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ACLU sues Homeland Security over airport facial recognition records
There's no question that AI surveillance is on the rise, but there are a lot of questions about just how extensively law enforcement agencies, like the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), are using it. In an attempt to increase transparency, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing DHS -- along with Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The ACLU is requesting records on the use of face surveillance at airports and borders, as well as the agencies' plans for future use.
Homeland Security wants to scan your face at the border
Maybe Apple has the right idea when it comes to the future of identification, with Face ID built into the new iPhone X. The Department of Homeland Security wants to scan the faces of people entering or leaving the country, without needing to have anyone get out of their cars. The DHS's Silicon Valley office is hosting an "industry day" on November 14th to find ways to do just that, even if folks are wearing sunglasses and hats or the driver is looking away from the cameras.
Hackers target Vietnam airport screens with political messages
China, the Philippines and Vietnam are embroiled in a bitter dispute over territory claims in the South China Sea (a court has ruled that China's claims are illegal), and that appears to have led to some audacious cyberattacks on July 29th. Vietnam's state media claims that hackers compromised both the website of Vietnam Airlines and the flight info screens at both the Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City international airports. Reportedly, passengers saw messages slamming the Philippines and Vietnam over their South China Sea positions -- it won't surprise you to hear that the government is blaming a Chinese hacker group (1937CN) for the incident.
Barnes and Noble sees quarterly sales surge, losses fall to $41 million
Barnes & Noble has had a quarter worth remembering, bringing in $1.5 billion and reducing its losses to $41 million -- down from $57 million last year. Retail business was up, thanks to the closure of Borders branches and blockbuster sales of Fifty Shades of Grey, while College sales increased quarterly losses by $2 million to $14 million. While online sales fell 7.6 percent and the Nook business remained flat, the company saw digital content purchases skyrocket by 46 percent -- and the company couldn't produce enough GlowLight devices to satisfy demand. Wondering about the company's tie-up with Microsoft? There's still no news beyond that it hopes the new partnership will be up and running by the fall.
Borders files for bankruptcy, plans to keep operating but close 30 percent of its stores
We heard the news was coming, and now it's official -- Borders, the second-biggest bookstore chain the U.S., has filed for bankruptcy. As expected, the company will continue to operate while it restructures, but it will hardly be the same company it once was. It's being forced to close around 200 (or 30 percent) of its stores, and it may need to close another 75 if it's not able to gain some concessions from landlords, according to Bloomberg. This is news on Engadget, of course, because Borders has also been trying to compete with Amazon and Barnes & Noble beyond its core brick-and-mortar bookselling business in recent years (and not exactly succeeding). While the company hasn't produced its own e-book reader, it has partnered with Kobo to sell its device, and it has established its own e-book store that's also used by its various e-reader apps for smartphones and tablets. There's no indication as of yet that the bankruptcy will affect those endeavors. Update: Kobo has now commented on the situation on its blog, saying that Borders' bankruptcy means "nothing" for Kobo customers, and that it is an "independent, financially secure company."
Borders headed for bankruptcy filing, according to WSJ
Borders Group, Inc. is finishing up preparations for a bankruptcy filing, according to "people familiar with the matter." The company's financial troubles have been no secret as of late, and those same people familiar with such matters say that the filing could come as early as next Monday, which will be followed by the closure of roughly 200 of its brick and mortar stores, and plenty of job losses. Borders has struggled with its digital presence, including its lack of e-reader (the Kobo partnership came pretty late in the game and isn't really on the same level as Barnes and Noble's Nook or Amazon's Kindle), and its failure to snag a significant market share of online sales. The people familiar with the matter caution that the filing could be delayed by a few days, however, so we'll have to sit on the edges of our seats until sometime next week, probably. Hit the source for more financial details.
