How would you change the Sony Reader?

Engadget noticed the Sony Reader at Best Buy, but it didn't seem to have many takers. Their post asks readers how they'd change it: " ... should they have loaded it up with more flash, or at least made it compatible with memory cards bigger than 4GB? Would out-of-the-box support for Mac and Linux users help? How about a non-crippled RSS reader?"

Lot of interesting comments, so be sure to read those, too.

Six Apart to support Palm Foleo (Blog Herald)

Six Apart is working with Palm, Inc. to give Palm Foleo mobile companion customers access to Six Apart’s wide range of blogging services, including Vox, LiveJournal, TypePad and Movable Type. With these services available on the Foleo, users can keep blog and journal entries up to date and stay current with their communities while on the go.

(more. . .)

Palm Foleo: Sneak Peek

(Screenshot of the Palm Foleo, showing the Handheld Librarian blog.)

Last month I attended a sneak peek in New York for the Palm Foleo mobile companion.

My photos are on Flickr.

Alan Grassia of Foleo Fanatics has an extensive writeup.

Treo 700w Software Update for Verizon Wireless

Palm has issued a new software update for 700W for Verizon users:

Update features:
* High-speed dial up networking (DUN) – use your Treo smartphone as a wireless modem for fast web access virtually anywhere1. Supports USB and Bluetooth connections.
* Advanced audio support (A2DP) – listen to the clear sounds of high-definition audio with new support for Bluetooth stereo headsets.
* Today Screen enhancements – one-touch access to the Speakerphone and Mute control buttons gives you more freedom than ever.
* Hands-free enhancements – Drive safely and work more efficiently. Get support for even more Bluetooth carkits and the Palm wired carkit.
* Abbreviated dialing preferences – save time with the international dialing prefix and abbreviated dialing for campus environments.

More information about the update.

The iPhone Is a Breakthrough Handheld Computer (Walter Mossberg)

Walt Mossberg's review of the iPhone, along with video.

The iPhone matches most of its hype (IHT)

By David Pogue

Talk about hype. In the last six months, Apple's iPhone has been the subject of 11,000 print articles, and it turns up about 69 million hits on Google. Cultists are camping out in front of Apple stores; bloggers call it the "Jesus phone." All of this before a single consumer has even touched the thing.

So how is it?

As it turns out, much of the hype and some of the criticisms are justified. The iPhone is revolutionary; it's flawed. It's substance; it's style. It does things no phone has ever done before; it lacks features found even on the most basic phones.

Unless you've been in a sensory-deprivation tank for six months, you already know what the iPhone is: a tiny, gorgeous hand-held computer whose screen is a slab of touch-sensitive glass.

The $500 and $600 models have 4 and 8 gigabytes of storage, respectively — room for about 825 or 1,825 songs. (In each case, 700 megabytes is occupied by the phone's software.) That's a lot of money; then again, the price includes a cellphone, video iPod, e-mail terminal, Web browser, camera, alarm clock, Palm-type organizer and one heck of a status symbol.

The phone is so sleek and thin, it makes Treos and BlackBerrys look obese. The glass gets smudgy—a sleeve wipes it clean—but it doesn't scratch easily. I've walked around with an iPhone in my pocket for two weeks, naked and unprotected (the iPhone, that is, not me), and there's not a mark on it.

But the bigger achievement is the software. It's fast, beautiful, menu-free, and dead simple to operate. You can't get lost, because the solitary physical button below the screen always opens the Home page, arrayed with icons for the iPhone's 16 functions. (more. . .)

AT&T details iPhone service plans, activation (InfoWorld)

By Jim Dalrymple Macworld.com, IDG News Service

June 26, 2007

Apple and AT&T on Tuesday released details of the service plans for the iPhone, which will be released later this week. The iPhone will have three available plans that will start at $59.99.

Individual plans are priced at $59.99 for 450 minutes, $79.99 for 900 minutes and $99.99 for 1,350 minutes.

The two higher-priced monthly plans provide unlimited night and weekend minutes -- for AT&T, night hours start at 9:00 p.m. local time -- while the least expensive sports a 5,000-minute allowance.

iPhone customers can also choose from any of AT&T's standard service plans, according to AT&T.

Existing AT&T customers can add unlimited data for $20 (with 200 text messages), $30 (for 1,500 messages) or $40 (for unlimited texting) a month; several family-style plans will also be available, according to the Apple Web site. Those plans range from $80 per month for 700 shared minutes to $120 monthly for 2,100 shared minutes. All buyers can also keep their existing phone numbers, including transfers of numbers currently served by other mobile carriers. (more. . .)

