| "E-Book Technology"
Colleen Anderson, Bryant College |
| January/February 2001 |
Introduction
Evolving technology has made ebooks a reality. This technology consists of several interdependent components: the hardware that provides a platform for reading the text, the software that provides the capacity for enhancements not possible with paper books, the screen type that makes reading an ebook enjoyable even for extended periods of time, and last but not least, the advanced security technology that ensures authors, agents, and publishers freedom from the fear of losing hard-earned money through manuscript theft.
Hardware: Device-dependent or Not?
There are two ways to read an electronic book: either with a device made exclusively for the purpose of reading such books or by using a PC to read it from the Web or download it. Device-dependent ebooks are pricey (from $200-$600); however, producers of the newer models such as the Gemstar eBook (formerly Rocket-ebook and SoftBook) promote unbreakable security as well as a superior reading experience. The Gemstar ebook models use an individual encryption key on each device, so that even if one device is decoded, the key cannot be used on another device. Promoters of ebook readers claim that such devices provide a better means than PCs or the Internet for reading ebooks because the current open architecture on PCs prevents any effective means of security. (see: eBook-Gemstar.com site at http://www.ebook-gemstar.com/). It remains to be seen if this claim to superior security will attract more author and publisher contracts with device-dependent companies such as eBook-Gemstar.com.
RCA is the first licensee of the Gemstar eBook. RCA is introducing two models--the REB 1100 and the REB 1200. Features include "instant on" architecture, backlit touch screen with one-touch font-size change, storage for tens of books, an unlimited personal remote library for all purchased content, and 56Kmodem (http://www.softbook.com/about/pr1012-2.asp). They are lightweight (the REB 1100 weighs 16 oz., the REB 1200 22 oz.) and the REB 1200 can display three-dimensional photos. The Gemstar eBook reading material includes popular magazines and newspapers as well as books.
Roy Tennant has declared the device-dependent ebooks as a "dead-on-arrival technology" (Library Journal, vol. 125, no. 5, Oct. 15, 2000: 24) for several reasons. First, the cost of a device-dependent ebook is higher than most people want to pay and likely to stay high because of the liquid crystal display design involved. Also, there is competition from more feasible formats now that existing software such as Microsoft Reader allows any Windows PC, laptop or palm device to become an ebook reader. Users want the ability to perform daily tasks on one device, so for ebook devices to become successful, they need multi-tasking capabilities (email, note taking, calendar, etc.) Print books also still have the edge when it comes to reliability. A print book never tells you it will not work because of a particular problem; in short, in an ever stressful world, you can rest assured that a print book will never add stress to your life. Not so with an electronic gadget such as an ebook reader.
Ebooks available over the Web through a vendor such as NetLibrary have the advantage of ease of access to a growing number of public domain and copyrighted books from reputable publishers. Though similar products exist for individual use, NetLibrary is marketing to public and academic libraries that pay a fee to provide their users with a select number of titles. These titles are "checked out" with a user ID. The patron either reads the book directly on the Web or downloads the title to a PC for a designated amount of time (around four hours). When the patron downloads a book to a PC, the book is returned to circulation by the software after the reader's time is up. Unfortunately, most NetLibrary contracts restrict circulation to one user at a time. Individual libraries have the option of purchasing additional copies of the book if they feel there will be popular demand for a particular title.
Reader Software
Reader software allows ebooks to be read on a number of different platforms with options of functionality not possible with paper. These options include, among others, keyword searching, access to an online dictionary, and the ability to create extensive reader notes. It is impossible to write about reader software without focusing on Microsoft Reader and its ongoing impact on the ebook market. Microsoft has made some wise decisions with the development of their product by 1) stating up front that their goal with Microsoft reader software is not to replace the printed book, but rather to offer a "compelling new way to read," and 2) by providing Microsoft Reader for free on their Web site (see: http://www.microsoft.com/reader/news/faq.htm). Amazon will be selling books in the Microsoft Reader format.
The providers of Microsoft Reader claim superiority over Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF) by promoting it as "dynamic software" as opposed to PDF's static nature that makes it harder to scale. Microsoft Reader can be scaled to fit the size of the screen with text size that is easily increased or decreased at the user's discretion; it also supports images and audio.
