Media monsters float co-op ebook 'storefront'

A quintet of publishing heavyweights have come together to develop a "digital storefront" for the delivery of media to portable devices. According to a joint statement released on Tuesday, content in that shared storefront would include magazine and newspaper "reading experiences", and eventually "books, comic books, blogs and …

[h 6]

Same

The new media overlords, same as they old media overlords.

Welcome, etc.

[Penti]

The Tech

The technology for something shown by sports illustrated isn't here by a long run.

Firstly you need to use a normal TFT-screen with an active backlight to do something like that, it doesn't only use large amount of energy but also is harder to read, don't give a book/paper like experience. Plus the hardware too pull it off would cost a huge mount compared to just subscribe to the magazine in paper form. It would never be something successful, the hardware much be as powerful as your full size laptop any way. Why not use that if you want the web-experience? Why buy several ~600 dollar devices? Isn't enough with cell phone, laptop and maybe a desktop or HTPC computer? Todays ebook readers are essentially the same parts as a cell phone plus a chip to use the EPD display. I.e. an ARM-processor like straight from a cell phone, a baseband/modem with an embedded ARM, a stripped down operating system and a li-ion/polymer battery. Why buy an ebook reader today then? Because it isn't the same as all the rest of the devices! It doesn't cost 600 dollars! It doesn't have a bright backlit display. If you take that away there will be zero mainstream interest. Who would want a reading device that dies after less then two hours of use?

Hell even today the low power devices becomes useless because of the high requirement for flash-content. Even though many low power devices have hardware H264 bitstream decoding and more Adobe don't utilize it. Why would an iTablet or something that sport illustrated - illustrated be any differently? Such devices much be able to use the normal internet-websites too. Hell even an Mac Pro has troubles with Adobe Flash. Even though you could write all the software to do all that, on low power hardware, if you can't even use it to view normal flash videos it feels awful and useless. Apple couldn't marry all this tech, and fiction, neither can any one else. And just look at Nokia N900, the surfpad or MID became a cell phone when technology allowed. Why wouldn't such a proposed product either move to be a full powered notebook or a normal netbook, instead of an e-reader? There's no middle ground here. A video playing device that don't fit in your pocket will want to become as much "real" computer as possible. A device that fits in your pocket will want to become a cell phone. A real ebook-reader will want the be like real paper, thus will have problem with videos and high resolution images. Batteries, hardware and screen tech limits.

[Adrian Crooks]

The tech is almost there

Lets not exaggerate and say this device will cost any more than the existing e-Readers or Netbooks. The tech is there to last longer than "two hours" as we can see with many Netbooks. I can't believe some of the arguments here exaggerating points and dismissing others.

Until we see a live demo, and not a comic book hand made up to wow us video, then everything is extreme speculation. IMO the only problem they will have with something like this is getting the right size to be a usable pad/tablet. I have certainly wished to have an iPod touch that's the size of a 10" Netbook screen instead of an actual Netbook. Make it close tot Netbook pricing and I certainly would be a customer.

[frank ly]

History is a valuable teacher, if you pay attention

I'm sure these publishers will get their act together in the same way that the major record labels have got their act together.

[amanfromMars 1]

Apple Mac Flashing ...... for the Scarlet Pimpernel Type Commander in Virtual Operating Systems

"The new media overlords, same as they old media overlords.

Welcome, etc." ...... h 6 Posted Tuesday 8th December 2009 23:41 GMT

You cannot be serious, h 6. Haven't you been paying attention to El Regers comments? The Great Game has Fundamentally Changed and the Key Players, [some of whom who masquerade in the charade and parade in Anonymous Cowardly colours] are Completely Different from anything which has gone before.

And their Broadband Weapon and Tool of Choice is Addictive Content never Aired/Published before. ........ something Sublimely Crafted and which can be Easily Followed Enthusiastically.

The Smarter Old Team Codgers would do Much Better to Engage with that Novel Virtual Stream of Non-State Actors rather than Waste Time and Effort and Considerable Fortunes, in a Space which they no longer Control, with Others so Similarly Distressed and Desperate.

"Plus, although Apple isn't in the content-creation business..." ...... Well, not overtly anyway, which allows for all manner of test programs under the radar.

To imagine that the real Steve Jobs wouldn't be interested and active in a Business Creating Leading Media Content is quite laughable to Serious Thinkers and AITinkerers both, but it does allow a Perfect Peace and Masses of Space in which to Play and Arrange Pieces.

Is El Reg an Indie with a Mind and Agenda of its Own , El Reg, or does it have a Controlling Mega Parent as a Guide, telling it what to do?

[Anonymous Coward]

to corner the market

they need one thing, a nice cheap reader. while readers are more important than the content, the whole model is never going to take off.

chuck a £50 ebook reader on the market (colour if possible) and everyone will buy one, while they are all £200 they don't even come close to the level of buying them because "well why not!"

If a nintendo DS can be bought for £69, why can't a simple, cheap, document reader be made!