Admin: Spam and Contributors

A user named "Big Tom" somethow took over the login for one of the contributors to this blog and started posting spam. I've deleted that user and the posts he put up. (Maria, change your passwords asap).

I've also deleted a number of users who have not logged in via the new Google system. Your posts have not been deleted. If you're a past contributor and need an invite back to the blog, please email me at the address in my Blogger profile.

The spammer also embedded some links in the template which I haven't been able to remove yet., (scroll to the bottom). I'd appreciate some help in trying to remove it. I'll probably just have to switch out templates and add the widgets back.

Also, you can help by flagging the spam blogs- click on each those links and then flagging it by clicking on the link at the very top of the page that says "Flag Blog."

Thanks,
Grace

NYPC General meeting: The Sony Reader and Visual Aids for the "Hard of Seeing", Thurs. May 24th

The Sony Reader has been described as an iPod for books. Its screen uses E Ink technology and looks more like a book than a computer display. The Reader is much easier on the eyes than a computer screen, and you can enlarge the fonts. It is great for anyone who likes to read and wonderful for people whose eyes are not as good as they used to be.

Sony and National Association for Visually Handicapped will both be on hand to make presentations.

NAVH will talk about their organization, discuss what types of software and hardware are available and show devices that help people with poor vision read normal books, newspapers, etc. The local distributor for these devices, CTech, will be on hand to demo the devices and answer questions.

Sony will demo the Reader and discuss e-books. The Reader is about the size of a trade paperback, but thinner and lighter. It uses the battery only when changing the page, so battery life is measured in page turns rather than hours of usage. You can go for days or weeks without recharging, depending on use. It is great for travelers or anyone who wants to carry a number of books.

The Reader can display Sony's own proprietary XML based format as well as RTF and PDFs. It will also play MPEG audio, but this drains the battery more quickly. Sony's Connect e-book store sells over 13,000 books of all types. They are adding more every week. More . . .

6:00 PM Doors open
6:45 to 7:45PM NAVH Presentation
7:45 to 8:45PM Sony Presentation

At PS 41. 116 West 11th Street (just West of 6th Avenue) Google Map*

How to Make Your Cellphone Act Like a BlackBerry (NYT)

By DAVID POGUE

When you whip out a BlackBerry or a Treo in public, what does it say about you?

You might think that it says: “I’m an important person who can’t afford to be out of touch. I can do e-mail all day long, and I’ll never miss that critical deal.”

But people around you might be thinking, “Look at that huge, clunky phone,” or “Man, I’d hate to see your monthly bill,” or even, “If you whip out that infernal machine at the dinner table one more time, I’m filing for divorce.”

The thing is, it really can be handy to stay in touch with your e-mail when you’re out and about. Not obsessively — you CrackBerry addicts know who you are — but maybe just a peek now and then.

Fortunately, you no longer need a Treo or BlackBerry to enjoy that luxury. Three new services — from Google, Yahoo and Teleflip — can deliver your e-mail messages directly to ordinary nonsmart cellphones.

The really good news is that all three are free. The really bad news is that each is severely compromised in one way or another. (more. . .)

Cool Tools: Sony Portable Reader

Kevin Kelly of Cool Tools has posted a lengthy review of the Sony Portable Reader. He's pretty
pleased with it, but offers these caveats:

*The Sony Reader eBook format is, of course, proprietary, and the device doesn't support any other proprietary formats (e.g. those from Palm Digital Media). This is mitigated somewhat by the fact that you can use your own PDFs, but it's something to keep in mind if you already have a collection of DRM-protected eBooks from somewhere else.

*The screen "flashes black" every time you turn the page. I have never found this bothersome at all, but it's a weird behavior (apparently an artifact of the E Ink) that you may wish to look at in person before making the purchase.

*It's not particularly good for reference books, as the device currently doesn't have a search function. (However, you can search content you've imported or purchased via the Connect software for the PC.)

*The Connect software is currently not available for the Mac. It is possible to put content directly on an SD card and put it in the Reader, but I've always used the software (which I find quite easy to use), and since I don't have access to a Mac I haven't figured out if there's also some way to get purchased eBooks on the Reader directly.

*The screen does not have a backlight, so if you want to read in the dark you have to use a booklight or some other form of external light. I've used a headlamp in a "reading emergency," which worked great.

Gadgets at SLA's Annual Meeting

Our Gadgets session will be at SLA this year! It is our first time at the annual event and we are excited to present at the meeting.

The Gadget program will be on Wednesday, June 6th at 3 p.m. (the last presentation of the day and of the annual meeting!). And, we will be reviewing a variety of handheld devices among a variety of other work and household gadgets.

