the eBook version of Stephen King's latest Dark Tower novel, The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla. The printed version is slated for release on the same day as the availability of the eBook, and you will also receive a 50% Micropay Rebate when purchasing with a credit card. The eBook version of this highly anticipated novel is US$10 less than the print version (about $3 less than Amazon's discounted price).

posted by Jerry permanent link

The Price according to PDAers
How much are PDAers willing to spend on an eBook?
It seems that many PDA owners are looking for free or inexpensive eBooks and applications, and complain if something costs more than US$5 or $10. When I evangelize to non-PDA users they are quite happy to hear that most applications cost $20 or less because they are comparing that to $50 or more for desktop applications and games. I have to admit that I buy printed books at Costco, where I can get them for about $10 to $15 instead of $15 to $25, yet I do look for eBooks at $8 or less.
...I think I will take a different perspective on eBook buying. If the book's DRM isn't too restrictive, like Microsoft Reader books can be, then you can have an entire library burned onto a CD for future reading and read it on multiple PDAs.

posted by Jerry permanent link

The PriceBook is Right
What is the right price for ebooks?
Speaking of benefits, why would someone pay paper prices, or perhaps more, for the ability to read ebooks instead of the dead tree variety? Frankly, I can think of lots of them, but I also know this is well-trod ground in this column. In the interests of regular readers not throttling me, here's just the high points.
Portability
Typography
Illumination
...And There are three major factors that make ebooks less valuable than paper:
DRM
Readability
dual-edged sword on Convinience.

posted by Jerry permanent link

eBook 101
MemoWare eBook Primer
The MemoWare eBook Primer was designed to help PDA users understand the basics of reading eBooks on their PDA devices.
The information was compiled by PDALive.com

posted by Jerry permanent link

Free DRM5 eBooks from M$
Cat's Cradle
by Kurt Vonnegut
If any single novel of Kurt Vonnegut's can represent his unique voice and freewheeling imagination, it is probably the wildly funny and provocative Cat's Cradle, published in 1963. Though it might not be his most substantial or popular novel, Cat's Cradle is a perfect vehicle for his idiosyncratic style and his kaleidoscopic view of the modern world.
More M$ Free eBooks

posted by Jerry permanent link

Microsoft Merger Idea: Say It Won't Be So, Google
Google to its credit has so far rejected a merger proposal from Microsoft, but it would be nice if it said unequivocally that one won't happen in the future, either. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

  10/30/2003

eMKTG 300
Egalleys: Breakthrough in Promoting Books
According to The Rosetta Bulletin, electronic galleys are the next step in the evolution of the printed galley, the cornerstone of publishers' book promotion strategies for more than 50 years. Galleys are also known as uncorrected page proofs or advanced reader copies. Today, publishers can create exciting Internet marketing opportunities by taking advantage of breakthroughs available with egalleys.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Greedsters Plot New Attack on Public Domain
Big conglomerates would be able to claim some new rights even on public domain works--just by transmitting them. The bad guys have had the audacity to include that proposal in a new international treaty. Maybe it's time for a fresh term. You've heard of vanity laws like the DMCA--bought by and written for members of specific industries. How about "vanity treaty"? Yoo-hoo, John Dean and you other Presidential candidates? Guess you're taking your usual snoozes. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Long-Dead Brit Decodes DCthink in the Web Era
You already know: Presidential candidates' Web sites excel in hiding contact info to reach influential advisors. Jack Valenti and crew have the open-Sesame information. You don't. How to articulate the philosophy behind this not-so-accidental little omission on many a campaign site? Well, the protagonist in Our Friend the Charlatan, a novel that the British writer George Gissing published in 1901, does a preternatural job of expressing the elitist DC mindset that permeates the Website-creation philosophy of Dems and Republicans alike, even if they won't fess up to it. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

  10/29/2003

Handheld Makers Eye K-12 Market
Americans public schools spent a mere $9.5 million on mobile gizmos out of $5.1 billion in tech spending in the 2001-2002 school year. But handheld makers, especially PalmOne, would like to change that in a big way. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

IMHO:
No Mo' Adobe (duh) secured eBooks
I just purchased (and plan to give another chance) secured Adobe eBook, and I love it but I lie.
Bottom line, DON'T BUY ADOBE EBOOK:
1. I download it into my notebook, after long process of downloading the reader (15 MB) and activation process (15 minutes in slow speed internet connection).
2. The ebook looks bad in adobe reader, awkward navigation and book marking process.
3. I can't read it with my Pocket PC.
4. Then I can't download to my desktop from the ebook store, even after twice activating. I have to say this, "I hate MS Reader DRM protection, but Adobe is the WORST of the Bad DRM."

posted by Jerry permanent link

Googlebooks
Google eyes book search
Google is in talks with several publishers to build a service that would allow Web surfers to search the full text of books online, according to a report this week from Publishers Weekly's online site. Google spokesman David Krane declined to comment. But such a service would likely allow people to query a database for keywords and then view exerpts from books where those keywords appear, according to the report. So far, Google has made agreements that give it the ability to scan as many as 60,000 titles, the report said.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Four and More
Feds grant DMCA exceptions
As part of a regular process of reviewing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, regulators created four new instances in which it is legal to crack digital copyright protections. Such protections can now be broken to access:
• Lists of sites blocked by commercial Internet filtering software, but not spam-fighting lists.
• Computer programs protected by hardware dongles that are broken or obsolete.
• Computer programs or video games that use obsolete formats or hardware.
• E-books that prevent read-aloud or other handicapped access formats from functioning.

posted by Jerry permanent link

FreeWise
100% Micropay Rebate on Bringing Elizabeth Home!
(Card payment only)
At 3:58 in the morning of June 5, 2002, Ed and Lois Smart awoke to the sound of their nine-year-old daughter Mary Katherine's frightened voice. "She's gone. Elizabeth is gone." After nine months of a strange, hard, sometimes rewarding, but mostly painful journey, Elizabeth was miraculously returned to them. Just as millions throughout the world had grieved for her loss, now they celebrated her safe return. This is the Smart's story of their experience.

posted by Jerry permanent link

ConvertLit Rules
New Ways to Skirt DMCA … Legally!
On Tuesday, the U.S. Copyright Office released the four "classes of works" exempted from the anti-circumvention rule. People may bypass a digital lock to access lists of websites blocked by commercial filtering companies, circumvent obsolete dongles to access computer programs, access computer programs and video games in obsolete formats, and access e-books where the text-to-speech function has been disabled.

posted by Jerry permanent link

New DMCA Fair Use Exceptions Released by U.S. Copyright Office
The U.S. Copyright Office, part of the Library of Congress, has just offered four new exceptions to the DMCA--fair use-related. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Convert Lit Moves to Polish Host to Escape DMCAism
Convert Lit, the program that lets you crack Microsoft Reader to make backups as part of Fair Use, has moved to a Polish host to escape the tyrannies of the new EU-style DMCA in the UK and elsewhere. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

  10/28/2003

Will Microsoft DRM Actually Increase Companies' Legal Risks?
Lynn Dimick isn't a lawyer but raises some fascinating and essential questions. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Romance E-Books Topic of New E-Mail List
A new e-mail list available through Yahoo Groups describes itself as "dedicated to spreading the word about romance e-books." More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

OpenBook
Amazon Offer Worries Authors
The online retailer Amazon.com has introduced a feature that lets users search for specific words or phrases in a database of the texts of 120,000 books, drawing skepticism from an authors' group.
The feature, called Search Inside the Book, lets anyone see a few pages of each book in which the phrase appears. Registered users can see up to 20 pages of a book at a time.
...Paul Aiken, executive director of the Authors Guild, a writers' trade group, regarded the practice as dubious. He said that publishers did not have the right to make the contents of books available without the authors' permission. "We find it a matter of serious concern," Mr. Aiken said.
He said Authors Guild staff members had managed to view and print as many as 100 consecutive pages of several books by searching repeatedly for different terms. He also noted that recipes from some cookbooks and details from travel books were also available, meaning that users could print recipes or destination descriptions without buying the books. "You don't even have to wait for Amazon to deliver," Mr. Aiken said.

