links for 2009-4-7

“Basically, ReadSmart’s proprietary e-book format does two things. The first is re-create the design of the original book, including typeface, drop caps and even illustrations, in a format sized specifically for the iPhone screen, showing roughly a third of a printed page at a time. You won’t be able to find a ReadSmart book on any E-Ink device, but the book you’ll see will look more like a print book than anything else on the iPhone.” Two things: 1) why would I want my ebooks to look like pbooks when I can read the ebooks fine as they are now? What benefit will that bring me besides fancy font? 2) Apparently some public domain books will be available through the app store to test. Maybe I’ll be surprised and it’ll be really nice, comparable to eInk or something. (That’d be lovely, actually.)

“Before we get to summer beach reads, there are some heavy spring novels to wade through, many concerning apocalyptic scenarios. They aren’t published by SF-specialty houses, but rather mainstream publishers, both large and small. Many are written by international authors (do they know something we don’t?); some take place in unnamed locales, others on the streets of Brooklyn. But all of them occur in a not-so-faraway future, following a war, plague, terrorist attack or general world collapse.” Maybe some help for those doing the It’s the End of the World II challenge?