Summer is coming. Time to relax by the pool with a good book -- though, judging by what's on your reading list this year, perhaps it's time to go for the anonymity of an e-reader. No one needs to know how you've been slogging through Fifty Shades of Grey for the past two months, right? Thankfully, there's no better time to buy one of these devices -- there's plenty of choices and, thanks to competition, some seriously good deals. One thing all of these readers have in common: E Ink displays -- way better for reading out in the summertime sun than their LCD counterparts. So let's not delay that warm weather reading list any longer. Head on past the break to see our picks.

Continue reading Engadget's summer gear guide 2012: e-readers

Engadget's summer gear guide 2012: e-readers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 07:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Turns out the secret to the new Nook's patent pending magic glow isn't so magic after all. Nope, it utilizes the wonder of diffraction. Yep, the driving force behind this marriage-saving device is science! Says iFixit in its latest teardown,

The display assembly contains the front glass, digitizer, and array of GlowLight LEDs, all fused together into one component. The glass over the E-ink screen takes the light from the eight LEDs and evenly distributes it across the screen.

How did the site discover the pending patentness after peeling back the e-reader's layers? Why, lasers, of course, beaming one through the aforementioned glass, which diffracted the green light before it hit a wall, proving once and for all that science can be fun. And ripping gadgets apart, naturally.

iFixit reveals Nook Simple Touch With GlowLight's magic -- with lasers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 13:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The UK's biggest bookstore chain has announced that it will start selling Kindles alongside other digital services from Amazon. Waterstones stores will let Kindle owners digitally browse books in-store and link up with special offers, tying into the chain's plans for substantial renovations that would also include dedicated digital book areas and free WiFi. The move follows on flies in the opposite direction of Target, who has started phasing out its Kindle sales in the US. We assume any plans for the bookseller's very own e-reader will remain the back-burner for now.

UK bookseller Waterstones to start selling Kindles originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 May 2012 04:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Plastic Logic has something of a rollercoaster history, having had to drop the QUE proReader before it even shipped and getting a $700 million cash injection that ultimately swung its attention to Russian schoolchildren. Unfortunately, the UK company's dreams of a self-branded e-reader are closing down along with its US branch. About 40 jobs are being cut in Mountain View, California, along with a smaller amount at its still-active British, German and Russian offices. The reduced headcount swings the focus to supplying e-paper screens to other companies, several of which are currently in talks. We're never fans of job cuts, but there is a silver lining to this cloud: the company's new flexible color e-reader screen could show up in more devices than it would have otherwise.

Plastic Logic shutters US offices, gets out of making its own e-readers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 01:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you were intrigued by those 21-inch e-paper tablets Bridgestone showcased last year, you're sure to be bummed by this news. The company has announced that plans to withdraw from the electronic paper business and expects to bring production to a screeching halt by the end of October. Citing increased competition and rapid declines in material prices for the move, the outfit looks "to put an increased focus on its core businesses." As you may recall, Bridgestone had partnered with Delta Electronics to develop the business-focused AeroBee tablets and it remains to be seen if the latter part of the duo will continue its e-paper exploits with a new mate.

Continue reading Bridgestone reveals plan to withdraw from e-paper business, AeroBee loses its buzz

Bridgestone reveals plan to withdraw from e-paper business, AeroBee loses its buzz originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 12:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Certainly it's no great shocker that Amazon's got plans for a new e-reader and tablet later this year. Nor should anyone be particularly surprised at the prospect of a front-lit reader from the retail giant set to compete directly with the latest Nook offering. Reuters, however, claims to have some insight into both, courtesy of an anonymous source. Apparently the aforementioned reader is set for a July launch, arriving in the customary Wifi and 3G varieties. The tablet, meanwhile, is set for a release "closer to the holiday season," according to the source. Amazon, E Ink and the like naturally refused to comment on the matter.

Report: Amazon planning front-lit Kindle e-reader for July, new tablet later this year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 15:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Plastic Logic has getting by with some eastern love since last year, when RUSNANO's $700 million investment helped the e-reader maker land its Plastic Logic 100 in Russian schools. The latest fruit of that partnership is a prototype of its first flexible color e-reader display, which delivers 4,000-plus hues at a resolution of 75 ppi. The screen contains some 1.2 million plastic transistors, and it's able to bend without distorting images thanks to a top filter and a 150-ppi display below that flex at the same rate. Skip past the break for a demo clip of the tech in action, appropriately featuring some Matryoshka dolls.