posted by Jerry permanent link

A Gogglish E-Mail Client and a First-Rate Speller to Improve It
The Bloomba e-mail client is notable for powerful search features, a good integrated anti-spam package and even a built-in RSS reader. But it lacks a speller. To the rescue comes As-U-Type, a system-level goody which is also handy for bloggers. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Download Software to See Michelangelo's Works in 3D
Wonder how many other artists will be included. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Google Woos Publishers as It Girds for Book War against Amazon
Girding for a book war against Amazon, the Google people have quietly asked publishers in the last few months to let the search engine company handle book content. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

  10/27/2003

enhanced eBible
Holy Bible--New International Version: Enhanced Microsoft Reader Edition
The NIV Holy Bible has been the best selling Bible translation for years. Now it will become a key resource for eBooks available in the popular Microsoft Reader format. Not only can the NIV Holy Bible be read just like other eBooks, it can also be used as a reference source to look up a Bible verse referred to in any other eBook. This enhanced version of the NIV in Microsoft Reder format includes additional functionality which allows a user to be reading another title, hover over a Book-Chapter-Verse reference and see the actual verse pop-up as a Dictionary entry.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Microsoft Reader as a Trojan for Corporate Paranoids
Microsoft cares a lot more about Digital Rights Management than it does about electronic books, and those nifty freebies are a great way to soften you up for Redmond-style Big Brotherdom. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Nepotism vs. the Net
A proposal from "Conservative French MEP Janelly Fourtou (who also happens to be the wife of Vivendi’s CEO) would criminalize non-commercial infringement, such as P2P file-sharing," says IP Justice. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

  10/26/2003

Fuss over Gobal Textbook Prices--and That's Even Before E-Books Take Over
Oh, the fun--a big fuss between textbook publishers and campus bookstores over, "Who's the real price villain?" When e-books go global, it may be easier than ever for consumers to see what's going on--well, provided that consumer protection advocate prevail, which might not be the case. Here's to full disclosure! More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

New e-book battle: Google vs. Amazon?
Now that Google may go public, will it rev up a book search engine, archives and e-book store to compete in certain ways with Amazon? In a related vein, check out an item in Jon Udell's blog. (Via Techdirt.)

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Wesley Clark Web Site Needs a Truly Open Source Slashdot Approach
The right bulletin-board technology at Wesley Clark's site could help when combined with greater online accountability of individual policy advisors. In the latest TeleRead post, I lay out the specifics of a truly open source Slashdot approach for campaign sites. What would work for Clark would also work for Dean and the rest.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Trekwise

StarTrek Series
Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek Series
The timeless Star Trek series by various authors. Whether you're a purist fan of the original series or enjoy the newer themes, you'll find something here to indulge your Federation fantasies. Now there are 130 Star Trek's ebooks available.
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek: The Next Generation Series
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Series
Star Trek: Voyager Series
Star Trek: New Frontier Series
Star Trek: S.C.E. Series
Star Trek: Special Editions Series
Star Trek: The Enterprise Series

posted by Jerry permanent link

Rx for Washington's Bullying: An NRA-Size Group for All Digital Media Users
How about a Digital Media Users Association--an in-your-face, take-no-prisoners group in an NRA vein for Internet folks, music and DVD fans, satellite TV buffs, e-book readers and all other digital media users? Such an organization could be a full-powered coalition of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and compatible groups and also enroll millions of people inside and outside the tech industry to thwart Hollywood-bought pols. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

  10/25/2003

Which Prez Candidate to Support?
A net.copyright List of Bug Fixes to Help You Decide
John Dean, Gen. Clark and other Democratic candidates would score points with millions of Netfolks right now just by asking for a repeal or fix of the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Time to debug copyright law by deleting the Hollywood-programmed modules. No bug fixes proposed by wimpish Dems? Then no primary votes for 'em. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Slashdot:
Amazon's Book Search Hits a Snag
The Importance of writes "Yesterday, Slashdot readers discussed Amazon's brand new, technically impressive and highly useful book search feature that lets users search the full text of over 120,000 books. Today, the Authors Guild is saying that the publishers don't have the right to let Amazon do this. Uh oh."

posted by Jerry permanent link

Bootright
Copyright Catch-Up in E. Europe
Not only can music enthusiasts in the Baltic states buy boatloads of pirated tunes on the streets, they pay taxes on the prohibited material.
And the governments of these former Soviet republics are doing nothing to stamp out piracy of intellectual property. In fact, they profit from it by imposing taxes on them, says Elita Milgrave, chairwoman of the Latvian Music Producers Association. By turning a blind eye to piracy, these governments could hold back the region as it tries to integrate into the economies of the developed world, particularly the European Union.

posted by Jerry permanent link

eBookweb:
Calling all ebook users
Gemma Towle is a long-time eBook enthusiast. In fact she is a PhD student at Loughborough University, UK doing a PhD on electronic books. Gemma is researching eBook views and experiences with respect to publishers, libraries and readers. How is the traditional publishing model changing due to electronic publishing, and more specifically eBooks? Learn more about her research.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Yanks seek to Hollywoodize Aussie law with Longer Copyright Terms
Jack Valenti's people at the Motion Picture Association of America have joined Aussie copyright interests in efforts to bamboozle Australia into lengthening copyright terms. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

  10/24/2003

The Concorde's Lesson for E-Book Publishers
A sometimes-droopy-nosed bird called The Concorde went extinct yesterday, at least in the world of commercial aviation, and that just could be a lesson for certain e-book publishers. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Freeware
Today Player
"Here's a nice piece of freeware for those of you who like to play music in the background while you're working. While the playlist editor is full-screen, the actual playback program only occupies a small slice of your Today screen." Discuss it at Pocket PC Thoughts

posted by Jerry permanent link

Free DRM5 eBooks from Microsoft
(Limited Time Download now)
Balance of Power
by Richard North Patterson
President Kerry Kilcannon and his fiancée, television journalist Lara Costello, have at last decided to marry. But their wedding is followed by a massacre of innocents in a lethal burst of gunfire, challenging their marriage and his presidency in ways so shattering and indelibly personal that Kilcannon vows to eradicate gun violence and crush the most powerful lobby in Washington–the Sons of the Second Amendment (SSA).
More Free eBooks

posted by Jerry permanent link

1984-Proofing the Future with Hardware Overrides
How to prevent "trusted computing" from Orwellizing society? An engineer has a specific rec. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Free E-Books from Prestigious U.S. Publisher
Anyone can enjoy more than 2,500 books for free--on topics ranging from physics to urban development--from the prestigious National Academies Press in the U.S. And if you love sci-fi, don't forget about the Baen Free Press, either. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

  10/23/2003

Wesley Clark vs. the Digital Dark Ages?
A Reading List for the General and His Supporters
Do you know any supporters of Wesley Clark? Here's a reading list to educate them and perhaps eventually the General himself on the DMCA, the Bono Act and so on. Howard Dean is a cowardly known on the topic of cyber rights, while Clark at least is an unknown. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Bambookzled
What's this malarkey in The Write News about e-book-publishing being "a major force in the worlds of media and technology" when sales are a mere $10 million or so a year? Hmm. Aren't those words a bit familiar? An old press release from the Proprietary Format Promoters' Forum? More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Has Amazon Beaten Public Libraries to the Punch--with the New Digital Archive?
So what might the new archive mean to libraries? More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

'Censors, Adobe and Microsoft Deserve Each Other' Department
After having passed on a Big Brotherish scenario, I've got a fun story to share with you--just to show that BB can sometimes mess up. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

