E-readers
Latest
Amazon's Fire tablets and Kindles are on sale for Prime members
Amazon's next big hardware event is just days away, and it appears the tech giant is using that as an opportunity to provide hefty discounts for Fire tablet and Kindle models for Prime subscribers. Most notably, Prime members get $40 off the Kindle Paperwhite (down to $90), and $25 off the base Kindle (now $65) -- if you've been looking for an e-reader for the daily commute, it might not get much better than this for a while. It's also a good time to look for a basic tablet for young ones, as Amazon is lopping $40 off the price of both the Fire 7 Kids Edition tablet (reduced to $60) and its Fire HD 8 counterpart (down to $90).
Kobo's latest e-reader is big, durable and waterproof
Like Amazon's Kindle range, Kobo's e-readers run the gamut from affordable devices to premium products. The company's latest falls firmly in the high-end category. At $280, the Kobo Forma costs 50 bucks more than its current top-of-the-line model; the Kobo Aura One. It's also waterproof (with an IPX8 rating, meaning you can dunk it in 2 metres of water), lightweight (at 197g, it's 15 percent lighter than the Aura One), and touts 8-inches of screen space.
Amazon Kindle finally supports Arabic language books
Arabic language authors don't get many opportunities in the e-book world, whether it's due to a basic lack of support for the language (which reads right-to-left, is written in cursive and includes pronunciation marks) or the complexities of distributing the books in the first place. Amazon may be making it easier, though -- it's launching support for Arabic language books on Kindle devices and apps, including a dedicated section on the Kindle Store. The texts support all the same font adjustment, search and highlighting features you'd expect in other languages, while over 12,000 books are available worldwide.
Amazon's gold Kindle Oasis reminds everyone how rich you are (updated)
The Kindle Oasis is a conspicuous display of wealth by its very nature (you have money to burn if you can spend $250 on an e-reader in 2018), but apparently Amazon didn't think it was ostentatious enough. The internet giant is taking US pre-orders for a Champagne Gold version of the Oasis that includes the same 7-inch screen, water resistance and Audible support of the regular black model, just in a slightly garish I-have-money color. Amazon pitches it as a stylish option ideal for "Mom or the fashionable traveler." Let's be real, though -- you're buying it because you want to be seen using it.
Waterstones is done selling e-books
Waterstones is well and truly getting back to basics today, as it has dropped e-books and audiobooks from its online store. The digital libraries of Waterstones customers will remain accessible until June 13th, with Kobo taking over the following day. Those affected will be emailed instructions of how they can migrate their e-book collection over to Kobo's platform, where their purchases will live on. Audiobook libraries will also disappear mid-June, but there's no fallback service, so make sure you download the MP3s associated with your Waterstones account before it's too late.
Graphene e-paper is brighter and bendier
Who said that e-paper was old stuff? Certainly not China -- the country's Guangzhou OED Technologies has created what it says is the world's first graphene-based e-paper. The extremely strong yet light material promises very thin screens that are both brighter and more flexible. You could get e-readers that are easier to read on a sunny day, for instance, or activity trackers that can put up with more abuse. It should even be less expensive, as graphene's carbon is much easier to find than the exotic indium metal you see in conventional e-paper.
Kindle e-reader update gives quick access to your books
Who said that dedicated e-readers were dead? Certainly not Amazon. It's rolling out a major Kindle reader update that breathes new life into your e-paper experience. The most conspicuous improvement is a brand new home screen that highlights your most recent books, your reading list and personalized recommendations. You also have quick access to common settings like airplane mode, easier sharing (particularly for Goodreads) and an easy way to see the books that aren't on your device.
Amazon brings its white Kindle to the UK
Amazon offers a range of different Kindle e-readers depending on your budget, but they normally always come in black. If you've wanted to stand out from the crowd, the only option has been to buy a colourful case or import a white model from Japan or China. Now, UK customers can enjoy a little bit more variety after the retailer decided to bring the white version east for the first time. It offers all of the same features as its black counterpart, including the 800 x 600 e-paper touchscreen, WiFi, 4GB of storage and the £60 price tag, and will ship from today.
