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Samsung E60 e-reader coming with Barnes and Noble content this spring for $299
Samsung still hasn't committed to a formal launch date for the e-reader line it launched at CES, but the company narrowed down the launch date from "early 2010" to "this spring" this morning -- which makes sense, seeing as spring has nearly, uh, sprung. We're only hearing about the six-inch E6 at the moment, along with a new Barnes and Noble partnership -- we're not sure anyone will pick the Samsung over the popular Nook, especially at the $399 price point we heard at CES, but at least there's a built-in content ecosystem. Interestingly, we're not hearing anything about the 10-inch E10 or QWERTY-equipped E61, both of which would fill large gaps in the B&N-enabled lineup, but we're looking out for more info -- we'll let you know. In the meantime, you can watch a video of all three devices right here. Update: Samsung says the E6 will be $299 at launch, which is a nice little drop. As for the E10 and E61, all we're hearing is that they "may be coming soon," so who knows what's going on. Update 2: The model name's been changed since CES -- it's now the E60, not the E6. %Gallery-81782%
Barnes and Noble CEO describes Nook as 'single best-selling product,' critical to success
In a conference call with investors yesterday, Steve Riggio described the Nook as a great success and the company's best selling product. The former is predictable, but the latter is kinda weird. You typically wait to have more than one own-brand product in order to describe anything as "best-selling," but we'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he's comparing the Nook against books published under the B&N name. It's still disappointing that, much like Amazon, Barnes and Noble refuses to issue actual sales figures. The closest we get to that is Steve's boast that the Nook's release has fueled a 67 percent increase in online ebook sales -- an effect that would have been even greater if the company had more stock of the device to sell. In the long term, he sees the Nook as a stimulant of traffic and sales, both in its retail and online stores, and a central component of his company's strategy. As to the iPad? Steve skirted that question by noting that B&N ebooks are also available on PC, Mac, iPhone and BlackBerry devices. Which is good to know.
T-Mobile launching 21Mbps webConnect Rocket, HTC HD2 next month
During Deutsche Telekom's press conference this morning at MWC, Cole Brodman -- T-Mobile USA's CTO -- went on record with the news that it'll be launching its first 21Mbps HSPA+ USB modem next month across the country, the webConnect Rocket. Of course, there isn't a lot of live 21Mbps footprint in T-Mobile's network right now -- in fact, only Philly is fully operational -- but there should be plenty more cities from coast to coast where you can enjoy DSL-shaming wireless speeds later this year. That might not be the most exciting news, though: Brodman also finally fessed up to the HD2 (unbranded version pictured above), which will be exclusive to T-Mobile in the US. It's arguably pretty bad timing in light of the Windows Phone 7 Series announcement yesterday, but a huge win nonetheless -- the phone is a legitimate beast. Like the webConnect Rocket, it'll be hitting in March, though exact dates and prices for either have yet to be revealed. Update: T-Mobile had previously hinted that there's be some surprised in store for the US release of the HD2, and indeed, there are; it's got Blockbuster On Demand integrated for downloading movies directly to the device, a Barnes & Noble eReader app for enjoying the Nook's digital library right on the phone, and -- for some reason we don't fully appreciate -- Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen bundled on the included microSD. Full PR after the break -- and reader Qasim points out that T-Mobile's HD2 website is now live as well.
How would you change Barnes & Noble's Nook?
We know that some of you chaps are still waiting for your Barnes & Noble Nook to arrive, but by now, we're hoping that the vast majority (read: all) of you that were jonesing for one can finally say that yours is in-hand. For those that got one during the madness that is the holiday rush (or yesterday... that works too), we're interested to know how you'd do things differently. Are you kosher with the dual-screen approach? Is the user interface smooth enough? Would you tweak the e-book buying process? Do you wish you would've held off for some magical Mirasol-based device to hit "later this year?" Be sure to toss out your opinions in comments below, but make sure you think before you type -- the Nook sees and hears all, don'tcha know?