CNBC: Billy Tauzin is the Next Jack Valenti
The next Jack Valenti, the next pol-acquirer to head the Motion Picuture Association of America, is supposed to be a piece of merchandise named Billy Tauzin. So says CNBC in more polite language. The Hill News is not so sure, but I'd side with CNBC on this one, and I'll tell you why. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

OeBF's Nick Bogaty Will Be on E-Bookworm
Nick Bogaty, exec director of the Open eBook Forum, known to TeleBlog readers as the Proprietary Format Promoters' Forum, will be interviewed Nov. 20 from 3-4 p.m. CST on an E-Bookworm audio netcast. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Tech Watch
Adobe heralds 3D authoring
Adobe Systems has introducing its 3D authoring tool, Adobe Atmosphere, for building multimedia-based interactive environments for the Web and PDF files.
With Atmosphere, Web designers and digital document creators in applications such as arts, e-commerce, entertainment, and education can deliver realistic, interactive environments that enable users to navigate and interact with the environment and its contents. Users also can collaborate in real-time.
An example of an Atmosphere application would be a ticket-selling system in which the vendor could build realistic replicas of venues for patrons to check out the view of the stage from specific states, Adobe said.
Architects and designers, meanwhile, can build prototypes or publish existing designs developed in CAD application to the Web. Publishers can create interactive PDF eBooks.

posted by Jerry permanent link

AOHell Ponybook
There Must Be a Pony in Here Somewhere: The AOL Time Warner Debacle and the Quest for a Digital Future
If you're wondering what happened after "a company without assets acquired a company without a clue," as Kara Swisher wryly writes, it's time to crack open this trenchant book about the doomed merger of America Online and Time Warner. On a quest to discover how the deal of the century became the messiest merger in history, Swisher delivers a rollicking narrative and a keen analysis of this debacle that is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand what it all means for the digital future.
Will the demise of the AOL Time Warner merger be the final and inevitable chapter of the dot-com debacle or will it herald a new paradigm altogether? This book, then, is a primer for the time to come, using the story of the AOL Time Warner merger as the vehicle to show the troubled journey into the future.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Overspeed
150 Publishers Added to OverDrive Digital Library
Using the OverDrive system, best-selling eBooks can be selected and downloaded from the library's website for offline reading on PCs and virtually all PDA devices. The eBooks borrowed automatically expire and check themselves back into the collection. Cleveland Public Library, (http://dlc.clevnet.org/); King County Library System, (http://ebooks.kcls.org); and Wright Memorial Public Library (http://ebooks.wright.lib.oh.us/) are among libraries that currently provide the service. Library systems scheduled to offer eBooks to their patrons using OverDrive's service include MetroNet, Michigan; Youngstown, Ohio; Starkville, Mississippi; Essex County, UK; Burlington County, New Jersey and others.

posted by Jerry permanent link

LUR (Liberal Usage Rights)
ITunes, Now for the Rest of Us
"ITunes for Windows is the best jukebox for Windows, ever," said Jobs with typical humility. "It's been hailed as the best jukebox out there, and now it's available for Windows."
The Windows software is available immediately for free from iTunes.com.
Like the Mac version, iTunes for Windows offers songs a la carte at $1 a pop, and albums for $10. Songs can be shared between three computers -- any combination of Macs or Windows PCs -- and copied with few restrictions to CD or iPod. On the Mac, the service has won praise for its ease of use and liberal usage rights.

To listen iTunes songs/audiobooks with your Pocket PC:
1. Burn the songs into CD (this will remove the protection)
2. Convert the CD to MP3
3. Move the MP3 to Pocket PC

posted by Jerry permanent link

Time to go E
Students Find $100 Textbooks Cost $50, Purchased Overseas
Just like prescription drugs, textbooks cost far less overseas than they do in the United States. The publishing industry defends its pricing policies, saying that foreign sales would be impossible if book prices were not pegged to local market conditions.
But many Americans do not see it that way. The National Association of College Stores has written to all the leading publishers asking them to end a practice they see as an unfair to American students.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Amazing New eBooks:

I am so happy to see more new mainstream books are available for us to download!
Beckham: Both Feet on the Ground: An Autobiography
The legend of David Beckham--soccer god, global sex symbol, style icon--as only he can tell it. The international soccer star speaks candidly about the pressures of celebrity, goes behind the scenes of his most memorable career moments--and sets the record straight.
The Pleasure of My Company: A Novella by Steve Martin
In the story of Daniel Pecan Cambridge and the people who inhabit the insular universe he is seeking to expand--if only one small square at a time--Steve Martin has achieved something extraordinary: the chronicle of a modern-day neurotic yearning to break free.
Who's Looking Out for You? by Bill O'Reilly
($0 with Credit Card Rebate- limited time)
Who's Looking Out for You? is a book that confronts our worst fears and biggest problems in a post-9/11, post-corporate-meltdown world. Its sage, candid advice on regaining control and trust in these troubled times will resonate with the millions of readers and viewers who have come to believe in Bill O'Reilly as the man who speaks for them.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  10/22/2003

International Petition Drive to Keep DMCAism Out of Trade Agreement
IP Justice has started a petition drive to keep DMCAism from infesting the whole Western Hemisphere via a Hollywood-influenced trade agreement, the FTAA. Time to delete the whole copyright section! More at TeleRead, including some Presley and Beatles angles.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

OverDrive CEO Ducks Question on DRM Costs
OverDrive CEO Steve Potash, sure enough, ducked the question of DRM costs when moderator Tom Peters broached the issue during an E-Bookworm interview last week. He also was verbosely fuzzy about the outlook for a universal consumer-level format from the Proprietary Format Promoters' Forum--the very stuff that Microsoft ballyhooed in the organization's name five years ago. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

John Dvorak: Throw the DMCA villains out of Congress
PC Magazine columnist John Dvorak correctly brands the DMCA as a threat to free speech. In fact, in a column this month, he calls for a campaign to throw the villains--the solons responsible for the law--out of Congress. A little clue for Presidential candidates, especially Howard Dean who has shamefully wimped out on net.copyright issues? More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

  10/21/2003

'Microwave Ebooks'
E-books and microwave ovens have a few things in common. More at TeleRead. (No radiation danger, promise.)

posted by David Rothman permanent link

General Clark, Here's How to OutNet Governor Blogger for Real
Howard Dean has used the Internet to round up money and supporters. But he still is wimping out on the DMCA and failing to come up with new Net-related ideas. So could Wesley Clark do better? Might the General, known for his intellect and oft-independent bent, take the time to understand the issues and speak up despite his Clinton ties? Perhaps even to the point of advocating, gasp, a truly well-stocked national digital library? More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

  10/20/2003

DMCAism and its Karl Marx
Methinks we've witnessed the birth of a new ideology, DMCAism. It is differs from pure capitalism in that it cares just as much about control of consumers as it does about profit--in fact, very likely more. DMCAists needn't overthrow governments. They just bribe them with massive campaign contributions as they go about formenting international revolution against the masses. More at TeleRead, including the identity of the main author of the DMCAist Manifesto.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Time Out!
For The Old Time Sake
EMS Old Software Exchange buys and sells the world's largest selection of old/used/out-of-print software for the PC and other microcomputers.
Remembering the time when we have to switch and swap the 360K diskette to run Micropro's Wordstar, Ashton Tate's dBase, WordPerfet and Lotus 123

posted by Jerry permanent link

  10/19/2003

International Copyright Grab Would Spread DMCAish Excesses
Oh, the generosity of Washington! Now our Hollywood-bought government wants to share DMCAism and similar joys with our neighbors in the Western Hemisphere via the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) Treaty. Maybe pols and bureaucrats would feel otherwise if they actually read e-books and dealt first hand with such issues as Microsoft's DRM from Hell--the very stuff that the DMCA encourages and protects. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Citizen Kane
Kane Vision Station
Kane Vision Station gives you the power to easily record your favourite TV shows and home movies on your PC* or Tablet* and transfer them to your handheld computer* for playback on the move. The Vision Station comes complete with all you need to transform your Home and Pocket PC into the most powerful multimedia entertainment device - that fits in the palm of your hand.
• Complete with all you need, so your handheld computer can playback your own video recordings*
• View TV & movies on your PC, record them, and convert them automatically for pocket play back.
• Timeshift TV for playback when out and about.
• Record home movies from most VCRs.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  10/18/2003