Continue reading Plastic Logic demoes flexible color display for e-readers (video)

Plastic Logic demoes flexible color display for e-readers (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Kobo is the underdog trying to scrape points while the e-reader heavy hitters of Amazon and B&N duke it out. The Vox was the Canadian outfits response to the Nook and Kindle Fire, but despite a similar price tag, our e-reader expert found that its last-generation hardware was no match for the big boys. That said, plenty of people must have bought them so tell us; how has it been? Do you regret shunning the other two for it, or does it have hidden charms that we didn't see first time around? Let us know in the comments below.

How would you change the Kobo Vox? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 May 2012 23:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

CTIA 2012 is wrapping up and we thought we'd spend a few minutes reminiscing about some of the more interesting devices we had a chance to see for the first time or that were launched here. Unfortunately for us -- and thereby for you, too -- the show lacked the bite we've seen at previous events, in fact it barely registered a nibble. We did catch up with five products we'd like to highlight so follow on after the break for our recap.

Continue reading CTIA 2012: a look back at our favorite devices

CTIA 2012: a look back at our favorite devices originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Amazon will never run out of copies of Harry Potter e-books from its Lending Library. Thanks to a new agreement with Pottermore, on June 19th the entire seven-book collection will be among the 140,000 plus you can grab, provided, of course, that you're an Amazon Prime member. If you've forked over the $79 yearly membership fee, you'll have no due date or waiting, and all your highlights and bookmarks will be saved if you need to re-borrow. Unlike your local library, you can only take out one at a time, but at least you won't have to line up behind all the Muggles to get it.

Continue reading Harry Potter e-book loaners coming to your Kindle, if you're Primed

Harry Potter e-book loaners coming to your Kindle, if you're Primed originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 14:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The iCache Geode was easily the most impressive use of technology that we saw during CTIA 2012. It's the epitome of how a fantastic tech idea can be translated to real-world use in a very classy and clever way. At its heart it is extremely simple: take all your existing credit, debit and loyalty cards, save them in a secure way and be able to use any of them without actually having the original cards handy. The system is comprised of a housing for the iPhone coupled with an app, an E Ink display on the rear, a fingerprint scanner, the GeoCard, and a magnetic stripe reader that is capable of quickly reading in your card details and saving them. Using the Geode is a two-step process -- scan all your cards into the device with an included scanner attachment, then using the iPhone app select your method of payment and the GeoCard in the housing is instantly programmed. Pop the card out, tap it on a solid surface to activate it and spend your money. Loyalty cards are equally easy to use: select one of them in the app and its barcode is written to the E Ink display on the Geode's rear surface.

Of course iCache has considered the security implications and has addressed them in a few different ways. The iPhone doesn't store any of your card details as they're kept in the housing itself. On launch the app does a hardware check to be sure nothing's been tampered with, asks for a fingerprint scan and the card programming only lasts for a user-defined period of time after you've tapped it on the table. Click on through for a video demo of the whole ride.

Gallery: iCache Geode digital wallet hands-on (video)

Continue reading iCache Geode digital wallet hands-on (video)

iCache Geode digital wallet hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 13:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Microsoft has a long history of supporting bitter rivals -- even those that have long publicly disparaged the company, offering funds to Nokia, Corel and, most famously, Apple. It also has a long history of supporting e-reading. Prior to ending development last year, the company offered its Microsoft Reader software for about a decade -- first on handheld devices using Windows CE and Windows Mobile and later on desktop Windows. Those two traditions intersected yesterday as Microsoft invested in a new Nook e-book business designed to compete better against Apple and especially Amazon.com.

Continue reading Switched On: Competing by hook or by Nook

Switched On: Competing by hook or by Nook originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 May 2012 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Inventive scribbler Steve King -- no, not that one -- is working his fingers raw trying to raise $25,000 on Kickstarter. His project, the colorfully-named HAND Stylus, works with all your capacitive touchscreens, sports a retractable nib that rotates to avoid uneven wear, and even sticks to the magnet on an iPad. While it can't replace the need for natural digits, it could potentially come in handy while taking notes, sketching, cooking, or experiencing frostbite. Skip down below the break for a video if you need more convincing, or you already lost the one that came with your Galaxy Note.

