books e-books

Like to read? Between now and Sunday, July 27, Tor.com is offering two dozen sci-fi and fantasy books free for the download. You don't even have to register; just click, download, and read!

Most of the books are available in HTML, Mobi, and PDF formats--choose the one that suits you best. If you're a BlackBerry, Palm, or Windows Mobile user, for instance, grab the Mobi files for use with the free Mobipocket Reader. Want to read on your iPhone or iPod touch? Any of the formats will do if you use freebie app Stanza (iTunes link): It … Read more

As a longtime fan of e-books (I used to read them on my PDA; now I read 'em on my smartphone), I've been waiting for a good deal so I could spread the word. Fictionwise answered the call: The Web-based e-bookstore is offering three complete Stephen King novels for free. Yes, there's a catch, but it's not hard to swallow.

Here's how it works: First, you create a Micropay account, which is basically a debit account into which you deposit funds from your credit card or PayPal. Next, you buy Carrie, Night Shift, and/or The … Read more

This story was updated at 9:30 a.m. PDT Wednesday to correct the estimated number of Kindles to be sold by 2010.

Q: Is $360 versus $400 that big of a deal?

A: On a slow news day, apparently, yes.

We're not talking an iPhone-level price cut here. Still, blogs here, here, here, here, and here are really excited about the 10 percent discount Amazon.com is offering on the Kindle.

It's not at all clear that a $40 discount is the shove fence-sitters considering buying a $400 device for reading electronic books are going to need. … Read more

Calling it the iPod of the book business, CitiGroup analyst Mark Mahaney says the Kindle e-book reader will generate three-quarters of a billion dollars for Amazon.com in less than two years.

That should account for up to 3 percent of Amazon's business. See his chart and reasoning here.

His calculations assume that unit sales will grow from 189,000 by the end of this year to 2.2 million units in just two years. By then he assumes the price of the device will be just below $300. Mahaney also points out that Amazon does have the largest … Read more

DRM and electronic books could help lower college educational expenses while at the same time improving the health of students.

Here's why: the economics of textbook publishing are broken. There's a reason that an introductory biology textbook costs $125 new, and it's not because it's printed on high-quality paper using a special 12-color press. It's because when the student is done with the book, he or she sells it back to the campus bookstore, or to another student. The publisher is thus deprived of recurring revenue on the title. So it raises book prices, heaping … Read more

Editor's Note: This review has been updated to include new information.

Once upon a time, there was an idea to electronically, immediately read and search major literary works online.

This is how Google Books first entered public consciousness, as a tangled controversy between publishers who feared copyright infringement and Internet enthusiasts championing Google's momentum to search everything.

Liberating information is good, those publishers said, but not at our expense. Not so, replied Google, who promised it could increase awareness for niche publishers, protect copyrights, and create opportunity for greater sales all while promoting a valuable public service.… Read more

Someone was certainly following the KISS method when it came to designing Adobe's new electronic book reader, Adobe Digital Editions.

Adobe on Tuesday announced the release of Adobe Digital Editions 1.0 available for free download to Windows and Mac users.

The application provides a very basic and easy-to-navigate interface for storing, sorting, viewing and annotating digital text files along the lines of what Apple's iTunes does for audio and Google's Picasa for pictures.… Read more

Someone was certainly following the KISS method when it came to designing Adobe's new electronic book reader, Adobe Digital Editions.

Adobe on Tuesday announced the release of Adobe Digital Editions 1.0 available for free download to Windows and Mac users.

The application provides a very basic and easy-to-navigate interface for storing, sorting, viewing and annotating digital text files along the lines of what Apple's iTunes does for audio and Google's Picasa for pictures.

The only main difference is that Adobe offers no automatic search and import feature, and does not have a direct portal to the Internet for searching and downloading books.

There are two main views from which to navigate the entire application. The library view lets you manage your collection, while the reading view lets you work within one individual eBook or PDF file.

Adobe Digital Editions is compatible with any PDF or .epub (International Digital Publishing Forum standard) file. Loading files consists of either dragging and dropping them into the application window or choosing "Add File" in the Library menu.

You can view books through Adobe Digital Editions in thumbnail or list view by title, author, publisher, last read, number of pages, date added or status. You can also read any metadata, such as permissions information, attached to a file.

Adobe Digital Edition's "bookshelves" are akin to playlists. You drag and drop files from the general library into bookshelves in a column on the left to categorize books, magazine and other digital documents by genre, type or source.

Books can be viewed in double or single page views of adjustable screen fits.

The simplicity makes sense given the fact that the software is intended to integrate with the Sony Reader.… Read more