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Caption contest: Ellen DeGeneres and her ʞoou giveaway
Look, sometimes show hosts can get a bit too excited, especially when it comes to Christmas giveaway segments behind a massive pile of gadgets -- most of which they've probably never heard of until ten minutes before the show. If you were Ellen DeGeneres here with the upside-down Nook e-reader, what could possibly be going through your head? Video after the break. Ross: ".ɹıɐɥɔ ǝɥʇ uı ʞɔɐq puɐ dn ǝɯ d1ǝɥ ǝsɐǝ1d 'ʞoou sıɥʇ pɐǝɹ uɐɔ noʎ ɟı" Chris: "Everyone gets a (deafening applause, people fainting)." Joanna: "Oh cute, Ellen pulling a Michael Jackson. Where is the closest balcony?" Vlad: "And with your purchase of the androgynous android, you get an added value ebook reader -- absolutely free!" Don: "The good news? B&N has settled its dispute with Spring Design. The bad news? You have to hold it this way." Richard Lawler: "Read this way, Twilight has an entirely different double meaning." Paul: "I'm holding it upside down because it's a non-working dummy unit and it doesn't matter." Nilay: "God I wish this was a car." Richard Lai: "Look!! It's got the same smile as me! It's just like a magical mirror." Ross Rubin: "Maybe one day, the Nook will be like me and finally come out."
Nook early adopters promised a December 9th shipment, $10 online gift certificate
We already made it clear that the January 15th Nook date applies only to new orders, and while Barnes & Noble's retail outlets may not be getting any love (read: no units will be in stock for sale, as confirmed today), many of the faithful who pre-ordered early are receiving a happy note from the company right now with a not-quite-firm statement that "we expect to have it to you by December 9th" with free, upgraded overnight shipping. Another bonus? A $10 online gift certificate. Warm feelings for the holiday shoppers who thought ahead, and as for everyone else, at least rain checks save you money on gift wrapping. [Thanks, Mona!]
Nook ship date pushed back to January 15th for new pre-orders, no Nooks in stores before Christmas?
Last night, we got a tip telling us that this morning, Barnes and Noble's ship date for the Nook would slip further -- from the previously known date of January 11th to January 15th. And hey, what do you know? The BN website is now showing an expected ship date of January 15th -- though it seems this would be the shipping date for new pre-orders, not for pre-existing ones. Disappointing for all of us who are expectantly awaiting our units, no doubt, but there's the possibility of further bad news. The last time we checked in, the Nook was expected in some Barnes and Noble retail stores on the 7th of December. This tipster, who as we've just mentioned proved spot on with the expected shipping date (and whose name we know, though they've asked us not to print it), also says that no Barnes and Noble stores will have actual Nooks on hand until after Christmas. Of course, we have no way of knowing if this information will turn out to be correct, but at this point, we thought it seemed a decent enough piece of "possible" to pass on. Update: We've just spoken with a Barnes & Noble rep, and they say they will have the Nook in select stores on Monday, December 7th, so we're just going to have to be patient and see. Update 2: If it was not clear enough, this new date of January 15th (as well as the previous date of January 11th) seems to pertain ONLY to new pre-orders of the device -- not orders placed before the initial run sold out. Update 3: And the in-store delay is official... Barnes & Noble is now confirming that the Nook will NOT be available in stores on Monday, as it's "intent on fulfilling earlier preorders." [Thanks, unnamed]
Spring Design denied injunction on sales of Barnes & Noble Nook
This shouldn't be seen as an indicator of future rulings, but Spring Design has been denied its injunction to halt Barnes & Noble from selling the Nook. According to court documents, there is "genuine dispute" over whether the Nook was derived by Spring Design's contributions or was independently developed prior -- in a nutshell, there's no way for the court, or anyone at this point, to know what's really going on here. The creator of Alex, who as we've previously chronicled had many behind-the-scenes meetings on developing the Android-assisted e-book reader before BN pulled out of the deal, can take solace in an expedited pre-trial process to accommodate for an earlier hearing date. So now the only thing stopping Barnes and Noble from selling Nook is... Barnes and Noble itself. Turns out that's a pretty formidable foe. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Nook ship date slips to January 11th, supply chain managers weep
Hardware construction is a funny thing. Sometimes, regardless of the money you throw at something, you just can't get products to come together any quicker. Evidently that's the case with Barnes & Noble's Nook, which has seen its estimated ship date slip from today to sometime after the holidays, and now to January 11th. There's still a sliver of hope that you'll be able to snag one from a high-traffic retail location on December 7th, but unless you're planning on abandoning ship and helping the Kindle have its new best month ever, the realistic choices are pretty clear: a) pay Tickle Me Elmo-like prices on eBay or b) drop an IOU in a nicely wrapped box, preferably with a cute puppy. We suggest the latter. [Thanks, Dave and Wes] P.S. - We're also hearing that pre-orders (even those placed moments after it was announced) are also being pushed back, though hopefully they'll still be received before December 25th.
