E-readers
Latest
Amazon listing details new smaller, high-res 'Voyage' Kindles
You don't need supernatural powers to realize that it's been 12 months since a Kindle Paperwhite refresh, ergo we're due a new one. It also kinda helps when Amazon's own web-store lets slip a little bit of info. Some eager searchers spotted a listing for Kindle "Voyage" on Amazon's German and Japanese stores. The listings don't have too much information, but do mention a 300 ppi display on the 6-inch device that comes in the usual WiFi and 3G versions. The 112 x 116 mm dimensions suggest the Voyage will be smaller and at 8mm deep, the "thinnest Kindle up to now" (thanks Google translate). The (now-pulled) product page was even kind enough to give us details on price -- $190 or $250 with 3G -- all set for a November 4th launch date. It could be that the Paperwhite name is on the way out, too, with the Spanish version of this support page replacing "Paperwhite" with the new "Voyage" name.
Kindle security flaw can be exploited by hidden codes in e-books
Next time you come across a Kindle e-book link somewhere other than Amazon itself, you may want to make sure it's not some dubious website before you hit download or "Send to Kindle." A security researcher by the name of Benjamin Daniel Musser has discovered that the "Manage Your Kindle" page contains a security hole -- one that hackers can take advantage of with the help of e-books hiding malicious lines of code. Once you load the Kindle Library with a corrupted e-book (typically with a subject that includes <script src="https://www.example.org/script.js"></script>), a hacker gets access to your cookies, and, hence, your Amazon account credentials.
Sony, the catch-up king
Sony's not making PCs any more. It recently announced it wouldn't be making new e-readers, either. The company's also taking a long hard look at the TV business that it dominated for decades. In the '90s, its TVs stood up alongside the Discman, Walkman and even that new games console that could play CDs. Sony was cool; it had cachet. But a narrow focus on proprietary technology and its slowness to adapt to the dizzying speed of consumer tech in the last two decades have taken their toll. While it's created a new department solely dedicated to making the next big thing, it remains to be seen if the company can bounce back from decades of failures.
What you need to know about Amazon's fight with e-book publishers
Unless you've been living in a book-free cave, you may have heard that retail giant Amazon and book publisher Hachette are having a little tiff. It's all about digital versions of books -- so-called e-books -- and it boils down to this: Amazon wants to sell most of them for $10, and Hachette wants to set its own prices depending on the title and author. In the latest volley, Amazon tightened the screws by listing many Hachette pre-orders for printed titles as unavailable and pulling some product promotion pages. In a blog post, Amazon claimed it was trying to do well by consumers and (confusingly) invoked George Orwell. Meanwhile, 900-plus authors -- including household names like Stephen King and J.K. Rowling -- said they were innocent victims and took out a $104,000 ad decrying Amazon's hardball tactics. The dispute shows no sign of abating. So, who's right and, more importantly, who will win?
Hands-on with the Galaxy Tab 4 Nook
The Nook tablets were seriously underappreciated. And while Samsung certainly makes some nice devices, there's something a little sad about seeing the Nook name slapped on a rather generic-looking slate from the Korean manufacturer. But it was inevitable, I suppose. After years of hemorrhaging cash as the market for physical books dried up, Barnes & Noble had to find ways to save money, and outsourcing the manufacturing of its slow-selling slates to a third party made perfect sense. The first device to result from this new approach is the Galaxy Tab 4 Nook. And, while it might sound a little glib, it's basically just the Galaxy Tab you already know with a few software extras baked in. But, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Barnes & Noble launches the $179 Galaxy Tab 4 Nook
Barnes & Noble has officially kicked off a new era -- one in which it doesn't manufacture its own tablets. The struggling book outlet announced last summer that it would work with other manufacturers going forward and Samsung is first in line. The Galaxy Tab 4 Nook is the fruit of this partnership. It's a tablet built for reading first, as opposed to gaming or web browsing. While the device is undeniably Samsung, the software still retains some of that Barnes & Noble flair. Anyone who's used the previous Nook tablets will immediately recognize some of the features baked in here. The default homescreen has a widget showing recommended and recently read titles. Naturally, too, Barnes & Noble's Nook store is the primary content source, rather than the Play Store or Samsung Hub. But it's obvious that Sammy is in the driver's seat. Key features like multi-window mode are even included for some multi-tasking (say, if you want to tweet a quote from your favorite novel). B&N is pitching it as "the first full-featured Android tablet designed for reading." Then again, the company has said the same about every other Nook tablet.
Amazon wants you to ask Hachette's CEO for lower e-book prices
Amazon's fight with Hachette over e-book pricing just got extra-personal. Hot on the heels of writers attacking Jeff Bezos' "retaliation," the Amazon Books Team has posted a Readers United site that calls on you to email Hachette CEO Michael Pietsch and ask him to lower the costs of e-books. The online retailer doesn't want you to mince words, either -- it wants you to bring up his "illegal collusion" and claim that he's using authors as "leverage." Some writers aren't on his side, Amazon says.
