And so as a solution, Kurzwell has developed BLIO, an eReader software that could run on any computing machine. The free Blio eReader Software will deliver stunning, full-color pages that come alive in brilliant 3D. It will preserve a book’s original layout fonts and graphics.

Blio will also offer smart display that lets you insert highlights, notes, videos and even webpages. The software would also feature a read-aloud functionality.

Of course the software will also have a wide array of ebook titles coming from Blio Bookstore.

Blio eReader Software will be available soon.

via NYT

Hey Kindle, you better watch. There’s a new kid on the ebook store block called Kobo. Actually, it has been around for quite some time now, but under a different name called  Shortcovers.

Kobo’s business model works almost the same as other ebookstore such as the Kindle Store, Barnes and Noble and Sony eBook Store.  Kobo is redefining its services, adding a few ebook readers for various platforms including PC, Mac, mobile devices and of course my favorite, the iPhone.

Here are the features of Kobo:

• Browse by categories like Fiction, Romance, Biography and over 100 more
• Regularly updated Top 50 eBooks list
• Easy to use carousel with lists such as NYT Bestsellers, Top Free Books and New Releases
• Recommended reading lists and improved search for discovery your next great read

The Kobo ebookstore is available internationally. Meaning it doesn’t matter where you are located for as long as you can access the Kobo ebookstore, and you have the ereaders, you can purchase ebooks and read it anywhere you like.

Will download the iPhone app and see how it fares up with the Kindle for iPhone and B&N Book Reader app.

If you’re a fan of Steven Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and Principle-Centered Leadership” you’d be glad to know that the author has just agreed to release a Kindle version of the two books.

The Kindle version is the first time that Covey’s books were made available in other formats that the printed published copies. And Amazon folks must be happy right now since they got the exclusive rights to distribute Covey’s books through the Kindle store and to be read of course on the Kindle ereader.

Both ebooks are available for $7.95 at the Amazon Kindle Store

via

Sony is really gearing up for more serious battle with its rivals, particularly Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble. Sony announced that starting December 11 its ebook store will now be called the Reader Store.

Aside from its name though, the Reader Store is still the same old Sony ebook store – same price range for ebooks, as well as same catalog coverage.

Sony will also start offering all its inventory of ebooks in the more universally accepted ebook format – EPUB. All new purchases from the Sony Reader Store will now be released in this format.

In addition, Sony is also launching the New Reader Library version 3.1 available for the PC and Mac. This of course supports the EPUB format.

via Engadget

1. E Ink will lose its claim to near-100% market share for eReader displays.

2. Dual-screen mobile phones and netbooks will eat into eReader demand.3. Apps will make non-reading devices more eBook-friendly.

4. eReaders will get apps, too.

5. Amazon will launch a suite of new touchscreen eReaders.

6. B&N will steal market share from Amazon and Sony.

7. eBook content sales will top $500 million in the US

8. eTextbooks will become more accessible, but sales will be modest.

9. Magazine and newspaper publishers will launch their own apps and devices.

10. China, India, Brazil, and the EU will propel global growth, but the US will still be the biggest market.

If any or all of these predictions come true, it will certainly be an exciting market for ebooks and ereaders.

AU Optronics (AUO) for one has predicted that ebook reader shipment for 2010 will reach more than 10 million units, as opposed to their previous projection of around 6-7 million units. For their panel shipments, AUO predicts is aiming for around 1-2 million units.  Their are projecting though that their monthly shipments of panels will reach around 100,000-200,000 units in 2010.

CT Liu, senior VP of AUO predicts that ebook readers will be able to penetrate the market more in 2010 due to the availability of ebook contents. Likewise, the function of ebook readers are also expected to improve – including faster response time, touchscreen and user-friendly interface.

via Digitimes

I was also a bit excited about Barnes & Noble’s Nook but it seems I will have a hard time getting it due to scarcity of supply. Plus it cost almost the same as the Kindle.

But finally, I found my temporary eReader of Choice and I have it all along – bring it anywhere I go and it won’t even cost me a dime because I already have it. I’m referring to my iPhone 3GS of course. And what I just needed was an application that ties up with its own online bookstore.

So, I installed Amazon’s Kindle for iPhone app, got some sample ebooks from the Kindle Store and boom! I finally found my eReader of choice. Been using the app for a couple of days now – and so here goes my review of the Kindle for iPhone app.

Kindle for iPhone App – Features

In terms of interface Kindle for iPhone is pretty simply. The moment you fire up the app you’ll be greeted by its simple home screen containing a list of all the ebooks you’ve purchased from the Kindle Store. To read an ebook you simply tap on it from the home screen. If it’s the first time you’re reading an ebook you will be brought to the title page. But if you’ve read it before, you’ll be brought to the part where you left off the last time you read it.

You can delete an ebook you’ve finished reading by simply tapping on the “edit” button. To purchase new ebooks – tap on the “get books” button and you’re iPhone’s Safari browser will open the Amazon Kindle Store.

If you’ve downloaded quite a number of ebooks you can easily find them by sorting  the list by “recent”, “title” or “author.”

While reading an ebook you can browse through the page by simply swiping the screen from left to right. Take note, the app doesn’t support the iPhone’s multi-finger touch gesture for zooming in and zooming out of a page. On the other hand you can add notes or highlight part of the ebooks you are reading. It works like the copy and paste feature of the iPhone.

Kindle for iPhone Apps – Is it Worth It?

Kindle for iPhone is a free app, so I don’t see any reason why it won’t be worth a download. What’s good about this app is that it ties up with all your Amazon Kindle accounts. So if you’re using the Kindle for PC app or you have the Kindle ereader, you can read ebooks you purchase from the Kindle bookstore using any of them.

Kindle for iPhone app is nice ereader app. If you don’t want to spend for the Kindle reader and you don’t have a PC but a Mac, this app would better be on your iPhone.

Perhaps in prepartion for their upcoming ebook reader, enTourage eDGe has just launched their own online ebook store. Nothing fancy on the store really, it’s just like your ordinary ebook stores in the likes of Amazon’s Kindle Store.

Obiously, enTourage will make their eReader to support direct download of purchase ebooks from their store to their eReader.

I noticed that prices of their ebooks though are kinda pricey.

Nice move.

Kindle books can only be read through the Kindle eReader, similar to the iTunes songs which can only be played on iPod players

Amazon reserves itself the right to unilaterally change the user terms.

Amazon will withdraw your books if you as a consumer violates the terms, even if you have bought and paid for the books. A similar action would be impossible to consider in the analog world.

The Norwegian Consumer Council is now contemplating on how to file a formal complaint.

The article raises some good point and it convinced me to finally order the Kindle while awaiting for Asus to release its Eee Reader. On the sales of electronic books

• Ebooks sales plummet to around $96.8 million starting this year up to August 2009
• The figure does not include ebooks that were downloaded freely at public libraries
• Overall, sales of ebooks account for a mere 1.5% of the publishing industry’s $6.8 billion this year

On ebook readers, ereaders

• around 1.2 million e-readers are predicted to be sold until the end of the year, thanks to the Nook, Sony PRS eReader, Amazon Kindle and other ereaders
• 10 million people are expected to own an ereader by the end of 2010

The article also include a look into the demographics of the ereader market, ebook pricing and its effect on publishers.

Read the article and tell me – are you ready for the future of books and book reading?