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Delivering e-reader content in the Philippines

July 9, 2010

I just came from the Cyberpress forum “E-readers: the new medium?” In summary:

  • Vibal Foundation has already published a number of titles, which are available from the Amazon store for the Kindle.
  • Diwa Foundation has been publishing a digital version of Bato Balani on the Web, to some 700,000 subscribers.
  • E-readers may eventually supplant paper-and-ink, but the two are likely to co-exist for some time.
  • Filipino computer manufacturer RedFox is due to unveil a line of e-readers, dubbed the WizLib, in three form factors: 5”, 6”, and 9.7”. There was a 6” e-reader at the forum, and it looked as if it would fit in my pocket. Tried it, and it did. More on these and other devices from RedFox in the future.

One factor that may slow the adoption of e-reader technology in the Philippines is the delivery mechanism: e-books get into e-readers via 3G or WiFi connections, both of which are scarce outside of urban centers. This got me to wondering if the e-books can be delivered over the 2.xG network instead. However, instead of uploading the content to each individual e-reader, maybe the carriers can send it to a single device (say, a computer of modest specs), then that computer will transmit the content to the e-readers in the area via WiFi. If necessary, the owners will get within 100 meters of the computer and wait as it sends the content to their e-readers. This system may be most useful for a school. Instead of a pile of heavy, printed books, students would carry e-readers. Then, the DepEd would send books electronically, using Globe and Smart’s networks.

Details left as an exercise for the reader.



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Posted by Daniel Escasa at 7:25 pm | permalink

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