The Digital Reader

I’m going to be at the ALA conference in DC today, so posts might be few and far between.

Condé Nast Will Unveil Mobile Research Project In September

Although Condé Nast was one of the first magazine publishers to adopt digital replicas for mobile apps, along with Hearst, which has apps for all 14 of its mags, and Hachette Filipacchi, company execs note that they never claimed to have all the answers to making the transition from print. Describing the plunge into mobile as a “learning process,”  Condé Nast sources speaking on background say the publisher preparing a deep research dive slated to be released in September.

E-books, hardcovers, online booksellers and stores: Why everybody can win

We’ve heard it all before: digital content means the end of physical media. As consumers flock to the convenience of instant gratification and on-the-go content, traditional business models will be overturned, commerce will move online, and traditional retail outlets and the products on their shelves will go the way of the typewriter.

Or maybe not.

JavaScript and interactivity in iBooks

iBooks supports JavaScript-based interactivity in EPUB content.

I took some content from Cooking with Booze by James Bridle (a.k.a. George Harvey Bone). It’s released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 license, which means that this derivative work is as well.

I took one recipe and marked it up in EPUB:

The Register reviews the Viewsonic VEB620 e-reader

Weighing 220g without the cover you’ll barely notice the ViewSonic VEB620 in your bag, though at 188mm x 126mm x 9.9mm it isn’t going to fit into the average pocket. The 6in screen offers considerably less viewing area than paperback book. There are five font sizes available, though. A dedicated button pages through them in sequence or you can use the menu system to choose one in particular.