Nook begins shipping, in select Barnes & Noble stores on December 7th
If you missed getting in your Nook pre-order there's still hope to nab the dual-display Barnes & Noble reader in time for the holidays. A Wall Street Journal piece says that Nook will be "available for sale or for demonstration purposes" in select, high-volume B&N stores starting December 7th -- a week later than expected as B&N tries to fulfill unexpectedly high consumer demand following the ereader's October 20th announcement. Of course, it's impossible to say if the sell-out translates to high sales or just poor planning on B&N's part as it dips a tentative toe into the fickle waters of consumer electronics. Nevertheless, anyone who ordered before November 20th will still receive theirs for Christmas while everyone else will receive theirs on January 4th as we already heard. Now if only Barnes & Noble would clarify what it means by "high-volume stores" we could plan our road-trips accordingly. [Thanks, Arthur]
Barnes & Noble's Nook now sold out for the holidays
Hoping to put your hands on a Nook this holiday season? Here's hoping you got in the door early, because bookseller Barnes & Noble claims that the Kindle-competitor has sold out for anyone hoping to gift the thing this year. According to the New York Times, B&N says pre-orders on the device have exceeded its expectations, and the well has now run dry on forthcoming stock. To make up for the loss, the seller is offering placeholder certificates for buyers, with a promise that the next round of devices will be shipping out around January 4th. Are suburban moms to blame? Only B&N knows for sure.
Barnes & Noble accepting gift cards for ebook purchases starting mid-December
A few nasty rumors were circulating that Barnes & Noble wouldn't accept its own gift cards for ebook purchases, but thankfully, the outfit has come clean today to refute those claims. 'Course, it's possible that this change in policy was a direct result of all the bickering, but either way, the company will be accepting physical gift cards and online gift certificates as payment for ebooks really, really soon. The cards will work on purchases made at B&N's website and through the Nook itself (not to mention "other devices using the B&N eReader software), and we're told that the new policy will be in full effect come "mid-December." In other words, all those gift cards you just purchased as stocking stuffers for to-be Nook owners are good to go. Phew. [Thanks, David]
Nook for sale at Barnes & Noble stores on November 30th?
If you're looking to pre-order a Nook today you'll be greeted with a December 18th ship date from Barnes & Noble's on-line store. However, if you stop by your Barnes & Noble on November 30th, you might find the Android-based dual-screen ereader in stock and ready to take home for $259 plus the usual government tithe. This according to a B&N spokeswoman who told Computerworld that units will be for sale in stores on the 30th. Whether than means all 774 retail outlets or just the majors is still unclear but hey, at least you've got options.
Spring Design sues Barnes & Noble over the Nook
We knew something was up with the Spring Design Alex dual-screen ebook reader the instant we saw its hastily-prepared web site published the night before Barnes & Noble's Nook launch, and it appears that our hunch was right: Spring Design just filed a trade secret lawsuit against B&N, alleging that their designers showed the Alex to the bookseller's execs before the Nook was developed. According to Spring Design, the two companies had been in contact with each other over ereader designs since the beginning of the year, with various executives exchanging calls, meetings and product details under NDA -- which would certainly explain why there are suddenly two Android-based ereaders on the market with dual electronic ink and capacitive LCD touchscreen displays. Definitely suspicious, but we'd also note that the Nook and Alex actually work quite differently: users browse the web on the Alex's touchscreen and then "print" the content they want to read to the electronic ink display, while the Nook doesn't have a browser and the touchscreen is only used for navigation, not content. We're digging for as much info as we can, and we'll hit you with more info as soon as we get it -- stay tuned.