Borders enlists BookBrewer for its e-publishing portal, 'Time Cube' guy asks where to sign up
We guess that Barnes & Noble can't have all the fun, huh? You'll soon have another option for self-publishing your wildly fantastical (and wonderfully fact-free) rants: Borders has announced that it'll be using the BookBrewer platform for its new eBook publishing service. Beginning October 25, $90 will get you one ePUB format book, complete with ISBN and distribution to "all major eBook stores," including Borders and Amazon. Does that mean that your pamphlet, EARTH HAS 4 CORNER SIMULTANEOUS 4-DAY TIME CUBE IN ONLY 24 HOUR ROTATION will finally be taken seriously? Nah, probably not. PR after the break.
New Kobo eReader gets wireless connection, faster processor, pretty colors
When we reviewed the $150 Kobo e-reader this summer we liked the value it offered, but didn't particularly appreciate the poor performance nor the missing wireless connectivity. Now it's back, a new version offering fixes to those two issues (the system works!) and selling for $10 cheaper to boot. The new Kobo Wireless eReader adds WiFi into the mix, enabling on-device book downloads whenever you're in range of a suitably accommodating hotspot. There's also a new processor to speed things up, but at this point we don't know by how much. That question will be answered on November 1 when the thing starts shipping in your choice of three colors (black, silver, and lovely lavender), but as it's currently up for pre-order now at Borders you'd better hurry and make with the clicking if you want yours by the holidays. %Gallery-103600%
Velocity Micro Cruz Reader hits stores, Cruz Tablet hitting in October along with more in January
Like everyone else, Velocity Micro's about to cannonball into the tablet pool with the hope of making a big splash. Its first product, the $199 Cruz Reader is already boxed up and arriving on store shelves this week. The seven-inch tablet / e-reader runs Android 2.0 and comes preloaded with Borders' e-book application. We got a chance to check out the device this morning, and while we're impressed with the solid build and rubbery back, it's fairly heavy at a pound and the glossy screen results in less-than-excellent viewing angles. Still, it shows a lot more promise than the Pandigital Novel and Augen GenTouch 78 -- we'll never like resistive screens on this sort of device, but we were able to turn pages by tapping as well as scroll relatively well by dragging a nail down the screen. There's no access to the Android Market, but Velocity has its own Cruz Market and preloads some apps like Twidroid. But the tablet buck doesn't stop there for Velocity Micro. The Cruz Tablet that we've been hearing about since April will hit a "major electronics retailer" in October for $299. The Tablet we saw today wasn't working, but we nabbed some shots of the hardware below. This one will have a capacitive screen; however, the company isn't planning on rolling it out with Android 2.0 -- it feels the 600MHz processor isn't quite powerful enough to handle that Froyo and Flash goodness. Not to worry: its future eight- and 10-inch capacitive tablets, which will be announced at CES, are going to be powered by an NVIDIA Tegra 2 CPU and run Android 3.0. Told you it's aiming for a big splash! Hit the break for a short hands-on video of the Cruz Reader and stay tuned for a full review of that one soon. %Gallery-102016%
Velocity Micro Cruz Reader and Tablet up for pre-order at Borders
We don't need to explain in any great detail just how badly the world needs another e-reader and tablet option, but you're wasting your time wishing for fewer selections. Case in point: Velocity Micro has just placed its Cruz Reader and Cruz Tablet up for pre-order at Borders, with both units boasting 7-inch displays and seductive price points. The Reader is going for $199.99 and should ship out by the end of next month, while the Tablet is $100 more and could be at your doorstep a fortnight before Halloween. Hit the source link if you're in desperate need of a specifications reminder, but be sure and hide that credit card if you're looking to avoid any and all impulse buys. Press release after the break. [Thanks, Charles]
Kobo e-reader review
When the Kobo e-reader first appeared, its very affordable price point of $149 made it an attractive proposition. It's been a few months, however, and the market is ever-more crowded, with both dedicated e-readers as well as multi-taskers (such as the iPad) moving into the space big time, and there are also plenty of similarly priced options, including the WiFi version of the Nook. In fact, almost anything qualifies as an e-reader these days -- but there's still room for a thin, light dedicated device that reads books in an enjoyable way for an affordable price... or at least that's the story that Kobo is trying to tell. We've spent the last few weeks reading with the Kobo, with the main goal being to find out if the simple device has enough features to contend with the host of options (and price points) available to consumers today. Read on for our thoughts.