If you attend the session, please stop by afterwards to say hello!

Thank you!
Barbara Fullerton
Manager of Librarian Relations
10-K Wizard

Why the commercial ebook market is broken (Charle's Diary)

Charles Stross writes:

I've been ruminating for a whole long time now about the dog that didn't bark in the nighttime world of publishing — the coming ebook revolution, which has been coming now for something like 20 years and counting without much sign of actually arriving.

In point of fact, ebook sales figures are dismal. At best, they tend towards 20% of hardcover sales by volume — and that's for ebooks that are available in open formats that are not tied to a particular hardware platform, and that are not crippled by DRM (digital rights management) encryption schemes that prevent users from reading them on more than one machine. DRM-infested ebooks sell an order of magnitude fewer copies, in many cases not even covering the cost of taking the existing typeset masters and saving them in an ebook format.

The performance of the ebook market is in fact piss-poor. It can be explained in part by readers' natural aversion to DRM (if you change mobile phone or laptop, why should your entire library evaporate?), but also in part by publishers' idiotic aversion to the idea of trusting readers. (more...)

[via BoingBoing]

Is Palm Up for Sale...Again?

It's all over the boards...rumors that Palm is up for sale!

Daylight Saving Time Update for Palm OS Devices (Palm)

What does this update do?

• Replaces the old DST rule with new DST rule on your smartphone or handheld. Then it notifies the Date & Time application that DST rule change occurred.
• Replaces the old DST rule embedded in any Calendar events that occur after March 11, 2007 (when the DST change begins). This allows events within the DST rule change window to remain at their original times.

It is always a good idea to make a backup of your important information. Prior to installing this update, Palm recommends backing up your Calendar events, or printing them out for reference, in the event that Calendar information is lost. To back up your Calendar by exporting it, see Knowledge Library article 28751: Export PIM data.

Survey: Blackberry owners chained to work (Ars Technica)

Are devices such as BlackBerrys and Treos actually chaining Americans to their work instead of liberating them? There has been plenty of speculation on the topic of whether being "always on" is affecting our everyday lives. However, survey data released today from Digital Life America shows that although Americans are split over whether that constant connection is a good thing or not, being constantly connected means more work for many.

In an online survey sample of 1,600 "nationally representative" Americans between June and September of last year, Digital Life America asked respondents whether devices like the BlackBerry "chain you to work more than they liberate you." The results were split exactly three ways: a third agreed, a third remained neutral, and a third disagreed. Among just those who own a BlackBerry-like device, the results were also almost equally divided, with 34 percent agreeing and 37 percent disagreeing. (more...)

Announcing IDPF's Digital Book 2007, May 9th, NYC

Wednesday, May 9th, 2007
The McGraw-Hill Auditorium at 1221 Avenue of the Americas, 2nd Floor - New York City

With the explosion of digital book services and devices, more and more books are being consumed digitally making it essential for technology companies and publishers to have a clear strategy for the digital future. This educational conference will bring together the leading technologists and business leaders of the publishing, technology and library markets.

See demonstrations of the latest reading devices and software, digital textbooks and curricula, publisher's digital repositories, and web book and library search. IDPF representatives will also report on industry trends as well as industry standards which will directly affect your business.

Registration information and the agenda are here.

Treonauts and Codie

I just saw where Treonauts is a finalist for a Codie Award in two different catagories:

1. Best Corporate Blog
2. Best Media Blog

Treonauts Answers iPhone "Attack"

I'm a big Palm user. I had the first color Palm and then the full color Palm and I'm ready to switch to a Treo. Then last week I heard the announcement from Mac about the iPhone and I thought how will this affect Palm sells?

Today, on the Treonaut blog, my question has been answered. Read the editorial and come to your conclusion. My conclusion: I'll probably stick to the Treo.

Apple Waves Its Wand at the Phone (NY Times)

...Already, though, one thing is clear: the name iPhone may be doing Apple a disservice. This machine is so packed with possibilities that the cellphone may actually be the least interesting part.

As Mr. Jobs pointed out in his keynote presentation, the iPhone is at least three products merged into one: a phone, a wide-screen iPod and a wireless, touch-screen Internet communicator. That helps to explain its price: $499 or $599 (with four or eight gigabytes of storage).

As you’d expect of Apple, the iPhone is gorgeous. Its face is shiny black, rimmed by mirror-finish stainless steel. The back is textured aluminum, interrupted only by the lens of a two-megapixel camera and a mirrored Apple logo. The phone is slightly taller and wider than a Palm Treo, but much thinner (4.5 by 2.4 by 0.46 inches). (more...)