Palm Digital Media Gets a Name Change
Palm Digital Media has released version 2.5 of their popular e-book reader and have given it the new eReader Pro name. The company has also relaunched under the new eReader brand and has a new website.
The Palm Reader software has now become eReader with a new version 2.5. The main changes are the new name and new icons for the toolbar for OS5 machines. The company has also launched a new website at eReader.com. If you take their current survey you get 10% off your next purchase.
Palm Digital Media, began as peanutpress.com, It was purchased by Palm Inc in early 2001 and was later transfered to the PalmSource division after the Palm Inc spinoff. PalmSource later sold the company to PalmGear, which in turn was recently merged with Power By Hand Inc.
Article Comments
(14 comments)
The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. PalmInfocenter is not responsible for them in any way.
Please Login or register here to add your comments.
Comments Closed
This article is no longer accepting new comments.
RE: $.99 a book sounds better
Back to the issue of the books: There are many hard costs which still apply even if you aren't printing a physical book. In addition, publishers don't want cheap ebooks taking sales from hardcover editions. Therefore you are unlikely to see really low prices, at least on newer releases.
However, I don't see why older releases couldn't be selling for much less than they are now... say the cost of a trade paperback.
RE: $.99 a book sounds better
Only a small part of the rest of the book cost goes to production costs. A lot goes to pay for the publishers, the editors, the proofreaders, and all the other parts of the machine that makes the output of an author available in quality form to the reader.
Also, book publishing tends to release a title three times: first, there's the hardcover version. This is slightly more expensive to produce, is a bit more durable, and commands a premium. Part of this premium is an "early-access" fee; people that want to read the book ASAP will pay more. After a while, then comes the paperback version; this can be a trade paperback (same printing as hardback, but with soft binding) or a true paperback (new layout for smaller pages). Sometimes, a book will go to trade, and later go smaller -- this happened for the Harry Potter books. At each size reduction, the cost of making the book decreases, and the price also goes down.
So, how do EBooks fit in. While you save the physical cost of the book, the author, editing, and publishing costs are still there, and need to be recovered. There also is extra cost involved in making the ebook -- the time spent doing ebook layout, clearing digital rights to any materials referenced in the book, testing the ebook to make sure it works in the reader software, and promotion though ebook channels.
I could see $.99 being a fair price once a book gets to the lowest-level paperback stage, or for archive items that aren't in print anymore, but pricing it that low early doesn't make sense, as there is a proven market for good book-length works that will pay more.
--
Ben Combee
http://palmos.combee.net - PDA programmer weblog
RE: $.99 a book sounds better
--
Ben Combee
http://palmos.combee.net - PDA programmer weblog
RE: $.99 a book sounds better
Personally, I don't think they're THAT cheap. Convenient, perhaps...
RE: $.99 a book sounds better
As much as you think you are buying paper and ink, you are not. It's the information within it you are paying for. Oh, and a bunch of marketing.
RE: $.99 a book sounds better
RE: $.99 a book sounds better
You are not getting the same value for an eBook as you are with a real book - can you transfer your book to a friend? Not unless they also have a Palm Reader. Is the experience of reading, quality of typesetting and "eyes-friendly" equivalent to ink on paper? Not as much as a book. Will this eBook have lasting value? No, because it will become obsolete as newer formats are released - you may notice that you have no rights to updated editions as they are released - these new editions will eventually rival or surpass the printed page, but you will have to pay for them again.
Also, as far as I know, few publishers have issued corrected or updated ebooks (without charging full price), although it costs them little to do so compared with print retractions or replacements.
Palm m505 User
RE: $.99 a book sounds better
I don't mind paying around paperback price for an ebook, though I rarely will pay hardback price for one.
RE: Is Upgrade to 2.5 Free?
--
Ben Combee
http://palmos.combee.net - PDA programmer weblog
RE: Is Upgrade to 2.5 Free?
RE: Is Upgrade to 2.5 Free?
- The application name has changed from Palm Reader to eReader.
- The default toolbar uses large icons, in color on Palm OS 5 handhelds. Note that this will cause books to be repaginated when first opened after the upgrade.
- Support additional screen orientations on TapWave Zodiac handhelds.
- Fix a bug where soft hyphens were not drawn if full justification was on.
- After selecting text in a book, choose the "Copy Quote" item to copy the selection to the clipboard [Pro only].
- Fix a bug that could cause highlights to be placed on the wrong page [Pro only].
- Requires 400K free memory.
Palm Reader 2.4.3
- Fix a crash in the Font dialog on HandEra 330 handhelds.
- Fix problems with the Invert Screen option on devices with 16 bit color displays [Pro only].
- Requires 335K free memory.
Palm Reader 2.4.2
- Fix an update problem when changing the font smoothing option.
- Fix bookmark colors when the toolbar is hidden.
- Fix support for Sony left/right jog buttons.
- Requires 335K free memory.
Palm Reader 2.4.1
- Fix a crash on Palm OS versions prior to 3.5.
- Fix a problem with pagination when using small or large fonts on high resolution Sony handhelds.
- Requires 330K free memory.
Palm Reader 2.4.0
- The free version of Palm Reader now includes a full demo of Palm Reader Pro. After the demo period expires the application reverts to the free version.
- When copying books to a card when multiple cards are mounted you are
prompted for a target card.
- In the "General Preferences" dialog, you can now change the horizontal
margins of the page to "Small", "Medium", "Large" or "Wide" (the latter
is recommended only for widescreen devices) [Pro only].
- In the "Toolbar Preferences" dialog, you can now turn off the toolbar [Pro only].
- Fix a bug where the Selection Preferences dialog vanishes after
picking a custom color on Palm OS 5 devices [Pro only].
- Fix a bug where the wrong page is shown after changing the screen size while reading a sidebar or footnote.
- Requires 330K free memory.
Palm Reader Pro 2.2.9
- Add support for reading books with the slider closed on Tungsten T3 handhelds.
- Add an option to turn off the underline on links (in the General Preferences dialog).
- Fix a bug where notes and highlights appear in sidebars and footnotes.
- Fix problems with five-way buttons on Tungsten, Zire and Treo handhelds.
- Requires 300K free memory.
Latest Comments
- I got one -Tuckermaclain
- RE: Don't we have this already? -Tuckermaclain
- RE: Palm brand will return in 2018, with devices built by TCL -richf
- RE: Palm brand will return in 2018, with devices built by TCL -dmitrygr
- Palm phone on HDblog -palmato
- Palm PVG100 -hgoldner
- RE: Like Deja Vu -PacManFoo
- Like Deja Vu -T_W
$.99 a book sounds better