Borders' Kobo-powered eBook Store now live with 1.5 million titles, Android and BlackBerry apps (update)
Exactly how many eBook stores do we need? Depends. If you own a dedicated e-reader then one is all you get. Own a tablet or smartphone and the world of eBook stores is pretty much yours for the taking through competing apps. Borders looks to be taking a hybrid approach by offering up the $150 Kobo, $120 Aluratek Libre (available July 20th), $170 Sony Touch, and $150 Sony Pocket eReaders and today's launch of a self-branded eBook store powered by Kobo's catalog of more than 1.5 million titles -- "thousands" of which are free and available in a variety of formats including ePub (primarily) and PDF. Borders also has desktop PC and Mac apps ready for download in addition to a few apps listed as "coming soon" for both Android and BlackBerry devices -- these join the apps already released for Apple's iOS. It just went live so why not hit the source and have a browse. P.S. Funny enough, there's not a single mention of Spring Design's Alex on Borders' new site. Funny sad, not ha ha. Update: The Android and BlackBerry apps are now live.
Borders Kobo joins eReader frenzy, iPhone, iPad apps out
In a move we all should have seen coming, Borders has announced the Kobo, its US$149 eReader and Kindle/Nook competitor. It will launch in June with an accompanying eBook store, stocked with more than a million titles. There are iPad and iPhone apps out now, and both are free. The odd thing is that they both look gorgeous on the iDevices' color screens as compared to the Kobo's greyscale display, and offer wireless access to the store, which the reader does not. The 8-ounce device features E Ink technology and tidy dimensions, measuring approximately 4.7 x 7.2 x 0.4 inches. The Kobo boasts 1 GB of memory and a battery charge that will reportedly last two weeks. It features Bluetooth, but book transfers are done via the included desktop software over USB. The Kobo will be available starting on June 17th (Borders is accepting pre-orders now), just in time to make dad wonder why he doesn't deserve an iPad for Father's Day.
Borders' Kobo eReader available for pre-order, ships June 17th
Looking for a no-frills alternative to the Kindle or Nook? For $150, you'll probably find it in the Kobo eReader -- now available for purchase at Borders, and shipping June 17th. We went hands-on with Kobo in March and rather enjoyed the barebones aesthetic; though an early review cited long load times, we thought the 6-inch E Ink slate got the basics just about right. That's just us, though -- if you get it for Father's Day as Borders clearly suggests, we're not sure your picky old man will agree.
Spring Design Alex finally up for pre-order, Borders eBook store launching in June
Well it's about time, Spring Design! After missing its February ship date, the company is finally ready for you to whip out the plastic and pre-order its Alex -- that dual-screen, Android-based ereader we liked so much at CES. While you can shell out the $399 today, you'll still have to wait until mid-April for the mailman to drop off the package. We'd like to say the wait stops there, but we've also learned that early buyers won't have access to the promised Borders eBook store until June. When we chatted with Spring Design CEO Priscilla Lu last week she confirmed that Borders will officially launch its store in the "June time frame," which will be around the very same time that the 3G version of the Alex will be ready to hit the market -- at least there's access to Google Books and an micro-SD card slot for sideloading in the meantime. With so much coming down the pike it may be worth waiting a bit more time for this one, but our own Alex arrived just last night so no matter what it'd behoove you to wait a few days for our review before you hit the source link to pre-order. Update: Well, this is odd. Even though this news hit the wires today, the shop page on Spring Design's website is definitely non-functional right now. Instead, you'll see a message to check back soon. We'll keep doing just that until we see signs of life... or hear otherwise. Update 2: And we're back...the pre-order page is finally up! %Gallery-88293%
Spring Design announces partnership with Borders, lowers price on Alex reader
What do you do when one major book retailer (allegedly) steals your design and makes their own version of it? Why, you go and make a partnership with that major book retailer's major retail competitor, stick out your tongue, and hope for the best! That's what Spring Design seems to have done, signing up with Borders to sell the luscious Alex e-reader that we finally got to play with the other day. Borders will provide retail space for the reader and will create a branded digital book store as well as some "mobile eBook applications" of indeterminate nature. The most interesting part of the announcement? A new price for the device of $359, which makes it exactly 40 dollars more attractive than it was this morning. Full release after the break.
