Google eBook device? May be sooner than expected. Hope so.

After the disappointing launch of the Nexus S, who by the way looks very dull, a news cached my eyes (see it here). Google buys eBook Technologies.
For whom is not aware of, eBook Technologies is the company that continues the legacy of the defunct Gemstar ebook effort. Yes it's thru, somebody still sells those good old REB devices (renamed ETI-2 ... you can see it http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/EBookwise-1150). The litle one especially is a better reading tool than most if not all of the current one. It has good battery, decent screen and fills very well the hand.
As a sideline, a book has to feel god  when you grab it. I was disusing with a friend about a new collection of books published by a newspaper (yes I know, the world is turning on it's head), and compared the feeling of those books with an older collection, published 30 years ago or so. The old ones are heavier and it's fells nicer when you grab it, hold it and turn the pages. That's the true book feeling. The ebook producers should take notice.
Anyway, coupling this devices with the recently launched Google ebook store (http://books.google.com/ebooks) it looks like there is something in the gun. I'm sorry for Apple and Kindle but if Google is doing it's homework well they will have a run for their money. The iPad is not at all an ebook reader (don't mess with me on that ... please try reading one month on it until you've lost the whaaaaa factor and get back here) and Kindle is just an improvised one (if you get out the ePaper screen, there is nothing to remember about it).

I'll be patient. Hope Google will surprise me and do a good move on that front.

Amazon: feeling the heat

What a god thin is competition. Until recently nobody had really targeted the Amazon turf ... selling eBooks for Kindle. Until recently becouse now the game has changed. Why target Kindle, let's broaden the market. Let's make this a device independent market. Now there are at least 10 ebook devices fighting for a place under the Sun and Google prepares the release of Google Editions, the services that will make 500 thousand ebooks available to any device who is prepared to open them.

The Google proposal is simple: Google takes 37%, the publisher has the rest of 67% of the list price. The deal amazon had with the publisher was much though for them.
Now amazon has to fight back and it does exactly that. The new proposal: 70% for the publisher, 30% for Amazon. That's fair enough.
Now let's wait for Apple proposal.

Who is the publishers worst enemy?

That seams related with the previous post about google digitization program but I'm not sure it is ... it was just started by it ;-)
I think what's happening with Google is not more different than what happened to other business partners in the publishing history. Think about Amazon ... is a good partner but if you talk with somebody working with them they'll love to criticize how the big bad Amazon is eating their profits.
Well ... when you do publishing just for profit you can be sure that Amazon is THE enemy, but if you do it in order to spread knowledge and leave a good life from that occupation may be the perspective will change. That does not imply that Amazon is a candid company ... is just doing it's business like any other retailer.

The bad, the ugly and ... the google

Why there are so many people in the industry scared about Google digitization program. If you refuse to let Google digitize your content you can keep it ... no problem ... but is that in your own interest? Google grew because they concentrated on a specific market niche "give people access to information". Publishers have a related business "give information to people". There is a common word you see? Somebody gives access and the other gives the information. Google knows how to make money from that ... why publishers can think at something? In fact Google is helping publishers reach a much larger audience ... that should be seen as a good thing. If they stop considering Google as the enemy may be something positive will come up.