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Nook for Android now available to download, offers eBook lending
Well, what do you know? Turns out you don't actually need to invest in a Nook e-reader to enjoy the experience on your existing smartphone. And considering that the average Android smartphone will boast a display larger than your face within 2 years (if current trends continue, anyway), we'd say we could be onto something good here. At any rate, B&N's own eBookstore app is now available for Google's dear mobile OS, landing just weeks after Amazon pushed its Kindle app out into the same marketplace. Of course, B&N's not shying away from the competition, dubbing its app "the only Android e-reader application to offer eBook lending." It's available to download now on devices rocking Android 1.6 or above, and yes, even Android users can pick up on another platform where you leave off on your phone. Fancy.
Barnes & Noble's NOOKstudy coming to students in August
Barnes & Noble is diving deeper into the education market with an expected August release of NOOKstudy which will run on Macs and PCs and not require a NOOK or any other mobile device. NOOKstudy will act as a hub for eTextbook, class notes, syllabi, scanned handouts, and even non-educational eBooks. It will allow students to take notes as well as highlight passages in eTextbooks. Users will also be able to tag items for easy retrieval using common terms like: "for the final exam". It will provide full searches of anything, in the eTextbooks or your notes, and link into Google or Dictionary.com to look up terms. Multiple eTextbooks can be opened at the same time, or two pages from different sources can be simultaneously displayed. The program is currently being piloted at Penn State, University of Nevada, Queensborough Community College, and the Rochester Institute of Technology. [via Campus Technology]
Get the New York Times on iPad via BN... sort of
Update: Barnes & Noble's PR team pinged us to point out two salient points. #1, the message above does in fact note that only the iPod touch and iPhone versions of the newspaper/magazine subscriptions are temporarily offline -- the iPad subs are still available, as I found. #2, via the "Go To" button at the top of the eReader app screen, you can access an abbreviated table of contents (a list of the paper's sections); that's a help, but still not a particularly well-adapted navigational approach for all the stories in the NYT. My apologies for the errors. We got the heads-up from reader Jehuda S. that Barnes & Noble is now listing the New York Times as available for subscription or single-copy download into the company's B&N eReader app. A quick check of B&N's site does indeed show the paper available for $0.99 a day, or $19.99 for a monthly subscription -- the monthly price is the same as Amazon's Kindle version, but that edition isn't available for iPhone or iPad yet. Amazon's deal with the NYT is a possible explanation for the kneecapped Editor's Choice app, which doesn't offer the paper's full content. Great, so the paper's ready for prime time on the iPad courtesy of Mr. Barnes and Mr. Noble? Well, not so much. First of all, even though I was able to go through with the $0.99 purchase of today's paper [for my iPad], the site is featuring a banner update as seen above -- newspaper delivery is being 'temporarily suspended' to the iDevices iPhone and iPod touch, with a 'better reading experience' around the corner. That's good, because the current reading experience is downright cringeworthy. There's no navigation to speak of except for section front pages and 'next story' / 'previous story' -- in order to see the whole paper, you have to scroll via the page scroller at the bottom (today's edition shows as 525 screensful, not easy to manage). There's no master table of contents, no overall list of sections, no moxie whatsoever. It's a bit like someone faxing you the New York Times, story by story -- not at all a positive way to consume this premium content. I can't recommend you get the Times in this fashion until B&N revamps the reader; good news is, it looks like there's consensus on that point over at B&N. Thanks Jehuda!