Borders and Kobo join forces for e-reader device they can call their own
Fashionably late to the e-book handheld party, Borders and Kobo announced today a partnership that includes plans to develop and release both an e-reader and e-book service. Mum's the official word on hardware, but The New York Times Bits blog is claiming there'll be "more than one version" released, all with wireless connectivity and all sold at Borders retail locations, naturally. Unfortunately, there's no release date or window mentioned on that front. As for the service, the duo are taking a page from Barnes & Noble's playbook and claiming device neutrality, meaning they'd like to see their ePub-focused platform available to any and all devices possible, form mobile to desktop and everything in between. Sounds great, but what we're really keen to hear about is this new e-reader -- let's hope they've been taking notes on the successes and failures of their most immediate competitors.
Apple will spend $4 million to renovate Chicago's North/Halsted triangle
Technically, I've now moved away from Chicago and am living in Los Angeles, but that doesn't mean I'm not still following the brand new Apple store being built at the intersection of North and Halsted in Chicago -- not only is that my old stomping grounds (I used to be a manager at that Borders), but hearing about and seeing the old place makes me a little nostalgic for that toddlin' town I left only a month and a half or so ago. And there's good news for Chicagoans just south of that Clybourne Corridor neighborhood. Apple will be spending a cool $4 million to redevelop the entire triangle, including that dirty old Red Line station sitting there as well (you can't tell, but the pic above is the old gas station that used to be there, with the train station in the background. In exchange (c'mon, this is Chicago, you didn't think they'd be doing it for free, did you?), Apple gets first naming rights for the station ("iStop" jumps to mind), as well as the chance at advertising in there for 10 years to come, with four more five-year options. But even with those conditions, this is actually great news for that whole area -- it's been on the cusp of getting really busy (it's just a city block north of the old derelict Cabrini Green neighborhood) for a while now, and an Apple store with a brand new El stop certainly won't hurt. I'll have to make sure and take a trip back -- they're saying the triangular store could be open as soon as Fall 2010. There's an excellent Italian place just under the Brown line track across from the Steppenwolf just north on Halsted, too. Ah, memories.
Borders pulls a B&N, offers free WiFi to all patrons
In the gory, never-ending war for book store supremacy, Borders has just tapped Verizon in order to match Barnes & Noble's summer efforts to bring gratis WiFi to all who enter. Details of the arrangement are scant, but the takeaway is this: in "virtually all" of its more than 500 stores nationwide, Borders is hooking up with Verizon to bring free internet to anyone who sashays in (note: you literally have to dance upon entering) with a WiFi-enabled device. The service is expected to be fully rolled out by mid-October, giving you plenty of time to select the scarf and skinny jeans you'd like to be seen in by your fellow hipsters.
Apple iPAD outed in Borders bookstore survey?
Now, we don't really know what to think about this one, considering how many rumors are swirling about upcoming Apple devices at the moment, but make of it what you will. An online survey currently being conducted by Borders bookstore lists the "Apple iPAD (large screen reading device)" in one of its questions about e-readers. There along with the Amazon Kindle, the Kindle DX, the Sony Reader and the Plastic Logic Reader is the option to check "I plan to buy an Apple IPAD this year." It's safe to say that there are two options here: either Borders has access to some privileged Apple tablet / Kindle killer info that we, the wondering masses, do not (and yet is still making blunders like "Blackberry" and "Apple iTouch") -- or they're just assuming that there must be some truth to all the fuss. And hey, who could blame them? Like we said, we're not going to put too much stock in it, but go ahead and hit the read link to take the survey for yourself -- but be forewarned: you're going to have to dish on your opinion of Dan Brown before you get to the good stuff. [Via MacLife, thanks AC]