Approaching Ramadhan
Creation & The Existence of God
Free Islamic eBooks from Harun Yahya
The books of Harun Yahya are originally in Turkish. The total number of these originals is about 190 titles. The translation of these original texts into English is a continuing process. In this page, you only see the books available in English at the moment.
Sadly, all ebooks are in PDF format which is cumbersome to read with Pocket PC, I hope they will make the MS Reader version soon.

posted by Jerry permanent link

ScienceBook
Handbook of Fasting
Fasting and starvation are two different types of condition. Fasting is constructive where as starvation is destructive. Fasting is one of the most important and cheapest of all-natural remedies. A fast means total abstention from taking any kind of food. There are different types of fast such as fruit fast, juice fast, water fast or half day fast by abstaining from food at one mealtime. This book explains how to do scientific fasting for remaining healthy and curing all diseases.
Muslims might want to read this book to see scientific reasoning about Ramadhan fasting.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Dream-Come-True Software for Pocket PC Users
WM Recorder

WM Recorder is a revolutionary new way to record Windows Media™ video and audio streams to watch on your Pocket PC or laptop. No internet connection required!
Recorded files can be copied to your Pocket PC, and viewed with Pocket Windows Media Player anytime you like!
You can now watch Music Videos, news, subscription video content and more anytime, anywhere.
WM Recorder is extremely easy to use. With just one click, any streamed Windows Media™ link is saved as a recorded file on your PC automatically
Note: You can also convert your recorded video files and view them with a high quality optimized Pocket PC video player like PocketTV.
Advanced users will appreciate the ability to record at the highest quality on slow connections, build and record playlists, record multiple streams at once, split and merge files, and more.
The Benefits
Use WM Recorder to record any Windows Media™ video and audio, including:
Music Videos, Music, Adult Content, Web Radio, Scientific (i.e. NASA video), News Features, Corporate Videos, and any other Windows Media™ streaming content.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  10/17/2003

Read Longer
Breakthrough made in low power LCDs
NEW DEVELOPMENT in ultra low power bistable LCD technologies will give mobile LCD displays dramatically superior optical properties according to Manoj Thanigasalam, speaking at Display Forum 2003 in Holland.
While development is only in the early stages, the benefits over traditional LCD sound impressive. Using zero power to retain its image, it has superior brightness and contrast, and a much wider viewing angle. It is readable under various lighting conditions, including bright sunlight and has a simple, low cost passive matrix structure.
Although currently black and white, Thanigasalam predicts 4K colour by 2004, 65K colour by 2005 and full video by 2006.

posted by Jerry permanent link

IMHO
How to Napsterize Mazingo.net
Here are the possibility of reviving Mazingo:
* Make the software as off-line web reader
* Provide custom channels for registered buyers (This is important!)
* Sell the software in Handango or Pocketgear for $19.95

posted by Jerry permanent link

Free Limited Time eBook (DRM5)
The Self-Publishing Manual: How to Write, Print and Sell Your Own Book
by Dan Poynter
The Self-Publishing Manual: How to Write, Print and Sell Your Own Book shows the potential writer how to speed write a book; copyright it; bypass publishers; set up a book publishing company; promote books with book reviews, book signings, feature articles and radio/TV interviews; get a book into bookstores, specialty stores, catalogs and on the Web; and make spin-offs of a book.
More Free eBooks from Microsoft

posted by Jerry permanent link

Retro Repository
Open Video Project
Anticipating a future with widespread access to large digital libraries of video, a great deal of research is currently focused on many areas related to digital video. Research in these areas requires that each investigator acquire and digitize video for their studies since the multimedia information retrieval community does not yet have a standard collection of video to be used for research purposes.
The purpose of the Open Video Project is to collect and make available a repository of digitized video content for the digital video, multimedia retrieval, digital library, and other research communities. Researchers can use the video to study a wide range of problems, such as tests of algorithms for automatic segmentation, summarization, and creation of surrogates that describe video content; the development of face recognition algorithms; or creating and evaluating interfaces that display result sets from multimedia queries. Because researchers attempting to solve similar problems will have access to the same video content, the repository is also intended to be used as a test collection that will enable systems to be compared, similar to the way the TREC conferences are used for text retrieval.

posted by Jerry permanent link

E-books' Potential for Brazil: On-the-Scene Thoughts from 'Red Beard'
Brazil's college undergraduate population is around five million. Right now U.S. publishers won't win popularity contests among them. One engineering book sells for $120.95US via Amazon--fifty percent more than the monthly minimum wages in Rio--while a pirated version recently went for $22US. More from guest contributor "Red Beard" (not a bootlegger, despite the name) at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

  10/16/2003

Gut (read: good)
Project Gutenberg Publishes 10,000th Free eBook
Earlier today, Project Gutenberg's founder, Micheal Hart, announced that the project has passed the milestone of 10,000 free eBooks available, with the publication of the Magna Carta.Project Gutenberg was founded in 1971, with the aim of "[making] information, books and other materials available to the general public in forms a vast majority of the computers, programs and people can easily read, use, quote, and search."

posted by Jerry permanent link

P2P
Lime Wire Launches MagnetMix
Advanced P2P file sharing software that runs on the Gnutella Network, today announced a new addition to its offerings, the MagnetMix content portal. MagnetMix allows authorized content such as music, eBooks, literature, games and video to be easily downloaded at no additional charge. LimeWire has the rights to distribute all the files available on the site. (press release)

posted by Jerry permanent link

Time Out!
Seductive Electronic Gadgets Are Soon Forgotten
...People acquire these things — hand-held personal digital assistants, flatbed scanners, compact disc copiers and a host of other objects — because they promise to make life more efficient, more fun, or, some confess, simply because they appear to help them keep up with what their "wired" friends and neighbors have.
But many such products are simply too complicated for their own good. And all too often, the buyers find that they cannot really change their lives just by acquiring something new and different.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  10/15/2003

Recommended Bus eBook
The Naked Corporation: How the Age of Transparency Will Revolutionize Business
by Don Tapscott & David Ticoll
The Naked Corporation is a book for managers, employees, investors, customers, and anyone who cares about the future of the corporation and society. A new age is upon us, and you can either work with it and thrive, or fight it and die.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Library Journal: Prices, Format War, Piracy
Fears Are Limiting Kids' E-Book Market
Microsoft Chief Software Architect Bill Gates has yet to fess up and admit that "Winston Smith" is right about the destructive effect of onerous Digital Rights Management on both our freedom and the e-book industry. But maybe someone else's sage advice will help---in that wild underground publication known as Library Journal, where an article on kids' e-books takes after publishers for overprotected, overpriced products in clashing formats. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Steve Potash, OverDrive Founder and OeBF Prez:
Time to Ask Him about DRM and the Tower of eBabel
Are you tired of DRM that interferes with fair use? And clashing e-book standards? Well, you might want to share your concerns and politely ask Steve Potash some appropriate questions tomorrow (Thursday) at 3 p.m. Central Standard Time (Chicago time) during a librarian-oriented Netcast that should also be of interest to e-book boosters in general. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

MazinGone
Mazingo No More...
Mazingo would like to thank everyone who has been involved with developing and using the Mazingo service. Regrettably, the service can no longer be offered due to the cost of content versus the revenue derived. If you are interested in licensing the software for your own use, please email licensing@mazingo.net
Goodbye My Friend, I hope you can be Napsterized in the future.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  10/14/2003

