Amazon's taken a number of steps to bring different types of content to the Kindle Store, and it's now venturing into an area that has a long history with the internet: fan fiction. The company's today announced Kindle Worlds, a new publishing platform that promises to pay writers royalties for stories inspired by established works. Naturally, the original rights holder needs to be a willing participant as well, and they'll also be paid a royalty for all fan fiction stories sold (Amazon itself with retain the rights to those stories). So what are your options for now? For the launch, Amazon has partnered with Warner Bros. Television Group's Alloy Entertainment to open up three of its series to fan fiction enthusiasts, giving you the chance to write stories set in the world of Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars or The Vampire Diaries. The company's promising that additional licenses are on the way, but for now you can check out the finer details in the press release after the break and at the source link below.

Filed under: Amazon

Comments

Source: Kindle Worlds

Sony's new e-ink prototype is getting the test-drive treatment at Japanese universities, but SID provides a perfect opportunity to give the North American market a demo. We found the Digital Paper slab parked at E Ink's booth -- fitting, as the company's new Mobius flexible display is the device's biggest selling point.

At 13.3 inches, the panel is larger than your typical e-reader's, but it weighs just 60 grams. That light footprint comes courtesy of E Ink's TFT tech, which allows for larger, more rugged devices without the extra weight. The Digital Paper's form factor matches the size of a sheet of A4 paper, and the on-board digitizer lets users scrawl notes on the electromagnetic induction touchscreen. Naturally, this is just one implementation of the E Ink's display, but it's neat to see a prototype in action nonetheless. Head past the break to do just that.

Gallery: Sony 13.3-inch E Ink Digital Paper hands-on

Filed under: Displays, Tablets, Sony

Comments

Amazon confirmed as early as last September that the Kindle Keyboard would be sticking around, but much like your favorite dessert, nothing is forever. The Kindle Keyboard 3G is now showing as unavailable or out of stock at Amazon's site, as well as at Best Buy and Target. Of course, the last of those has had this here device on sale for what feels like forever, but it's still somewhat sad to see it come to the end of its road. It's entirely possible that the company's Lab126 is cooking up a replacement alongside those mythical smartphones, but it's unclear if such a conceptual piece is on the immediate horizon. We've reached out to Amazon regarding the disappearance, and we'll be sure to update this post as we learn more.

[Thanks, John]

Filed under: Amazon

Comments

Source: Amazon, Best Buy, Target

Earlier this week, we learned of Sony's plans for a 13.3-inch e-ink slate with stylus support pitched at students, and now Diginfo has caught up with the prototype device at the Educational IT Solutions Expo in Japan. The A4-sized tablet is said to be the first piece of hardware with an E Ink Mobius display that's flexible and light due to its new plastic construction. Co-developed by Sony and E Ink, the display only contributes 60g to the overall weight, which is apparently 50 percent lighter than similar screens built with glass. Sony says the software isn't quite as slick as it'd like it to be just yet, but nevertheless, you can check out people scrawling, annotating and highlighting on the prototype in the video below.

Filed under: Sony

Comments

Source: DigInfo (YouTube)

Proving rumors correct, Amazon just purchased Liquavista, the touchscreen company previously owned by Samsung. This news comes from The Digital Reader, which discovered the acquisition via new filings from the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce (Amazon also confirmed the news). That's about it as far as details go, but it's safe to assume that Amazon will employ Liquavista's low-power color e-paper technology for its Kindle lineup.

Filed under: Samsung, Amazon

Comments

Via: Business Insider

Source: The Digital Reader

Sony's no stranger to the odd e-ink device, but its latest prototype creation isn't targeted at the bookworm, it's intended to educate. The e-paper slate is quite a lot bigger than most tablets, let alone e-readers, sporting a 13.3-inch screen (1,200 x 1,600) to match the standard A4 size of normal, boring paper. That display is also an electromagnetic induction touchscreen for poking at menus and scrolling, but more importantly, it supports stylus input for scrawling notes and annotating PDFs (the only file format it currently supports). The prototype device is also only 6.8mm (0.27 inch) thick and weighs 358g (12.6 ounces) -- perfect for slipping into school bags. There's 4GB of on-board storage (with a microSD slot to increase that) and WiFi, which Sony plans to use for sharing notes with those who didn't make it to class on time. With WiFi off, the rechargeable battery inside is expected to last for three weeks of solid learning. These specs are for the prototype, of course, so after the late-2013 field trials at three Japanese universities, we might see some revisions before commercialization goes ahead sometime during the 2013 fiscal year.

Filed under: Sony

Comments

Source: Sony (Japanese)

First gracing the digital pages of iOS devices in March, Marvel Unlimited is now available for Android. Part of the comic book publisher's digital subscription program, the app grants access to over 70 years of Marvel's greatest hits for $10 per month or $60 annually. Patrons looking to keep their data plans on a leash, or traveling beyond the reach of internet coverage, can stash books on their smartphone or tablet for offline reading. If your device is running Android 2.3.3 or higher (most are these days) and you're ready dive into the Marvel Universe, web sling on over to the source link below to get started.