Nook now in stock online and in stores, with new 'More In Store' content
If you're a book lover who wants to take your relationship to another level entirely, you're in luck! It looks like Barnes and Noble has finally kicked production of the Nook in high gear, just in time for Valentine's Day. And when you do take hold of your e-reader (which should start appearing in stores this week), the company has plenty for you in the way of its all new, exclusive "More In Store" content, including: A short story by Adriana Trigiani (who you love), a Valentine's Day recipe for red velvet cupcakes from Anne Byrn, the Cake Mix Doctor, and something called "Read Between the Wines," a regular feature by renowned wine expert Kevin Zraly, a dude who tells you how to pair your favorite books with the perfect vintage. (Hint: if you're reading Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, you might want to pop open a vintage 2007 Dancing Bull.) You can either order online (shipping is free for the time being) or, if you prefer to pick one up in person, hit up the In-Store Locator beginning February 10th to see when they're in stock at your fave B&N location. PR after the break.
Nook firmware 1.2 ready for download now (Update: video!)
Keeping up a fine tradition, Barnes & Noble has today let slip an internal memo that discusses a forthcoming version 1.2 firmware update for the Nook. There's not much in the way of info on fresh new features or optimizations, but we do know that B&N retail locations will be getting the update "this week" alongside new units shipping with v1.2 preloaded onto them. We're also told that the update would be an effortless side-loading affair via USB, but the bit about "prior to the software being released to customers" suggests that perhaps we won't all be riding the latest software by this weekend. Let's just be patient and do what we usually do: fantasize about what the future may hold. Update: Turns out B&N will be rolling out an OTA update to customers in a few days, but the manual download is all ready for collection from right here. You'll find the full list of changes after the break Update 2: Now with video, after the break. [Thanks, Doug].
E-reader statisfaction study shows 93 percent of users are happy, just not you
The wind sure changes very quickly, eh? Just a week ago the University of Georgia revealed that many of its study participants -- Athens residents who were given a Kindle to play with -- weren't happy with their e-reader experience, but yesterday a new study reported something fairly contrasting. Rather than doling out touchscreen-less e-readers to a group of people, the NPD Group surveyed more than 1,000 e-reader owners in late November last year, and found out that 93 percent of them were "very satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied" with their devices, while only 2 percent "expressed any level of dissatisfaction." The report also reveals that wireless access is the favorite feature for 60 percent of the users, while only 23 percent chose the touchscreen. Compared to last week's report, this probably shows that consumers who actually buy e-readers don't really care about the touch feature, whereas those on the outer circle are mainly waiting for more -- and no doubt cheaper -- touchscreen e-readers. Seriously though, only 34 percent wanted color screens? Those guys sure are easy to please.
The good and bad of iPad pricing
I think all of us were surprised at the entry level cost of the new iPad at just US$499.00. In a recent article at ars technica it's stated that the pricing "confirms what a major shift in strategy the iPad is for Apple's business." My colleague Sang Tang also says the evidence is persuasive that the price of the iPad makes it disruptive for competitors. Could be. I've talked to more than a few people who weren't considering the iPad until they heard that relatively low price point. Of course Apple has stripped the iPad pretty bare: there's no USB, no camera, no SD card, and so on. Certainly some of the Windows 7-based tablet computers will cost more, and they will have more features, but it's still rare that Apple finds itself in a position like this to compete on price.
Nook becomes Colorware's latest victim
Look, we know we give Colorware a hard time -- mostly because it regularly spits out miscast creations like the abominable Kindle or the unlovable DSi -- but in the case of the Nook we're a lot more ambivalent. Sure, on the one hand you can concoct clashing color schemes like the one above that only someone from Portugal can truly appreciate, but if you slide past the break you'll find tasteful color combos are possible as well. Perhaps it's the Nook's simple logo on the back and straight-line color separation, but this is one instance where we might actually be willing to shell out the $125 asking price for a fresh paintjob. Hit the source link to try your hand at designing a prettier Nook yourself. [Thanks, Kent]
Apple scores high on customer experience index, iTunes not so much
According to AppleInsider, Apple has scored higher than other PC companies on Forrester's new customer experience survey, but their main software app didn't fare quite as well. Apple came in at number 35 on the list, which places them way above PC competitors like HP, Compaq and Dell, though iTunes only scored place number 46, putting them way behind online media competitors Barnes and Noble (which sat at number one) and Amazon.com (#4). The survey was driven by asking customers how well their needs were met by the companies on the list, how easy it was to conduct business with them, and how enjoyable the different interactions were. Note that this survey only rates customer interaction -- in terms of actual sales, iTunes is still through the roof. And Apple is still leading the way in customer satisfaction as well. But in terms of actual customer experience, iTunes especially, for something that is quickly becoming Apple's core method of interacting with customers, could probably use a little work.
RCA Lexi e-reader sports Barnes and Noble software, Audiovox hardware
Quite frankly, readers, it looks like Audiovox is out of control. It's already deluged us with RCA branded camcorders, digiframes, and iPod soundsystems, and now it looks like the company is entering the e-book game. The RCA-branded Lexi e-reader sports a 6-inch (800 x 600) 16-level grayscale display, 2GB storage, and a battery life of some 7,000 page turns. Other features include ezTurn functionality (for the south paw in your life) and something called Auto-Magic content synchronization. As for content, this bad boy ships with Barnes & Nobles Desktop Reader for purchasing, managing, and, yes, reading the latest Dan Brown bestseller (some sort of sinister conspiracy, we believe). But that ain't all! Adobe Reader Mobile is also included, making it interoperable and fully compatible with PDF and ePub formats. Look for it in May for $229.99. PR after the break.
E-reader privacy policies compared: Big Kindle is watching you
It's definitely shaping up to be the year of e-book readers: the Amazon Kindle is flying off (virtual) shelves, and we'd expect the Barnes & Noble Nook to start moving at a decent clip once the kinks get worked out. But any device with an always-on 3G connection to a central server raises some privacy questions, especially when it can broadcast granular, specific data about what you're reading -- data that's subject to a wide spectrum of privacy laws and regulations when it comes to real books and libraries, but much less so in the digital realm. We'd say it's going to take a while for all the privacy implications of e-books to be dealt with by formal policy, but in the meantime the best solution is to be informed -- which is where this handy chart from our friends at the Electronic Frontier Foundation comes in. As you'd expect, the more reading you do online, the more you can be tracked -- and Google Books, the Kindle, and the Nook all log a ton of data that can be shared with law enforcement and various other third parties if required. Of course, we doubt the cops are too interested in your Twilight reading habits, but honestly, we'd rather users weren't tracked at all. Check the full chart and more at the read link. [Thanks, Tom]
Nook fails to communicate, download purchased ebooks
You didn't think the whole Nook saga was over, did you? After just succeeding in delivering devices to expectant pre-orderers in time for Christmas, Barnes and Noble is today cleaning up yet another mess courtesy of its ill-prepared content servers. Judging by customer feedback on its support forums, it appears a glut of download requests over gift-giving day jammed the B&N net pipes and left a great many disappointed Nook users. All attempts at downloading an ebook yesterday -- even by those who got their Nook a little earlier in the month -- were greeted with a "Queued: Will complete shortly" message, which apparently remained that way until early this morning when downloading finally resumed functioning. The biggest perceived failure here, though, is the book retailer's silence on the issue, which illustrates the importance of communicating with your customers -- most people seemed tolerant of the setback once they realised they didn't have faulty hardware. [Thanks to all who sent this in]
Nook shipping update assures pre-orders arriving on time
This should come as a relief to all you anxiously awaiting your Barnes and Noble Nook pre-orders. We've received a statement from Barnes and Noble affirming that all pre-orders which had an original pre-holiday ship date will be fulfilled, and that the rest of the orders will be filled starting on Friday. Here's the full, reassuring statement: "We're happy to report that all customers who pre-ordered nooks and were given a pre-holiday estimated shipping date will be sent their nooks in time to receive them by Christmas. As you know, there's been an overwhelmingly positive response and unprecedented demand since Barnes & Noble announced its new eBook reader on October 20th. Customer demand continues to be strong and new orders will be fulfilled beginning February 1, 2010. " Happy, happy holidays!