Halloweenwise
Horror eBooks on Sale
Throughout October, all Horror eBooks are on sale at Fictionwise (unencrypted "MultiFormat" Horror eBooks are discounted 30% and encrypted "Secure" Horror eBooks are discounted 15%). It's a great time to pick up the works of your favorite horror authors like Stephen King, Robert J. Sawyer, H. P. Lovecraft, John F. D. Taff, Peter Straub, Joseph Nassise, and Anne Rice.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  10/13/2003

IMHO
In the same fashion of iTunes' protection flawed, I believe by leaving the Convert Lit exist to computer savvy users, actually in the long run it will help Microsoft selling more ebooks in the market. Why?
* Because convert lit only works at cracking DRM5 ebooks at its original downloaded computer. For example if I get DRM5 ebook from other computer ID, I will not be able to crack 'em. Except off course if the owner cracked them first before they send it to me.
* How many people can use the dot prompt? Which the current version of Convert Lit only works from. (there is a version of Convert Lit for Windows but it has not been updated in a long time).

posted by Jerry permanent link

Shi**t Happens at SunnComm and Apple's iTunes
Missing the point on antipiracy technology
Here's a clue. Both SunnComm and the record company BMG, which uses the SunnComm system, told the Globe that Halderman's discovery (using Shi**t key on loading the CD to the computer bypass the protection) wasn't news to them. Both firms were well aware that their antipiracy system could easily be bypassed. SunnComm president Bill Whitmore said they were angry at Halderman for describing their product as "irreparably flawed." In reality, said Whitmore, MediaMax does exactly what it was designed to do.
It sounds like doublespeak. A system that's supposed to stop people from making illegal music files can easily be bypassed, allowing the user to make all the copies he wants -- yet it still works? That's utterly goofy.
Or is it? A similar system seems to work just fine for the company that's sold more music over the Internet than anybody else -- Apple Computer Inc.
Everyone knows about Apple's iTunes Music Store, where users of the company's Mac computers can buy pop songs for 99 cents a pop. But to persuade music companies to make their tunes available for sale, Apple had to devise a way to prevent customers from simply redistributing free copies of downloaded files all over the Internet.
The company chose a system called FairPlay... In addition, each file has built-in software to limit a purchaser's replay rights. You can only listen to your tunes on up to three computers. Install the files on a fourth, and they won't play.
With all these restrictions, why are so many people happy to buy from iTunes? Because there's a loophole as big as Boston Harbor.
At the push of a button, you can burn all of your iTunes onto a CD, in the standard CD audio format. This disk will play in any standard CD player or computer. More important, you can rip it into MP3 files, just as you would with a store-bought CD. Apple says that doing so results in lousy sound quality, but we've tried it, and the results sound just fine -- certainly good enough for casual listening.
In short, the antipiracy features in iTunes are nearly as easy to bypass as SunnComm's. Yet nobody's calling iTunes "irreparably flawed." As a matter of fact, other music-selling sites on the Internet have adopted a similar approach -- building some security into the download, but letting users burn the files onto "insecure" music CDs. Are they all run by idiots?

posted by Jerry permanent link

New eBook
Bill Clinton: An American Journey: Great Expectations
"The rich, gripping first volume of an ambitious full-scale life of John F. Kennedy ... easily takes its place beside the best of recent presidential portraits. Nigel Hamilton refuses to turn away from the sheer paradox and ambiguity of the man--the narcissism and self-deprecation, charm and coldness, loyalty and cruelty.... It is a book not only about a remarkable young John F. Kennedy, but also about American democracy's own still-reckless age."--Roger Morris, The New York Times Book Review

posted by Jerry permanent link

Flashback
Hũkˮ Pressure ǮũK$ Adobe
The Hackers won. Dmitry Sklyarov may be free as Adobe has buckled under pressure from protestors and is to drop its case against the Russian programmer. The cryptographer was arrested by the FBI at the DefCon9 conference last week under charges of copyright infringement, after demonstrating inherent weaknesses in Adobe's eBook encryption software and distributed a 'crack'. ...The overwhelming support of the internet community seems to have made Adobe think twice about pressing forward with its allegations. A number of media reports, chronicled on Sklyarov's company website Elcomsoft predicted that Adobe would suffer damage to its reputation if Sklyarov had made a court appearance.

posted by Jerry permanent link

eBookweb
Writing an eBook: Your Way to Success!
There's a myth that if you self-publish an eBook, traditional print publishers won't have anything to do with you. Kathy Sanborn is living, breathing proof that you can self-publish and translate that into a print publishing contract.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  10/12/2003

Ka$aa
Kazaa Backs Plan To Bill P2P Music Transfers
Kazaa has thrown its weight behind a plan to start billing song swappers for their music downloads. The idea is to phase in a billing mechanism for peer to peer networks, such as Kazaa and Morpheus. Initially payments would be by credit card, but in the future downloads would be automatically detected and a charge added to the monthly internet service provider bill."

posted by Jerry permanent link

Trend Watch
Sony's PVP
(With iPod explosion)... But it's not too late for Sony. We don't mean the rumored hard-drive MP3 player that Sony supposedly will introduce next year. There probably isn't a whole lot the electronics giant can do now to unseat the iPod, but Sony does have a chance to leapfrog competitors in the next wave of entertainment gadgets: personal video players. PVPs are basically hard drives with screens attached for watching videos.
A few weeks ago, a prototype of a Sony PVP turned up at the WPC Expo trade show in Tokyo. The sleek-looking gadget -- which has a high-resolution 3.5-inch display and the sort of design that makes you remember why you ever liked Sony in the first place -- has space for about 10 hours of video, or five full-length movies, on its 20-GB hard drive.
Besides looking good, a Sony PVP will have to make it easy for people to have stuff to watch. But here's where things get hairy. Because it's illegal to copy a DVD to a computer, and most people won't want a PVP to watch home videos, the most likely source of content will be peer-to-peer file-sharing networks like Kazaa, where it's not too hard to find MPEGs of The Sopranos and The Simpsons.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Music Limit
EMusic sold; unlimited MP3 downloads nixed
EMusic subscribers began receiving notices this week telling them that the company's formerly permissive downloading policies would change dramatically. Previously, subscribers were able to download unlimited numbers of MP3s. The company's catalog focused on music from a wide variety of independent labels, rather than from the majors.
Under the new plan, subscribers paying $9.99 a month will be limited to just 40 downloads per month. A $14.99 monthly plan will allow for 65 downloads. Songs will still be distributed in open MP3 format, however, without the copy-protection restrictions imposed by services like iTunes, MusicMatch and others.

posted by Jerry permanent link

PDA Square
Stroll Down Memory Lane, With PDA
Through Dec. 12, people wandering Times Square can wirelessly download a program called Personal Digital Pal, or PDPal, at a kiosk "beaming station" on 42nd Street. Once the program is loaded, users can record their wanderings by sketching the paths they took and writing commentary about the places they visited. When they get to a laptop or desktop computer, they pour all of this into a central website so others can appreciate myriad overlapping perspectives about the same sites.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  10/11/2003

E-book Conference in China
If you want to see the future of e-books--or at least a future other than the OeBF-envisioned variety--maybe you need to talk the boss into a trip to China. It's the site of an August 2004 conference. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

