Title: Adobe Digital Editions

Body: Finally out of beta, and officially released, Adobe Digital Editions 1.0 has been which reflected in a lot of my alerts, blogs, and publishing industry news.

I downloaded the beta about three months ago and spent several hours poking. My first impressions were that the I didn't ' 't like black on black screen, because the buttons and controls are very difficult to find and use. And for some the pages didn't why ' seem clear or letters as clear as in earlier versions.

Of course, I have tried, one of my own eBooks in digital editions since I wasn't open ' 't really impressed with the selection of Adobe. I found out that was digital editions and my eBook files didn't ' 't like each other. I've provided that with the company, the eBook files, and she told me that indeed my eBooks not could be read by digital editions. Read the eBooks should I use Acrobat 7.0 Reader.

So ended my first view of digital editions. Frankly, it seemed like more trouble than it was value. I just reloaded Acrobat Reader 7.0 and went back to work.

The official announcement on Tuesday grabbed my attention. According to the Adobe "digital editions is a lightweight consumer-focused application for coverage, read and manage eBooks and other publications, and is at the core of the Adobe ' s expanded digital publishing strategy."

I, like many others, question me if Adobe this as "Killer AP" for eBooks. does the eBook version of iTunes?

Enough, I was intrigued to try again. My second take is not much different than my first. The black is still to black and hard to navigate and the screen quality is somehow not up to par. Since my previous experience, I haven't ' t had the courage to my existing eBook files still trying.

But I myself, to keep, this is the iTunes for eBooks?

Now, for those that spent $300 + on a Sony eReader and dealing with the soon to now-defunct Sony Connect store, may be. At the very least this means that thousands of new (i.e. different) tracks for their enjoyment will be available as soon as this is actually implemented. No schedules for implementation have been announced.

For the rest of us I ''d have to say that is exciting things pretty technical standards (yawn) and how easy it will be, new material (uh-huh!) to publish.

Part of the standards:

Digital editions supports the new EPUB standard-HarperCollins, Harlequin, and others promised to accept it. Based on the EPUB standard support, as above noted, Sony has to work Adobe. Digital editions supports the EPUB standard so that each book in the EPUB format produced on any device can be read, that supports the Adobe Reader software. That's great.

That is not so great, based now only MACs, Windows-based computers and PDAs can use the software. There is no support for many mobile reading devices on the market-especially all Linux based eReader or any smart phones. Really, read is on the road is still a challenge.

There is a temptation to go on a tear about XML-based publishing and customizable text, but that's for another day. Sufficient it to the you say that the support of the standard on the interesting possibilities for the future and for the definition of a book to redefine makes.

The Publisher part:

Digital editions should work seamlessly with Adobe InDesign, which is in InDesign CS3. For me (and most InDesign users) means that a $200, 00-upgrade. For new users, it is an investment of $699.00. I will update and give you the results, as soon as I know a bit of time to the download and install the update will receive.

So for the time being, Digital Edition contains some good promise for publishers. It is still an open question how much it will benefit the consumer. Sometimes people with the idea that standards are important and new, accessible content engage technology necessary. The thing that they should never forget is that at the end, the consumer will make that decision.

Is digital editions "Killer AP" for eBooks?