Nook 1.1 doesn't affect hacks, root still possible
The NookDevs team hasn't wasted any time poring over the recently-released Nook 1.1 update, and there's good news: 1.1 can still be rooted, and rooted 1.0 devices will stay that way after the update. In other news, nookdevs team member robbiet480 just sat down with Nookaholic for an interview, and he dished a few tidbits: the Nook's Android build is called "Bravo," the internal WiFi had to be tweaked to stop turning itself off every three hours, and Bravo itself is basically Android 1.5. Nothing major, but we're definitely getting the feeling the Nook is going to be leading a double life as both a mom-friendly ebook reader and a happy-hacker hardware playground from here on out, you know? [Thanks, Cameron]
Nook 1.1 update hitting now
Right on schedule, the Barnes and Noble Nook is kicking out a software update (we rebooted to get the download to start). We've heard this will fix some of the issues we had with the unit in our review -- but we'll update you once we've had a little time to play around with it. Some things we've noticed so far: Page updating on the E Ink display does seem to be a tiny bit faster. Nothing mindblowing, but a little bit better. B&N has fixed the page numbering issues. There is now a clear number and progress bar along the bottom of the screen. Overall the navigation and color screen loading times seem improved. The experience is definitely faster -- even scrolling through book covers seems a bit improved. There is still pausing and lag in the UI. This isn't a sea change, but it's clear they've cleaned some elements up. [Thanks, anonymous tipster] Update: You can take a look at all the changes right here.
Barnes & Noble giving $100 for Nook pre-orders that miss Christmas
Haven't got your Nook yet? You may actually be in luck. For people who pre-ordered early enough to expect a pre-Christmas delivery, Barnes & Noble is promising a $100 B&N.com gift card if it misses December 24th -- which is apparently distinctly possible. Of course, if you're one of the lucky / unlucky ones to have this on offer, you've probably already seen the email, and if you're a different sort of hapless pre-orderer that won't be seeing a Nook until next year, this is just another reason to curse your lot in life. To think: not only are you not ushering in 2010 from an economy suite in a space hotel, but you're going to wrap up this year reading paper books, without $100 to show for it! Can't we do better as a civilization?
Jimmy and 'the nerdy guy' yuk it up Late Night style (video)
It happened, did you feel it? A shockwave of nerdery so sublime that only a slot on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon could contain it. Josh and Jimmy mixed up a mean stew of gadget gusto last night which you can now watch after the break. It's a two-parter 'cause even the boys in NBC post production couldn't limit our man Toplotsky to a single cut.
Barnes & Noble Nook torn down and rooted -- but still respected
Barnes & Noble might be pitching the Nook to the literary set, but it turns out the Android-based dual-screen reader is pretty hacker-friendly as well: both the OS and filesystem are stored on a microSD card. That means the newly-formed crew at nookdevs has already managed to root what they describe as the "generic" Android 1.5 build that's hidden under the Nook's navigation UI, and they say the device can do "everything a rooted Android phone can do." That's certainly intriguing, especially since the Nook has a data-only AT&T 3G modem and WiFi to go along with that capacitive touchscreen and E Ink display -- can you say "potential"? [Thanks, Andy]
Barnes & Noble Nook review
When we first caught wind of Barnes & Noble's Nook -- a device clearly positioned to give the Amazon Kindle and Sony's options a run for their money -- we were understandably interested. As voracious readers and lovers of fresh gadgetry, pretty much anyone on the staff at Engadget would tell you that a new contender on the e-reader scene is more than welcome. When we discovered that Barnes & Noble's offering would not only feature a full color touchscreen component, but would run Google's Android OS as well... let's just say we were pretty much in gadget-hog-heaven. We weren't without our reservations, mind you; the appearance of this device made for some pretty heated conversations amongst the staff over whether or not we were seeing the dawn of a truly commercially viable e-reader. Of course, for us the proof is always in the pudding, and since B&N is about to launch a full assault against the current offerings, it's our duty to turn over a report. Is the Nook the answer to our e-reader prayers, or just a stepping stone to greener pastures? We've taken a long, hard look at the device -- so read on for the official Engadget review. %Gallery-79717%