'Winston'/Convert Lit Item Slashdotted
The Convert Lit comments from "Winston Smith," featured originally in TeleRead and Pocket PC eBook Watch, just got Slashdotted. Publishers, these issues aren't going away. Meanwhile if any readers know of a host site for the Convert Lit folks--a site in a country without DMCAish thuggery--please write Dan Jackson immediately.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Trekies eBook
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Prophecy and Change
Love and Hate. Faith and Doubt. Guilt and Innocence. Peace and War. Few television series have embraced this symphony of contradictions on the epic scale of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. From the vastness of space to the darkest depths of the soul, from the clash of empires to the struggles of conscience, from the crossroads of a galaxy to the convergence of hearts--that seven-year journey was both universal and personal, challenging its audience with stories and characters that redefined Star Trek's Human Adventure for all time. Rediscover this extraordinary saga in a landmark collection of tales that confronts assumptions, divulges secrets, and asks as many questions as it answers. These stories, entwined with familiar episodes, reveal the world of Deep Space Nine anew as told by Christopher L. Bennett * Keith R.A. DeCandido * Heather Jarman * Jeffrey Lang * Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels * Una McCormack * Terri Osborne * Andrew J. Robinson * Kevin G. Summers * Geoffrey Thorne.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  10/10/2003

Clean and Sober
Book Promotion Tours, on $0 a Day
Hensley is on a virtual book tour. His stops are weblogs scattered around the country. On each day of the eight-day tour, he hangs out at a different weblog, giving an interview or taking over the writing for the day.
i.e. Hensley started Monday in Boston (Heath Row), traveling through Baltimore (Dave Thomas); Washington, D.C. (Geoffrey Long); New York (Carrie Bickner); St. Louis (Brad Graham); Seattle (Erik Benson); Oakland, California (Min Jung Kim); and San Francisco (Heather Champ).
The Virtual Book Tour is organized by Kevin Smokler, a San Francisco writer and bibliophile.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Trend Watch
Reading By Wireless
With the increased availability of eBook titles, MobiPocket SA and Franklin Electronic Publishers Inc. have put their heads together to develop an eBook distribution service targeted specifically at handheld devices.
The eBookBase service is designed to give publishers the ability to offer content on a variety of e-tail storefronts using a single point of payment, distribution and security. Publishers can use the service to upload their eBook inventory, set pricing and upload marketing information. "With the convergence of PDA and smartphone devices, we see a tremendous growth of customers asking for more content and wireless delivery," MobiPocket CEO Thierry Brethes says. The cross-platform MobiPocket Reader and digital rights management software offers publishers and retailers a single secure solution for all existing mobile devices, "from those using the Palm, PocketPC and Symbian operating systems to Microsoft Smartphone," Brethes says.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Wild'n Rotten Prediction
Wilderotter's Interview
Maggie Wilderotter has made waves by piercing Bill Gates' executive inner circle as a senior vice president for business stratgegy. In an interview with OJR, she says that the software behemoth will concentrate on content aggregation and being the delivery platform of choice.
OJR: Have PDAs become the venue for eBooks? Gemstar recently announced the end of the eBook as a stand-alone device.
MW: We are very committed to improving handwriting recognition, viewing recognition. When you see Office 2003, when you open up a Word document now it looks like two pages from a book ... it's very book-centric. The problem with eBooks is it's first generation of being able to try to translate to online what we're used to seeing in the printed word. And it's too expensive. So what we're trying to do is continue in our R&D efforts to advance the capabilities that make it appealing and cost-effective for people to actually use the computer to read books. And the form factors, our tablet PCs are another good example of how we're pushing our consumer electronics partners to improve the resolution, to improve the quality of how the print appears on the screen, and it becomes more book-centric. It's lighter and it's easier to carry it around. And it does a lot of other things, so it's multipurpose.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Clueless ePub
Winston Smith's words to the Publisher
"It's perfectly possible that the publishers really have no clue what's going on. They see the Microsoft PR guy--they aren't for the most part reading blogs. Convince them that not only is there profit to be made [through e-books], but that releasing in .LIT is costing them money and customers, and perhaps they'll start looking for a better solution. In any case, I'd at least like them to be aware that, whatever Microsoft might be promising them, it's nothing but a line."
Winston Smith is the real coder of Dan Jackson's Convert Lit, a 32K program that can crack multi million dollars protection technology from Microsoft (duh)

posted by Jerry permanent link

The Microsoft Reader Crack: The Lowdown from 'Winston Smith,' Convert Lit Coder
“Winston Smith,” an unemployed American high school dropout self-named after 1984’s hero, is one of the three authors of the Convert Lit program that cracks Microsoft Reader format. Winston shared his thoughts at length in a TeleRead world exclusive, and they're a "must" read for Microsoft and book publishers of all sizes.
Hey, Mr. Chief Software Architect, don't hassle Winston. Arrange instead for DMCA immunity for Winston and listen to him. If you want to know why your DRM is inherently a lemon, then Winston's your guy. Believe me, there are lots of angry hackers and consumers out there, and meanwhile you and your fellow software companies are POing smart publishers with your DRM-related Tower of eBabel.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

I'll be back
Bubble Bursts for E-Books
At the height of the Internet boom, e-books were hailed as the shining new tomorrow for publishers and paper books were heading for the scrap heap.
But the bubble has burst and electronic books are still the poor relation to the printed word with consumers preferring to turn the pages themselves when they curl up by the fire with a good book.
"The limitless euphoria of the beginning belongs to the past," said Arnoud de Kemp, a leading electronic publisher with the science and business media firm Springer.
Three years after the e-book frenzy reached its peak, publishers in Frankfurt for the world's biggest book fair of the year were in a much more realistic frame of mind.

posted by Jerry permanent link

GameWise
Scratch and Save:
Try it and get special offer ebooks

posted by Jerry permanent link

  10/09/2003

SH**TY SunnComm
Princeton Student Sued Over Paper on CD Copying
In a statement, SunnComm Technologies Inc. said it would sue Alex Halderman over the paper, which said SunnComm's MediaMax CD-3 software could be blocked by holding down the "Shift" key on a computer keyboard as a CD using the software was inserted into a disc drive.
"SunnComm believes that by making erroneous assumptions in putting together his critical review of the MediaMax CD-3 technology, Halderman came to false conclusions concerning the robustness and efficacy of SunnComm's MediaMax technology," it said.
SunnComm, which trades on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board, said it has lost more than $10 million of its market value since Halderman published his report.
SunnComm alleged Halderman violated criminal provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act in disclosing the existence of those driver files.
"I'm still not very worried about litigation under the DMCA, I don't think there's any case," he told Reuters. "I don't think telling people to press the 'Shift' key is a violation of the DMCA."
A spokesman for BMG, the unit of Bertelsmann AG that licensed SunnComm's software and released the Hamilton CD, declined to comment on the planned suit.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Microsoft DRM horrors, Part II:
Oh, how Convert Lit 1.5 could have helped last night!
You'll perhaps recall the last episode? Via the Fictionwise store, Jerry Justianto gave me an e-book of Wired: A Romance as a gift. He did so out of friendship. Along the way, however, he has forced me to the very latest horrors of Microsoft's DRM. My experiences "upgrading" my desktop were a picnic compared to those updating my Dell Axim. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

  10/08/2003

Knock on Wood
What To Do Before The RIAA Knocks
Check your privacy policies. What do you say is done with data collected from users at your sites? What do they say you do with the data? Do you have a legal-process exception, and does the exception state that you comply with court orders? Have your privacy lawyers review the language. Are you subject to confidentiality agreements that might be affected by a demand for user information?
Call your data-management contractor. What protections do you have if it's served with a subpoena? Review the contract, and make sure it provides for legal-process exceptions and for sufficient advance notice to you if it's served before your contractor complies...

posted by Jerry permanent link

DRM Shi**t
Press 'Shift' and Copy Away
In a paper posted on his website late Monday, John Halderman said the MediaMax CD3 software developed by SunnComm Technologies could be defeated on computers running the Windows operating system by holding down the Shift key, disabling a Windows feature that automatically launches the encryption software on the disc.
Halderman said the protection could also be disabled by stopping the driver the CD installs when it is first inserted into a computer's drive.
Computers running Linux and older versions of the Mac operating system are unable to run the software and are able to copy the disc freely, he said.

