Whether CES is a book fair or not, there seems to be a good deal of e-book-related business going on there.
Here is yet another new entry into the e-book field: Copia, whose big idea is to cross e-books with social networking tools like Twitter and Facebook.
Not only can you share your books with your friends, you can apparently use the pre-existing social networks to do it. Copia will also be supporting other devices with its ePub distribution service.
Copia looks like a very interesting idea. Book sharing in other dedicated readers has always been an afterthought, and fairly limited. But it seems to be the whole reason for being of the Copia. I suspect the sharing will only work for non-DRMed books, though.
Meanwhile, Asus’s entry into the e-book biz is conspicuous by its absence. Asus has been rumored to be working on an Eee-branded e-book reading tablet, but neither this tablet nor the new smartbooks are on display at CES. Asus’s chairman said that deals with content providers are not in place yet, so showing the devices now would be premature.
But e-book readers are only one side of the e-book coin. The other side is the tablet PC, which combines the utility of a computer with the form-factor of a handheld and can run the same e-book reading software as keyboard-equipped devices.
During the Microsoft keynote, Steve Ballmer tried to steal Apple’s thunder by introducing a new Hewlett-Packard tablet computer running Windows 7. However, Techcrunch notes that HP is working on another, very similar tablet that runs Google’s Android. And Dell showed off a 5” Android tablet of its own.
I’m not sure this is a “round-up” without at least a mention of Blio and the Plastic Logic devices.
“However, Techcrunch notes that HP is working on another, very similar tablet that runs Google’s Android.”
The use of “however” in that statement is misleading and seems to imply a bias against Microsoft. More accurately, “Ballmer demonstrated what the Kindle software is like on HP’s new tablet PC _and_ HP may be working on Android devices in a similar form factor.”
I appreciate all of the coverage, though. It helps distract me from the fact that I’m not there.
I thought we covered the Blio and Plastic Logic in another story? I didn’t see any point in rehashing them.
I mention them merely in case someone else read this “roundup” expecting a summary of big news items. (After all, the Copia had its own article.) It was more of a mistake on my part, I’m sure.
I really do appreciate the Teleread authors taking the time to keep us informed. Thank you.
I guess in this case “round up” meant the latest news. But actually, I would like to see a post that sums CES and eReaders up, once the dust settles, anyway.
Perhaps this is a bit “old fashioned,” but everyone needs “down time.” My recreational reading is how I take a break from the 10-12 hours a day I spend listening, talking & interacting with all sorts of people. Reading gives me a break from all that interaction.
While the social aspects of the Copia certainly fit into the current “Social Networking” lifestyle that is the current state of affairs, I will pass on devices like the Copia and do my reading is a comfy chair all by myself, thank you.
CB
About Copia: “Not only can you share your books with your friends, you can apparently use the pre-existing social networks to do it”. Are you sure?
What I have read about the Copia’s is that you cannot share your books (like lending them to your friends) but only information about your books, like where you are in the book and notes you have written.
I think lending would be really social.