Sony using Pottermore to get back into the eReader race?

What does Sony's participation with Pottermore mean for it's (struggling?) ebook lines?  Sony was one of the first to market ebook readers but since then both Amazon and B&N have stepped up to take a greater market-share.  Is Sony seeing this as an opportunity to market Harry Potter ereaders in an attempted to catch up? 


Quote from PC World:

"Sony’s association with J.K. Rowling’s Pottermore brings together one of the world’s most innovative brands with the most successful book series in history, in a pioneering partnership that will help shape the future of story-telling," said Sony CEO and president Howard Stringer, adding "We are proud to be a part of it, both at this momentous announcement, and as we collaborate on its development over the coming years."

E-Reader ownership Doubles and outdoes Tablet Growth!

From the Pew Research Centre:

The share of adults in the United States who own an e-book reader doubled to 12% in May, 2011  from 6% in November 2010.  E-readers, such as a Kindle or Nook, are portable devices designed to allow readers to download and read books and periodicals.  This is the first time since the Pew Internet Project began measuring e-reader use in April 2009 that ownership of this device has reached double digits among U.S. adults. 

Tablet computers—portable devices similar to e-readers but designed for more interactive web functions—have not seen the same level of growth in recent months.  In May 2011, 8% of adults report owning a tablet computer such as an iPad, Samsung Galaxy or Motorola Xoom.  This is roughly the same percentage of adults who reported owning this kind of device in January 2011 (7%), and represents just a 3 percentage-point increase in ownership since November 2010.  Prior to that, tablet ownership had been climbing relatively quickly.

Read the whole article here

Hanvon releasing New eReader

Good eReader is reporting that Hanvon is ready to release 2 new eReaders, which were on display at CES this year, in to the market soon.  One is a 200 dpi, monochromatic e-ink reader supporting multiple files types and a native Opera web browser!  The other would be the world’s first color e-ink reader.  Both will be released in China later this year.




Source

All you ever wanted to know about EPUB 3

The Spring 2011 issue of The National Information Standards Organization (Vol 23, Issue 2) features a number of interesting and worthwhile articles on the future of ebook and ereaders, but none of them are as insightful as a look into the ePub3 format and what the format has to offer ebook readers in the near future!  If you're interested in the future of the ePub format and up for a more of a technical read, it's definitely worth a glance.


EPUB 3: Not Your Father's EPUB (PDF)


If you're interested in the other articles they can all be found in PDF format here.  The ToC straight from the website is available after the break:

3 'Inclusive' Reading Networks!

Not everyone owns the same e-reader, even among friends, so why would I join a social reading network which only works with a single e-reader?  It's really no use to me because my friends use other devices!  So click after the break to check out the best social reading networks that I've used: