E-bookReader
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iriver Story e-reader shipping to US soil this month, WiFi version coming in Q2
iriver's first legitimate shot at making an e-reader has been floating around in various corners of the globe for months now, but finally we've confirmation from the company that the device is coming Stateside. Announced here in Las Vegas, the iriver Story will ship to US retailers later this month, with an "updated WiFi version" slated to ship in early Q2. For those who've forgotten, the 0.36-inch thick reader packs a 6-inch e-ink display, an integrated MP3 player, 2GB of internal memory, an SD expansion slot, USB 2.0 connectivity and a battery good for 9,000 page turns. As for the MSRP? iriver tells us it'll be "competitively priced," with more details to be released as "content and retail partners are finalized." %Gallery-81513%
Interead expands COOL-ER e-reader line-up, announces additional content
Interead already let out some early word about its COOL-ER 3G e-book reader with a little help from AT&T, but it's now made things doubly official, and also take the opportunity to announce a new WiFi-equipped COOL-ER Connect model. While details on it are still a bit light, the reader will apparently boast a touchscreen of some sort, weigh just 5.8 ounces, and be available sometime this Spring (the COOL-ER 3G will follow in "mid-2010"). What's more, Interead has also now announced a new range of content offerings for its e-book readers, including the Coolermatic application, which will give users access to more than 1,400 newspapers, along with "select websites," and even Twitter feeds (no posting though, it seems). Still nothing in the way of pricing, but we're hoping Interead will have more to say about that once CES fully gets underway.
Paradigm Shift intros 5- and 7-inch readers with color (LCD) displays
It looks as if we're still waiting patiently for color e-ink to become a reality (at least in a mass produced shipping product), but if you're kosher with low-energy consumption LCDs, Paradigm Shift has the ticket. Similar to Sungale's Cyberus ID700WTA, the outfit's 5-inch EER-051 and 7-inch EER-071WF are both e-readers with color, but neither boast e-ink displays. The former includes 1GB of built-in memory, an SD expansion slot, an integrated MP3 player and support for just about any kind of ebook file (non-encrypted EPUB included). The latter steps up to 2GB of memory, and thanks to the Windows CE operating system, it'll also handle Office files and the like when it's not flipping text. Both devices are expected to ship in February through Delstar here in the States, with the 5-incher available in a rainbow's worth of hues for $149.95 and the big boy in black or white for $50 more. The full release is after the break. %Gallery-81074%
Dulin's Books brings Onxy's 6-inch Boox 60 e-reader to US shores for $349
It has taken longer than anticipated, but the Boox e-reader that we toyed with at CeBIT earlier this year is finally available for order here in the US of A, with shipments expected to begin in a fortnight. Onyx International's 6-inch reader -- which features WiFi, a Vizplex e-ink display, a 532MHz processor, 512MB of memory, a 1,600mAh battery and an SD / SDHC expansion slot -- is bring slung across the seas courtesy of Dulin's Books, and while it won't ship with integrated 3G support, it's still coming here with a lofty $349 price tag affixed to it. Sure, that WebKit browser may impress some, and the bundled white leather cover is a pleasant touch, but we can only wish it luck as it tries to rival the (less expensive and more capable) Nook and Kindle. [Thanks, Jorge]
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]
Kindle most gifted item in Amazon's history, e-books outsell physical tomes on Christmas Day
We're still not about say the e-book reader industry has branched out beyond the infancy stage, but one of its flagship products certainly has reason to celebrate. Amazon has announced it's hit some pretty big milestones with the Kindle. The two bullet points it's currently touting loudest is that the reader has become "the most gifted item" in the company's history -- quite an achievement given the size of the online retailer, but what's missing here is any quantitative sales data to give us even a ballpark of the number of units sold. The other big news is that on Christmas Day (we're guessing not Christmas Eve, else the press release surely would've mentioned it, too), e-book sales actually outsold physical books. Those brand new Kindle owners needed something to read, right? It'll be interesting to see if that momentum is maintained through next year, especially with some major publishers starting to show some teeth with digital delays. The Kindle bits were all part of Amazon's annual post-holiday statistical breakdown, so in case you're wondering, besides Kindle, the company is claiming its other top-selling electronics were the 8GB iPod Touch and Garmin nuvi260W, and in the wireless department the honor goes to Nokia's unlocked 5800 XpressMusic, Plantronic's 510 Bluetooth headset, and AT&T's edition of the BlackBerry Bold 9700. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
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]
Sony Reader Daily Edition starts shipping, gets more newspapers
Sony hedged its bets a bit in committing to ship date for its Reader Daily Edition when it first announced it, but it looks like it's managed to get the first ones out the door on the early end of its December 18th to January 8th estimate, with the initial batch of pre-orders shipping today. Unfortunately, anyone that didn't pre-order the e-reader is out of luck for the time being, as it's now back-ordered with a new estimated ship date of January 15th. In related news, Sony has also announced that it's signed up an additional 16 publications that will be offering wirelessly-delivered subscriptions on the Daily Edition, including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News, The Baltimore Sun, and The Denver Post. None of those are exclusive to Sony, however, unlike the News Corp-owned publications that were announced last week.
