Book 2.0

Anytime there is a technology discussion that includes words like reliable, killer user interface, revolution, or instant-anything eyebrows begin to raise, or you wonder what Apple is up to now.

Steven Levy's article in Newsweek about Amazon's new ebook reader is certainly interesting. I agree this "will change the way readers read, writers write and publishers publish" (p. 57), but the jury is still out if this is a revolution.

The attractiveness of this latest entrant into digital books includes the long battery life, independence from a personal computer, and wireless capability. But it is the many other content capabilities beyond books that make this intriguing; like access to newspapers and magazines, ability to connect to Wikipedia, Google, blogs, other web pages, and even other business documents in PDF format. Together these capabilities do make this device the "iPod of reading" (p. 58).

Books and reading in general has been a social activity for centuries, but the question remains: will people want to hold a digital book in their hands or curl up in their favorite spot to journey with the author? Will the limitations of sharing, loaning, or shelving books hold this gadget back or will the overwhelming mass of content take us there eventually?

From a business perspective, Kindle is very efficient. What are your thoughts about the pros and cons from a social interaction perspective?

SOURCE: Levy, S. (2007 November 26). The Future of Reading. Newsweek, pp. 57-64.

Who's Really In Control?

I came across a fascinating quote recently in Wired Magazine. Spencer Reiss was interviewing Nicholas Carr about the future of technology. They covered the idea of dummy computers, privacy, the global network, and how we interact with computers, but the most fascinating quote was:

We're beginning to process information as if we're nodes; it's all about the speed of locating and reading data. We're transferring our intelligence into the machine, and the machine is transferring its way of thinking into us.

How are you seeing this in your business?

SOURCE: Reiss, S. (2008, JAN). Do You Trust Google? Wired, p. 42.

Google Phones?

I like Google. And I love my iPhone because of the way this changes the way we think about this "mobile communications device." Apparently Google is looking at ways to enter the cell-phone business and take their business model of ad-based service to a new level.

Would you use a Google Phone? Would you want ads on your cell phone?

SOURCE: Crockett, R.O. (2007, October 8). Will a Google Phone Change the Game? Businessweek, p. 38.