Look for a new e-book reading device to hit the market sometime during the third quarter of this year. It's called the Hiebook reader. The new player is manufactured in Korea and will be marketed and distributed in the U.S. by eBookAd.com, an e-book portal and information resource, launched about a year ago.
The Hiebook reader was developed by a firm called Korea e-Book and looks a bit like Gemstar's REB series devices. "It's a third-generation e-book device," said Dustin Revlon, eBookAd.com cofounder. The player is an XML, OEB-based device with a full-size (5.6" diagonal), 16-tone gray-scale screen. It will also play MP3 audio files and features voice recording, bookmarks, USB connection, address book and personal organizer. The device will sell for about $229.
A new device means a new e-book format, and most publishers are not keen on adding to the confusion and cost of having to convert text to yet another format. "We're offering publishers an open, secure device," said Revlon. "We're working with software developers to convert titles, and we're offering publishers a number of software tools to convert their titles to our formats cheaply," he added. The new device also allows readers to create their own digital documents, which can then be read on the Hiebook.
Revlon told PW that he's currently negotiating with major publishers to make titles available in the Hiebook format. But he also pointed to strategic alliances with e-book publishers and retailers such as Fictionwise.com, CyberRead.com and BookSurge.com, to emphasize the site's relationship with the Electronic Publishers Coalition (www.epccentral.org), a trade association of about 50 independent electronic publishers. "We have tried to support the small independent publishers who have really pioneered the e-book business," said Revlon. EBookAd.com is a portal site for e-books that offers a database of news and press releases on e-book publishing. The site also hosts an Internet radio show featuring interviews with e-book vendors and industry members. In addition, the site offers a database of more than 10,000 titles offered by independent e-publishers and indicates where they are sold. EBookAd does not sell titles currently, but Revlon expects the site to evolve into an e-book retailer.
