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Interead's COOL-ER claims to be the 'iPod moment' for e-readers
Upstart company Interead is looking to jump into the ever-expanding library of e-book readers with its debut, the COOL-ER. Company founder Neil Jones describes it as the "iPod moment that e-readers have been waiting for," calling the device the first of its kind to be designed specifically for the non-technologically inclined reader in mind. Indeed, the aesthetics seems to borrow liberally from the iPod nano, and features eight different color options. It weighs in at 6.3 ounces, or a little less than half of the Kindle 2, with the same 6-inch e-ink screen, and is small enough to fit comfortably in your jacket pocket, he says. It's got 1GB internal memory and a SD card slot, as well as a 2.5mm headphone jack with a 3.5mm converter bundled with every device. The feature set is pretty barebones, with no keyboard, text-to-speech, WiFi, or Whispernet equivalent -- all files have to be loaded via USB or SD card -- but in its place is a more attractive $250 MSRP, and Jones assures us at that price the company'll be making a profit on each unit sold. Format support includes EPUB, TXT, JPEG, any kind of PDF, MP3 for audio, and eight languages including Russian and traditional / simplified Chinese. The company's also launching an e-book store and offering an extra discount for customers who register their COOL-ER. It'll go on sale May 29th for US and Europe via its website, with retail distribution partner expected to be announced closer to the launch date. We're gonna wait until we get a few chapters into Alice in Wonderland before giving a final verdict, but in the meantime, check out our initial hands-on in the gallery below. Read - Product page Read - Online store
New York Times R&D group is braced for the future of content delivery, being totally chill
In a collision of journalistic labs heretofore unseen, the folks at Harvard's Nieman Journalism Lab hit up The New York Times' R&D lab for a look at what those ink-stained word-slingers think about the future of newspaper delivery. Nick Bilton, "Design Integration Editor" at the NY Times, and ever calm in the face of futurism, gave a guided tour of the devices they're currently looking at, and while there aren't a lot of surprises, it is nice to see they're taking ebooks, netbooks and touchscreen PCs all very seriously. Of particular note is a (sadly damaged) e-ink prototype with a newspapery layout, complete with typography, designed for an "e-ink device that [doesn't] exist yet." Nick also makes mention of Mary Lou Jepsen's upcoming Pixel Qi display, along with the marvelous world of RFID-based ads. Check out the full content delivery nerd-out on video after the break.
Amazon takes 70 percent of Kindle newspaper revenues
The Kindle DX launch might have sparked a wave of hype about the next generation of newspapers, but not everyone's so quick to agree: Dallas Morning News CEO James Moroney told a Senate subcommittee yesterday that the Kindle isn't a "platform that's going to save newspapers in the near term." According to Moroney, Amazon demands 70 percent of subscription revenue from newspapers, and further requires content owners to grant Amazon the right to republish content to other devices -- like, say, the iPhone. That's a pretty inequitable split, and while we understand that Amazon has to pay for Whispernet somehow, it's hard to imagine newspaper publishers lining up to wager 70 percent of their digital subscription revenues and a perpetual license to their content on devices that are far from proven. On the other hand, it's innovate or die time for these guys, so we'll see what happens -- with all the competitors out there poised to make a move, things are about to get interesting.
TUAW Watercooler: Apple's next big thing
The internal email list for all the TUAW bloggers is a busy place. Some of the best conversations from the list, including musings, rants and raves, don't ever appear on the site. Today we wanted to give you a taste of one of those conversations, about Apple's 'next big thing.'There has been plenty of discussion lately about Apple's next category-defining product. For months, I've dismissed tablet rumors. I know that Windows-based tablets are plentiful, but I've never used one, and don't know what the most useful applications are. I immediately think of a guy conducting inventory in a warehouse, but I know that's only because I have no experience with these machines. Some suggest something that's essentially a laptop inside a touch screen, much like the iMac is a computer within its display; of course, Axiotron already makes a MacBook-based tablet. I don't see the practicality. I certainly enjoy the internet and email on my iPhone, but the amount of typing I do on the iPhone is a small percentage of what I do on my MacBook Pro.Still, I think a similar device is coming.