Barnes & Noble launches its Nook GlowLight e-reader in the UK for £89
Barnes & Noble isn't exactly a household name in the UK, but in the States it's a book-selling behemoth, with hundreds of stores complimenting a vast library of e-books, as well as a line of readers to consume them on. In autumn 2012, B&N expanded its reach to the UK (if only in website form), challenging the likes of Amazon and Kobo with its Nook range of tablets and e-readers, including the first with a front-lit display. We've seen minimal activity from the company since, but after almost two years without fresh hardware, the new Nook GlowLight launches in the UK today. The second-generation GlowLight e-reader, with significantly improved 6-inch display, is now available for £89 at various retailers including Argos, Currys/PC World, John Lewis, Sainsburys, ASDA and bookshop chain Foyles.
Sony is getting out of the e-reader business
Sony announced the closure of its own Reader store in favor of Kobo's platform earlier this year, and now it seems the company is nixing e-readers entirely. BBC reports that the Japanese outfit doesn't plan to release another device with last year's PRS-T3 serving as the most recent option. Thanks to Amazon's Kindle lineup and a growing number of tablet options, dedicated reading slates have seen declining sales since 2011. [Photo credit: Akio Kon/ Bloomberg]
Amazon's Kindle Unlimited offers all-you-can-eat e-books for $10 a month
After teasing us with a possible launch, Amazon has confirmed Kindle Unlimited, its all-you-can-read e-book subscription service. For $9.99 per month, Kindle Unlimited offers 600,000 books and "thousands" of audiobooks across a range of devices. As expected, many of the major publishers aren't fully represented, but there are number of popular titles listed, including Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and the Hunger Games, as well as a whole catalog of Kindle exclusives. Like Prime, Amazon initially offers a free 30-day trial to draw you in, but it's also throwing in a three month subscription to Audible and access to 2,000 audiobooks via its Whispersync service (which lets you seamlessly switch between reading and listening whenever the mood takes you). For a service that bills itself as "unlimited," there's a few constraints on Amazon's Netflix-for-books service. In addition to the fact that it doesn't have the support from all of the major publishers, of course, there's also the small matter that it's only available in America. At least, for now.
Amazon testing Netflix-style subscription service for e-books
Ever heard of Kindle Unlimited? Us either, at least not until now. Originally spotted by kboards, a forum site that welcomes Kindle chatter, this previously unknown service appears to be an upcoming all-you-can-read subscription service from Amazon. For $9.99 monthly, as described by the image above, Kindle Unlimited is said to offer access to more than 600,000 books and "thousands" of audiobooks. Not surprisingly, that healthy digital library doesn't appear to include any of the major US publishers (Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin Random House and Simon & Shuster) -- something e-book subscription service Scribd is very familiar with, since it only carries titles from two of the "Big 5." Amazon has yet to announce Kindle Unlimited, but after seeing these ads slip through the cracks, we can safely say it's only a matter of time before it becomes official.
Amazon appeals directly to authors in ongoing e-book dispute
Despite sounding like a rogue militant organization from G.I. Joe, Hachette is actually a book publishing group. Tame as that may sound, Hachette is currently engaged in a high-stakes game of Chicken with a juggernaut in the book sales world: Amazon. It's all part of a long-running dispute between book publishers and "the everything store"; even the book titled after Amazon's moniker was involved in the dispute. It goes like this: Amazon wants to price its e-books one way, and publishers want things another way. While the negotiations occur, Amazon pushes back by slowing delivery of physical books by publishers involved in negotiations or, sometimes, carrying limited stocks intentionally so the books are unable to be ordered. Another tactic Amazon's now employing in the dispute? Appealing directly to authors. With cash.
US book publishers now make more money from online sales than physical stores
Brick-and-mortar book stores have clearly been on the decline for a while -- just look at Barnes & Noble's rocky finances. However, there's now some tangible evidence that the pendulum has swung in favor of internet-based sales. BookStats estimates that US publishers made more money from online orders and e-books in 2013 ($7.54 billion) than they did from old-fashioned physical retail ($7.12 billion). While the difference isn't huge, it suggests that a large chunk of the American population is content with buying books that it hasn't seen in person.
Kobo takes over Sony's e-book business starting today (updated)
As part of its multi-pronged effort to stop leaking red ink Sony decided to eliminate its Reader division. Rather than simply cut off customers who have already bought one of its devices though, it's turning to the Canada-based e-reader giant Kobo, which has a 4-million strong e-book catalog. The transition is now officially underway, as Sony has announced that Kobo's app will now be pre-loaded on Xperia and Reader devices in the UK, Austria, Australia and Germany. And thus begins the inevitable shuttering of Reader stores across the world, except in Japan. But don't panic, customers will get an email describing how to transfer their library over to Kobo. And until the the transition is complete you'll still be able to buy e-books from the Reader Store. If the whole thing has left a sour taste in your mouth, though, there are plenty of other options. Update: Sony has added Australia to the list of countries with Kobo coming pre-installed to Xperia and Reader devices, and reminded us that the Sony Reader store will remain open in Japan.