Continue reading Insert Coin: HAND Stylus for touch devices

Insert Coin: HAND Stylus for touch devices originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 17:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Did you miss late March's $139 Amazon Gold Box Deal on the refurbed Kindle Fire? Well, the retailer is giving you another chance, bringing back the deal for today (May 5th). It's the same discount as the last go-around -- namely, $30 off the standard price for the refurbished Fire -- and Amazon still certifies and reseals it. It's even throwing in a one-year warranty for good measure. Also like last time around, there's a limit of five discounted Fires per customer, so don't get too grabby.

It's back! Amazon's $139 refurbished Kindle Fire deal returns for one more day originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Since 2010, Target has happily hawked Amazon's e-reading wares. The retailer even carved out a branded corner of its online shop just for the Kindle. Now though, that store within a store is empty and conspicuously missing from Target's virtual shelves is Amazon's entire Kindle line. Sure, a few accessories remain, but the readers themselves are gone. What's more, according to an internal memo obtained by The Verge, the products will be cease to be restocked at the company's brick and mortar locations starting May 13th. The communique states that, after evaluation, Target "has made the decision to no longer carry Amazon hardware."

The reasoning behind the banishment isn't clear, but the potential causes are practically endless. Amazon's vast online repository of goods, including some grocery items, makes it a direct competitor of the big box outlet. Target continues to carry the Nook and Kobo e-readers, but those company's don't challenge the retailer. It's also possible that, with mini Apple Stores opening up on its premises, Cupertino put some pressure on Target to clear out its competitors. It could also be as simple as collapsed contract negotiations, with Target failing to get as big a cut of sales as it wanted or, and this is a bit of a stretch, the Minneapolis company could be preparing to launch its own e-reading hardware. Neither Amazon nor Target has responded to our requests for comment at this time.

Update: Target has affirmed the move to Reuters, with the following statement: "Target is phasing out Amazon- and Kindle-branded products in the spring of 2012."

Target pulls Kindle from virtual shelves, physical ones may follow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

All hail the e-book! Seriously, if it weren't for this marvelous literary development, try saying with a straight face that you wouldn't at least take pause before adding a new title to your collection. Numbers are in from The Publisher's Association -- a group of 120 companies across the trade in the UK -- which reveals that e-book digital sales have increased 54 percent for the year 2011, and of that statistic, 13 percent of revenues came from academic and professional titles. As a sign of changing preferences, the total sales of both e-books and their traditional counterparts fell by two percent during the year -- and let's be honest, it's not hard to see which group fell short. Also reflective of the shift is the fact that average book prices fell by 1.3 percent during the year, which compares favorably to the UK's current inflation rate of 4.47 percent. Those interested in the full story will find the PR after the break.

Continue reading Yes, people still read: e-book sales by UK publishers grew 54 percent in 2011

Yes, people still read: e-book sales by UK publishers grew 54 percent in 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 08:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From time to time, we see movie studio Warner Bros. bring forth ways to give its oldies-but-goodies a longer life span. On this occasion, Warner's launching a novel eBook series titled "Inside the Script." The new release will give movie buffs a deeper look into a handful of the studio's films, which will include tidbits such as complete shooting scripts, deets about the flick's development and other "rare" goods. At launch, Warner will offer classics like Casablanca, Ben-Hur, An American in Paris and North by Northwest -- all available now on iBooks, Kindle and B&N's NOOK for $10 each. Those eager to flip through the antique pages can head to the source below, where you'll be able to grab the version best suited for your device.

Continue reading Warner Bros. intros 'Inside the Script' eBook series, gives film buffs a deeper look

Warner Bros. intros 'Inside the Script' eBook series, gives film buffs a deeper look originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 May 2012 23:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Now that all of that Microsoft-related news is out in the open, Barnes & Noble's CEO William Lynch is ready to talk about the future. Fortune sat down with him to discuss the deal and what's next for the Nook. The answer to the latter is, at least in part, near-field communication. The exec talked up plans to begin embedding NFC chips into the readers, offering up a bit of synergy between physical books and their electronic counterparts. Says Lynch:

We can work with the publishers so they would ship a copy of each hardcover with an NFC chip embedded with all the editorial reviews they can get on BN.com. And if you had your Nook, you can walk up to any of our pictures, any our aisles, any of our bestseller lists, and just touch the book, and get information on that physical book on your Nook and have some frictionless purchase experience.

