eReading : eBooks on TV

In two weeks I have seen two demos of eBooks on TV.
The first was at the BoekenBeurs 2011 in Antwerp. You can see a picture here :

Grand Opening of the BoekenBeurs 2011

This week at Devoxx, I have seen an other demo on Google TV.

At the end of the Android Keynote, Tim Bray of Google said Mobile Phones in general and Android in particular could help the developing countries. I guess there is an important place for Digital Reading in the mobile scenarios.

The Flemish eBook Platform (Vlaams eBoek Platform) RFPs are OUT

Yesterday (Nov 10th, 2011), there was great news : the VEP RFPs have been issued !

The specifications were finished in March, so it was about time that the RFP gets out.

One year ago, the specifications looked like that:

Now they look like that:

You can find the ful description of the target architecture on Bibnet's website:
http://www.bibnet.be/portaal/Bibnet/Collectie/Vlaams_e-boekplatform/Overheidsopdrachten/

They should also land on IWT's Innovation Platform's website :
http://www.innovatiefaanbesteden.be/project/vlaams_e-boek_platform_%28vep%29

IWT, Boek.be and Bibnet finally got a GO to issue 2 RFPs :

1. VEP Basisinfrastructuur

The Basic infrastructure to import store, describe and index eBooks.

http://www.bda-online.be/ShowTender.aspx?tendernumber=177899922430426136


2.  Pre-commerciële aanbesteding voor de realisatie van prototypes voor het Vlaamse e-boekplatform

This is rather a call for innovation from the IWT for specific modules : Digital Reading, "Discovering+Browsing+Searching+Finding+Serendipty" (Grasduinen), Social DRM, Search and Marketing services. 
 
http://www.bda-online.be/ShowTender.aspx?tendernumber=118499922429535344

Numeric Shool Project Proposal : Testing digital reading and tablets at school

Today we submitted, together with the Maurice Carême school in Wavre (Belgium), a project proposal in the context of "Ecoles Numérique" (Numeric Shool).

The project we submitted is called "Lecture Numérique à l'Ecole: Test de tablettes" (Digital Reading at School : Tablet Test).

Basically I proposed to prototype my reference architecture for School Ebooks :

http://www.appepaper.com/erra/ereading-scenarios/school-ebooks

Let's hope we can get the funding for the project. We will see...

Grand Opening of the Boekenbeurs 2011

Last week (Oct 30, 2011) I had the chance to be invited for the opening of the Boekenbeurs in Antwerp.

We were first invited to listen to the speeches of a.o. Geert Joris and Minister van cultuur Joke Schauvliege.  I was a bit dispappointed that no word was said about the Vlaams eBoek Platform (VEP), let's hope it will be the case next year. I believe that the VEP is a major strategic initiative for the book sector in Flanders and that it needs to be supported by the top of the book sector.

After the speeches, I was mainly interested by the e-Paviljoen which nicely shows how digital reading (or e-reading) can be done in many ways: on e-readers, on tablets, on mobile phones, on computers....

For example, you could read a story on a wide touch screen.

After that we visited the fair. Here are some more pictures.