posted by Jerry permanent link

email to Dan Jackson from ron @ g*.net
Dear Dan Jackson,
Sadly i just read, that you have to close your website. I find your small program very helpful! Not just to crack my MS-Reader ebooks to read them on my WinCE 3.0 device, but because I don't even use the MS-Reader anymore. Instead I prefer to read the books with µBook. So i just convert all my LIT-Files to HTML (even the unencrypted ones) zip them, copy them to my PDA and read them with µBook.
If convert lit wouldn't be available I would not buy any ebooks in the MS-LIT format.
Did you already think about mirroring your site to Freenet? link:
http://freenet.sourceforge.net/
I would strongly recommend to do so otherwhise, because its free of censorship or regulations. You could set up a free site, or just create a Frost-Message-Board, no one could remove your data from freenet, nor could anyone determin, if you are the
uploader of any data.
Perhaps you should give it a try?
Sincerly yours!
ron

posted by Jerry permanent link

Thanks Dan
eMail from Dan Jackson to Pocket PC eBooks Watch
I'm really sorry to have to make that announcement, but reading the text of the EUCD implementation I can't see any way around it.. it clearly defines what is allowed and not allowed, and Convert LIT falls firmly into the latter category. If I were the sort of person to see paranoid conspiracies round every corner, I might think that Microsoft has greased the palms of the Members of Parliament who were involved in implementing the EUCD in order to get it passed faster. But of course Microsoft wouldn't do a thing like that...

posted by Jerry permanent link

  10/07/2003

Convert Lit page forced to shut down as of Oct. 31
Sad news for Microsoft Reader users. Just received via e-mail--and confirmed with a trip to Dan Jackson Software's page:

The UK's implementation of the European Union Copyright Directive means that, starting from October 31st, it will no longer be legal to use or distribute Convert LIT in the UK. In accordance with this Directive, we will unfortunately be closing down this web page. If you believe you can provide a home for Convert LIT which is not affected by this or similar directives/laws, please drop us a line. A news story concerning the new directive can be found here.

More at TeleRead. Thanks to someone from XianFox for the tip!

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Free Crackers ;-)
MS Limited Time Free eBook site is back again
(and yes, you still can crack 'em with Convert Lit 1.5)

posted by Jerry permanent link

Best Seller eBooks
Angels & Demons
by Dan Brown
An ancient secret brotherhood. A devastating new weapon of destruction. An unthinkable target. When world-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a mysterious symbol--seared into the chest of a murdered physicist--he discovers evidence of the unimaginable.
Other eBooks by Dan Brown:
The Da Vinci Code
Deception Point
Digital Fortress

posted by Jerry permanent link

eBook Warm
Book worms eager for the next e-chapter
One week after a small link on Yarra Plenty Regional Library's website asked users if they might be interested in borrowing their books electronically, Pam Saunders was ready to proclaim that the age of e-books had finally arrived.
In about as much time as it might take to get through a good thriller, 25 library members had signed up for a 12-month trial in which they can download up to three e-books at a time to their Palms and Pocket PCs, or any device that can run the MobiPocket electronic reader. Another 10 had suggested that they'd love to do the same thing, if the library would also lend them a palmtop computer.

posted by Jerry permanent link

If You Love Somebody (Set Them Free)
Slashdot: Why Only Music?
"Last week, Slashdot readers provided a number of answers to the question "What is Music?" in the context of compulsory licensing. Now LawMeme asks another question about compulsory licenses: Why Only Music? Many compulsory licensing schemes have been proposed to cover music alone, but most of the arguments in favor of a compulsory license for music apply equally as well to other media types. Millions share movies, P2P can't be stopped, the MPAA hasn't provided legitimate alternatives for what consumers want, etc. If music should have a compulsory license, why shouldn't movies, software, ebooks and other media also be covered by compulsory licenses?"

posted by Jerry permanent link

U-Turn
Rising from the Dead
Although e-books have been described as dead by more than one industry expert (and despite Barnes & Noble.com's recent decision to stop selling e-books), there are some vital signs in the marketplace. Statistics from both the Association of American Publishers and the Open e-Book Forum show a small but growing market, with the OeBF projecting total sales to top $10 million by the end of the year. And a recent press release from the Kyodo News Service asserts that sales of e-books in Japan soared to one billion yen ($10 million) in 2002, representing some 25,000 titles—novels, nonfiction, picture books, comics.
...By the end of the session, it was clear that not only is e-book publishing not merely "technology"—and certainly not simply dumping content into an electronic file—but that each company is already charting its own distinct path as an e-publisher.

posted by Jerry permanent link

E-Carnegie Wisdom for Bill Gates--from the Carnegie Reporter
If the world were fair, Daniel Akst, not Bill Gates, would control a $41-billion personal fortune. Then an electronic Carnegie might exist for real--and maybe put thousands of e-books online for free and for eternity. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

  10/06/2003

New Magazine
Handheld Computing Magazine 6.4
October 2003 issue: Features: Lose the Laptop!: With the addition of a keyboard and some software, your PDA can be used as a workstation. You can have e-mail, PDF viewer, office suite, and even slide shows. Rick Broida and Dave Johnson let you know what you'll need to get set up. PDA Home and Auto: Rick Broida introduces you to software that allows you to organize your home inventory and maintenance as well as manage your car repair services and expenses and much more. Reviews: Hitachi G1000 Pocket PC e355.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Noble Palm
Palm Digital Media's Highest Sales Month
Palm Digital Media, Inc., a leading publisher and distributor of eBooks for handheld and desktop computers, set company records for sales and traffic in the month of September. The record setting sales volume brings an industry wide sigh of relief following a busy month for the eBook market, which saw Palm Digital Media purchased by PalmGear, Inc. and the announcement from Barnes and Noble that they would exit the eBook market.

posted by Jerry permanent link

eUTax
New EU tax affects digital product sales
Is your company selling digital products to European consumers? If so, a new value-added tax on e-commerce sales applies, and noncompliance with the new European Union law could place your company's critical assets at risk.
"Digital products" include items such as digital magazines, e-books, software, videos and music. The tax also applies to electronic services that are downloaded from the Internet, subscription-based digital services and pay-per-view broadcasting.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  10/05/2003

On the Way...
Coming very soon in the TeleRead blog: A discussion of The Carnegie Reporter's smart observations on the challenges of e-book preservation. It's an issue that I myself would regard as complicated by proprietary formats--especially with DRM infestation. Perhaps our faithful readers in Redmond will be nice enough to forward the forthcoming item to a certain Chief Software Architect who fancies himself Carnegie II.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Microsoft Convenience in Action
The Microsoft Reader mess has hit home. No threatening letters have arrived from Microsoft Legal over my pointing TeleBlog readers to Dan Jackson's site with the Convert Lit program to facilitate fair use. But I've again suffered DRM-related trauma in another, more common form--the frustrations of getting the !#$%^ Reader activated (to enjoy a gift book that Jerry kindly sent me). Jeeze, I'm amazed that anyone actually buys Microsoft-"secured" books. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Anti-File-Sharing Writer Condemns DMCA
A Wired contributing editor offers the standard moral arguments against file-sharing. But then tucked away in his Washington Post piece today are some great arguments against the DMCA--yes, the same creature so dear to e-booker readers everywhere (sarcasm alert). More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