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?
Sony staying conservative with Reader device, aware of current tablet mania
Sony's Sir Howard Stringer played the tease at today's Reader content partnership presser, stating that while Sony could make the device into a multimedia tablet, it would rather wait and see if consumers warm up to current devices. Stringer's watching if people find the form factor "comfortable and helpful" before Sony starts "plowing on a thousand apps" or building a "Vaio Reader." We don't really know how much e-reader acceptance points to the demand for color multimedia tablets, but in regards to the (non-existant, ever-present) Apple Tablet, Stringer says "we're all working on variations of the same thing." Hopefully we'll figure out what exactly he means by that before we grow old and start reading books or something horrible like that.
Borders and Kobo join forces for e-reader device they can call their own
Fashionably late to the e-book handheld party, Borders and Kobo announced today a partnership that includes plans to develop and release both an e-reader and e-book service. Mum's the official word on hardware, but The New York Times Bits blog is claiming there'll be "more than one version" released, all with wireless connectivity and all sold at Borders retail locations, naturally. Unfortunately, there's no release date or window mentioned on that front. As for the service, the duo are taking a page from Barnes & Noble's playbook and claiming device neutrality, meaning they'd like to see their ePub-focused platform available to any and all devices possible, form mobile to desktop and everything in between. Sounds great, but what we're really keen to hear about is this new e-reader -- let's hope they've been taking notes on the successes and failures of their most immediate competitors.
HarperCollins now also thumbing nose at e-book industry with digital delay
Joining Simon & Schuster and Hachette Book Group (Stephanie Meyer, James Patterson) in delaying e-books months after their hardcover releases? HarperCollins, home to Neil Gaiman and the Lemony Snicket series. Beginning in 2010, five to ten books released each month will be given a physical head start lasting anywhere from four weeks to six months. Similar justification as before, the prevailing worry is that the cheaper digital copies so early in a title's release will make for "fewer literary choices for customers" because publishers won't be as willing to take a risk on new writers. It's not necessarily the most sound of arguments, but still we can imagine some short term harm to the e-book industry. Question is, how long can these arbitrary delays last? [Thanks, Joe]
Simon & Schuster imposing four-month delay on e-book versions of major upcoming releases
After hardcover and before paperback. In Simon & Schuster CEO Carolyn Reidy's mind, this is when we as consumers should be expecting the digital copies of our favorite page turners to come out. Putting money where its mouth is, so to speak, the company has announced that for around 35 of its major releases coming early next year, the e-book iterations won't be out until four months after the physical releases. Seeing as hardcovers can debut at $27 while their digital equivalents can run $10 or less, Reidy notes one of the driving motivations behind this move is to curb consumer expectations that a new novel is worth only one Alexander Hamilton. It's a historically valid concern, especially when you consider how iTunes taught us that songs are only worth $1 apiece, but in the long-term, we don't expect this delay-on-digital trend to stay afloat. The e-book business is growing, and that delay is too artificial for its own good -- at some point, the argument's going to have to shift back to day-and-date pricing tiers. We'll be very interested to see just how this paper-borne release gap pans out from a sales standpoint.
Barnes & Noble Nook now arriving to customers
There was a definite moment of utter pre-launch confusion there, but it looks like the Barnes & Noble Nook is indeed shipping to customers -- reader Peter just sent in this photo of his cold chilling on a desk. We'll see if B&N can crank out the rest of its pre-orders before the holidays, but at least there's hope now -- and we can always tell you where Peter lives if that doesn't work out. [Thanks, Peter]
Interead COOL-ER 3G e-reader announced, adds wireless to the mix
We are already fans of the COOL-ER e-reader: if anything, its playful look and decent price point has brought a smile to our embittered faces. But still, the lack of WiFi and a Whispernet equivalent is something of a buzzkill -- who wants to rely on a USB cable or SD card in this day and age? Good news, digital book fans: Interead has big changes in store for next year, including the aforementioned WiFi and deals with AT&T for bandwidth and NewspaperDirect for access to over 1,300 newspapers and magazines. Not bad, eh? If all goes according to plan, we can expect to see the COOL-ER 3G sometime in mid-2010. Hopefully, they can set the MSRP low enough to keep consumers' interest. PR after the break.