Barnes & Noble looks to lock down e-book delivery for education with Nook Study
Timely, no? Just as the 2010 back-to-school season really gets rolling (and that dreaded Fall semester arrives to pester you to death), Barnes & Noble is looking to become your go-to place for eTextbooks, study tools and pretty much anything else in the related field. Up until now, there have been few all-encompassing eTextbook delivery method, and the options that are out there are generally poorly thought out, spartan or simply not marketed well. 'Course, B&N isn't coming right out and saying it, but why else would you create a comprehensive application suitable for Macs and PCs that not only puts digital textbooks into the hands of students for up to 40 percent less than conventional books, but also a full library of study aids, test prep guides, periodicals, and hundreds of thousands of trade and professional titles. Moreover, the app "provides students access to all of their materials -- eTextbooks, lecture notes, syllabi, slides, images, trade books and other course-related documents -- all in one place, so their digital library goes wherever they go." Oh, and did we mention that it also supports highlighting and notes, both of which are searchable? Yeah. Currently, Nook Study is being used in a smattering of universities, with an August rollout pegged for universal use. Lookout, used bookstore -- the end could be nigh.
Amazon Kindle dual-screen e-reader patent granted, Barnes & Noble Nook potentially in trouble
Looks like the battle for e-reader dominance between Amazon and Barnes & Noble could soon expand beyond the recent spate of price drops and into the courtroom as well: the USPTO just granted a 2006 Amazon patent on e-readers with secondary LCD displays (like the original Kindle's scroller-navigation panel), and several of the claims are potentially broad enough to cover the Nook and many other devices with both electronic paper and LCD displays. What's more, Amazon agreed not to file for any corresponding foreign patents during the four-year approval process and thus wasn't required to publish the patent application -- meaning this is likely a complete surprise to the entire industry. Yeah, it's juicy. Here's one of the claims that could cause problems for Barnes & Noble -- in plain English, it potentially covers any device with both an electronic paper display and a second smaller LCD display next to it. A handheld electronic device comprising: a housing; an electronic paper display disposed in the housing and having a first surface area; and a liquid crystal display (LCD) disposed in the housing proximate the electronic paper display, the LCD having a second surface area that is smaller than the first surface area of the electronic paper display. That's pretty sweeping -- it doesn't take much to look at the Nook and see that it has both an electronic ink display and a smaller LCD located next to it. Now, we don't know if Amazon has any plans to actually sue anyone over this patent yet, but we're guessing there's a flurry of legal activity happening at all the major e-reader manufacturers right now, and we're definitely curious to see what the fallout looks like -- remember, Barnes & Noble is already involved in a trade secret dispute over the Nook with Spring Design, which claims that B&N saw its Alex reader under NDA and then copied it for the Nook. That case isn't scheduled to wrap up before November, so there's a chance B&N and Spring Design could end up simultaneously fighting each other in one case while taking on Amazon as allies in another, which would be... messy. We'll see what happens -- while we've no doubt Barnes & Noble will put up a serious fight if it comes to that, we're curious to see if the shift away from e-reader development to general-use tablets hastens as the market contracts, margins shrink, and the cost of litigation becomes prohibitive. The ball's very definitely in Amazon's court now -- stay tuned. [Thanks, Anand]
Pandigital Novel preview
Sure, Pandigital's Novel may be delayed until next month because of some firmware issues -- and we haven't heard the most positive things about the 7-inch LCD based e-reader / tablet -- but we had to check it out for ourselves. At $179.99 $149, the all-plastic reader isn't going to win any build quality awards (it's also rather heavy for what it is), but the Android 2.1-powered gadget does have a pretty attractive user interface. In use, however, the resistive screen had to be pressed quite firmly to make selections and the software was noticeably sluggish. Surprisingly, the device did play a standard definition video smoothly and it has an accelerometer -- which is more than the Archos 7 Home Tablet can brag. Barnes & Noble's eBookstore will be preloaded, and it also has a skinned Android browser of some sort. We've got a short hands-on video after the break, but you've got the picture here: the Novel isn't what we'd call novel, you just get what you pay for. %Gallery-96241%
Barnes and Noble Nook firmware version 1.4 now available
Barnes and Noble sure is busy today. If you're a Nook owner, you're going to want to get on the update they've just unleashed pretty quickly. Version 1.4 includes a couple of pretty important fixes -- including the much-need "go to page" feature, an extra large font size, and support for AT&T WiFi. That's right, the next time you wander into an AT&T hotspot you'll be Nooking for free. The Nook firmware version 1.4 update is available now (and we've included a direct link to the download below if you really want to check that out).
$149 WiFi-only Nook confirmed, 3G price dropped to $199 (update: official)
Turns out all our snooping was spot on with this one. We first spotted a simpler, cheaper Nook making its way through the FCC late last month, and then only last night we got tipped off to a $150 price point for the e-reader sans cellular connection. Now Best Buy has confirmed the whole thing with its listing of the BNRV100 model, which comes in over $100 cheaper than Barnes and Noble's original ($259), although Best Buy has seen fit to give that a price trim as well. We like where this is going, especially if it triggers B&N's competitors to lower their own fees. [Thanks, Paul] Update: Barnes and Noble has now gone fully official with its new $149 Nook. The 3G version has taken a price drop to $199 as well, matching the pricing indicated by Best Buy. B&N is today also outing its firmware version 1.4, which allows the free use of AT&T wireless hotspots everywhere.
WiFi-only Nook surfaces in Barnes and Noble database, costs $149?
We knew it was coming, but not how soon, and we'd only guessed at a price. Today a tipster sent over this screenshot, however, clearly showing a Nook WiFi on Wednesday for $149. While internal databases aren't the most reliable source for release dates even assuming the screenshot is legit, we'll know for sure in just days. The question now is how Kobo stacks up. Update: Google's dropping some $149 - $199 hints about the new Nooks in its sponsored ads as well. See a sample after the break. [Thanks, Joseph]
Barnes & Noble looks to encourage ebook reading with free coffee
Need any more evidence that Barnes & Noble is playing for keeps when it comes to ebooks? Then look no further than the company's biggest move yet: free coffee. That will be available at Barnes & Noble bookstores for a "limited time" to anyone that shows a café server an open ebook on a Nook, or any device running Barnes & Noble's eReader app -- a B&N employee will even help you download it if you don't have it installed. No word on when the promotion will end, but you can go grab your first free coffee right now.
Pandigital Novel goes on sale, hopes you'll take a look
It may not be the color e-reader that turns Amazon's Kindle and the B&N Nook into relics, but Pandigital's Novel is actually one of the more interesting me-toos to surface. Boasting a 7-inch LCD, 1GB of storage space (not to mention an SD / MMC card slot), integrated WiFi and access to the Barnes & Noble eBookstore, the Novel is now on sale in at least a couple of places. If we were you, though, we'd probably opt for that Kohl's link -- you know, unless you just enjoy paying $50 over the $199.99 MSRP. Update: Whoops! Looks like the Kohl's "sale" is off as well, with the price shooting up to $259.99. No deal.
WiFi-only Nook gets FCC approval?
If you'll allow us to do a little dot-connecting and hand-waving here, we think we may have just stumbled across a new version of Barnes and Noble's Nook that drops the GSM connection and soldiers on with WiFi alone, matching up nicely with a rumor that spread across the webs not long ago. You see, the Nook's FCC ID is BNRZ100, and this thing that we just found in the FCC's filing system under Barnes and Noble's name has an ID of BNRV100 -- and the test reports are very explicit about the fact that this is for "EBOOK, WLAN, AND USB PORTS WITHOUT WWAN." WWAN, of course, is a fancy way of referring to a cellular connection, so that's that. If this thing can sell for, say, $100 less than the Nook's $260 -- a price that puts it out of reach of the average person's impulse purchase limit -- we could see some significant new uptake of the platform, we'd wager. No word on a release, but we'll keep our ears to the ground.
Acer's 6-inch LumiRead to offer Barnes and Noble ebooks, ISBN scanner
In another reversal of plans, Acer has just announced its first e-reader device. The LumiRead will participate in the clear.fi initiative for keeping you constantly in the Acer loop, while also offering WiFi and 3G connectivity options. It looks very much like the tablet we saw teased earlier this morning, coming with a similar integrated keyboard and a smaller 6-inch E Ink display. Announcing a distribution agreement with Barnes and Noble and its one million-book library, China's Founder, and Germany's Libri.de, which carries four millions titles, Acer will try to ensure it has a strong selection upon release. It's also throwing in an ISBN scanner, which will be turning paperbacks into instruments of their own destruction by allowing you to scan a book in for later purchase online. Supported formats are described only as "various," and there's 2GB of storage onboard (expandable via MicroSD) to keep things stashed. Expect this new e-reader to show up in Q3 of 2010. Full PR after the break.
