If you want more, you can also read my recently posted review.

And while you’re at it, head over to this page and sign up to follow bookTV.nz. Or you can go straight to the bookTV.nz YouTube channel. Plenty more good video book reviews and author interviews there and more coming.

Whitcoulls’ ebook store carries the ‘Whitcoulls’ brand but is powered by Kobo and integrated into Whitcoulls’ existing online bookstore. It follows the launch last week of a similar service by Red Group’s Australian chain Angus and Robertson.

Whitcoulls says it has two million ebooks at launch though most of these are free classics. The Kobo connection, though, brings a very credible offering of a couple of hundred thousand commercial ebooks including, finally, some New Zealand titles. The New Zealand list is still pretty thin (I’ve got my eye on Mr Pip, $19.95 in ebook format compared to $34.95 for the New Zealand paperback edition), but Whitcoulls is committed to working with local publishers to get the New Zealand list boosted as fast as possible.

Prices were surprisingly good with a big selection of ebook titles between about $12 and $20.

Remember when you’re making international comparisons that it’s not just the exchange rate to factor in — Whitcoulls, as a New Zealand-domiciled retailer, has to charge the 12.5% (shortly 15%) Goods and Services Tax, an impost that Amazon and other international sites avoid.

Along with the ebook store, Whitcoulls has also launched the Kobo dedicated ebook reader, giving Kiwis their first retail experience of an e-Ink ebook reader. You don’t actually need this to read the Kobo ebooks though it will be nice to have: one of Whitcoulls’/Kobo’s distinguishing features is its support of a wide range of reading devices from PCs and Macs to iPhones, iPads, Blackberries and Android smartphones.  The Kobo eReader will be stocked in about 30 of Whitcoulls’ stores and sells for NZ$295 including GST.

You can read my review of the Kobo ebook reader. I’ll also be posting a video review and demonstration of the Kobo reader on bookTV.nz and will post it here once it’s online.

The first one, Australian Thomas Keneally, is online now. I’ve embeded it at the end of this post. I know you’ll enjoy it, he’s very engaging and they’re not your standard interview questions. There are 14 more great interviews to come with some wonderful authors (see the full list below). They’re in post production at the moment and we’ll get them online as soon as they’re done, over the course of the next few days. Thanks a million to Susanna Andrew of the Book Council and Lily Richards of Unity Books Auckland who helped us with this project.

Here’s the list of author video clips from the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival that we’ll be posting over the coming days.

John Carey, Jill Dawson, Charlie Higson, Thomas Keneally, Yiyun Li, Sarah Thornton, Colm Toibin, William Taylor, Anna MacKenzie, Elizabeth Smither, Tessa Duder, Alison Wong, Paula Morris

So that you don’t miss them—or any of the other videos coming up such as book reviews from some of our top booksellers—there are various ways to follow bookTV.nz and get notified of the latest video clips as they’re posted.

You can follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/booktvnz), Facebook (booktv.co.nz/facebook), YouTube (youtube.com/booktvnz), or via email or RSS using a news reader such as Google Reader. If you go to bookTV.co.nz, there are links to all of these options.

These are internet-friendly video clips that can be easily shared and used. You can embed them in online catalogues or web pages, link to them in newsletters or emails, post them to Facebook pages and so on. If you’re not familiar with how to do this, we’ve put some basic info on booktv.co.nz to get you started. Among other things, we’ll be making them available to publishers and to booksellers to give them much richer information about books and authors when readers visit their sites.

Speaking of booksellers, our best booksellers are often the people who uncover the reading gems first so I’ve asked a few of them to do video reviews of their picks for what’s worth reading at the moment. Doris Mousdale from Arcadia Books in Newmarket, Carole Beu from Women’s Bookshop, Lily Richards from Unity Auckland and Gail Woodward from Dymocks Newmarket have all kindly agreed to help so watch out for their reviews (there are a few reviews online already and more coming). We’ve set up a studio in Newmarket, Auckland, which is central and easy to get to. If any reviewers out there are interested in giving video a go, call or drop me a note, or DM me on Twitter @nztaylor.

