Are e-books the new thing?

By: Mallory Tandy

New York Publishers are hoping that electronic reading devices will increase their sales. Some say this will not happen until the technology improves.

There has been a lot of talk in the publishing world about Amazon.com Inc's Kindle and Barnes & Noble Inc's new Nook, their new electrical gadgets.

These new gadgets are unlike the technologically advanced smartphones, in that they lack a lot of the functions other devices have. Until the technology on these new devices improves, no one will want to carry around another gadget.

They do have their advantages, people can store thousands of downloaded books and have access to multiple websites, magazines, and newspapers. Students who do not have their books in before classes start can easily go online and get them through these resources. According to Forrester Research the 2009 sales will reach up to three million. Bill Stein, who was once with Institute for the Future of the Book, thinks digital publishing is going to face many obstacles.

I think having books online can be beneficial for students especially, but i personally hate reading off of a computer screen and would much rather have a an actual book. I don't really know if digital publishing will take off.

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Media's attempt to discover new plans to save the industry

By Michelle Zimmerman

The Federal Communications Commission has decided to form a wide range of studies that will hopefully lead to innovating ideas for the industry to succeed. The FCC is searching for successful ways the media can survive the turbulent times of the economy as well as searching for a more efficient way of expediting honest news.

The FCC has hired Steven Waldman to conduct this search. Waldman is said to be chosen because of his success as a journalist in the newspaper as well as accommodating the popularity of the Internet. As the media began to change Waldman followed successfully.

Currently the quality of information being exploited over the Internet is lacking something to filter false information. Therefore, the FCC intends to develop a way for the media industry to regain control, set guidelines, and be compensated for the news being posted over the Internet.

FCC's action to find a resolution for the media industry is justifiable but it also worries people. As always the media has been protected by the First Amendment, but many people feel the government is crossing over the boundaries of involvement.

Regardless of the amount of interaction of the FCC I think it is very important for the media industry to start looking for a resolution to the revolution of the Internet before it is unattainable to fix.

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The New Smartphone at Verizon Wireless

by Keri Waterhouse

The anticipated Google Android phone called the Droid is almost out for Verizon Wireless customers. The phone comes out November 6. This smartphone will cost $199 with a two-year contract.

This phone has a voice-activated search that lets users speak a query and the Google-powered search engine will deliver Web results or results from the device such as contacts, music, and photos. The voice search also works with the new turn-by-turn directions for Google Maps.

The new Droid is loaded with lots of cool Android apps and has access to the more than 10,000 applications available in the Android Market but it does not have many of Verizon's branded services. It has Android 2.0, a 5-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. It has a Webkit HTML 5 browser, and it's powered by a 550MHz processor and a 1,400mAh lithium ion battery offering 6.4 hours of continuous talk time and up to 11 days of standby time.

So many changes are happening in technology. What is going to be the point of a laptop now? I got a Blackberry this summer and I honestly have my life in that phone. I don’t know what I would do if I lost it. There are so many things that you can do with smartphones. Many people

don’t even know what all you can do with them. While they are more expensive, I think they’re worth it.

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CNN places last among other cable news networks

By Brianna Carlson

In October, the viewers of cable news networks placed CNN fourth among the other cable news networks. The networks rely on their viewers and audience for their advertising.

More than two decades ago, CNN was the first to start the cable news network.

For the month, Fox News (689,000 viewers), MSNBC (250,000 viewers), and HLN (221,000 viewers) all placed in front of CNN (202,000 viewers).

This shows that the viewers want more opinionated news channels. CNN has moved opinionated hosts like Nancy Grace to HLN which is CNN's sister network so that CNN can keep their news-orientated style.

(Photo Credit: blogmeister USA)

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