Governator Schwarzenegger said he wants to get rid of big heavy textbooks and replace them with digital materials which will save the State some $400(?)-Million. That really doesn't address the major structural problems inherent in California's economic collapse, but as another bright idea it's a good place to start.
My guess is that the threatened textbook publishing indu$$try will react strongly. We tried to break through that wall when I worked at eBooks and it was a real Maginot Line of legal defense and interlocking school district contract enfilades they had built - so maybe blitzkrieg is the only way it will work.
Some think the Kindle would be a good platform, but IMO the whole thing needs to become more open-source. Separating the delivery platform from the content side is like freeing the words on the page from the heavy binding the publishers apply.
Personally I like the Sony device better than the Kindle just based on its design properties, but it needs to be able to wirelessly download books, either from a home network or through 3G.
Anyhow it would be easier on the kids who I see lugging rolling pieces of luggage stuffed with books to school.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I would just be happy if they would make it so that your Kindle could still use the content on it if anything happens to your Amazon account.
I can't understand a proprietary tether like that, it's a deal-breaker for me. Before we went under we unlocked the gates and library so users wouldn't be sucked down, we gave out tools so they could even self-publish.
I had an eBook textbook for one of my classses and it was great, didn't have to carry around another 5 lbs of book. The downside was that it deactivated a year later and the text would have been useful for another class I ended up taking.
Axe -Sorry your eBook went south, a lot of us working on 'em went with it. The "Executive Team" that gained power simply had no skill-set or comprehension about running a multi-tiered media conglomerate, and shaved everything down to their one brand. We were this*close to breaking out in profit-land - two months and the burn-rate would have reversed. Oh well.
Post a Comment