Entelligence: Of ebooks and suburban moms
Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide. There was a raging debate going on last week at Engadget HQ over the role of dedicated ebook readers that spilled over on to the Engadget Show. You can watch the show here, but essentially big boss Joshua Topolsky and Paul Miller feel that the new Barnes and Noble Nook is going to be a hit -- the one machine that gets suburban moms to buy. On the other hand, Nilay Patel, rationally (as he agrees with me) says it's not going to happen and there's no mass market for dedicated ebook readers. I'm going to weigh in and say Nilay is probably right. Now don't get me wrong, this is not entirely an integration vs. convergence story. I believe there's a market for dedicated devices: cameras have not been displaced by music phones, media players have not been displaced by music phones and ebook readers could serve bibliophiles, especially those who travel a lot. However, mobile reader apps like those from Amazon and Barnes & Noble can easily tap into more casual markets, allowing users to leverage the investment in screens they already own instead of buying a dedicated device. That's one reason why I think it has been important for Amazon and B&N to get their ebook platform onto as many devices with screens as possible, and why Sony's making a mistake by ignoring the opportunity.
QUE proReader hitting Barnes & Noble retail stores in 2010
In a rather odd unfolding of events, it seems as if Barnes & Noble is finally clearing up the mystery behind that Plastic Logic e-reader slated to hit its retail locations by Spring of 2010. After making said announcement, the book seller then went out and introduced an e-book reader of its very own in the Nook, and only now are we learning that the Plastic Logic-built QUE proReader will also be splashing down at the outfit sometime next year. In a brief release posted today, we're told that the recently teased big-screen reader (8.5- x 11-inches) 10.5-inch will be sold throughout B&N's retail footprint and on its website; makes sense given that B&N is powering the proReader's online e-book store, but the fact that it'll be placed prominently near the outfit's own (somewhat competing) device is certainly interesting. We're expecting to see more come CES 2010, and seriously, with the rate at which these readers are hitting brick-and-mortar locations, Amazon might want to consider implementing some kind of physical trial in order to not go overlooked in its corner of the web. Update: Plastic Logic rather dubiously lists "large 8-1/2 x 11-inch shatterproof display" on its specsheet. A bit of digging into the Barnes and Noble listing, however, reveals the following spec "Display (viewable area): 10.5-inch diagonal, 944 x 1264 pixels at 150ppi, 8 gray levels." Sneaky.
Switched On: Making book with ePUB
Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. The ePUB standard, developed by Adobe, allows consumers to purchase books at a variety of digital stores and use them on a wide range of compatible devices without the manufacturer having to explicitly support them. That may sound a bit like the PlaysForSure initiative that Microsoft tried mounting to challenge the iPod but ultimately shifted away from (at least for MP3 players) in favor of the Zune, but ePUB has a better shot than PlaysForSure did. First, unlike PlaysForSure, which was playing catch-up to the already dominant iPod, ePUB is appearing relatively early in the market; it need not break anyone's "stranglehold." Second, after attracting the support of Sony, the format achieved a significant coup with the support of Barnes & Noble, which noted last week that it was "excited" to be supporting the format in its forthcoming Nook e-reader.
Barnes & Noble nook LendMe feature is severely limited, assumes you have friends
There's been tremendous fuss made over the Barnes & Noble nook, due at least partly to its ability to lend your purchased e-books to friends -- just like real books. Unfortunately, the "world's most advanced e-book reader" limits the LendMe feature to one 14-day period per book, ever, and that's only if the publisher gives permission. You also can't read the title yourself during the loaner period. Of course, nook's biggest competitors can't do this at all and LendMe works on any B&N eReader supported device including the Mac, PC, iPhone, iPod touch, and BlackBerry. One-time is certainly better than no-times, eh?
Barnes & Noble Nook's first close-up (now with video!)
There she blows, we'll be getting hands-on and try to scrap together some impressions of the Nook if they let us touch it once this Q&A is done. The device is a bit thicker than some, and certainly looks minimal up front. The LCD is nice, but not overly bright, and that's about all we spotted before it was snatched away. Check out the gallery for a few more fleeting shots and a look at a non-functioning prototype for a better idea of the unit's shape. %Gallery-76013% Update: We got a closer look at the device, though they still haven't let us touch it. The LCD seems very "passive," and has a shallow viewing angle -- obviously to gather more ambient light and save on battery. The interface appears relatively intuitive, but we're a little confused and doubtful about the highlighting features -- it brings up a software d-pad on screen, and seemed a little unwieldy, though we'll only find out for ourselves when they actually let us get our grubby paws on the thing. Update 2: We've got some video! It's so very exciting, and can be found after the break. %Gallery-76016%
Barnes & Noble Nook dual-screen reader officially announced... for real
Barnes and Noble's Nook ebook reader might have made an unexpected debut a little earlier than planned today, but it's all official now. The Nook has a six-inch 16-level E-ink screen with a color touchscreen underneath for navigation and settings, and -- it's running Android! You can lend a book to a friend, and there's wireless on AT&T's 3G network as well as WiFi -- everything we saw earlier today. Pre-sales are live now at $259, and it'll be shipping in November. All B&N stores will soon be getting a big crazy display unit that showcases the device and a number of cases from all sorts of designers. And what's more, Nook owners can connect to B&N WiFi and browse complete ebooks in-store for free -- just like a real book. That's pretty great. Update: Malcom Gladwell is on stage, talking about syphilis in Baltimore. People are clapping -- it's a little odd. But the first Nook buyers will get a free copy of The Tipping Point, so that's nice. Update 2: "Ladies and gentlemen, the bar is now open." That's all for now -- we've got a Q&A session coming up, we'll let you know what we find out after the break. Update 3: Barnes & Noble just pinged us to say that they were wrong during the event -- the Nook's WiFi will work anywhere, not just in-store.
