Skip to main content

Home/ Social Informatics/ Group items tagged economics

Rss Feed Group items tagged

Filter: All | Bookmarks | Topics Simple Middle
Laurie A.

Playing Catch-Up in E-Books - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...04cache.html

ebooks ereaders economics politics Europe EU language

shared by Laurie A. on 04 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • Laurie A. on 04 Apr 11
     
    Article looks at the ebooks business in Europe, where it is still in its infancy. Not many readers available, and very little content in other languages besides English. There are legal and economic issues for pricing and licensing of ebooks.
  • Jessica McDonough on 05 Apr 11
     
    I was just going to add this here. I debated whether to cite it on one of my pages. They also mention the example of the music industry.
Judy Panagakos

One Laptop Per Child Program Website - 0 views

one.laptop.org

shared by Judy Panagakos on 25 Jan 11 - No Cached
  • Judy Panagakos on 25 Jan 11
     
    Nicholas Negroponte started this organization to create a program where laptops are given to children around the world. He is a member of the MIT faculty since 1966.
  • Christina Geuther on 26 Jan 11
     
    MIT has a tremendous economics program as well.
beestel

E-books benefit Society - 0 views

teenlife.blogs.pressdemocrat.com/...ng-technology-benefits-society

e-books society

shared by beestel on 29 Jan 11 - No Cached
  • beestel on 29 Jan 11
     
    I read this article detailing why e-books are better for the environment, cheaper, easier for eyes to read, convenient... My question is if anyone has an e-book reader and how they like it. I'm considering one of my own.
  • ...2 more comments...
  • Dessi Gradinarova-Kirova on 30 Jan 11
     
    I received a Kindle as a gift, but I have not started using it. I guess I am very old-fashioned and I like the actual experience of having a paper copy in my hands. Occasionally I read text online, but it is nice to feel the paper in your hands. I agree that it is getting very important for all of us to start thinking about how much paper we use and how to be environmentally smarter. Also, I have to say that The Kindle is gentle on the eyes, much more than one would think.
  • Laurie A. on 31 Jan 11
     
    I have very mixed feelings about ebooks. I am really excited that we will cover this for a week in this course. I just got an ipad from my parents as a going away gift, and I know it will be an essential tool in obtaining english language books overseas. They would have been too expensive otherwise (even my local ILL is 6Euros and up, depending where the book is). For me, there's no question that it is most efficient and economical distribution channel to get books. That said, I am wary of obsolescence, and very upset that most of these devices prohibit sharing. I am starting to get frustrated with the limits and controls on Apple products - it is my understanding that the Kindle is probably the most prohibitive though. Sharing great books with friends or through the library creates community and is better for the environment than plugging in more devices that use electricity. It's an interesting thing to play around with. The sony ereader isn't praised enough, I think. This device is the most open and programmable, and the most enabled to work with public libraries for elending. I ultimately did not get the ereader since I wanted a device with internet browsing so I could log in and do some of my classwork.
  • Heather Ware on 31 Jan 11
     
    I have a Kindle and I LOVE it. I will admit that I hate that I cannot share my books with my friends as this is something that I used to do all the time. The Nook has that capability and there are rumors that Amazon will push through software that will allow this capability and I really hope they do. The Kindle has done amazing things for my book shelves and I think my husband is thrilled that we no longer have to keep adding. It is a dedicated ereader so it is limited to what I can do compared to an iPad but when I just want to read something the Kindle (or ereader) cannot be beat. While you are reading the iPad you are looking a computer monitor and that really strains my eyes. The Kindle is exactly like reading a book and there is no eye strain. Plus, the Kindle is a lot lighter than a book so it is much more comfortable to hold for long periods of time. It is great when I travel because I have a ton of books loaded onto my Kindle and I am set to go and I do not have to worry about their weight or carrying them around. Dessi mentioned that she liked having the old-fashioned paper in her hands and I thought I was going to be that way as well but I got over it real quick! I will admit that I do not like it for my school text books because I like to be able to visually see my books and I place notes all over the place with post-its and an old-fashioned book is just better for me in that respect.
  • Laurie A. on 31 Jan 11
     
    They all seem to have advantages and disadvantges... I agree one problem with the ipad is the screen - it's better than a typical computer screen, but not as easy on the eyes as a dedicated e-reader. I am still attached to the physical experience of reading and writing, but that's cool that has really worked for Heather. One of the reasons why it might have not worked for scholarly reading is that the tools still seem limited for engaged reading, marking up texts, highlighting, etc. I am hoping there will be good apps for this with the ipad (i just got it and haven't had a chance to look). Beestel, you have to read through the details of each device to find out what is best for you and your reading needs.
Laurie A.

Amazon to Sell the Kindle Reader at a Lower Price, but With Advertising Added - 1 views

www.nytimes.com/...12amazon.html

ebooks ebook ereader economics

shared by Laurie A. on 13 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • Laurie A. on 13 Apr 11
     
    From the article: "Still, books are one of the last ad-free zones, and by showing ads on an e-reader, Amazon risks alienating some users, he said. " Libraries too are one of the last ad-free zones.
  • Jessica McDonough on 13 Apr 11
     
    They may try to release a tablet. "An Amazon tablet could tie together the seemingly disparate parts of the company's business, Mr. McQuivey said, including e-commerce, e-books, video and audio."
1 - 4 of 4
Showing 20▼ items per page