Wow talk about your tech news for the day! The cool tech articles I came across today were many! And the ones I selected to highlight on this blog discuss new high tech Google Glass-like eye glasses that will allow the visually impaired to read, an update on the Department of Justice v. Apple e-book anti-trust case, the fact that Amazon has at least for now brought back their 9.7” e-ink Kindle DX, Cornell’s got a new high tech technology school and Librarian and Blogger David Lee King offers his input on a recent e-book conference he attended that had publishers’ representatives, OverDrive staff (OverDrive is a library e-book vendor) and librarian professionals on hand.
High Tech Glasses For The Visually Impaired: A new Israeli company called OrCam has developed a pair of high tech eye glasses that will scan and read aloud text that the wearer passes in front of the glasses — allowing people that have macular degeneration or other vision impaired conditions to be able to essential have a narrator read things for them where every they go!
The New York Times offers an article on OrCam and the new high tech glasses titled “Device From Israeli Start-Up Gives the Visually Impaired a Way to Read:”
Update On The DOJ v. Apple E-Book Case: Reuters reports that the alleged alliance between Apple and five of the largest publishers in the U.S. was not a harmonious one and that there is evidence that Apple and the publishers were trying to force the media giant and e-book seller Amazon to accept publisher’s prices for e-books. Here is a link to a that Reuter’s article which offers a more in-depth report on the case so far:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/06/us-apple-ebooks-trial-idUSBRE95500U20130606
Amazon Brings Back Kindle DX: The tech site The Verge reports that Amazon’s Kindle DX which hasn’t been seen listed on the Amazon site for sale since last fall – is back! The Kindle DX is the 9.7” e-ink e-reader – so it is the same size as an iPad but features the e-ink technology so you can read an e-book on the DX outside – at the lake, at the beach or just in your back yard and there won’t be any glare from the screen as there is with a e-reading devices that has a color screen. The Kindle DX sells for $299.
And here’s a link to The Verge article itself titled “Amazon brings back long dormant Kindle DX, says it’s ‘excited’ to do so;”
http://www.theverge.com/2013/6/5/4399144/amazon-brings-back-long-dormant-kindle-dx
Cornell’s New Technology School: Cornell which won New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s contest to create a great new science & technology school has done so! The new school which is located on New York City’s Roosevelt Island is a huge space donated by Google for the project that is filled with cutting edge technology. The school which offers a one year master’s degree in computer science opened earlier this year and had eight students enrolled in its beta program this term. The school gives us a glance at what computer science schools of the future may be like.
Here’s a link to a New York Times article on the school titled “Building a Better Tech School” which offers more information on the subject:
Librarian & Blogger David Lee King’s Take On A Recent E-Book Conference: Librarian and blogger David Lee King recently attended and e-book conference that featured representatives from major publishers in the U.S., from the library e-book vendors in the U.S. (namely OverDrive which is the vendor used by the Southern Tier Library System) and library professionals. David Lee paints a picture of publisher representatives that don’t seem to have been in a public library since they went to school and are under the mistaken impression that it is easy for patrons to download their e-books and keep them forever – which is not the case! Here’s the link to the David Lee King posting (from his blog) which is titled “Ebooks in Libraries – #BEA2013:”
And a link to an article he recommended titled “BEA Panel Suggests Publishers Still Clueless about Library E-Books and Piracy:”
And on a completely un-tech related note if by any chance there are any veterans who fought on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944, who read this article today – hats off to you for helping free Europe from Nazi control and thus keeping our world a free one. Thank you!
Have a great day!
Linda R.
References
Markoff, John. (2013, June 3). Device From Israeli Start-Up Gives the Visually Impaired a Way to Read. New York Times. Online. Accessed June 6, 2013.
Meadows, Chris. (2013, June 4). BEA Panel Suggests Publishers Still Clueless about Library E-Books and Piracy. Teleread. Online. Accessed June 6, 2013.
Perez-Pena, Richard. (2013, April 13). Building a Better Tech School. The New York Times. Online. Accessed June 6, 2013.
Raymond, Nate. (2013, June 5). Publishers gave Amazon “ultimatum” over e-book pricing: executive. Reuters. Online. Accessed June 6, 2013.
Robertson, Adi. (2013, June 5). Amazon brings back long dormant Kindle DX, says it’s ‘excited’ to do so. The Verge. Online. Accessed June 6, 2013.
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