If you love e-books and want to help children in developing countries, then this news is for you. The One Laptop per Child project hopes to sell its green-and-white laptop over the Net to consumers by Christmas, according to Reuters. The OLPC screens are high-contrast in the nonbacklit mode, just like E Ink, even though the technology is different. And the possible $350 price for consumers could help subsidize the cost of the $175 machine for developing countries. Of interest, too, the laptop can convert to a tablet—which many will prefer for e-book reading. Also, most likely, it’s more rugged than the current crop of E Ink machines. $350, not $525, please Alas, Mary Lou Jepsen, OLPC’s CTO, says the consumer price might actually reach $525 instead. How’s that for a little coal in your stocking? But $350 would seem to be a sweet spot, and I hope that this possibility isn’t just hot air. So, gang, would you take advantage of the offer? And if OLPC’s hopes pan out, just how do you think the e-book industry should prepare? The guys over at OSoft would love to get dotReader on the OLPC machine, which would mean it could read books in the new IPDF format. And how about Adobe and Mobipocket and eReader and VitalSource? I take it for granted that if they see the market as big enough, they would harbor similar hopes. OLPC and traditional publishing models Another interesting question is what attitude OLPC will take toward providers of commercial e-books and other content developed through traditional business models. I’d hope OLPC would be supportive. This is a chance to give e-publishing a kick start not just in the states but also in developing countries, where the usual libraries and bookstores often are rarities. The Creative Commons approach, typically offering consumers free access to content for noncommercial purposes, is useful. ... ... Read more

If you love e-books and want to help children in developing countries, then this news is for you. The One Laptop per Child project hopes to sell its green-and-white laptop over the Net to consumers by Christmas, according to Reuters. The OLPC screens are high-contrast in the nonbacklit mode, just like E Ink, even though the technology is different. And the possible $350 price for consumers could help subsidize the cost of the $175 machine for developing countries. Of interest, too, the laptop can convert to a tablet—which many will prefer for e-book reading. Also, most likely, it’s more rugged than the current crop of E Ink machines. $350, not $525, please Alas, Mary Lou Jepsen, OLPC’s CTO, says the consumer price might actually reach $525 instead. How’s that for a little coal in your stocking? But $350 would seem to be a sweet spot, and I hope that this possibility isn’t just hot air. So, gang, would you take advantage of the offer? And if OLPC’s hopes pan out, just how do you think the e-book industry should prepare? The guys over at OSoft would love to get dotReader on the OLPC machine, which would mean it could read books in the new IPDF format. And how about Adobe and Mobipocket and eReader and VitalSource? I take it for granted that if they see the market as big enough, they would harbor similar hopes. OLPC and traditional publishing models Another interesting question is what attitude OLPC will take toward providers of commercial e-books and other content developed through traditional business models. I’d hope OLPC would be supportive. This is a chance to give e-publishing a kick start not just in the states but also in developing countries, where the usual libraries and bookstores often are rarities. The Creative Commons approach, typically offering consumers free access to content for noncommercial purposes, is useful. ... ... Read more