Navy develops dubiously named secure e-reader
Somewhere in between developing seafaring lasers and electromagnetic railgun, the Navy found time to design an e-reader especially for deployed sailors. As you'd expect, it was designed with security in mind, so it runs custom firmware, has no WiFi connection, SD reader or any other means to connect to an external storage or computer. Its creators, the Navy General Library Program (NGLP) and ebook company Findaway World, even made its hardware tough to tamper with. Since users won't be able to download anything new, it already comes preloaded with a catalog of reading materials from classics to contemporary best-sellers. It might sound extremely limited, but this device gives personnel the means to carry around the Navy's library, whereas they only used to have limited access to those digital tomes. Sound great? Sure does, but its designers probably ran out of creative juices when it was time to name the device. Because that's the only reason anyone would name it NeRD, right? ...Right?
McDonald's partners with Kobo to give UK kids free e-books
Forget race cars and Disney princesses. Kids in the UK are getting something a little more digital with their McDonald's Happy Meal: an e-book. The golden arches is partnering with Kobo to include a download code for one of Enid Blyton's Secret Seven children's mystery books with every meal purchased between now and June 3rd as part of its annual "Happy Readers" program. Over the past two years, the annual initiative has passed out millions of books, and is touted as quite a success (although we're not quite sure how "happy" we'd be about getting an e-book rather than a toy). However, this is the first time Ronald has gotten a digital retailer like Kobo in on the action. Enthusiastic kids who still want to fill the bookshelf in their room can also snag a £1 coupon with their meal to pick up a traditional copy of the books. If only the child detectives could forever solve the mystery of what's actually in McDonald's chicken nuggets. Image credit: Steve Daniels
Harper Lee okays 'To Kill a Mockingbird' e-book on her 88th birthday
An important piece of American literary history, and one of the few missing selections in digital libraries, is finally becoming an e-book. On her 88th birthday, Harper Lee agreed to let her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird be released in electronic form. Lee notes that this is "'Mockingbird' for a new generation," and the title still sells a million copies a year thanks in large part to its popularity in classrooms across the US of A. Here's to hoping we'll get the e-book version of J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye soon too.
Amazon makes Kindle documents available via Cloud Drive
If you have any documents (or e-books acquired in a "non-standard" way) stored on your Kindle, now you can access them anywhere via Amazon Cloud Drive. Starting today, documents uploaded to your e-reader via your browser, mobile device or email will automatically be stored in a new "My Send-to-Kindle Docs" folder within Cloud Drive. Unlike previous document uploads that were automatically converted to Kindle format, new additions will be saved in the cloud in their original format. That means you'll be able to edit the Word doc for your book on show ponies (might we suggest a working title of Pageant Ponies: America's Real Beauty Queens?) from your desktop seconds after catching a typo. With the move, Kindle owners can combine their existing 5GB of free cloud storage with the 5GB offered to Cloud Drive users for a total of 10GB of space. You know what that means: plenty of room to store sequels to your equine masterpiece once you hit it big. Image source: Flickr/Zhao!
Amazon buys popular comic book app platform Comixology (update)
There's nothing quite like taking a massive, heavy library of beloved books and shrinking it into an e-reader. Amazon, having already accomplished that with its tremendously popular digital book service, is now targeting the comic book market. The company is purchasing Comixology, a digital comic book service with hundreds of millions of users and apps for all of your devices. Comixogy CEO David Steinberger is quite fond of the agreement, the terms of which were not disclosed (we're assuming it's at least $3.50 -- comics these days are awfully expensive). "There is no better home for comixology than Amazon to see this vision through," Steinberger says in the announcement. "Working together, we look to accelerate a new age for comic books and graphic novels." It's just a wild guess, but we're expecting the first such "acceleration" will involve integrating Amazon payments and the Comixology userbase over to Amazon. It's not yet clear if Comixology brand will stand on its own (Amazon already sells single issues and graphic novels on Kindle), but we're asking the company for more, but don't expect to hear much -- the deal hasn't closed just yet, but it's expected to in the next few months. Update: We heard back from Amazon -- join us below for more.
Gadget Rewind 2006: Sony Reader PRS-500
Sony may not have been at the forefront of the digital music revolution, but when it came to e-books and e-readers, the company was certainly a pioneer. It all started in the '90s with Sony's first chunky, flip-topped Data Discman. This two-pound, paperback-sized player came bundled with a selection of reference books on disc, each capable of storing up to 100,000 pages of digital text. When that cumbersome early e-book solution failed to gain traction, Sony went right back to the drawing board and returned in 2004 with the Japan-only LIBRIé e-reader. This particular device used an innovative E Ink display and relied on an e-book loan program -- a distribution model that proved unpopular with consumers at the time.