Filed under: Software, Mobile

Comments

Via: Phandroid

Source: Google Play

Microsoft has put forward an offer to buy complete control of Nook Media LLC, according to internal documents seen by TechCrunch. Redmond's joint venture with Barnes & Noble was set up last year to handle the Nook e-reader, tablet and college bookstore business. If the documents are accurate, Microsoft will dump the academic retail chain while retaining the digital arm of the partnership for $1 billion. The evidence also suggests that Nook Media will axe its Android tablets by the end of the 2014 financial year, concentrating instead on pushing the Nook store onto third-party devices including Windows 8 and/or Surface hardware. Simple Touch owners shouldn't be too worried, however, as the leaked documents state that Nook Media's e-reader division won't be killed off, as the technology is facing its own "natural decline." We've reached out to Barnes & Noble for something more official, and we're waiting to hear back.

Filed under: Tablets, Microsoft

Comments

Source: TechCrunch

Sure, tablets and cameras discounted on the regular in our twice weekly roundup, but today an A/V system sees the big price drop. A Denon AVR-1613 receiver and Harmon Kardon HKTS 16 speaker bundle is reduced by over 50% with the aid of a simple discount code. All of the particulars, and the rest of the list, await on the other side of the break.

Filed under: Cameras, Home Entertainment, Portable Audio/Video, Tablets

Comments

Source: Slickdeals

Today's collection of discounted tech links runs the gamut from home entertainment wares to Ultrabooks and ends up at Barnes & Noble's tablet. A 55-inch 3D HDTV from LG and that Nook HD+ are tempting options on their own, but there's a whole lot more to peruse on the other side of the jump.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Laptops, Tablets

Comments

Source: Slickdeals

As if bringing the Nook HD and HD+ access to Google Play this week wasn't already a sweet deal, Barnes & Noble is temporarily slashing the prices for its two reading-focused tablets. The reductions will last until the end of Mother's Day, putting the 7-inch Nook HD 8GB at $149 and the 16GB at $179 (a $50 discount), with the 9-inch HD+ set at $179 for 16GB and $209 for 32GB (with $90 off). Compared to other options like the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 tablets, the deal may be enough to make up for lack of cameras and UI shortcomings on the Nooks. If your interest is piqued, you check out our reviews of both the HD and HD+, and hit up the source link if you'd like to snag one.

Update: We'd also like to remind our UK readers that a similar limited-time offer was put in place a few days ago, dropping the price of the Nook HD from £159 to £129 and the Nook HD+ from £229 to £179.

Filed under: Tablets

Comments

Source: Barnes & Noble

Well, this process seems a bit counterintuitive, eh? This morning, Barnes & Noble introduced a new scheme for getting Nook customers to visit the company's retail stores. The promotion nets you one free e-book when you purchase another, but -- and this is where the offer tripped us up a bit -- you can only make your electronic purchase with a cashier in a physical store. The deal will be up for grabs every weekend, and titles are set to change. There are currently 20 books on offer (available this Saturday and Sunday only), including hits like Along Came a Spider by James Patterson and Bossypants by Tina Fey. Once you make your selections, you'll receive an email with access codes (assuming the rep managed to input your data correctly), at which point you'll need to visit a dedicated Barnes & Noble site to receive your books. Easy peasy.

Comments

Via: ZDNet

Source: Barnes & Noble

For many, there's nothing quite so comforting as cracking open a good book. The texture of the pages combine with the smell of ink and paper, as the writer pours their imagination and soul into a world that's apart from your own. While e-books have won over a number of people, the latest stats from The Publishers Association suggest that the majority of Brits still prefer the printed form, which accounted for 88 percent of all book sales during 2012. The winds of change are working in the background, however, as digital sales -- consisting of e-books, audio downloads and digital subscriptions -- now account for 12 percent of the pie; an increase from 8 percent just one year ago.

As a whole, the UK publishing industry shows modest signs of growth, with combined physical and digital sales rising by 4 percent to reach £3.3 billion ($5.1b). Meanwhile, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but e-books continue to gain popularity and show tremendous promise. Here, consumer e-book sales have risen 134 percent in 2012, which now account for a £216 million ($336m) share of the UK publishing industry. Regardless of whether you prefer print or digital formats, we reckon that all readers deserve a hearty slap on the back. Here's to keeping the story-telling alive.

Filed under: Alt

Comments

Via: The Telegraph

Source: The Publishers Association

If you're still balking at the cost of download-to-own e-books, and would rather stick to the tried-and-true library lending system, then this Hachette news is for you. Come next Wednesday, the entirety of Hachette's ebook catalog -- over 5,000 titles -- will be made available to nonprofit libraries throughout the US. The announcement and finalized pricing model follows two years worth of pilot testing, during which the publisher examined ebook consumption and lending habits at select libraries. Under the currently set terms of sale, e-books that bow in tandem with print editions will run three times the price of their physical counterparts for "single-user-at-a-time circulations, " with prices falling to just one and a half that of the hard copy one year later. By Hachette's own admission, this pricing scheme is not entirely set in stone -- the company plans to continually reevaluate the model on a per-year basis. So, there's hope yet the publisher will gouge libraries a bit less for the perks of e-borrowing.

Comments