Both Microsoft and Adobe have been accused of attempting to control the standards for the ebook market by promoting their individual ebook software as the de facto distribution standard. (see "Looking for Mr. Goodstandard," American Libraries vol. 32, no. 2, February 2001: 56). Librarians and publishers are calling for open standards to ensure the growth and stability of the market. An industry group named the Open Electronic Book Forum (OEB) (http://www.openebook.org) has as its goal the implementation of a standard publishers can use to produce content compatible with any reading device adhering to the standard. Also, as reported in the same American Libraries article, the Association of American Publishers (with Andersen Consulting) has produced a report recommending the Digital Object Identifier standard be applied to books to enable linking to them and that ONIX be adopted as the XML DTD standard for ebook metadata. ONIX, the Online Information eXchange, consists of a set of approximately 200 descriptive metadata elements for describing books.
The Type Technology
One of the biggest challenges of developing ebooks is to produce screen type easy enough on the eyes to be desirable to a sizeable population of people who already spend much of their time gazing at a computer screen at work. The type must have a resolution gentle enough on the eyes to allow for the extended periods of reading that a book requires. Two products have cornered the market--Microsoft ClearType and Adobe Acrobat CoolType, both of which promise to make text on the screen as readable as text on a page.
ClearType Technology refines the type on color LCD monitors, such as those found on laptops and quality desktops. For an explanation of how ClearType works, go to http://www.microsoft.com/typography/cleartype/cleartypeq.htm. As the site explains, with typical screen type each pixel forming the letters is either "on," appearing as a black dot, or "off." The numbers of tiny black squares creating letters can result in letters being jagged on the screen. ClearType font technology addresses the areas beyond the pixel boundaries to create smooth letters on the computer screen. John Platt of the Signal Processing Group of Microsoft Research provides further information in A Technical Overview of the ClearType Filtering (http://research.microsoft.com/~jplatt/cleartype/).
Adobe CoolType, like ClearType, goes beyond the pixels to control the red, green, and blue subpixels on a digital LCD screen (see Adobe CoolType. How It Works. http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/cooltype.html). The clearer type is the result of a color anti-aliasing font technique that works on LCD screens used in laptops, handheld devices, and flat-panel desktop monitors. At their Web site, Adobe promises that CoolType will be available in future releases of Acrobat Reader, Acrobat, and other Adobe applications and that the product will provide cross-platform, cross-font compatibility.
Security and Digital Rights Management (DRM)
There are many skeptics who believe preventing theft of digital content is an unrealistic goal when using open systems. Indeed, if the speed and magnitude of the decryption of the text of Stephen King's Riding the Bullet are any indication, the number of avenues available for gaining access to stolen material is still presenting problems serious enough to make authors reconsider before releasing rights to digital content. Within three days of the release of Riding the Bullet there appeared links to a Web site with the cracked PDF version. (see: Cracking the Bullet: Hackers Decrypt PDF Version of Stephen King eBook on http://www.ebooknet.com/story.jsp?id=1671).
The level of security possible in an open environment and the degree of security that should be expected really depend on who you are talking to within the ebook industry. Many software developers feel there is a reasonable limit to the level of security possible in general systems environment such as the Web. Some software developers feel that when the majority of readers are locked out from theft, the available security has done its job. In short, they remind us that a determined hack will always be able to crack encrypted codes. However, the unique encryption codes found on recently released ebook readers present a more secure environment for the text.
Global Integrity for the Association of American Publishers released E-Book Security Assessment: General Report in July 1999 (http://www.globalintegrity.com/ebizceb.htm). This document explains the four types of attack scenarios companies are likely to experience (attack the content server, attack the encrypted content, attack the reader device, or impersonate a customer). The report also assesses the security features provided by ebook vendor systems and delineates important questions that publishers should ask of potential vendors of their ebooks.
As recent news articles demonstrate, the development of more effective technologies for securing text will continue to evolve offering new and better options for securing digital content. One security solution has been introduced by SoftBook Press, producer of the SoftBook Reader. This is the only ebook reader that loads documents directly via a phone line without requiring the use of a PC. Security is ensured by heavy encryption and by the fact that documents cannot be printed or copied from the Reader. ("SoftBook Press is First and Only eBook Maker to Win Prestigious IDSA Industrial Design Gold Award; IDSA IDEA Award Honors SoftBook Reader's Elegant Form and Unique Functionality." Business Wire, May 28, 1999). Also, Intel has introduced its Intelę Software Integrity System as a security solution for developers of content distribution platforms. The Intel technology hides critical code and keys from observation and detects attempts to break security mechanisms. Content protection is assured from the time content is requested until it is loaded on a PC or dedicated ebook reader. ("Intel Introduces New Security Measures for E-Conent." Posted by Intel on eBooknet.com on November 9, 1999. Available at: http://www.ebooknet.com/story.jsp?id=108).