Kindle DX college plans revealed: only 300 students total
We knew the Kindle DX pilot programs at Arizona State, Case Western Reserve, Princeton, Pace, Reed, and Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia would be limited in number, but it sounds like students at those schools will have be extremely lucky or well-connected to get their hands on Amazon's latest -- according to Pace reps at today's launch event, each school will only receive around 50 Kindle DXs for the trial. That's just about 300 total Kindles, and it makes Amazon's crowing about revolutionizing education seem a little hasty. Not only that, but it's not like the program is particularly ready to go, either: the schools still haven't figured out which classes they'll try and switch over to the Kindle, instructors have yet to be brought on board, and it's still not clear whether Amazon or the schools themselves will pay for the Kindles, although students will definitely have to shell out for the books. That's a lot of dealmaking to get done -- looks like Amazon just gave itself some summer homework.
NYT: Big-screen Kindle coming from Amazon "as early as this week"
Go ahead and grab the salt shaker, 'cause this one's nowhere near carved in stone... or is it? A breaking report from The New York Times has it that Amazon will introduce a larger version of its Kindle e-reader "as early as this week," one that's tailored for "displaying newspapers, magazines and perhaps textbooks." If you'll recall, magazine publisher Hearst made its intentions public to produce such a device earlier this year, noting that a larger panel would be more conducive to traditional print media layouts, and thus, additional revenue from ads. The article also notes that Plastic Logic will "start making digital newspaper readers by the end of the year." Coincidentally (or not), the Wall Street Journal also published a report this evening that dug deeper into the aforementioned Hearst deal. As the story goes, a number of big-shots in the publishing industry are banding together to set their own subscription rates (rather than go through a middleman such as Amazon), and this writeup asserts that Plastic Logic's reader won't actually roll out until "early next year" (as we'd heard previously). If you're seriously able to handle yet another twist in this madness, WSJ also points out that "people familiar with the matter" have stated that Apple is "readying a device that may make it easier to read digital books and periodicals," but it's hard to say if this is simply regurgitation of unfounded rumors already going around or something entirely more legitimate. All in all, it's clear that flagging print publications are desperate for a device that caters to its layout and allows them to regulate rates -- only time will tell if there's room for two, three or possibly more of these so-called "big-screen e-readers" in the world, but this week definitely just got a whole lot more interesting.Update: Press event invite just received, it's on for Wednesday! Read - New York Times reportRead - Wall Street Journal report
Amazon has acquired Stanza
Last month Amazon released the free Kindle application for the iPhone in the US [App Store link], shortly after the Kindle 2 hit the market. If you haven't used it yet, it works quite well. Users can buy books (but not subscriptions) from the Kindle Store via Mobile Safari for reading on their iPhones, although the purchasing process is easier from a desktop browser. Unlike the Kindle, the iPhone app is able to display color images, but it lacks text-to-speech as well as a direct connection to the Kindle Store. Whispersync, which synchronizes ebooks between the iPhone app and Kindle, works as advertised.A few weeks ago, we posted a comparison of ebook readers featuring, among others, the iPhone app Stanza [App Store link]. As Steve mentioned, Stanza works with nearly every ebook format, even Project Gutenberg etexts. I only used Stanza briefly to check it out and I can say that the UI was very nice. Additionally, the folks who created Stanza have an existing relationship with ebook seller Fictionwise. In fact, Fictionwise created an ebook store just for Stanza users.This week, we've learned that Amazon has acquired the company behind Stanza. We can only assume that aspects of Stanza will make it into a future release of Kindle for the iPhone.
Amazon to charge per megabyte to send personal documents OTA to your Kindle
So far, sending files to your Kindle cost a flat fee -- one dime per document for conversion and download over Whispernet. Looks like that honeymoon is over, as Amazon's announced that as of May 4th, the Personal Document Service will be a variable fee of $0.15 per megabyte, rounding up. It's still free of charge if you transfer the documents over via USB, and sending them to "name"@free.kindle.com will return converted files to your email address gratis. If you're trying to be frugal, we might suggest combining all those pending transfers into one fat PDF and sending it off sometime this weekend. [Via GearDiary]
Bridgestone's 13-inch color e-paper display handles pen input, has the future written all over it
While it'll always be difficult to accept innovative technology from a company that makes our tires, there's just no faulting Bridgestone's work in the e-paper space, or their latest color entry, above. The 13-inch display, based on "QR-LPD" tech, has what looks to be great color depth, along with snappy 0.8 second screen refreshes (great for this screen size) and actual Wacom-based pen input. There's video of it in action after the break, and if we didn't know better we'd think they were putting a Sharpie to a perfectly good display. Unfortunately, the image does look a little dim at the moment, so hopefully that's something Bridgestone can improve upon as they approach commercialization -- whenever that might be.