As for whether that functionality will actually be hitting this year, Lynch offered up a big old "maybe."

Barnes & Noble's Nook e-readers getting NFC, says CEO originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 May 2012 15:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Well, that's an interesting end to all those legal tussles. Microsoft and bookseller Barnes and Noble have decided to buddy-up in the face of competitors like Amazon and Apple. The strategic partnership -- Microsoft loves 'em -- would come in the form of a new Barnes and Noble subsidiary that deals with all things Nook, in addition to its education business. The bookseller would hold onto the lion's share at 82.4 percent, with the remaining 17.6 percent in Microsoft's control. The first benefit posited would be a Nook app for the incoming Windows 8. Barnes and Noble's Nook Study software would also benefit from a friendly boost on all that Windows hardware. Maybe all those other legal matches will resolve in similar warm-and-fuzzy business hook-ups -- but we doubt it.

Continue reading Microsoft invests $300 million in new Barnes & Noble 'strategic partnership'

Microsoft invests $300 million in new Barnes & Noble 'strategic partnership' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 07:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

E Ink Holdings made a loss of over $25 million last quarter, despite supplying its backlight-free panels to popular e-readers like the Kindle and the Nook. Why the poor showing after ten quarters of solid money-making? The company's accountants blame "off-season effects" and "inventory adjustments" by customers, which may simply be corporatese for "the screens aren't selling so well." Overall revenue tumbled 63 percent compared to the same period in 2011 and the outlook remains "conservative" -- although it's hard to believe that everyone suddenly wants to stay indoors and stare at pixels.

Sun stops shining on E Ink Holdings: company reports first loss in two years originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 05:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's no Apple-sized quarter, but you'd need to be on HGTV's Million Dollar Rooms a handful of times over to scoff at Amazon's Q1 2012 earnings. After reporting $177 million in net earnings last quarter (on $17.43 billion in revenue), the online sales behemoth has today registered $13.18 billion in net sales -- proudly reporting that said tally was up from the $9.86 billion in its Q1 a year ago. Excluding the $56 million unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter, net sales would have grown 34 percent compared with first quarter 2011. As for operating income? That checked in at $192 million (compared to $322 million Q1 2011), with the outfit noting that the "unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter on operating income was $4 million." Net income also sank 35 percent from $201 million a year ago, but it still left Amazon with $130 million more in the bank than it had just three months ago.

It's important to note that the outfit didn't have "the holidays" here to help out, but it's still a bit worrisome to investors when profit margin shrinks. Focusing on more positive things, CEO Jeff Bezos noted that Amazon has "over 130,000 new, in-copyright books that are exclusive to the Kindle Store," again reminding the world that Amazon Prime members can "borrow them for free with no due dates." We're also told that the Kindle Fire remains the top, most gifted and most wished for product across its entire store, while pointing out that the North American sales segment was up 36 percent from Q1 2011 (reaching $7.43 billion). Our overseas comrades -- specifically, Amazon's UK, German, Japanese, French, Chinese, Italian and Spanish sites -- accounted for $5.76 billion in sales, up 31 percent year-over-year. Worldwide media sales saw a 19 percent uptick to $4.71 billion, while global electronics and "other merchandise" saw sales grow a whopping 43 percent to $7.97 billion. Notably, the company continually banged on unfavorable exchange rates, so if you're looking for a place to heap blame... well, there you go.

Continue reading Amazon's Q1 2012 earnings: net income down 35 percent to $130 million, net sales at $13.18 billion

Amazon's Q1 2012 earnings: net income down 35 percent to $130 million, net sales at $13.18 billion originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Almost a year after it was first announced 3M's Cloud Library e-book lending service is getting a proper rollout. Introduced today at a beta site in St. Paul, the system is now ready for its kiosks, e-readers and apps to hit the hands and eyes of library patrons. The touch-based Discovery Terminals allow catalog browsing for visitors and selections can be checked out -- along with 3M's eReaders -- like other library materials. Already have a mobile device? E-books will play nicely with your iPad, Nook or Android device via the Cloud Library app. If you find yourself needing to read a bit on your computer, checked out items are compatible with both PCs and Macs as well. "With this technology, we are able to offer cutting-edge technology to all our patrons, whether they own their own e-reader or not," said Kit Hadley, director of the Saint Paul Public Library. A handful of other library systems across the US have also implemented the service. The list of those sites and all details on the introductory period await your click in the PR below.

