In the world of ebooks, the landscape changes month-by-month. See how much it has changed over a year. Compare this year's top ten facts with 2011's. Only the top three remain the same; money still talks.

Picky's Top 10 Facts about ebooks for 2012

1. Amazon with its proprietary Kindle book format and eReaders still dominates the electronic reading market
2. the publishing industry as a whole expects (and is counting on) the non-proprietary ePub format used by almost all the rest of the book industry to lead to wide adoption and market dominance
3. Google Books' backing of the ePub format may ensure its success
4. following on ipad's success, tablets are now viable ereaders
5. I have happily read a dozen books on back-lit screens, yes, screen(s).
6. E-Ink's gray scale technology will definitely not make a dent in the illustrated book and graphic media market (i.e., most published material)
7. I still prefer eInk for reading novels
8. eReading enthusiasts are becoming increasingly dismayed with the poor design and low quality standards of ebooks
9. eReader adoption, public library ebook borrowing programs and school board ebook adoption for cost savings will be dominate issues over the next year
10. publishers are continuing to underwrite the cost of ebooks ( how long can it last?)

Picky's Top 10 Facts about ebooks for 2011

1. Amazon with its proprietary Kindle book format and eReaders still dominates the electronic reading market
2. the publishing industry as a whole expects (and is counting on) the non-proprietary ePub format used by almost all the rest of the book industry to lead to wide adoption and market dominance
3. Google Books' backing of the ePub format may ensure its success
4. e-Ink technology for eReaders is still the only viable method of putting text on screen that can complete with print on paper
5. I've yet to meet someone who has by choice read an entire book on a back lit screen
6. E-Ink's gray scale technology will probably never make a real dent in the illustrated book and graphic media market (i.e., most published material)
7. the publishing world is waiting for a non-back lit, vibrant colour, fast, 7 in. screen display that is moderately priced with full web capabilities and long battery life
8. when it gets here, say good bye to the book
9. Chinese manufacturer Hanvon has a prototype 10 in. E-Ink colour device to be released in China this May, but it has limitations
10. when the new eBook world arrives, books will cost about the same as their paper predecessors

 

Great comparative culture piece in eurozine. A Lithuanian and a Bulgarian talk "territory and identity" as seen from their parts of Europe.