CES is Not a Book Fair (and Steve Jobs is No Joe Gutenberg)
Editorial by Edward Nawotka at Publishing Perpectives

LAS VEGAS: Today is the opening of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), where more than two dozen dedicated e-reading devices are expected to be introduced. There are devices coming from the known brands, such as iRex, Cool-ER, and Plastic Logic, and numerous newcomers. Also on the docket to be presented are several new iterations of the tablet PC computer -- fully functional computers with no physical keyboard and in a slate format.

The most famous of these is, of course, the much rumored Apple tablet PC, which won't actually be introduced at CES and is expected to be announced at the end of the month at Apple's own event. Likewise, Amazon will not be introducing a new Kindle device, though yesterday it did release an international version of its large-format Kindle DX device. Both Apple's promised and Amazon's existing products are likely to overshadow anything unveiled at CES.

(read on ...)

Are Existing E-readers Good Enough for Most? By Edward Nawotka

In today's editorial about the opening of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, I argue that existing e-readers are already adequate enough to serve most readers' needs. What's more, I suggest that those who are interested in e-books have likely already purchased such a device (or are planning to in the near future) and that new devices, even the promised Apple tablet, are at best evolutionary, not revolutionary.

(read on ...)