April 2010

Children interact with the text of an electronic book differently than they do with printed text, according to a college professor of elementary education.

Lotta Larson at the University of Kansas says being able to write comment on the Kindle as they read makes the book more pertinent. Larson has been studying the reading habits of some second graders. Albeit a small sampling, she says tests have shown that the student's perception of their own reading ability has improved. She acknowledges that gathering quantitative data on how reading scores are affected will the proof of the pudding. She has expanded her study and is working with e-readers for students who have special needs. "I think that's where we'll really be able to make a big difference," Larson said.

A new study from the International Center for Media & the Public Agenda (ICMPA) at the University of Maryland, concludes that most college students are not just unwilling, but functionally unable to be without their media links to the world. "I clearly am addicted and the dependency is sickening," said one person in the study. "I feel like most people these days are in a similar situation, for between having a Blackberry, a laptop, a television, and an iPod, people have become unable to shed their media skin. The new ICMPA study, "24 Hours: Unplugged," asked 200 students at the College Park campus to give up all media for 24 hours. After their 24 hours of abstinence, the students were then asked to blog on private class websites about their experiences: to report their successes and admit to any failures.

Federal Communications Commission member Mignon Clyburn said she hasn't decided conclusively what course of action she will take as the agency deliberates on whether it will reclassify broadband services under Title II. But a source close to Commissioner Clyburn said she will likely side with a decision made by FCC Chairman Genachowski.

In an interview for C-SPAN's "The Communicators that will air this weekend, Commissioner Clyburn talked about her views on the federal appeals court decision in favor of Comcast. She said the decision was narrowly tailored, but "does not state, as some would have it, that the Commission cannot regulate the Internet, period. Rather, it held that we do not have the ancillary authority - under Title I - to enforce the four open Internet principles we have had in place for several years."

Amazon is still known by many consumers primarily for selling books, music and DVDs, even though it also offers a ridiculous variation of other products, like HDTVs and patio furniture. Now this "Other" category makes up the majority of its business.

In its first quarter earnings report on Thursday, in which it announced an expectations-busting 46 percent increase in revenues over the year before and a 68 percent increase in profit, Amazon said its worldwide media sales grew 26 percent to $3.43 billion. For the first time, that total is less than its worldwide sales of electronics and other general merchandise, which grew 72 percent to $3.51 billion. This long-expected inversion point is significant for Amazon. It also gives the company some insulation from the unpredictable shifts in the media business, in which it now faces tech heavyweights like Apple and Google in growing markets like digital music and e-books. The day could also be near when Amazon will derive more revenue from overseas than it does in the United States and Canada.