Textbooks are the obvious place for eBooks to begin to take hold at the University level. Here, the obvious advantage is that pricing can take on a different model.\n
eBooks won’t really take off in Academia until there is a curricular need for them. Either increased interactivity or a need for new capabilities. For example, in the foreign language classroom, a single ebook would replace the enormous stack of STUFF associated with a, for example, intro to spanish class. (Text, Workbook, Answer Key, Package of audio CDs, CD-ROM’s on drills and such, DVD).\n
Multimedia drives multiple learning styles, and can be collapsed into a single app instead of being spread across objects. Interactivity between the text and the students could range from the text automagically making adjustments to the level, based on the answers to quizzes or other interactive elements. Indeed, the textbook-as-app could completely replace the Learning Management System like Blackboard.\n
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and it’s attendant Horseman of the Infopocalypse, DRM, are an issue. First sale, which gives us the right to circulate copyrighted material, is being circumvented by publishers via....\n
EULAs, shrinkwrap licenses, and more control the digital content that we are dealing with.\n
that, combined with the continuous extenstion of copyright and the degredation of the public domain, puts libraries at risk, a la Eli’s talk this morning. Contrary to the comment of Rochelle Hartman on Twitter just an hour or so ago about her patrons not caring about public domain books, at an academic library they certainly do.\n
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Cheap! eInk devices will be, essentially, commodity devices in less than a year. $99 for the holiday season, and <$50 by next year.\n
Monster of the current tablet world, has first mover advantage. \n
dozens of android tablets before the holidays, including Samsung 7inch Galaxy Tab, Archos in all sizes from 3 to 10 inches, and many more, including...\n
possible Google Tablet running either Android or Chrome...google is one of the few companies that can compete with Apple as far as market pressure. They have the ability to make the content deals that could be competitive with Apple, but as witnessed by the Nexus One, they don&#x2019;t have the physical storefront/marketing ability to sell actual products. Verizon or another partner might help on this front.\n