eBook Egress Seekers Hit Reality Wall

Novel rejected? There’s an e-book gold rush!

There are a lot of books, even low-priced, on Kindle that are not selling at all.

Is there anyone who is really surprised by that?

Bueller? Bueller?

Resume Apps?!

Ohhhhkay. Now we are getting into a real digital divide here.

Job applicants who can afford “app resumes” and those who can’t.

Is An iPad App The New Resume?

And I really thought this idea pushed the limits:

The Apple 30% Vig Loophole Lives — Again!

Ebook apps not leaving iTunes after all

This is newsworthy because Apple created this loophole only in the last couple months. It marks Apple’s third shift in policy since this started 6 months ago, and this is the rule that will let the ebook apps stay in iTunes.

But don’t take my word for it; go download the bol.com reading app. It was approved on 15 March and it’s missing the link to the Bol.com ebookstore. I’m told they had to remove it in order to get Apple’s approval.

Well, duh! That’s exactly what I said here:

The apps for Kindle, Kobo, Borders, and Nook — to name just those majors — will be turned into read-only apps.

To buy eBooks, you go to mobile Safari browser and use the website of each one to order (better make each a bookmark!).

And if that’s true, that’s the loophole that will let me buy an iPad.

The eBooks can still be on the iPad; Amazon, Kobo, Sony, Borders, B&N, et al, can go complain to the FTC to overturn the Restraint of Trade, but meanwhile readers will still have access to their books and can still buy them — although by manually going to Mobile Safari and manually entering a web address for each (which I why I said to make each a Bookmark!).

But I still don’t trust Apple, so no iPad until that deadline has passed.

Amazon’s Post-Print Trademark

When Borders has been sent to its grave, when Barnes & Noble has no more stores and is desperately selling Nooks on streetcorners, when the last independent bookstore has closed its doors, and when the Big Six of print publishing have all gone bankrupt, Amazon will be there to reassure readers that The Book Lives On!

Barnes & Noble: Two New Trademarks

Serial Number 85268644, filed March 16, 2011 for TASUME, described as:

Carrying cases designed for storage and transportation of consumer electronics, namely, e-readers

Serial Number 85310770, filed May 3, 2011 for PUBIT PRO, described as:

promoting the works of authors through the distribution of printed or other promotional materials

— and —

providing a website featuring information about books, e-books, and related topics, including book reviews and author interviews

Interesting, that filing for PubIt Pro. Could B&N have come up with a new way to sucker milk obtain revenue from wannabe writers by offering a premium tier?

HP Veer Gets Bad Review

Veer 4G review

If HP and Palm wanted to make a splash back into the smartphone game, the Veer was not the device to do it with. In fact, it might have been a smarter move to wait on the release of the Pre 3 and TouchPad to reintroduce webOS to the world. As it stands now, the Veer has taken the remaining embers of excitement I had about the operating system and its devices and all but extinguished them.

As if that’s not bad enough, I find this bit to be even worse. No, in fact, I find it horrifying:

In fact, Jon [Rubinstein] told me on the Engadget Show that he was using the Veer as his main device (not the bigger, more powerful Pre 3 or even the semi-new Pre 2).

If that’s to be believed, the man who is in overall charge of webOS has no taste, no sense of quality, and webOS is utterly doomed.

Previously here:

Memo To HP/Palm

Doom Continues Via Homes

Housing crash is getting worse: report

Remember Japan’s “zombie banks”? These were the financial institutions that haunted that country’s economic recovery after the 1990 crash. They staggered on with huge losses they could never repay — the walking dead.

Here in America we have “zombie homeowners.” Millions of them. According to Zillow, a record 16.3 million families are upside-down on their home loans. Sixteen million! And many are a long way upside-down. Their homes may never be worth as much as their mortgage. But they are hemorrhaging cash to pay the nut every month.

It’s a stupid Commentary wherein he drools over the bargains to be had and future gains to be made — but I wanted those two paras to quote.

After all the bullshit from the government, I’m glad to see the ongoing parade of Doom can’t be hidden in the end.

Housing prices still have a long way to fall. A. Very. Long Way.

Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 5.0: Hands-On Video

This is a video of the Korean version, the 70, which has a DMB-TV antenna built-in. Wow, DMB seems great.

Samsung is holding an event in NYC on May 24th. Perhaps then they will state a sales date for the 5.0.

This is going to be a very interesting June. The HTC Flyer should be out, the Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 5.0, and I hope the HP TouchPad too.

Of course, the new Samsung 8.9 and 10.1 Galaxy Tab too. But I’m not interested in those. So far.

Previously here:

Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 5.0: When In U.S.?