Barnes & Noble Nook e-reader leaks a bit early: $259, pre-orders are live (video)
Looks like all those whispers were true -- the "Android-based" nook is alive and well, and it's calling itself the planet's "most advanced e-book reader." Measuring 7.7- x 4.9- x 0.5-inches and weighing 11.2 ounces, the device includes a top e-ink display from Vizplex and a color touchscreen (3.5-inches) below, which supports one-touch control and swipe-to-browse books with full-color covers. The rechargeable battery takes 3.5 hours to go from zero to full if using a wall outlet, and B&N claims that it'll last for up to ten days if you flick the wireless to "off." Speaking of which, inbuilt WiFi (802.11b/g) and AT&T 3G is included, not to mention 2GB of internal storage, a microSD expansion slot, MP3 player, built-in mono speaker, 3.5 millimeter headphone jack, a micro USB port and support for EPUB, PDF and MP3. The nook also supports bookmarking, making notes, and highlighting passages, and the 'LendMe' feature allows users to lend books for up to a fortnight at a time to other e-readers, cellphones or computers. B&N also tells us that you can pick up where you left off (with markings and highlights in tact) on your iPhone or BlackBerry using its free eReader software, which just so happens to be the same app that allows sharing to iPhone, iPod touch, BlackBerry, PC or Mac. As expected, the company will also let you sample ebooks before you buy, and you'll enjoy free WiFi each and every time you sashay into a Barnes & Noble retail location. It's available to pre-order as we speak for $259, with initial shipments expected to happen at the end of November. Introductory video is after the break, along with a few highlights about accessories and features. Update: Aw snap, B&N just yanked everything related to nook from its website. Thankfully for you, everything you'd ever need to know is right here. Update 2: Looks like it's back! Though, the landing page itself still seems down. Hurray for backdoors! Update 3: Be sure to check out our live reveal coverage and our hands-on images / video! %Gallery-76016% %Gallery-76013% %Gallery-75994%
Barnes & Noble 'Nook' e-reader with color touchscreen out Tuesday for $259, says WSJ (update: Best Buy connection?)
Looks like the cat's out of the bag. The Wall Street Journal's had a glimpse at what it says is an upcoming ad for Barnes & Noble's impending announcement, which just so happens to be a e-book reader with color touch screen (sound familiar?) dubbed the Nook. According to the article, it'll be out Tuesday, retail for $259, and will let users "lend e-books to friends." Very interesting, indeed -- so who's excited for tomorrow? Update: We can't say with 100 percent assurance, but a reliable source of ours claims that Barnes & Noble will be partnering with Best Buy for sales of the device, and units will actually be available this Thursday. That last bit sounds daring at best, as it's Windows 7 launch day, but you never know what folks will get up to these days. Stay tuned!