Barnes & Noble launches eReader for iPad app, we go hands-on
Barnes & Noble might be pushing the Nook as hard as it can, but the retailer has always said it wants to build a reading platform across devices, and it's making a big step in that direction with the launch of its eReader for iPad app today. The app allows Nook users to download most of their content to the iPad -- the books all work, but some periodicals like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal aren't available yet -- and there's a nice bookshelf view with jacket art and a library search function, which the Kindle app and iBooks don't have. As with the Nook and other B&N clients, the iPad client supports LendMe for certain titles, but there's no in-app purchasing -- selecting "add books" from the bookshelf view kicks you out to the browser, just like the Kindle app. We're not sure if this is an Apple restriction or a design decision, but we were told B&N is looking into adding in-app purchasing in a future release. As for reading, eReader is actually quite flexible -- you can customize the page, text, highlight, and link colors any which way you want (we made some hideous combinations), and there are some nice presets themes as well, ranging from "The Printed Page" to an inverted setting called "Night Light." You can also set books to display using the publisher's settings, and there are the usual line spacing and justification options as well. The only issues we had were with page turns and rendering -- flipping from portrait to landscape too fast would result in some brief wonkiness, and flipping pages too quickly would eventually stall the app and lead to a brief load time. Neither was a deal breaker, but there's clearly some room for polish here -- we're sure B&N is planning to iterate this rapidly, so we'll see what happens. All in all, though the eReader app is a worthy competitor for your iPad ebook dollar -- as long as iBooks has the only in-app store it'll remain our favorite iPad reader, but if you've already purchased Nook content this is a solid free addition to the ecosystem. %Gallery-93757%
Pandigital intros 7-inch Novel e-reader, nabs access to B&N eBookstore
Pandigital's best known for its hard, hard work in the game-changing digital photo frame world, but the company's feeling a bit froggy of late. It's latest leap is into the burgeoning e-reader market, and unlike those from Barnes & Noble and Amazon, this one's sporting a 7-inch LCD -- you know, now that Apple has suddenly made that "okay" again. At any rate, the forthcoming Novel boasts a full-color 800 x 600 resolution touchscreen, inbuilt WiFi and dimensions of 5.5- x 7.5- x 0.5-inches. The highlight here is the partnership with B&N, which gives this guy access to the bookseller's eBookstore, not to mention the ability to share content via LendMe. Pandigital also throws in 1GB of internal memory, an SD / MMC card slot, orientation sensor, and the rechargeable battery is said to be good for a mediocre six hours on a full charge. The $199.99 Novel should be out and about next month supporting PDF, ePUB and HTML formats (yeah, there's a web browser), and in case you were wondering, it's based around Android and gets powered by an ARM 11 processor. Did Pandigital -- of all companies -- just out a remotely interesting e-reader? Yes, yes it did.
Barnes & Noble to open 'PubIt!' self-publishing portal this summer
Self-publishing has long since been possible through Amazon, but you won't catch us kvetching about a little competition in the market place. In an attempt to do for indie writers what InstantAction has done for indie game developers, Barnes & Noble has just announced its intentions to open up a self-publishing portal this summer. We wouldn't say that the PubIt! name is the greatest of all time (for a variety of reasons, frankly), but the world's largest bookseller is hoping to expand its importance in the digital realm by giving wannabe authors the ability to upload and sell their material through B&N's website and eBookstore. Details on the compensation model (read: profit split) will be announced "in the coming weeks," but the real kicker here is this won't be limited to the Nook; pretty much any e-reader, tablet or PC will be able to tap in and make purchases, so the potential audience is quite large. Hit that source link if you want to be notified when invitations are going out, and given just how close we are to this mythical "summer" thing, we'd suggest you start putting pen to paper -- and fast. [Thanks, Victor]
Nook outsells Kindle in March?