Still another option has been developed by the company Vyou. This company has recently introduced Vyoufirst, a flexible technology that can be installed on a Web server to enable a company to set content access policies. Vyoufirst gives companies total control of the viewing, saving and printing of every piece of content posted on its Web site. Vyoufirst's approach is to work with Web-content, not encryption files.
The high level of interest shown in security issues at the National Institute of Standards and Technology annual meeting is an indication of how seriously publishers and software developers take the issue of security and Digital Rights Management. ("New eBook Devices, Encryption Debate Dominate NIST Conference," by Wade Roush, posted Sept. 29, 2000 on the ebooknet.com site at http://www.ebooknet.com/story.jsp?id=3711).
A segment of the reader market shows a high interest in purchasing ebooks for the convenience and the timeliness they offer (see: "Survey Reveals College Students' Growing Preference for E-Texts," Library Journal, vol.126, no. 2, Feb. 1, 2001: 31). Ebooks offer a sensible format for texts that must be updated frequently, especially books on high-tech and business geared toward the academic and professional market. As ebook technology continues to evolve and the producers of this technology cooperate with, and draw upon, the expertise of authors and publishers who know the market they are selling to, customers will be able to get what they really want--an additional option for reading the printed word.
Further Reading:
The following sources will provide you with more information about ebooks and ebook technology.
Ardito, Stephanie. "Electronic Books: To "E" or Not to "E": That is the Question. Searcher: The Magazine for Database Professionals. Vol. 8, no. 4 (April 2000): 28-39.
Crawford, Walt. "Nine Models, One Name: Untagling the Ebook Muddle." American Libraries. Vol. 31, no. 8 (Sept. 2000): 56-59.
EBookNet.com: http://www.eBookNet.com. A Web site with a mission of developing an ebook community.
"The Future of Ebooks: Will Electronic Books Change the Way We Read?" CQ Researcher. Vol. 10, no. 24 (June 2000): 545-567.
Hawkins, Donald T. "Electronic Books: A Major Publishing Revolution, Part I: General Considerations and Issues." Online. Vol. 24, no. 4 (July/August 2000): 14-28.
Hawkins, Donald T. "Electronic Books: A Major Publishing Revolution, Part II: The Marketplace." Online. Vol. 24, no. 5 (Sept./Oct. 2000): 18-36.
Max, D. T. "The Electronic Book," The American Scholar. Vol. 69, no. 3 (Summer 2000): 17-28.
Microsoft ClearType Information Page: available at http://www.microsoft.com/typography/cleartype/
NetLibrary Questions and Answers: available at http://www.nelinet.net/cpp/eroffers/netl_qa.html
Reid, Calvin. "Publishers Embrace Gemstar's Ebook Devices." Publishers Weekly. (October 16, 2000): 9.
Romano, Gerry and Mark S. Holmes. "Ready for an e-Read?" Association Management. Vol. 52, no. 4 (April 2000): 37-46.
"Should Libraries Jump on the Ebook Bandwagon?" Conference call debate between Christine Lind Hage and Stephen Sottong. American Libraries. Vol. 32, no. 7 (Aug. 2000): 61-65.
"Ten Best Articles about eBooks and ePublishing." Posted by Joseph Cadieux at The Shy Librarian Available at http://www.shylibrarian.com/ebooks/10articles.htm
Tennant, Roy. "The Emerging Role of Ebooks." Library Journal. Vol. 125, no. 13 (Aug 2000): 38 & 40.
Colleen D. Anderson
Reference Department
Hodgson Memorial Library
Bryant College
1150 Douglas Pike
Smithfield, Rhode Island• 02917
canderso@bryant.edu
Comments Welcome!
© Copyright 1999-2001, ITIG ACRL/NEC Information Technology Interest Group. All Rights Reserved.
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