Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
Google Ebookstore - Great Expectations In The Cloud
This morning I warmed up my Google Ebook Reader; it was with great expectations that I opened up Great Expectations, the classic Dickens novel, on my iPad.
I was surprised that the ebook reader responded to the iPad swiping motion, so score one for Google. However, the reader did not seem very responsive, seeming to ignore swipes and clicks on the "<" and ">" buttons.
The thing that really gets to me is that the text of the book is full of errors. For example, the exclamation point has been replaced by the numeral "1".
(From Google Ebook Reader version of Great Expectations)
I really like Google, and I'm a fan of a variety of their product offerings (including their free ones, which you sometimes get at Google events [disclosure]), but it's simply not enough to supply book-lovers with badly scanned and OCR'd (optical character recognition) ebooks.
Google's lovable engineers spent a lot of time on this project, and I respect that and salute them! Just to be fair, here's their vision of ebook use, and it's pretty cool.
Or maybe not. I tried running the video, which didn't work and I also tried to find the video on Youtube without success. I think that there might be a problem with using the word "google" in a google search request; perhaps the software sees it as redundant.
(What I see when looking at Google's eBookstore video)
Anyway, I'm sure that the eBookstore future that Google is working diligently to put in place will arrive. After all, sf writers had little doubt that eBooks would be made available; see Stanislaw Lem's electronic book store of the future from Return From the Stars (1961).
See the announcement at Google Blog.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 12/6/2010)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 5 )
Related News Stories - (" Data Storage ")
Lonestar Offers Lunar Storage For Ultimate In Security
'Scarif, the off-site backup of all the secret knowledge of the Empire'
100X Improvement In DNA Information Storage
'A record that wouldn't get lost and couldn't be destroyed.' Barbara Hambly, 1982.
Twist Bioscience High Density Digital Data On DNA
'They tied the memory to the bloodline and that was their record!' - Barbara Humbly, 1982.
Store One Bit On One Atom
'...each individual molecule has a meaning.' - Robert Heinlein, 1951.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Jetson ONE Air Races Begin, Can Air Polo Be Far Behind?
'If you're one of those rarities who haven't attended a rocket-polo "carnage", let me tell you it's a colorful affair.'
Will Space Stations Have Large Interior Spaces Again?
'They filed clumsily into the battleroom, like children in a swimming pool for the first time, clinging to the handholds along the side.'
Mornine Sales Robot
'Robot-salesmen were everywhere, gesturing...'
Bipedal Robot Floats Gently While Walking
'a walking balloon proceeded with long strides of its aluminum legs...'
Musk Idea Of Cars Talking To Each Other Predicted 70 Years Ago
'My cars talk to one another.'
Elegant Bivouac Shelter Produces Water And Electricity
'There was nowhere on the planet where science and technology could not provide one with a comfortable home...'
X-Control Janus-1 A Suitcase Aircraft
'You will notice that it... fits the suitcase nicely.'
'AI Assistants' Are Actually Less Reliable For News
'Most men updated their PIP on New Year's Day...'
YES!! Remote Teleoperated Robots predicted by Technovelgy!
'...a misshapen, many-tentacled thing about twice the size of a man.'
Will Robots Ever Fold Landry?
Where have you gone, Mrs. Robinson?
Will AIs Give Better Results If You're Rude To Them?
'I said, "Listen up, motherf*cker.'
Cybertruck Robotic Arm F10 Drone Launch!
Drone away!
Black Fungus Blocks Radiation
'You were surrounded by Astrophage most of the time'
Liuzhi Process Now In Use In China
'He was in a high-ceilinged windowless cell with walls of glittering white porcelain.'
Reflect Orbital Offers 'Sunlight on Demand' And Light Pollution
'I don't have to tell you about the seven two-mile-diameter orbital mirrors...'
Will Robots Become Family Caregivers?
'The robant and the tiny old woman entered the control room slowly...'
