eBooks coming into their own?
Posted by Jacque on June 6th, 2007
According to a panel discussion at the Book Expo America conference in New York, eBooks may finally be ready for prime time — for authors, readers, and publishers.
New standards have emerged that make it easier to read books online or via a reader device. OPS is an XML-based standard for authoring digital publications, and OCF is the container formation for distribution (similar to a ZIP file), which uses the EPUB file extension. The advantage is that text is more dynamic than static documents in PDF, so readers can zoom, change typeface, and navigate documents more easily.
At the conference, Adobe’s ePublishing business demoed the new Adobe Digital Editions software for reading and managing eBooks. With this new software text can be displayed in many different ways for easier reading. Digital Editions also integrates with Adobe In-Design for graphics and images. The company is also planning an open-standard version of PDF.
Adobe is hoping to get the social networking crowd involved by including a feature to make notes in an eBook and share them with friends (although eBook digital rights management may get in the way of this). The software is still in beta, and Adobe Labs is offering a free version for users to try out and offer feedback.
eBooks still have a ways to go before mass adoption becomes a reality. According to Adobe, “We shouldn’t wait for the iPod of eBook devices. It won’t work that way. I see the industry developing more like the digital camera industry, with many different types of readers for different needs.”