Continue reading 3M launches its Cloud Library e-book lending service, hardware and apps in tow

3M launches its Cloud Library e-book lending service, hardware and apps in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sure, it may be Barnes & Noble's big day, but Amazon couldn't help but offer up some news of its own. The mega-retailer announced today that its Send to Kindle service is hitting the Mac, letting Apple users send documents and compatible apps from their desktop to their Kindle with a drag and a drop. The app's available now for free. For more info, send your browser to the source link below.

Send to Kindle arrives on Macs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Science fiction is often said to foresee the future, and today, that news couldn't ring more true. Tom Doherty Associates, a subsidiary of Macmillan and publisher of popular sci-fi and fantasy brands such as Tor and Forge, today announced that as of early July, all of its current e-books will be distributed without DRM restrictions. The company's president, Tom Doherty, revealed the shift as a long-time request of both its readers and authors -- which unsurprisingly, are a rather tech-savvy bunch. In addition to the move affecting all of Doherty's current sales channels, the move will allow the publisher to seek out independent e-book dealers that sell only DRM-free titles. While the move is unlikely to extend to the rest of Macmillan's properties anytime soon, just leave it to the sci-fi community to show others the way forward. Perhaps the future isn't gonna be so scary after all.

Sci-fi publisher announces Tor and Forge will go DRM-free with all e-book titles originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 06:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

So much for waiting until May to get your hands on some glowing, Nooky goodness. Barnes & Noble let us know today that the admittedly somewhat clunkily named Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight is slipping out ahead of schedule. The light up e-reader starts shipping this week for those who've already pre-ordered a unit and will continue to ship throughout the month. Apparently in-store units will be a bit fewer and further between, however -- the company announced that the device will be available in "limited quantities" when it hits stores early next month. So, if you don't want to make your mom cry this Mother's Day, the company's recommending that you jump on the pre-order bandwagon soonish. Of course, it couldn't hurt to give our review a peek first, just to make sure.

Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight shipping this week, B&N warns of limited supply originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Barnes & Noble Nook WiFi review

Amazon Kindle Touch review

Kindle Fire vs. Nook Tablet...fight!

It's a plague against modern marriage, turning husband against wife, and tearing families apart. It's America's number one problem in the bedroom (according to handy stat sheets passed out by Barnes & Noble, at least): light. Spouses are leaving the light on, attempting to read past their designated bedtime, keeping their partners awake and putting a potentially insurmountable strain on their marital bonds. The solution: Divorce? Trial separations? Mariticide? A clunky, clip-on reading light? Until now these were the best -- nay, only -- solutions to the problem of reading after dark.

All of that is about to change, thankfully, as Barnes & Noble readies the release of the new Nook Simple Touch, with the company's patent-pending GlowLight technology. The addition of after-dark reading capabilities is the most significant update to the company's e-reader, which otherwise remains largely unchanged from last year's model. Is it enough to keep the Nook on top of the e-reader heap for another year? Meet us past the break to find out -- that is, if you're not afraid of the dark.

Gallery: Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight review

Continue reading Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight review

Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Oh patent applications... where creative ideas dance shoulder to shoulder with ill-conceived folly. Which do we have here today? We're not sure. What we are sure of, however, is that someone at Microsoft has applied for a patent that describes a device with two screens. Not that old chestnut, but the second screen being of lower-power, like e-ink, and displaying different information based on the state of the first one (i.e. is it against your face or not.) The not-to-be-trusted images illustrate the second screen covering the back of a device and displaying a clock, or other such user specified info. The app does state that it would continue to display info, even if the device was in a sleep mode, and describes a non-flat contour. If you were to read into it, it might sound like rear e-ink phone housing, but if this ever comes to pass, it'll likely be with a little bit of dressing down, so don't get too excited.