Given DigiTimes' spotty record when it comes to pushing rumors you might be inclined to read "Digitimes Research" as a kind of oxymoron. Unfortunately, as long as Amazon refuses to publish specifics with regard to units sold, these analyst estimates are as good as it gets. What's interesting is that DigiTimes' checks at upstream suppliers reveal that Barnes & Noble's Nook accounted for 53 percent of all e-book readers shipped to US vendors in March. Interesting since Kindle is Amazon's bestselling product and an increasing share of the company's revenue is based on sales of electronics and general merchandise. Still, it's our guess that Amazon doesn't care too much about selling its own hardware (it's in the business of selling other people's content and goods). Besides, the Kindle app is already available on a wide range of devices including Apple's iPad and a wide variety of smartphones. One place you can't install it, however, is on the steadily improving Nook.
Barnes & Noble Nook gaming and web browsing impressions
Playing some Sudoku and reading Engadget on our Nook? Yeah, we are! Obviously, after hearing about the Nook 1.3 firmware update this morning, us bookworms nabbed the latest software to check out the added features. The over-the-air update took about a total of ten minutes from start to finish, and when the e-reader had restarted the new Games, Wi-Fi, Audio, and Web shortcuts were more than obvious on the main menu. The browsing experience, which is clearly marked beta, is very similar to that on the Spring Design Alex -- you input the address on the touchscreen and an expanded view of whatever site you're visiting appears on the E-Ink display. You can use the LCD to navigate the page, though the physical page turn buttons work as well, which is actually a nice trick. It isn't the fastest browsing experience, but it'll definitely be useful for quickly reading some news or checking the weather when you are near a WiFi network – we got a page not found message over 3G. As for the Sudoku and chess games, it's all pretty standard -- the boards appear on the E-Ink screen and you use the touchscreen to input numbers or move pieces. We weren't near a Barnes & Noble to check out the borrow-a-book feature, but the navigation seems to have gotten even snappier since the 1.2 update, and the lower screen is refreshing noticeably faster. Our early verdict? Those Best Buy shoppers are getting a heck of a much better Nook than we did a few months ago. %Gallery-91603%
Nook gets web browser, free in-store reading, and games in new firmware
It's not in our nature to get all excited about firmware updates, but B&N sure seems to be bringing the good stuff in release 1.3 of the Nook's software. The major new features include a Beta release of a "basic" web browser and a Read In Store feature that's reassuringly true to its name. You'll basically be allowed to browse and read the full versions of books while inside a Barnes and Noble outlet. That looks like a win-win to us, as it directly addresses the goal of using the Nook to get people in stores while affording consumers the opportunity to get a good idea about a book. The first Android apps on the device are also offered, in the form of games like chess and sudoku, both perfectly suited to the glacially refreshing monochome screen. Speaking of which, B&N claims it's also improved page turning and loading speeds. The update is available via manual download now or you can wait for the OTA stuff to hit your Nook within the next week. [Thanks, Davorin]
Best Buy confirms Nook for April 18, Greg Packer still hasn't opened his iPad (update)
With all of the Nook chatter going down at Best Buy lately, it was bound to become official sooner or later: as of this morning Reuters is reporting that the retailer will start carrying Barnes and Noble's e-reader beginning, as previously reported, on April 18. We just hope you can contain your excitement until then -- we know we'll be doing our best. Update: We just got our hands on the PR, and here is a little more detail: Not only will the Nook and B&N eBook giftcards be available at Best Buy locations and in its online store, the Geek Squad is also apparently hard at work installing the Nook eReader software on "select PCs, netbooks, tablets and smartphones" sold in its stores. The device is set to retail for $260. Peep the PR for yourself after the break.