  10/04/2003

Books Burn in Cuba--but ALA Won't Protest
The American Library Association refuses to take a stand against repression of independent librarians in Cuban. Books are actually being burned there, and one librarian drew 20 years in jail. Ironically the PCers of ALA have just finished celebrating Banned Book Week ("Celebrate Your Freedom to Read"). Time for ALA to join Amesty International--hardly a tool of right-wing Cuban exiles!--in speaking out? More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Trend Watch
MovieBeam
MovieBeam is an easy-to-use and affordable service that automatically delivers movies to the MovieBeam receiver, right in your home. With no complicated install or dish setup. And no equipment to buy.
It would be nice, if I can beam it to my Pocket PC.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Eeep eeeeeeep eep eeeppee eeep!
Dan Jackson's email to Pocket PC eBooks Watch
Convert LIT users, as of October 1st, 2003, should upgrade their Convert LIT software to version 1.5 in order to retain compatibility with newly purchased Microsoft Reader format eBooks. To update Convert LIT, please go to the Dan Jackson Software website (Google it) and download the program from there, or if you are unable to access it from the website please email us at djs@jacko.demon.co.uk. We recognize that this update is an inconvenience and appreciate your continued support for Convert LIT.
; End serious release notes, begin immature blather
Someone would like to add that:
This release is dedicated to the ever delightful Emma Watson, whose eyes are supremely magical.
Someone Else would like to note:
Dear Microsoft,
If you good folk happen to be reading this, we'd like to say that while we're doing just chipper on our own, if you could send us non-sensitive memos regarding us, we would find them highly amusing. We promise to keep them to ourselves, though they would be a great thing to show our kids someday.
And finally, our dolphin would like to add:
Eeep eeeeeeep eep eeeppee eeep! (Which translated means, "The fish tasted funny this time, and I'm bored now. Got anything else to do?")
So long!
Thanks Dan!

posted by Jerry permanent link

Making Words Out of Nothing at All
Scrolling Forward: Making Sense of Documents in the Digital Age
by David Levy
Like Henry Petroski's The Pencil,David M. Levy's Scrolling Forward takes a common, everyday object, the document, and illuminates what it reveals about us, both in the past and as we move into the digital age. We are surrounded daily by documents of all kinds--letters and credit card receipts, business memos and books, television images and web pages--yet we rarely stop to reflect on their significance. Now, in this period of digital transition, our written forms as well as our reading and writing habits are being disturbed and transformed by new technologies and practices. Potentially unsettling questions arise: What is the future of the book? Is paper about to disappear? With the Internet, what will happen to libraries, copyright, education?

posted by Jerry permanent link

WeekendBooks
Boogers Are My Beat: More Lies, but Some Actual Journalism
by Dave Barry
The New York Times calls him "the funniest man in America," and his legions of fans agree, laughing and snorting as they put his books on bestseller lists nationwide. In Boogers Are My Beat, Dave gives us the real scoop on: The scientific search for the world's funniest joke (you can bet it includes the word weasel); RV camping in the Wal-Mart parking lot; Outwitting smart kitchen appliances and service contracts; Elections in Florida ("You can't spell Florida without duh"); The Olympics, where people from all over the world come together to accuse each other of cheating; and many more.

posted by Jerry permanent link

Direction Watch
Opera announces strategic licensing agreement with Adobe
Opera Software today announced that it has reached a licensing agreement with Adobe Systems Incorporated to include Opera's rendering engine in future Adobe product releases, for the Macintosh and Windows operating systems.
Opera's cross-platform, (W3C) standards-compliant rendering engine with built-in Small-Screen Rendering (SSR) technology can save users the hassle of testing their Web pages for different browsers, devices or screen sizes.
Considering Adobe's PDF weak performance for PDA, this will be a great strategic alliance for PDA users.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  10/03/2003

Microsoft Freebies Delayed:
Cracking Program to 'Blame'?
Sorry, gang. Microsoft has delayed this week's "free" e-books. Might Convert Lit 1.5 be the reason? Well, too bad if that happened. But Dan Jackson's cause is noble, and if you want to own e-books, not just rent them, then you'll share my gratitude to him. While he lives in the U.K., not America, Washington just may end up twisting some British arms on Microsoft's behalf. This is not fact, just speculation. But it would certainly be in character for both the company and DC. Meanwhile remember that this isn't a war over the right to pirate, but rather one over the right to make backups and have one's books readable two or three decades from now. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

This Guy Won't Buy Microsoft Reader Books Unless He Can Crack 'Em
The Convert Lit quote of the week comes from a visitor to a board at Black Mask who says he buys "DRM-infested .lit format books" only because the crack program is available for backup purposes. Yoo-hoo, Microsoft? When will you Get It? More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

  10/02/2003

Memo to PalmGear: Stop the Censorship, Start a Conservative Store!
Can't PalmGear be more creative? Instead of harming one of the Net's most popular bookstores by censoring gay and lesbian offerings, PalmGear should simply start a store aimed at a conservative market. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Salted Peanuts
Palm E-book Founders Out After Acquisition
The sale of Palm Digital Media, the e-book retail Web site of the maker of Palm handheld devices, to PalmGear, a company that sells other Palm OS applications, in early September has led to the departure of PDM’s founding managers and spurred concern that the new owner is arbitarily removing or concealing titles that deal with sex or are aimed at gay and lesbian readers.
Before being acquired by Palm in 2001, PDM was known as Peanut Press and specialized in selling trade e-books in a digital format that would run on the Palm OS. But the acquisition of the firm by the Franklin, TN-based PalmGear has spurred the departure of Jeff Strobel, the founder and director; technical director David Pasco (who will leave later this week); and Mike Segroves, former director of business development.
"We are a retail site," says Segroves, "and we never quite fit the Palm business model." Indeed Segroves says he decided to leave the company immediately after the deal was signed. "There was a big difference in their philosophy of how to run the business. We differed on everything from decisions about titles to marketing."
Previously PDM owners (NetLibrary and Palm) "stayed out and let us run the company," Segroves says. He continues, "I’m used to being the top dog and I didn't react well to the change. It was time for us to move.on."

posted by Jerry permanent link

Creative
Veteran Rockers Head to the Front Lines of Digital Distribution
Metallica—notorious in certain circles for coming down hard on music pirates—has led various efforts to decrease the amount of pirated music available and inflict harsher penalties on those who steal content. But not wanting to leave fans out to dry digitally, Metallica recently unveiled MetallicaVault.com, a Web site devoted to freely distributing bootlegs in MP3 format.
When a fan purchases Metallica's latest release, St. Anger, they receive a key code that lets them into the "Vault" and grants access to a variety of content—for free. None of the music available through MetallicaVault.com is available on regular CD; it is all live material or other songs that the group is interested in allowing fans to hear.

posted by Jerry permanent link

  10/01/2003

Again and Again and Again
Microsoft Reader Cracked Again
Despite Microsoft's latest security "fix," you can exercise your fair use rights and make backups without jumping though the DRM hoops. More at TeleRead.
Jerry: Thanks to Dan Jackson for releasing Convert Lit 1.5, link is provided from Teleread

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Can We Read this eBook with Pocket PC?
70+ Pocket PC 2003 Tips and Tricks
For less than 15 cents per tip, you will obtain the tools to master your Pocket PC! Here are just a few example of what you will learn:
Speed and Simplify Data Entry
Personalize the Pocket PC interface
Secure your handheld several different ways
Locate large unwanted files with ease
Enable ClearType fonts for improved readability
Create and Use Playlists in Windows Media Player
Master Pocket Inbox to take full advantage of e-mail capabities
Use Pocket Internet Explorer to it's full potential
and much more!

posted by Jerry permanent link

An Eight-Year-Old's Take on E-Books
I laugh when teachers wonder if kids will adapt to e-books. The adults are really asking, "Can I adapt?" In the TeleRead blog today is an eight-year-old's take on the medium--to be exact, the thoughts of Shayna, programmer Steve Breen's daughter in Texas.

posted by David Rothman permanent link

Adobe CEO Out of Touch on E-Books--
But at Least He Kinda Knows that PDF Sucks
Guess who kinda thinks that Adobe's e-book format sucks? None other than Bruce Chizen, president and CEO of Adobe Systems. More at TeleRead.

posted by David Rothman permanent link