Spring Design Alex: dual-screen Android-based e-reader (Update: not for Barnes & Noble)
Whoa, what have we here? It's Alex, the dual-screen e-book reader from Spring Design looking very much like the Barnes and Noble device rumored for a Tuesday launch. It features a 6-inch E-ink EPD (electronic paper display) and 3.5-inch LCD running Google's Android OS for browsing the web or viewing video, audio, photos, and notes. It also packs a removeable SD card, speaker, headphone jack, and WiFi or 3G EVDO/CDMA and GSM radios. An interesting Duet Navigator feature even lets you toggle content captured on the LCD and present it back to the EPD to save on battery life. The device is planned for release sometime this year without any details on who might be involved in that exercise. Update: We just heard from Spring Design's PR person, Pat Meier Johnson. We were told that the Alex device above is not the rumored dual-screen Barnes & Noble reader, "this is an entirely different device." Judging by the hastily prepared web site coincidentally appearing on the eve of the B&N device launch, and the domain's registrar, Albert Teng, who has numerous patent applications (not patents granted) covering "electronic devices having complementary dual-displays," we'd say this announcement is quite possibly a desperate attempt to lay claim to intellectual property rights instead of a real product with real manufacturers and real content partners. We'll see when, or if, it launches. Show full PR text FREMONT, CA - OCTOBER 19, 2009-- Spring Design today announced Alex™, the first e-book based on Google Android featuring full browser capabilities and patented dual screen interaction technology, the Duet Navigator™. The Alex livens up text with multimedia links, adding a new dimension to the reading experience and potentially creating a whole new industry for secondary publications that supplement and enhance original text. Alex's dual-screen display design brings together the efficiency of reading on a monochrome EPD (electronic paper display) screen while dynamic hyperlinked multimedia information and third party input on its secondary color LCD screen, actually an integrated Android mobile device, opens a rich world of Internet content to support the text on the main screen. Alex is the first Google Android-based e-book device to provide full Internet browsing over Wi-Fi or mobile networks such as 3G, EVDO/CDMA and GSM. With its dual-screen, multi-access capability, it provides the entire Web universe as a handy reference library, prompting users to delve into its vast information base to complement, clarify or enhance what they are reading. Alex is the first truly mobile wireless e-book device that gives users their own personalized library on the go, whenever and wherever they need it. Spring Design pioneered its patented dual-screen device with 'touch and extend' capability in 2007, and has been working with major book stores, newspapers and publishers over the past two years to share its vision and the capabilities of the dual screen device. Alex brings together the efficiency of an EPD display with the responsiveness and richness of navigational convenience of the LCD screen. Its removable SD card gives users extensive storage, allowing them to expand their text with multimedia "add on" editions. Ideal for professional, educational and entertainment markets, Alex dynamically transforms the reader's experience with images, videos and notes inserted as 'Web grabs' or with custom text created by the user or other secondary authors pertaining to the subject being displayed. Users can create their own images and notes and capture them to augment the original text or just dynamically grab relevant content with Link Notes™, Alex's innovative multimedia authoring tool to enhance multimedia publishing. "This is the start of a whole new experience of reading content on e-books, potentially igniting a whole new industry in multimedia e-book publishing for secondary authors to create supplementary content that is hyper linked to the text. We are bringing life to books with audio, video, and annotations," said Dr. Priscilla Lu, CEO of Spring Design. "This gives readers the ability to fully leverage the resources on the Web, and the tools available in search engines to augment the reading experience." Alex™ features a 6" E-Ink EPD display and 3.5" color LCD display, earphones and speakers. A removable SD card will free up library space on the device while letting users archive content for future reference. The enhanced Android OS is optimized to support integration between the color and monochrome displays while preserving battery life. Users can capture and cache web content from their online experience on the LCD screen, and toggle to view it on the EPD screen without taxing the battery life. Browser features such as bookmarking, history, and security settings are built in and the device, with full Android browsing capability, is mobile-enabled with smart phone capabilities. Spring Design is currently in discussion with, and enlisting major content partners and plans to release the Alex device for selected strategic partners by the end of this year.
Plastic Logic teases QUE proReader with 8.5 x 11-inch touchscreen
Details are scarce, since the official launch won't happen until January 7 at CES next year, but Plastic Logic is looking to crash into the "pro" segment of the e-reader market (currently mostly occupied by the Kindle DX) with its upcoming QUE proReader. The unit uses E Ink Vizplex tech in a shatterproof display the size of a regular piece of paper at 8.5 x 11-inches, and has 3G wireless capabilities courtesy of AT&T and a business-centric ebook store at QUEreader.com which will be powered by Barnes & Noble. There's also a touchscreen interface, but it's unclear if that covers the entire display, or is something more akin to the leaked photos we've seen of the Barnes & Noble reader. The device is "less than 1/3-inch thick," and can handle PDF, Word, PowerPoint and Excel documents, including tools for "interacting with and managing the content," which sounds beyond the scope of most e-readers on the market currently. We'll have to wait and see how useful the interface really is, and how much damage (if any) that touchscreen sensor does to readability, but a bit of diversification in the ebook space sounds like a good thing on paper. Full PR is after the break.
