BusinessWeek profiles Robert Brunner, the designer of Barnes & Noble’s Nook devices, who was approached by the company in 2008. He was also a consulting designer to Amazon in the development of the first “wedgie” Kindle and had a role in Apple’s Newton handheld as that company’s director of industrial design. When Barnes & Noble approached him, Brunner said, “the company knew ‘nothing’ about digital media, and wanted to know about how you would create a product and bring it to market.” Their shared goal was to keep the device simple and remove as many buttons as possible. “Books don’t […]
eReaders
eNews: Google Affiliate Program; Success of Book Apps; and More
After launching the program in limited beta last December, Google eBooks’ affiliate program is seemingly ready for prime time. The program is only open to “Retailers, bloggers, book publishers and other website owners in the U.S.,” and no specific commission rates are cited, but they will have access to Google’s affiliate network and to APIs for more specifically targeted programs. Inside Google Books Blog The jury still seems to be out on the effectiveness of book apps, though two of them merited attention at Thursday’s Futurebook Innovation Workshop conference in London. UK studio Ustwo said its Nursery Rhymes With StoryTime […]
Tablets and Students’ eTextbook Resistance, and more eNews
A new study by the Pearson Foundation appears to show that students’ general resistance to etextbooks – documented in multiple reports from BISG – may be thawing somewhat. 55 percent of students still prefer print over digital textbooks, but among the 7 percent of students who own tablets devices such as iPads, 73 percent prefer digital textbooks. 70 percent of students surveyed say they are interested in owning a tablet (with 15 percent of those determined to buy one within the next six months) so no doubt the numbers will change by this time next year as more etextbook platforms […]
Briefs: EBSCO and H.W. Wilson to Merge; Mirasol Reader is Dead; and More
EBSCO and H.W. Wilson have merged in a deal that combines the two publishing companies’ operations with the intended goal of improving services for libraries. Wilson president and ceo Harry Regan said in a statement: “EBSCO and H.W. Wilson have been engaged as business partners for a number of years and are now officially operating as one. The result will be a broader and deeper range of products and services for the library reference community with significantly added value. Both companies have had separate, distinctive histories, but have always shared a common commitment for the highest order of customer satisfaction.” […]
Amazon Wants You To Know It Has a New Kindle, Too
With Kobo and Barnes & Noble having announced actual new models of ereaders, Amazon announced a new offer of their own on Tuesday night. For people who need their “special offers” on the go, now there’s a Kindle 3G version priced at $164. Kindle director Jay Marine said in the release that the 3G Special Offers, ready to ship on the day of the announcement, was created “in response to customer requests.” Among the forthcoming offers is “$1 for a Kindle book, choose from thousands of books including Water for Elephants and the Hunger Games trilogy.” In other Amazon news, the company […]
BN Presents “Simple, Pure” $139 Reader; Says Nook Color Is No. 2 Tablet
If I’m being honest, as I usually try to do, the working book trade press corp showed up at Barnes & Noble’s Union Square store this morning with a bit of resentment. Why was the company pulling us away from the Javits floor on the opening morning of BEA to introduce an already leaked eInk touchscreen device? Particularly when those nice Canadians from Kobo unveiled their $129 touchscreen reader modestly at Javits Center yesterday. Also odd at first, and then just plain annoying (and a little pathetic), was a claque of roughly sixty people wearing black t-shirts emblazoned with “nook,” apparently […]