Microsoft applies for low-powered interactive second display system patent originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Apr 2012 08:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Amazon is now shipping preorders for its Kindle Touch and Kindle Touch 3G in both the UK and Germany, a week ahead of schedule. While eager e-reader... readers in the likes of France, Italy and Spain have to wait a little longer, Germans and Brits can expect their orders to arrive starting tomorrow, with stock also available in bricks-and-mortar options including John Lewis, Dixons, Argos, Carphone Warehouse, Currys, PC World and Tesco. Alas, there's still no news of a Eurozone arrival date for the Kindle Fire. We assume our European readers are still willing to wait, right?

Update: Amazon has contacted us stating that the devices have actually "started shipping to customers in France, Italy and Spain from the respective sites (Amazon.fr, .it and .es), as well as the UK and DE."

Continue reading Kindle Touch gets early release in UK and Germany (update)

Kindle Touch gets early release in UK and Germany (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

What the heck? Did Barnes & Noble score a deal with Dr. Dre? Is the whole reading thing just not doing it for the company anymore? Whatever the case may be, it seems that the Nook name is ready to branch out a bit from the e-reader space. After first appearing in name alone on the very suspicious date of April 1st, the Nook Audio has finally been pictured -- and it looks a heck of a lot like branded headphones. We've reached out to the company for comment. We'll let you know when we get to the bottom of this one.

Update: Barnes & Noble has responded to our earlier inquiry with a a big 'ole "no comment."

Update 2: How 'bout some buds to go with your new set of cans? [Thanks, Tyler]

Nook Audio pops up on Barnes & Noble's site, with no e-ink to speak of originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple says e-book price fixing charges 'simply not true,' Macmillan also responds originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

What's American's number one problem in the bedroom? Honestly, whatever you first guessed is probably the right answer. For the sake of this conversation, however, let's just assume that it's light, as Barnes & Noble suggests. People are keeping their partners awake at all hours by leaving the light on as they finish the final gripping pages of that Stieg Larsson novel. There's got to be a better way! Something like, say, the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight (make sure to put little sparkly illustrations over the last word when you read it aloud, by the way).

As you'd imagine, it can see in the dark. -- or, rather, you can see it in the dark, so you won't have to get kicked out of bed for reading The Hunger Games anymore. The clunkily named Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight is up for pre-order now at $139 a pop. Plunk down your information today, and it should be on its way to you in early May -- just in time for Mother's Day and with a bit of time to spare for 'ole pops. So, how does the reader stack up to its predecessor? Click on through to the other side to find out.

Gallery: Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight hands-on

Continue reading Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight hands-on

Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Kindle Touch update adds Europe-friendly languages, landscape mode originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Apr 2012 09:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Australia pondering joining e-book lawsuit bandwagon originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Apr 2012 06:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Justice Department formally charges Apple, big five publishers in e-book price fixing case (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

There's a new entrant in the cut-throat world of British budget tablet makers: Birmingham-based Ergo Electronics. It previewed its new GoTab line of Ice Cream Sandwich-powered slates and e-readers at this year's Gadget Show Live, but our interest was captivated by the most premium model: the GoTab Epic GTB9040. Interested in our impressions? Course you are, that's why you're going to read more after the break.

Gallery: Ergo GoTab Epic - Hands On

Continue reading Ergo GoTab Epic hands-on (video)

Ergo GoTab Epic hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Illuminated Kindle e-readers could arrive this year, also, might not originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Apr 2012 09:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shocker: People who read e-books read more originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 22:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Amazon launches Kindle eBook store en Español, over 33,000 libros to choose from

Amazon launches Kindle eBook store en Español, over 33,000 libros to choose from originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Grace Digital's FireDock is a speaker dock for your Kindle Fire

Grace Digital's FireDock is a speaker dock for your Kindle Fire originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

That's pretty darn cheap. On today's Gold Box deal, Amazon has chopped an extra 30 bucks from its refurbished Kindle Fire stock The retailer promises that all the tablets are certified to "look and work like new." At the time of writing, tablet hunters had an extra 18 hours to stake their claim, but the sale will stop once it's sold its stock. There's also a limit to five per customer -- a warning to all those auction-based-get-rich-quick schemers.

Amazon offers up refurbed Kindle Fires on sale, cuts price to $139 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.