Computerized Products Locate, Display Literature
The following products may be the newest advances in the Cyber Revolution, coming soon to a bookstore near you. Or they could just be this year’s technological misfire.
The Bookman - This calculator-size device will not only scroll text in cassettes, it will also define unusual words, provide character identities and chapter summaries.
Since 1986, Franklin Electronic Publishers has been putting out diet guides, dictionaries and the King James Bible. But coming this fall, Joseph Conrad’s “Lord Jim” represents the company’s first foray into fiction.
The price: $40-$150 for the Bookman, $40-$150 for individual cassettes.
Muze - The Muze kiosk is an interactive, computerized database terminal for in-store customers.
Translation: It’s like an automatic teller that helps you find the book (or music CD) you want. You can select genres, authors, titles, subjects and time periods, and the kiosk will print it all out on a paper slip. In stores where Muze is connected to the inventory system, it’ll tell you where your book is located. Or you can use the slip to special-order a copy.
So far, Muze has more than 2,500 kiosks for music CDs in stores across the country - including Borders and Barnes & Noble bookstores, plus Blockbuster music outlets. These days, Muze is marketing a video kiosk (Vuze) and the new book kiosk (Muze for Books).
Basically, Muze for Books contains data on just about everything in print that’s for sale in America - the 1.7 million titles in Books in Print - plus 200,000 reviews.
Next up, the inevitable: computerized guides to computer software and CD-ROMs.
xxxx WEB PAGES PROVIDE TITLES ON LINE Here are some online book sites: There are thousands of book-related web pages. Some of the bigger or more mainstream ones include: Amazon.Com Inc. (http://www.amazon.com) - describes itself as “the leading bookstore on the web.” BookWire (http://www.bookwire.com) - commentary, book ratings, bestseller lists. Electronic Book Aisle (http://www.bookaisle.com) - You have access to the contents of every book. Browse before deciding what you want to download - for a fee. Jerome Weeks/Dallas Morning News