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Front Page Talking Points

FOR THE WEEK OF DEC. 14, 2009

E-reader choices widen appeal of magazines, books, school texts in new format

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1.gifFind a review, feature or ad mentioning a book you'd like to give or get as a gift.

2.gifLook for a report on any other entertainment, gaming or communication technology that's new or that made news this year.

3.gifList advantages of a printed newspaper that an e-reader can't duplicate easily.

Options for how to give books as holiday presents go beyond picking between hardbacks, paperbacks and audio formats. More readers of all ages have discovered the practical convenience of holding a slim, light digital-reader -- itself a popular gift item. In fact, a new Nook e-reader from Barnes & Noble is sold out until mid-January -- leaving this year's updated, enlarged Kindle DX at the top of a category Amazon has led since its original model emerged a month before Christmas 2007. Another big company, Sony, introduced two e-readers last summer, as shown on the video roundup below.

Digital books also can be read via the iPhone, iPod touch and PCs, as well as on smaller manufacturers' models such as iRex iLiad, CyBook and the Hanlin e-Reader. All this is changing the book market, including textbook publishing, and will affect magazines next. Amazon offers more than 350,000 books in electronic format and is "adding thousands of titles every week," chief executive Jeff Bezos says.
Education publishers also are moving to a handier format, spurred by dual-screen readers that flip open to show text on one side and color illustrations, science animations or other graphics alongside on a liquid-crystal display (LCD) screen.

Another advance comes from five major magazine publishing groups that formed a joint venture to develop e-reader "tablet" editions. Next-generation electronic magazines, expected to appear in 2011-12, will have a page-like look and feel -- with touch-and-drag features like an iPhone. They'll have interactive capabilities that allow content updates and user-determined formatting. Print publishers know they need "a digital do-over for the next decade," says media technology blogger Ken Doctor of California. "They intend to establish a new business model itself for their digital products."
In a related step from pages to pixels, Atlantic magazine just began selling new short stories by well-known and emerging authors as $3.99 Kindle exclusives.

Journalist says: "One of my favorite tech gadget niches this year is e-readers, electronic book-reading devices. They make great gifts for students, professionals on the go and any avid reader." -- Daniel Vasquez, South Florida Sun-Sentinel columnist

Amazon CEO says: "It won't be too long before we're selling more electronic books than we are physical books. It's astonishing." -- Jeff Bezos

Educator says: "It's wonderful not to have to lug those books around." -- Robert A. Destro, Catholic University of America law professor who has 13 texts on an e-reader


Front Page Talking Points is written by Alan Stamm for NIEonline.com, Copyright 2024

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Common Core State Standard
SL.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: An essay of a current news event is provided for discussion to encourage participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the article. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event within the news, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support.