So, I hope you enjoy it. Go and sign up now to the bookTV.nz channel and we’ll keep you up to date with some great reading (via video).

Enjoy:-)

Google Editions’ approach will differ in a couple of significant ways from current outlets including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and Apple.

First, Google will be operating both a retail and a wholesale model. The latter will reportedly allow even small independent booksellers to get into the ebook retailing space with a large catalogue of ebooks, something that is today beyond the technical and logistics capabilities of most booksellers.

The second big difference is that Google plans to use the standard web browser for its reading platform and the ebooks themselves will reside “in the cloud” on Google’s servers. This means they’ll be readable by any device that supports a web browser instead of just a narrow group of reading devices supported by a particular online retailer. Another advantage of this approach is that it will not require cumbersome DRM (digital rights management) to prevent copying. Google’s system will, however, still support offline reading via a temporary version of the ebook in the browser’s local cache.

For the emerging digital content industries, this could be an interesting case study in the use of new technologies being built into modern web browsers such as HTML5, the latest version of the technology that underpins the worldwide web. If Google is able to deliver a sophisticated “web app” with features and a user experience that compete with dedicated software such as iPhone and iPad apps, it will give a big boost to the use of open web standards as a way to get content onto the new breed of mobile devices. This will be especially welcome in view of Apple’s recent bad behaviour.

There’s no word yet of which publishers will be likely to support Google Editions but it’s hard to see Google having much trouble attracting publishers who will welcome more competition and Google’s plans to make ebook selling accessible to smaller players. Through it Partner Program which drives the Preview feature of Google Books search, Google already has access to a big share of the world’s publishers.

Google Editions is separate from the Google Book Search programme which has landed Google in hot water through its attempt to digitise millions of the world’s books without rightsholder permission. The company says that Google Editions, which will sell commercially available ebooks, will launch regardless of the outcome of the Google Books Settlement.

The reason is an escalation in Apple’s long-running battle with Adobe over its Flash platform. Apple’s latest move bans any content generated using Adobe’s Flash software from its App Store. Flash is one of the most commonly-used systems for creating rich, interactive content.

This might seem like an esoteric spat between two tech Titans but the latest turn in this long-running dispute will be a special blow to magazine and newspaper publishers, and to book publishers who were hoping the iPad would open up textbooks and illustrated books unsuited to the more basic Amazon Kindle-style ebook readers. Ironically, this ban looks like it might catch out some of the high profile magazines and newspapers, such as Wired and the New York Times, that have been trotted out in the past few weeks to show off the iPad’s capabilities.

Publishers (and indeed other media companies such as video and game developers) are heavily invested in Adobe’s applications for creating their content. They don’t want to learn new tools, they want their existing tools to take them into the new media.

[Update: 5 May 2010. Apple's move may prompt an anti-trust probe, according to this New York Post story. ]

So Adobe’s strategy with its Flash platform — to make rich media content available on any platform without having to produce a different edition for every device out there — promised to take a big burden off publishers and open up their content to the whole market.

Until Apple came along with the iPhone and now the iPad.

Apple refused to host Flash on these devices. Now that these devices are ruling the mobile web roost, their Flash no-show leaves a big hole in this tidy strategy, moving this spat from an irritation to a serious business problem for content developers.

Recently it appeared that Adobe had found a clever work-around to circumvent Apple’s strictures using technology called Packager for iPhone. This turns Adobe’s Flash code  into the native program code used by Apple’s iPhone and iPad. It’s set to be released this week with the latest CS5 update to Adobe’s software.

Apple, however, used the launch a couple of days ago of OS4.0 — a major upgrade to its operating system for iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches — to introduce new contractual terms to its tightly-run developer programme. The new terms have the effect of stymieing Adobe’s work-around and look likely to keep all Flash applications off the Apple devices permanently.

In doing so, Apple hopes to force publishers and developers to create native applications written especially for its devices instead of using Adobe’s system to produce a single generic edition to run on many different devices such as an iPad, a Blackberry and a Google Android device.