Barnes & Noble unveils a waterproof Nook e-reader
If you're Barnes & Noble, how do you make an e-reader that stands out when Amazon's Kindle all but dominates the market? By making it usable in the bath, that's how. The at-times struggling bookseller has unveiled the Nook GlowLight Plus, whose centerpiece is a waterproof and dustproof aluminum body -- you won't have to panic if it gets wet. This is also the first E Ink-based Nook to support profiles (handy in a literary family), and its 300-dpi screen is twice as sharp as what you saw in the original GlowLight. The Plus probably won't get you to switch readers if you're a Kindle loyalist, but the $130 price is about right if you're a newcomer or want to trade up from one of the earlier Nooks.
Apple's e-book business is no longer under scrutiny
Three years ago, the Department of Justice brought Apple, and major publishers, to book for trying to maintain the prices at which e-books could be sold. As part of its punishment, the firm had to suffer the presence of a court-approved monitor, Michael Bromwich (pictured, left), placed to ensure that Apple cleaned up its act. Now, after many long months of having a third party roaming the halls of One Infinite Loop, the DoJ has concluded that Bromwich has done his job, and will no longer have to stand watch over the iBooks team.
Barnes and Noble's Galaxy Tab E Nook is yet another tablet for readers
If you're a fan of Barnes & Noble's Nook line of e-readers and tablets, there's a new option to tempt you this fall. The Galaxy Tab E Nook is a 9.6-inch slate that offers all of the perks of the bookseller's digital library in a Samsung package. While the front features a familiar-looking Galaxy design, the back is covered in "a non-slip fabric-like material" to ensure you're able to keep a good grip during long reads. Inside, there's 16GB of built-in storage that's expandable to 128GB via mircoSD to store your books and other items. Unfortunately, storage is about the only info on the gadget's internals the announcement reveals. Like previous Nook by Samsung releases, this one is more than just an e-reader, allowing you to watch movies, stream TV shows and browse the web with Android apps.
Waterstones stops selling Amazon Kindles over 'pitiful' sales
Waterstones, the UK's largest book retailer, surprised many when it put plans for its own e-reader on ice to start selling Amazon's range of Kindle readers. It's been more than three years since it began making extra space in stores for one of its biggest rivals, but it won't for much longer. The Bookseller reports that the company will remove Amazon's e-ink Kindles from most of its locations as sales "continue to be pitiful."
'Sin City' and 'Hellboy' comics come to Hoopla's public library app
After adding DC and Image Comics to its public library digital-checkout service, Hoopla is back with news that Dark Horse Comics' titles are now available for all your Sin City, Hellboy and Lone Wolf and Cub reading enjoyment. The Hoopla app and service syncs with participating local libraries to offer digital versions of books, audio books, albums, movies, TV shows and of course graphic novels. If you have a library card and your local branches support it the service, you can check out digital versions of media right from your phone or browser. When your item is due back at the library, it just disappears from your account. So if you're a fan of comic books, it's probably a good idea to see if your library supports the app.
E-book sales dip, but is print really making a comeback?
We've all heard "print is dead" a few (hundred) times before, but it looks like print is still kickin'. In fact, it could be making a bit of a comeback. The Association of American Publishers, using collected data from around 1,200 publishers, found that e-book sales dropped 10 percent during the first five months of 2015. The reason? Signs point to a lot of folks being "hybrid readers" these days, opting for a mix of print and digital over one or the other. E-reader sales have also been on the downswing for quite a while. For example, Forrester Research says 12 million of the dedicated reading devices were sold last year -- that's down from 20 million in 2011. Of course, Amazon just announced a $50 tablet that'll offer easy access to its library, but it also packs in some core slate features. It also looks like those Netflix-like e-book subscription services, like Oyster, didn't catch on like companies had hoped.
