"toc 10" entries

Mobile phones and smartphones are not the same thing

Comparing a basic mobile phone to a spiffy new smartphone is like comparing a circa-1993 desktop computer to a Macbook Pro. They're related in a basic sense, but the discrepancies are immense. Arthur Attwell, co-founder and CEO of Electric Book Works, expands on the divide between mobile phones and smartphones in an interview.

Making the most of the iPad life preserver

I was very happy to hear less fear at last week's TOC conference than I've heard at previous shows. Publishers, while still concerned about their futures, seem to be adjusting to the prospects of a much less book-centric world. A couple of years ago I'd hear standard complaints like "people don't read any more," "customers would rather surf than read,"…

Emerging topics from TOC 2010

It's interesting to chart technical developments in the publishing industry against TOC's brief history. As Andrew Savikas notes in the following video, things like ebooks and mobile have evolved from small topics to dominant themes. If the pattern holds — and I don't know why it wouldn't — we'll see international markets and digital analytics claim more attention at…

An expert view of unicorns and digital rights management

Kirk Biglione is a digital rights management (DRM) historian who brings a clear-eyed perspective to an inflammatory topic. While others jump on soapboxes, he actually does the homework. Case in point: Biglione’s in-depth look at the music industry’s stormy history with DRM.

Author, sell thyself (but in a good way)

Authors who want to jump into Twitter, Facebook and all the rest should pay heed to Chris Brogan. He's spent years — more than a decade — carrying on a conversation with his audience. Take a look at the sheer number of @ replies in his Twitter feed and you'll see how seriously he takes this stuff. In the…

The chaos and the opportunity in Arab publishing

Egyptian publishing is far more chaotic than its Western counterparts. ISBNs are used fleetingly and book rights are a moving target. But that same chaos also breeds opportunity, particularly in the mobile and digital publishing spaces. Ramy Habeeb, director and co-founder of Kotobarabia, sat down with us at TOC 2010 to discuss the current state of Arab publishing as well…

The e-reader growth spurt of 2010

As TOC 2010 is held this week in New York, it’s clear e-reading devices are hitting their stride. This once-niche category is growing quickly. Publishing expert Liza Daly discusses the current e-reader market — Apple vs. Amazon, iPad vs. Kindle, etc. — in this video interview.

TOC Preview: The Future of Digital Textbooks

Technology is driving change in the way people teach, learn, and create. The impact of technology on teaching and learning in K-12, higher education, and professional learning has been profound, and, while no one can predict the future, it's safe to say this transformation has only just begun. At next week's Tools of Change for Publishing conference, a session titled…

Wanted: Proposals for TOC 2010

If you follow us on Twitter, you already know that the Call for Proposals is now open for the 2010 Tools of Change for Publishing Conference (Feb. 22-24, 2010 in New York). One of our main themes last year was that all publishing is now digital publishing, and that's becoming clearer with each new announcement about a new device,…