The Adobe Digital Media Store offers books from major publishers such as HarperCollins Publishers, Simon & Schuster and Random House, plus links to electronic versions of publications such as Popular Science and The New York Times. All are published in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF), the company's widespread standard for the electronic presentation and exchange of documents.
James Heeger, Adobe senior vice president, said in a statement that since PDF is the dominant format for e-books, it makes sense for Adobe to consolidate available content. "The Adobe Digital Media Store showcases the huge amount of compelling content now available in Adobe PDF format and provides publishers and producers of digital content with a vital, innovative new distribution channel, through Adobe Reader," he said.
Once touted as the future of publishing, e-books -- digitised books that can viewed on PCs, handheld computers and specialised reading devices -- have yet to gain a significant share of the market. The format suffered a major blow in September, when book seller Barnes & Noble announced that it was dropping sales of e-books from its online store. Barnesandnoble.com had sold titles in both PDF and Microsoft Reader formats.
In a recent interview with CNET News.com, Adobe chief executive Bruce Chisen blamed ill-fitting hardware choices for the slow adoption of e-books. "Until there is a device that has a similar value to what a book has, the e-book market will continue to be nascent," he said. "Today, to get a good e-book experience, you have to spend hundreds of dollars on a reading device, one that can only be read in certain environments because of lighting conditions; a device that has to be re-energised quite often, because the power consumption isn't there yet; and a device that isn't very durable."
Adobe is operating the new store in conjunction with Content Reserve, an electronic publishing specialist whose OverDrive service handles storage, delivery and transaction processing for electronic documents. Besides working with major publishers, Adobe is encouraging independent submissions of content ranging from technical reports to maps.
Talkback
most people dont know what an e-book is. or understand how they work.
when you look for a device to read your e-books on, stores dont know what your talking about and they dont have anything to show you.
i already have a poket pc, I can not get it to except books, even if I could its to small to read from
I dont know about anyone else but i would like a device thats about the size of a paperback book, that will except more than one format. some authors books come in only one format.
it would be nice if the handheld device could
1. in large the size of the type.
2. have a dictionary so you could look up words your not fimilure with.
3. worked with your pc at home (pc compatable.
4. an didn't cost an arm and a leg
i'm a advent reader. I can read up to 7 books or more in a week, I like the ideal of e-books they take up less room and save on our trees.
but i'am not a computer nerd, I need something that is easy and understandable
deb