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Another argument for the Uni-Tasker

I’m all for the iPhone doing a lot of things, but navigation ain’t one. Google maps is just fine for a quicky, “Where the hell am I?” type need. If I’m taking a long trip i use my dedicated GPS Nav. It’s UI is specific to it’s purpose, and so is the hardware. No additional brackets needed, no cel service needed to help get a fix, etc. Turn it on, it works. If it runs out of batteries I can still make calls on my phone.

While it’s telling me where to go, I can also make and receive calls on my phone, go figure.

Sony Ditching Proprietary eBook Format! Huzza!

I’m really glad there’s some consolidation shaking out (finally). I’m really shocked it was Sony of all company’s that backed down on proprietary. I mean, it’s Sony, I don’t think they’ve ever released hardware that didn’t have an accompanying proprietary memory stick, or file format. ATRAC anyone?

This is big. ePub is a great format, i’ve not complaints about it. I’d love to see Amazon put their pipe down long enough to see the forest for the trees. The Kindle is (sadly because I own one) approaching flash in the pan status. Amazon’s own practices are going to marginalize it as a device.

eBook creation on the Mac – SUCKS

Since Tom and I launched 360|Whisperings, it’s been a massive learning curve. Technologically speaking primarily.

It turns out that eBook creation on a Mac is something of a… well it doesn’t seem to happen much, so the tools either aren’t there, or suck.

When we started down the road to becoming eBook publishers, I had no idea the levels of hell it was to create the myriad formats that most common eBook readers, read.

Did Sony beat Amazon to the desktop?

A while back I wrote that the killing stroke in the eBook reader marketshare war wouldn’t be the reader device any more than the iPod was in the eMusic war. It’ll be the desktop software that powers such devices. I won’t re-hash my thoughts on that, read them here. but according to Mobilereads, Sony might [...]

My Friend wrote a book, buy it.

Last week I was at a book reading/signing for a new friend in Denver, Ron Lewis.

His book ‘Stick it to the Man: How to Skirt the Law, Scam Your Enemies , and Screw Big, Fat, Stupid, Lazy Corporations…for Fun and Profit!’ launched last week, and the party was at a the Barnes & Noble downtown.

Ron is a great guy, truly interested in meeting people and doing what he can to help them succeed. When I first met Ron, I was blown away by his genuineness, he proposed we meet for coffee and was not just looking for one more person to talk about his book to. We talked about 360|Conferences, my Kindle (which I brought with him and showed him).

Why eContent should NEVER cost the same as printed

Beyond the ridiculously obvious “you get nothing physical” there’s a lot of reasons why an eBook shouldn’t cost as much as any printed version.

Let’s look at what goes into the price of a printed book vs. an eBook.

Writing: well yeah that happens for both, kinda a requirement.

editing: ditto, even Steven King has a type-O from time to time.

marketing: sure, though it’s value is varied, depending on your outlook.

printing: not for eBooks.

distribution: only for the dead tree versions.

shelf space, depreciation, discount selling: eBooks don’t suffer that.

The Creator of the eBook is wrong

I’ll admit, I had no idea who Michael Hart is. But he’s wrong. Over on the Project Gutenberg blog he says the eBook reader will never take off, and lists some reasons why, in his mind he’s correct. (I’m sure there’s no bias as the founder of PG) I’m going to debunk them based on my own world view. (Be warned, his list is long and wordy, even before I add my two cents)

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