"it's only a matter of time before, for example, a major publishing company sells textbooks through Amazon for use on the Fire and hooks in powerful interactive web applications for assessment, tutoring, or simulations, all on a little 7″ device that fits in any students backback."

Raises concerns about proprietary system that focuses on getting you to buy Amazon content; lack of flexibility: "schools are going to have to look for digital content that is available across platform. That could mean looking for DRM-free resources, or at least for resources that aren't restricted to one particular platform or file format. That could mean turning to Web apps over native apps. Does that mean turning to one big media technology company to handle content delivery (whether it's Apple or Amazon or Pearson)? Man, I sure hope not."

"The earliest electronic textbooks simply offered the text of the printed book on a computer. Today's newest models, though, come with an array of features, including software tools that automatically grade homework for professors or let students share their margin notes with friends online."

2009-2010 Kindle tests

Princeton Kindle studu

"Two universities running Kindle DX pilot programs have rejected the device as a potential textbook replacement, citing a poor feature set and the controversial accessibility issues. Primary among these is the text-to-speech capability."

As a part of the RIS Incubation process, I've been evaluating a number of popular e-book readers to see how viable they might be for classroom and/or library use. The readers I examined are: Amazon Kindle Amazon Kindle DX Sony Reader 300 Sony Reader 600 (aka Sony Reader Touch) Barnes and Noble Nook Apple iPad running Apple's iBooks software, Amazon's Kindle software, and Barnes and Noble's Reader software.

Bowdoin makes available Kindles (since 2009)

"One in 10 college students said they have bought an electronic book in the past three months, and 56 percent of those who had purchased an eBook said it was for educational purposes, according to a study released last month by the National Association of College Stores (NACS) OnCampus Research Division." (2010)

"The American Library Association (ALA) has just released its 2011 Public Library Funding and Technology Access Survey, and among its findings, 67% of public libraries in the U.S. now offer free access to e-books for their patrons. That's up 30% since 2007. Of course, access to e-books ranges greatly from state-to-state: 100% of Maryland and Utah libraries offer e-books, while only 25% of ilbraries in Mississippi do so, for example."

"The BioBook is an interactive iPad biology college textbook that allows students and professors to create their own customized learning experience. "

"according to a research survey conducted by the Book Industry Study Group (BISG), 75% of college students say they prefer printed textbooks, citing "a fondeness for print's look and feel, as well as its permanence and ability to be resold.""

" The American Public University System wants to get more bang for its buck with e-textbooks, so the for-profit college system is enlisting its professors to write and edit digital course materials. Faculty members are submitting proposals for e-textbooks to be used in about half of the institution's general education courses by the end of 2012. And university leaders hope the recently launched APUS ePress will produce many more in-house e-textbooks in the future."

"Students' use of electronic books has grown little, if at all, over the past three years, according to international surveys of more than 6,500 college students conducted in 2008 and again this year. The finding, from ebrary's Global Student E-book Survey, surprised audience members when the survey report was previewed this week at the Charleston Conference, a gathering of librarians, publishers, and e-book vendors. Even so, presenters said they felt confident that the number of e-book users would grow more rapidly over the next six months, and that libraries and colleges must be ready to handle the demand."

Library Journal on digital transition