A lot of people predicted that Apple’s iPad would be revolutionary because they assumed it would be more of a tablet PC, not just a bigger iPhone, but because it is more of a mobile media PC than a traditional laptop or tablet PC.  With it’s e-reader capability, the iPad is now in direct competition with Barnes & Noble’s nook.

The following table compares Barnes & Noble’s nook with Apple’s iPad on several different metrics and measurements, such as screen size, weight, dimensions, and other features, but it is important to note that while the iPad can be an e-book reader, the nook cannot (yet) be a mobile media PC, but there are some users looking to change that by adding a browser to the nook.

e-Reader Comparison Table: Nook vs. iPad

Targeting first the iPad and then e-readers, Associated Press’ (AP) new application will incorporate a paid subscription model for putting content on mobile devices to prevent online news aggregators that link and quote from other organizations’ stories to drive traffic to their own sites.

AP has unveiled plans to set up a division that would help the news cooperative and member newspapers and broadcasters sell digital content for use on a new generation of electronic readers, or e-readers, which is one function of Apple’s iPad.

In a keynote speech Friday before the Colorado Press Association, Tom Curley, president and chief executive of the AP, said the new business unit would be called the AP Gateway and would become “the launching pad for new products and services from AP and other interested news publishers.”

Curley told the CPA convention in Denver that the first Gateway application would be used to deliver news to the iPad, which Apple plans to release in late March. The application would incorporate a paid subscription model and would be open to AP members.

“Beyond that, we expect to offer our content partners a variety of ways to take their content to market, both individually and collectively, directly and indirectly, taking advantage of new business models, including the wide variety of pay-model services now under development,” Curley said, according to a transcript of his speech posted by PaidContent.org.

In launching Gateway, the non-profit is offering members a way to take advantage of the “splintering” of the Internet into many channels for news distribution created by the expected growth in the use of new Internet-connected devices, such as smartphones, Curley said. Quoting Forrester Research, the AP CEO said that while 80% of the U.S. population look to get their news for free, “there is a slice of that remaining 20% who will pay for it under the right circumstances.”

“Just how big a slice that becomes will depend on how creative and responsive we producers are,” Curley said.

The news executive listed three ways to make money in digital media, syndication licensing, advertising, and subscriptions; and said Gateway can enhance all three by tagging, tracking and enabling new business opportunities.

The AP is among news organizations looking to control, and charge for, distribution of its content over the Internet. While news content has been easily accessible for free through a Web browser on a PC, content providers are looking for business models in which subscribers would pay to receive content over mobile devices, which would also be used to deliver advertising.

The need to generate more revenue from content is imperative to the news industry’s survival. As subscribers moved to the PC-dominated first generation of the Web, so did advertisers, leaving newspapers and magazines with heavy losses. And as almost always happens, in order to survive, the news industry is changing, learning from other application makers who are currently making money online. E-readers are just the latest to to add to a long string of mobile devices now able to display news online and some, like Apple’s iPad are able to run applications like the AP Gateway.

Easily operate the eReader with one hand, without removing it from the case. The nook is securely held in the case, whether the case is open or closed. All ports and buttons are still accessible while the reader is in the case. Double layers of plastic and steel protect your reader from impacts and flexing and a zipper closure prevents dust and dirt from entering case, and provides extra security.

Protect your investment from dust and dirt, scuffs, spills and breakage. The BookArmor ™ zipper case will enable you to carry your Reader in your purse or luggage without worrying about something getting pushed into the screen or controls and causing damage. The case keeps dust and dirt out from the sensitive electronics and the reinforced sides protect the reader from impacts and flexing.

Free-eBooks.net is maintained by a group of bibliophiles. Their mission is to share author’s messages with the world. They aim to accomplish this by providing quality services and free access of our ebooks to everyone. free-ebooks.net is the Internet’s #1 online source for free ebook downloads, ebook resources and ebook authors. Read and download eBooks for free – anytime! Find the help you seek, the information you need or simply fun reading to enjoy.

Barnes and Noble (B&N) eBooks have been available in Canada since December 1, 2009. Anyone living in or visiting Canada who shops B&N’s eBook store can download eBooks to their B&N eReader-supported devices, including the iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry, Mac, and PC. Nook can read them too, but you can’t buy the nook in Canada (or anywhere outside of the United States) at this time. If you’re using a nook in Canada, you will be able to sync to your B&N eBooks library and access B&N’s eBook store via Wi-Fi. International travelers can access their online eBooks library and download already-purchased content while they’re outside the United States and nook owners can access their online Library over Wi-Fi while outside the country.

Happy eReading.

Business Week reports that Apple plans on bringing the operating system to “new platforms,” which is the focus of an Apple job posting. This underscores the company’s growing reliance on mobile devices, such as the iPhone, iPod, and iPad over traditional hardware such as the Macbooks and the desktops that the company was founded on.

Information Week reports that non-copyrighted documents can now be sent from a PC to smartphones, Amazon’s Kindle, Barnes & Noble’s Nook, and the Sony Reader using Scribd’s new document sharing app. “Scribd is in a perfect position to become the hub for mobile reading, the place where content creators come to easily publish their works and build a readership and where consumers come to find what they want to read on whatever device they want,” Trip Adler, co-founder and chief executive of Scribd, said in a statement.

Hardware makers such as Griffin Technology, Gelaskins Inc., Sanho Corp. and SDI Technologies Inc. have hurried to design chargers, covers, and other accessories for Apple’s new iPad. “There are some things we’ve identified as no-brainers,” said Mark Rowan, president of case maker Griffin in Nashville, Tenn., which began drawing up designs for iPad cases and contacting manufacturers within hours of the iPad announcement. “We know people are going to want to protect the device.” The iPad will come in models priced between $499 and $829, will feature a 9.7-inch screen, no keyboard (a docking station with attached keyboard will be available), and a wireless Internet connection through 3G and/or WiFi. It is primarily for surfing the Internet, reading e-books and running applications that also run on the iPhone. The race is on to come out with accessories as close as possible to Apple’s shipping date, which is expected to be in late March, 2010.

AppleInsider reported that Apple is predicted to introduce lower cost iPhone models in June, 2010. Not only will the phone hardware be cheaper, but the service plans will be too, lowering the total cost of ownership (TCO) for the user. The iPhone is also rumored to contain gesture-based functionality, which means you’ll be able to control some of the iPhone’s features by hand movements other than touching the screen.