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Now more of an iTunes-like storefront

daily 11.15

Because it "would grant Google significant rights to exploit entire books, without permission of the copyright owners,"

On entering the site, users begin to travel through the world of Harry Potter and the [Sorceror's] Stone, following in the footsteps of Harry and learning new facts about his world as they open an account at the goblin bank Gringotts, travel up and down Diagon Alley shopping for equipment for school and choosing a wand. Unlocking new content as they progress through the storyline, they can click on and collect items for their "trunk," build and evolve their profiles, adding their own drawings, collecting books and chocolate frog cards, learning spells and brewing potions. A Pottermore account can also be connected to a Facebook account, with users able to make friends-and even take part in wizarding duels once they reach a certain point on the website.

Why would anyone do this? The time suck is so high and the execution is so inconvenient you could read a book on kindle or IRL in the time this will take.

daily 11.4 kids are still reading, just in diff ways

daily 11.10

Ad-supported hardware. 

The new Kindle for iPad/iPhone (not the actual Kindle unit) will now feature books with embedded audio and video content to enhance the reading experience. The new features are already in a few books, but the new functionality could create a more robust reading/multimedia experience of what has traditionally been a relatively lean form of content delivery.

weekly 9.9

weekly 10.28

Google's eBook system will not be tied to specific devices; instead it will aim to make books available on as many devices as possible.

Also apparently, while hanging out with friends, laughing and passing the book around.

Amazon is taking a direct shot at the U.S. Post Office by launching their in-real-life locker box service as a delivery portal for the crap people buy on Amazon.com. They launched in Seattle in 7-Eleven stores, and have recently been spotted in Rite Aide and Gristedes in New York. This isn't an entirely new idea, as Best Buy and Walmart already allow in-store pick-ups of online purchases, but it finally solves the problem of where we can get out Twilight Saga books delivered without having to explain it to our roommates.