Apple hopes its move will cause publishers to rethink their strategies. Forcing publishers to produce multiple editions, or to drop support for less important platforms is great for Apple but bad news for publishers and will also lessen the chances of competing devices succeeding against Apple.

It should certainly cause publishers to rethink their strategies but not in the way that Apple hopes.

Fortunately, there are things publishers can do. But it means they’ll have to show some restraint in the face of all the “flashy” new toys for producing great-looking content, and the smooth payment system that Apple is throwing in their direction.

While Apple is exercising an iron grip on its App Store, it’s still open to the web. So developers and publishers can sidestep the App store’s strictures and use standard web technologies – including HTML, CSS, and Javascript – to produce rich, interactive content that will run on the iPad, iPhone or the many other devices that offer web access.

Ironically, this is made easier by Apple’s solid support for web standards and, in particular the emerging HTML 5 specification. Many useful HTML 5 features are already widely implemented, including the ability to run offline web apps so you don’t have to be connected all the time. Others, such as native support for video and audio (no external plug-in programs required), are not far behind. The Safari browser and open source Webkit framework that Apple uses in its iPhone and iPad are, so far, being good corporate citizens in their support of these important emerging standards.

In this regard, a useful development framework is Phonegap. This system allows you essentially to turn a website built using HTML, CSS and Javascript into an iPhone app. And according to its developers, their system, while superficially in the same boat as Adobe’s Flash platform, will survive Apple’s change to its developer terms. It offers a path to Apple’s iPhone App store as well as the Google Android app marketplace and the Blackberry.

For publishers, the downside of this is that the toolset is more the domain of web developers than their graphic designers. But they’re going to need to upgrade web capabilities anyway and sticking to web standards will make a reasonable fist of cross-platform rich content.

This is especially true for book publishers who already have a widely adopted ebook standard called ePub which is based on (X)HTML and CSS web standards (and is the standard adopted by Apple in its new iBookStore). Newspaper and magazine publishers have yet to rally behind a standard but it’s almost certain to be based, again, on web standards.

If the publishing industry can get its act together quickly enough, it’s quite possible that all of the print media could use the same standard. For instance, work on the next version of ePub should have better support for interactivity, rich media and the more story-centric structure that newspaper and magazine publishers need.

In the short term, this approach won’t offer the same slickness as a hardware-specific iPad edition, but it still offers a credible way to produce mobile media that will work for readers and advertisers. And it — or its threat — might just help nudge Apple off its path to world domination of the media business.

Kobo on iPad from Kobo on Vimeo.

According to the Kobo blog, they’ve been hard at work on this since the iPad was announced two months ago. What was intended to be a slight tweaking of their iPhone app to suit the larger screen turned into a complete new app, built from the ground up to take full advantage of the iPad.

Kobo say they have yet to get their hands on an iPad so they’re relying on Apple’s developer tools, including the iPad simulator, to test it. They’re also relying on Apple to approve it since, like all Apps, it has to go through an approval process with Apple first. All going well, Kobo expects to be on the iPad at launch.

The iPad is due for US launch on Saturday April 3, right in the middle of Easter. Interesting timing … slow news day, plenty of photogenic crowds queuing for iPads? Other markets will follow in the coming months.

Meanwhile, not to be completely left out of the iPad hype, Amazon showed this snippet of its iPad App in the making.

The background colours of the reader sitting under the tree apparently change with the time of day, a nice touch. Apple certain has a way of getting designers’ creative juices flowing when developing for its platforms.

With this Kindle for iPad (once again, subject to Apple’s approval), Amazon’s Kindle reading and purchasing is now on its own Kindle hardware, PCs, the iPhone, Blackberry, Macs (just released a few days ago) and now the iPad. Interestingly, there’s still no Kindle app for Android. Nor, notably, does its Stanza iPhone app have an Android version yet — or an iPad version announced.