Aluratek Libre eBook Reader PRO sports monochrome reflective LCD, $179 pricetag
The stranglehold E-Ink has had on the e-book market is slipping. We've seen the tantalizing promises of Pixel Qi, mixing a color LCD with a low-power reflective display, but in the here and now we've got a new LCD-based e-reader from Aluratek. Extensively dubbed the "Libre eBook Reader PRO," the unit uses an unnamed 5-inch monochrome reflective LCD panel, with 24 hours of continuous use off a battery charge. Not as great as E-Ink, but it should be plenty for most people, and the resultant $179 price is hard to knock. The Libre is ePUB and PDF compatible, and comes with a 2GB SD card -- just the right sort of barebones-yet-functional we appreciate. We'll have to see how well that LCD performs in person before we pull the trigger, but for people looking for an alternative to the premium devices out there (or something with a faster page refresh rate), it might just fit the bill.
Amazon beefing up Kindle's functionality for vision-impared users as B&N's Nook stays silent
While the Amazon Kindle's text-to-speech functionality might seem like a gimmick for some, it's anything but for blind, vision-impaired and dyslexic users. Unfortunately, the device's accessibility so far hasn't extended to the menus. That's set to change next year, however, with Amazon promising to release an audible menuing system for navigating the unit look-free. Amazon's also prepping a new "super size" font, that doubles the current largest font in height and width. It all sounds great, but it also seems like a subtle dig at Barnes & Noble, whose brand new Nook reader is skipping out on text-to-speech (for this generation, anyway). Barnes & Noble claims that it's due to the sub-par experience on "other devices," but for now that means the Kindle might just be most accessible dedicated e-reader around -- at least once this new software rolls out, supposedly by summer 2010.
Entourage Edge e-reader shows off its softer-ware side on video
Can't get enough of the Entourage Edge? We feel you. It's easily a sight for sore eyes in the pool of me-too e-readers, and while we've learned that it has plenty of power under the hood to handle quite a few desirable tasks, we've yet to really see the software do its thing in any real capacity. Until now, of course. The video posted up after the break is as good a look of the inner workings as we've seen, and the company has contacted us directly to affirm that the Feburary 2010 ship date is still on track. To be honest, we're really digging what we're seeing on screen, but a premedidated demonstration and real-world usability are certainly horses of different hues. Here's hoping we get a tick to play with a production unit ourselves at CES, but till then, you know where to head.
Marvell's Armada chip bringing 'HD-quality video, 3D graphics support' to Entourage Edge
We already knew that a potent Marvell chip was under the hood of Spring Design's Alex, but at long last the mystery surrounding the powerhouse within Entourage's Edge is no more. The Armada PXA168 processor will be responsible for steering the world's first "Dualbook" through the stormy seas that'll be created once crazed consumers get ahold of this thing, and while we've no idea if the software will actually support this laundry list of capabilities, the chip should have no issue with "full-featured web browsing, multi-format video and image processing." More specifically, we're informed that "HD-quality video and 3D graphics" will be supported, which could obviously lead to some pretty interesting applications (you know, like actual web surfing on an e-reader). Hop on past the break for a brief look at an early generation model as well as a functioning version of what should hopefully hit shelves in early 2010.
iriver Story reviewed, incites rebellion over price
If you didn't feel you got the whole Story yesterday, here's a pleasing helping of seconds, this time in the form of a full-on review. The PC Pro team rates iriver's Kindle emulator as a "serious contender," and places its readability on par with Sony's touch-less Readers. While congratulations are also meted out for a decent integrated MP3 player, 3.5mm headphone jack, and the wide variety of supported formats, two issues stood out for the reviewers. One was that the support for Word, Excel and Powerpoint files was somewhat hit-and-miss, with zooming sometimes not working and rendering some files unreadable. But the major gripe related to the asking price of £230 including taxes (around $380), which the Story was not considered capable of justifying. Hit the link below for more -- even if your interest is purely academic.