Kindle 2 users complain of eye strain, mull over possible solutions
You know how it is: Amazon refreshes the Kindle, makes some upgrades, and everybody's happy. Almost. It seems that a small but vocal minority is really, really not into the way that fonts are rendered on the new device. For real. Y'see, the newest iteration of the e-reader sports font smoothing algorithms and sixteen levels of gray (as opposed to four levels on the original). For sure, these enhancements make for prettier pictures, but on the downside it causes text to blur significantly when displaying fonts in the smallest three sizes. If you're one of the disgruntled Kindle 2 owners looking for some relief for your tired eyes, there are a couple options available to you. You might want to try the Unicode Fonts Hack, which will allow you to replace the system font for something more to your liking. Or you could hop on over to Amazon's Kindle forum, where you can commiserate with your fellow angry customers (OK, not really a solution -- but possibly therapeutic). You could wait for the rumored Kindle with a larger screen to arrive (no telling when or if that's gonna happen), or even downgrade to a first gen device, as some folks already have. Or you can read a book. One thing you can't do? You can't stop progress. [Via Wired]Read - Amazon: Please make the text darker on Kindle 2Read - Unicode Fonts Hack
Book Time shrugs off e-readers, turns paper pages for you
Oh sure, the e-reader may be just fine for some, but for the traditionalists in attendance who just can't enjoy a novel without turning those crisp, cool pages as you plow through yet another masterpiece, this invention is the one to care about -- particularly when you're fingers are frozen in place and you're just too dilapidated to do anything but read and comprehend. The absolutely genius Book Time creation managed to nab a Robot of the Year award over in Japan, as it holds down books and periodicals and automatically flips pages and pins down edges to keep sheets from flapping about uncontrollably. We can't quite tell if this thing's voice activated or not (we're hoping so), but either way, you can check out the hot paper turning action for yourself just past the break.[Via NewLaunches]
Is Amazon developing a larger screen Kindle?
With raging success, you can always count on one thing: copycats and rivals. Okay, so maybe that's two, but you catch the drift here. Not long after Amazon launched its Kindle 2 to much fanfare, Hearst confessed that it was looking to produce a competitor with a screen that was about the size of a standard sheet of paper. In a presumed effort to keep up with the Joneses, The Wall Street Journal is now reporting that Amazon is looking to develop yet another Kindle (something we've definitely heard before) with "a larger screen," which would obviously help it appeal to newspaper companies looking to easily transition their content to a large form factor e-reader. Not surprisingly, Amazon refused to comment on the "speculation," but the report did note that there was at least some chance that the newfangled device would debut before the 2009 holiday season.[Thanks, bo3of]
AT&T, Verizon looking to join e-book reader market?
As far as business relationships go, Amazon and Sprint's Kindle lovechild has proven to be a fruitful endeavor. So it's with little surprise that other manufacturers have been seeking out that same feeling of carrier companionship. According to Verizon Wireless VP of open development Tony Lewis, there are five e-book readers in the works from various companies that are looking to be certified for use on the network, possibly in the same way Kindle uses its connectivity to download books on the fly. While he wouldn't provide any names, he did hint they were looking at segments of the market Kindle isn't currently catering to, such as college textbooks. We've also got word that AT&T's looking to hop on the bandwagon, with head of emerging devices Glenn Lurie chiming in that they want to be a part of that market. If that Whispernet connectivity is the feature that's been tempting you to go Kindle, looks like you'll have a few more options on the horizon, if you're patient.Read - VerizonRead - AT&T
Foxit's eSlick e-reader ships out, gets photographed
It didn't quite make it out in January, but Foxit's eSlick is still about the cheapest way to get an e-reader in front of your retinas. Granted, only the earliest of pre-orderers are seeing their units ship, and if you try to jump in now, you'll be greeted with a note to not expect it for another fortnight or so. In fact, all three hues (black, grey and white) are currently sold out, with new batches expected to be ready by April 10th or so. Thankfully, the kind folks over at GearDiary have hosted up a few photos and have promised impressions in the not too distant future, so head on over if you're anxious to see just how far this thing is from being a Kindle.