Library app lets you check out 'The Walking Dead' and other digital comics
Before it was a TV show and video game, The Walking Dead was a comic book from publisher Image Comics. It's a great series and if you're interested in catching up on the source material for the TV show, you might be in luck. The public library app, Hoopla announced today that it was partnering with Image Comics to bring The Walking Dead, Spawn and Saga to its service. Hoopla partners with local libraries to give library card holders the ability to check out digital copies of books, music, videos, audiobooks and comics. the amount of titles available for check during the month depends on the deal between Hoopla and the library. But when your check out period is up, the title automatically disappears from your iOS, Android device or Kindle tablet. It recently added a bunch of DC titles including a whole slew of Dark Knight graphic novels to its roster. So if you're library supports Hoopla and you want to supplement your watching of Fear the Walking Dead you can do so without spending any money.
World's first braille smartwatch is an ebook reader and more
On the surface, Dot sounds like a fairly standard smartwatch: It resembles a Fitbit and features a messaging system, navigation functions, Bluetooth 4.0, an alarm and, of course, a timepiece. Dot is remarkable because it's a braille smartwatch -- the world's first braille smartwatch, in fact. Its face features a series of dull pins that rise and fall at customizable speeds, spelling out words in braille as the user places a finger on top. With this system, Dot allows users to read ebooks without throwing down thousands of dollars for a portable braille reader. The watch should hit the market for less than $300, with pre-orders staring this year. Plus, Dot has an active battery life of 10 hours, according to inhabitat, so get ready for some serious reading time.
Authors call on the US to investigate Amazon's book business
Just because Apple is on the hook for allegedly anti-competitive book sales doesn't mean that Amazon is above reproach. As promised, groups representing both authors and booksellers are calling on the US Department of Justice to investigate Amazon for antitrust abuses. The Kindle maker is supposedly using its literary dominance to "impoverish the book industry," hurt writers' careers and even limit free expression. For example, the company is known to squeeze publishers who object to its pricing policies by withholding pre-orders and otherwise depriving these 'enemies' of income. There are also concerns that Amazon wrecks rival stores through unfair price dumping (that is, selling below cost) and refuses to carry some authors based purely on their politics or fame.
Barnes & Noble's Nook store closing outside of the US and UK
It's no secret that Barnes & Noble has struggled to profit from its Nook reading platform. Still, there are people who continue to use and invest in the ecosystem, despite the rise of others including Amazon's Kindle. Now, after ending its "strategic partnership" with Microsoft last year, the retailer appears to be preparing to close the Nook store outside of the US and UK -- something that relied on Windows support across Europe. According to an email obtained by The Digital Reader, Barnes & Noble has informed international customers that, on August 7th, it will remove their content from Windows machines and start providing refunds.
Kindle Paperwhite review (2015): our favorite e-reader gets even better
When Amazon's Kindle Voyage launched last year, I more or less fell in love with it right out of the gate. Sure, a handful of competitors came out with similar displays before Amazon did, but man -- with that high-resolution screen and its sleek new looks, the Voyage was the first Kindle that ever felt really high-end. I didn't stand a chance. Now, thanks to some trickle-down gadget economics, the new Kindle Paperwhite ($119 with ads, $139 without) just got a huge bump in screen resolution too. It was really only a matter of time, but now we're left with a question to ponder: Is a new screen enough to catapult an already-very-good reader into the realm of greatness? Spoiler alert: I think it is.
Apple to pay $450 million in e-book price-fixing suit
Apple conspired with publishers to artificially raise the price of e-books, the Second US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled today, upholding a verdict from 2013. Now that the company has lost its appeal, Apple is expected to pay $450 million, most of it to e-book customers. Apple agreed to a $450 million settlement in 2014 as part of the appeals process: If Apple had won in today's ruling, it would have had to pay just $70 million ($50 million of that to customers) or it could have been off the hook entirely.
