[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4Cast #266: When is an ebook not a book?

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OPLIN 4Cast

OPLIN 4Cast #266: When is an ebook not a book?
January 25th, 2012

<http://www.oplin.org/4cast/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/ipad-ebook2.png>One 
of the nifty things about ebooks is their ability to transcend plain 
text. Illustrations and graphic design have always been recognized as an 
important component of print books, especially children's books, but 
digital publishing opens up the possibility of doing much more with a 
book. "Enhanced" ebooks can manipulate and present content in ways and 
formats that are impossible in print books. At what point does the 
e"book" become something other than a book? And what will that mean for 
the ebook business?

    * Coliloquy launches interactive e-books that let readers choose the
      story
      <http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/coliloquy_launches_interactive_e-books_that_let_re.php>
      (ReadWriteWeb/Jon Mitchell) "Authors can adjust their future
      offerings based on what they learn about their audience from the
      choices they make. It's in-story analytics. And the readers get
      the satisfaction of influencing the outcome not just of one story
      but of a whole series."
    * NBC News is launching a Publishing arm to bring video into the
      e-book format
      <http://thenextweb.com/media/2012/01/23/nbc-news-is-launching-a-publishing-arm-to-bring-video-into-the-e-book-format/>
      (The Next Web/Anna Heim) "Many e-books will be based on NBC News'
      own material, including its coverage of current events and trends,
      but also biographies and documentaries. [...] For NBC News, this
      represents an innovative way to monetize its content on e-readers."
    * The e-reader, as we know it, is doomed
      <http://www.loopinsight.com/2012/01/04/the-e-reader-as-we-know-it-is-doomed/>
      (The Loop/Matt Alexander) "They are cheap, lightweight, have long
      battery life, and operate well in direct sunlight, but they do
      little more than present traditional literature in an electronic
      package. And while that might be enough for some, it is clear that
      e-ink is progressing towards a colorful, responsive, video-capable
      future, and that is certainly not what constitutes an e-reading
      device. That is a tablet."
    * How the long tail cripples bonus content/multimedia
      <http://paidcontent.org/article/419-how-the-long-tail-cripples-bonus-contentmultimedia/>
      (paidContent/Seth Godin) "Sure, there will be experiments at the
      cutting edge, but no, they're not going to pay off regularly
      enough for it to become an industry. The quality is going to
      remain in the writing and in the bravery of ideas, not in teams of
      people making expensive digital books."

*/Predictions fact:/*

Being the beginning of a new year, there is no shortage of predictions 
<http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art174568.asp> about ebooks in 
2012. As for enhanced ebooks, pundits think they will either be "the 
next big thing" or won't create enough profit to be viable.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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