Intro to E-books

An article by D. Richard Dance, CPA and Principal of SoftResources LLC

June 2001

As Richard Dance prepared to write the next e-business book review (an electronic book that he wanted to evaluate), he realized how far e-books have come in the last few years. In fact, Dance was so impressed with the expanding e-book market that he decided to write a precursor on e-book technology in order to prepare you for next month's evaluation of the e-book entitled How Digital is Your Business. He hopes you enjoy this new way to read, educate, and distribute thoughts and ideas, delivered right to your PC or hand-held device.

Introduction

As I was preparing for the next e-business book review (an electronic book that I wanted to evaluate), I realized how far e-books have come in the last few years. In fact, I was so impressed with the expanding e-book market that I have decided to write a precursor on e-book technology in order to prepare you for next month's evaluation of the e-book entitled "How Digital is Your Business." I hope you enjoy this new way to read, educate, and distribute thoughts and ideas, delivered right to your PC or hand-held device.

A. Relationship to BYU

I have found that the five goals of the Center for eBusiness@BYU tie in with e-books. For example:

1. Curriculum development - E-books can be published faster than printed books and be distributed to students on a more timely basis.

2. Ongoing Research - E-book technologies make reading long documents and publishing protected Internet content easier.

3. Continuing Education - E-books are cheaper to distribute and could be part of a continuing education course.

4. Entrepreneurial Ideas - There are many uses for e-books that could foster new ideas. We've just begun using the out-loud reading feature for the blind and disabled.

5. International Orientation - With access to e-books, a remote village could have a library approaching the equivalent of the Library of Congress.

The purpose of this article is to persuade the students, faculty, and alumni of BYU to try out e-books and start envisioning the possibilities in their fields.

B. History of E-books

One of the better articles on the history and purpose of e-books is included in an article that Bill Gates wrote for The Economist in November of 1999 entitled "Beyond Gutenberg," which can be read by clicking here.

C. E-Book Sources and Comparison Chart

There are four principal sources of e-book technology today. The companies are:

1. Adobe
2. Microsoft
3. Gemstar
4. Franklin

We have made some comparison charts for you below. The first table compares the two alternatives for free downloadable e-book reader software, and the second table compares two handheld devices you can buy that are compatible with e-book readers.

I. Comparison of Free Downloadable e-Book Reader Software

II. Comparison of Two Reader-Compatible Handheld Devices

III. Pocket PC's

You can also read some e-books on pocket PC's such as:

1. Compaq, PAQ 3635 Color Pocket PC for about $550
2. HP Jornada 548 Color Pocket PC for about $500
3. Casio's Cassiopeia E-125 Color Pocket PC for $500

Not all e-book titles are available in Pocket PC format. What you need to do if you are using such devices is download Microsoft Reader to your PC. Then, after the reader is installed, drag the pertinent files into your Pocket PC when you are synced up to your computer.

IV. Macintosh

As you would suspect, the Microsoft Reader does not work with Macintosh machines, but the Adobe Acrobat e-Book Reader does.

The options above should give you enough choices for reading e-books.

D. Web Sites

To find out more information or to download the free software, review our comments on each of these web sites and then go to the one of your choice and take action.

Adobe

At www.adobe.com, go to their ePaper section and then select the download icon for Adobe Acrobat Book Reader 2.2.

They have minimal sign up fields on their site, and as a pleasant surprise, leave the boxes unchecked for automatic additional marketing information to be sent to you.
Amazon.com

At Amazon.com, go to www.amazon/com/ebooks and there you will be able to download both the Microsoft and Adobe readers. They have about 2,000 e-books available. Also significant are their e-Docs, which are consultant-type reports and studies available for hundreds or thousands of dollars.

You might also want to consider using Amazon.com as a distribution source for your PDF files.

Barnes and Noble

Go to www.bn.com, and then go to the tab on e-Books. You can get Adobe or the Microsoft readers there or take their free course on e-books, which I recommend.

Notice that e-books can be as low as $2.99. By comparison, used books at Seattle Deseret Industries are selling at $1.00 for paperbacks, $2.00 for hardcovers, and up to $5.00 for a nice hardcover or computer book.

Franklin

In the fine print at www.franklin.com you will find that right now it is running on a beta version of Mobi Pocket Reader. Microsoft Reader, although announced earlier, will be available sometime in 2001.

Mobi Pocket Reader is available in English, French, and German. It appears there are about a hundred titles available.

Gemstar

Gemstar, officially known as Gemstar TV Guide International, is the parent company. It's former Rocket e-Book division at www.nuvomedia.com designed the REB1100 made by RCA. It's SoftBook division, www.softbook.com, designed the new REB 1200 color product made by RCA.

The new machines are easy to use, with large viewing screens and storage capacity. They also eliminate the need for a personal computer for hard-drive storage. Equipped with modems, the devices can be used to log directly onto a personal Gemstar e-Book account to buy and download books. Consumers can also buy books at different online retailers or in person at bookstores. The purchase is registered through a serial number and the book uploaded to the consumer's Gemstar e-book account. It can then be accessed along with all the user's other Gemstar e-book titles.

Why buy a dedicated device in an era when multi-use devices are smaller, cheaper, and getting faster and more powerful all the time? Gemstar's e-book devices emulate the page experience, are enhanced by digital technology and are for readers who want the top reading experience.

Microsoft

At www.microsoft.com/reader you can download the Microsoft Reader. If you go there, be sure to stop at www.microsoft.com/reader/info.asp and read the Microsoft e-book story. Highlights include Bill Hill's whitepaper and the 100k Windows Media Player presentation by Hill on the vision of Microsoft Reader.

E. Conclusion

The potential of e-books fits the mission of the Rollins Center for e-Business. I am interested in hearing what you find as you explore e-books and your reaction to this article. You may write me at mail@softresources.com with any comments or observations.

I have downloaded both the Adobe and Microsoft Readers and use them alternatively. I haven't used the Pocket PC yet to view e-books. If you have and would like to share your comments about your Pocket PC experience, please write to me at the address above.

Next month I will be reviewing an electronic book entitled "How Digital Is Your Business" by Slywotzky, Morrison, and Weber, and will comment on both the book and my experience. Stay tuned.

Information about SoftResources

This article was written by D. Richard Dance, CPA and Principal of SoftResources, an unbiased software selection firm that works with over 7,500 software packages in 50 different categories of software, such as Accounting, Manufacturing, Distribution, Customer Relationship Management, HR/Payroll, e-business, etc. It also helps large and small clients select from over 2,500 software implementation vendors and Value Added Resellers (VARs). Then it performs contract negotiations so clients get a fair deal. SoftResources consults with companies all over North America in almost all industries including commercial enterprises, governments, non-profits, and school boards. Check out the company's web site at www.softresources.com for more details.

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