Others will be piling into the iPad with Barnes and Noble reputedly having a team of 14 developers at work and Skiff, the Hearst magazines initiative, also rumoured to be heading to the iPad. And, of course, Apple itself will be in the game with its iBookstore.

The Kobo eReader is a nice-looking but bare-bones device (no wireless or mobile web connection, touch screen, colour or other fancy bits). At US$149, the Kobo eReader is pretty well priced, coming in US$110 cheaper than the Kindle and US$350 cheaper than the basic Apple iPad. No price or availability yet from the Red Group, Kobo’s partner in this part of the world.

I think Kobo has probably got it right with the trade-off of price vs features. This isn’t going to outshine an iPad or even a wireless Kindle but it provides a good option for hard-core book readers who are just looking for a cheap way into this ebook thing.

It’s aimed at the small publisher and self-publisher market with fairly minimal requirements. Here’s a summary of how it works.

1. You establish an Amazon account or use your existing account.
2. Add a book using a straighforward process that provides basic metadata, a description and cover image, lets you specify whether you want DRM applied or not, confirms that you have rights to the book (which can be limited to specified territories), and lets you set the retail price.
3. You upload a file of your book which Amazon converts into its own Kindle format. The formats that produce best results are MS Word, HTML or the PRC format. PRC is the old Palm format on which Amazon’s Mobipocket and Kindle (AZW) formats are based. Predictably, there’s no specific suggestion that ePub format would be useful, although you can still upload it, and Amazon specifically notes that PDF may lead to poor results.
4. You’re done.

It’s a simple way to get into the hottest ebook store on the planet. Amazon’s DTP agreement is also pretty straightforward although, as you’ll see below, is aimed more at the self-publishing market.

• You grant Amazon non-exclusive rights to sell worldwide (unless specifically restricted) and across all electronic media. You can terminate with five days notice.
• You receive a royalty of 35% of the list price you’ve set, subject to certain restrictions such as not being higher than the price the book is sold elsewhere. So Amazon keeps 65%. [Update 22 January 2010: Amazon offers a new 70% royalty option]. If you’re a self-publishing author, this is better than most standard book royalty deals—but much worse the 80% cut offered by sites such as Smashwords. For publishers, it’s a steep discount that’s more like the receipts they’d expect from a traditional print book distributor and their cut, of course, would need to be shared with the author on a typical 20-25% of net basis, ie the author would end up with about 7-9% of list. Amazon’s 65% cut is high by current digital standards and higher than the proposed 37% cut that Google would take through its Google Editions service scheduled for later this year. Google offers a two-tier deal, depending on whether books are sold directly by Google (Google keeps 37%) or through a retail partner (Google keeps 55%, allowing it to pass on a 45% discount to the retailer and keep the difference).
• If you’re a non-US business, your only payment option at the moment  is by cheque with a US$100 minimum balance.

Billed as “the world’s first touch-enabled read-along colour story book”, a feature of the system is that it highlights the text as it reads aloud, each word zooming out as it’s spoken. The reader can tap on any word to have it highlighted and spoken back or spelled.

It’s similar to the increasingly popular Scrollmotion system but with more sophisticated handling of the read-along text. The QBook also includes a puzzle, colouring and the ability to record your own dialogue.

Among the features listed by the company are:

• Personalize each book with ‘this book belongs to …
• Swipe-to-Read™ to highlight and playback the story at your own pace
• Touch-to-Hear™ individual words spoken
• Touch-to-Spell™ to hear the letters that spell each and every word
• Auto Play to enjoy the narration
• Use the iRead™ Function to read and record the story yourself and customize your book
• Use the Colour Palette to paint each page and save this to customize your book
• Choose the Easy/Hard Word Find puzzle to find words from the story
• Choose the Easy/Hard Memory Pairs game and match the picture card pairs
• Save your high scores and advance up the levels

There’s a free app demo version of a Penguin title, Seb’s Tail, as well as the full version for NZ$6.49 / US$4.99, the same price as the Milly Molly title. You’ll find the titles by searching the App Store for Kiwa Media.