Mentor-branded 5-inch e-reader surfaces alongside PocketBook collection
Ah, the lovely world of rebadged e-readers. If you'll recall, we saw a nice trio of Astak Mentor e-book readers way back in May of last year, and now we're seeing a smaller, more curvaceous version pictured alongside those very devices. Early assumptions were that this new 5-inch model would also belong to PocketBook, but those rumors have already been laid to rest. What we're left with is a few solid images, a Mentor label and a mind full of mystery. It's almost like reading a Danielle Steel novel, but only in the emotional sense.[Via MobileRead, thanks Nate]
Engadget's recession antidote: win a BeBook e-reader!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we've got a BeBook e-reader on offer, which is totally laughing at that "Kindle" thing right about now. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting!Special thanks to BeBook for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one BeBook e-reader. Approximate value is $299.99. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Tuesday, March 17th, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
TUAW ebook reader smackdown: Kindle 2 vs. iPhone
Before the release of the original Amazon Kindle a little over a year ago, there were a number of electronic book readers that tried to create and capture the market for a replacement to traditional "dead tree" books. There have been readers for just about every handheld unit since the Newton, as well as a series of devices that all required would-be readers to hook their book to a PC or Mac to transfer the content. Amazon changed all that with the Kindle by creating a device with built-in 3G networking that delivers books to you the minute you buy them. I was one of the people who purchased the first-generation Kindle, and though it delivered on wireless purchase of books, it was a clunky, poorly designed device.In the meantime, Apple introduced the iPhone 3G and the App Store, and several ebook reader apps have worked their way onto the home screens of millions of iPhone owners. So, is Steve Jobs right? Is there no need for a dedicated electronic book device like Kindle? I've used both the original Kindle and the new Kindle 2, and I've also read my share of electronic books on the iPhone. Which of the reigning champions of the ebook world is the winner? Read on to find out.
Brother's SV-100B Bluetooth "Document Viewer" looks like an e-book reader to us
It's finally coming true; all those e-ink readers we expected would flood the market after the Kindle's initial release were apparently just waiting for its successor before jumping into the fray. Joining recent announcements from iriver, Neolux, and Plastic Logic is Brother, with the SV-100B. The company is calling it a "Document Viewer," featuring a 9.7-inch, 1200 x 825 display -- larger and stocking twice the pixels of the Kindle 2. However, it's not meant to be a Kindle-killer, instead aimed at business users who will pair this over Bluetooth with PCs or mobile devices to keep its microSD card filled with content, content that must be run through a converter app prior to display. No MSRP was announced, but given its focus on the corporate clientele it will surely be priced accordingly when it ships early this June. Update: Will commented to let us know this will apparently retail for ¥140,000, or just shy of $1,500. So, yeah, not really aiming for the consumer market here.[Via Engadget Japanese]
Amazon's Kindle for iPhone hits the App Store
Sure, Amazon could pit the Kindle squarely against phone- and PDA-based e-book apps, but why not play both sides? The company had previously mentioned its desire to embrace non-Kindle devices in its digital delivery ecosystem, and the first fruits of that labor have now hit the iPhone App Store. The uncreatively-named Kindle for iPhone allows you access to all of your Kindle content right from the comfort of your iPhone or iPod touch, and if you have the good fortune of owning an honest-to-goodness Kindle, Whispersync will kick in to keep your location synchronized between readers. It's a huge win for owners of both devices, considering that the Kindle's still just a little bit big to be carrying everywhere you go, but your phone -- well, if you don't have that everywhere you go, you're just plain weird. [Warning: iTunes link] [Via The iPhone Blog]
iriver Japan looking to brand its own e-reader?
It's a touch early to truly understand what's going on here, but it looks as if iriver Japan (read: not the same iriver Korea you're used to) is hoping to make a splash in the burgeoning e-reader market by popping out a device of its own. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much innovation going on, as we're pretty certain this is simply a rebadged version of the Netronix reader we spotted about this time last year. Word has it that the unit will handle PDFs and feature a simple joystick control scheme, an SD card slot and compatibility with music files. We'll be keeping a close eye out for any developments, but our gut tells us this thing won't make it far outside of Japan's walls, anyway.
