E-bookReader
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Amazon confirms international Kindle DX is on the way too
Amazon made a fairly big splash in announcing that the standard-issue Kindle would finally be available in an international edition, but it's now also rather quietly confirmed that the larger Kindle DX will be soon become a bit of a globetrotter as well. Unfortunately, it's also considerably more light on details this time around, although Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener does say that the international Kindle DX will come out "sometime next year," and we can only presume that it'll demand a similar premium to its smaller counterpart (which is $20 more expensive than the US-only version).
International Kindle ships October 19 to over 100 countries for $279, 'US' edition falls to $259
We can't say that we never saw this day coming, but we definitely didn't it see it coming today. After months of forcing us to twiddle our thumbs (and a good bit of pressure from other e-reader players), Amazon has finally taken the Kindle international. Aside from being able to wirelessly download content in over 100 countries and territories, the 6-inch device is the same as it ever was. The $279 price tag on the Kindle U.S. & International Wireless now represents a $20 premium over the standard Kindle, which simultaneously fell from $299 to $259 in price and picked up a new label ("Kindle U.S. Wireless"). The extra Jackson is evidently there to cover the inevitable roaming charges that'll occur when downloading new content overseas, but given AT&T's extensive global roaming footprint (yeah, the global reader is tied to AT&T, not Sprint), you should be covered in most every nation fit to visit. Feel free to place your pre-order now, and get ready for a new life as a globetrotting digital bookworm come October 19th.Update: Just saw this in the fine print: "When traveling abroad, you can download books wirelessly from the Kindle Store or your Archived Items for a fee of $1.99." [Thanks, Tom]Read - Kindle goes internationalRead - US Kindle falls to $259
AUO aims for $100 e-book readers by 2011
E-book readers have certainly been getting better and cheaper lately, but it looks like display-maker AUO thinks there's still plenty of room for improvement, and it's now promising to cut the price of 'em fully in half within two years. The key to that, obviously, is to make the displays cheaper, which AUO says it can do by not only improving the technology, but by taking advantage of the sheer scale of its production capabilities. That, it says, could allow for a $150 e-book reader by next year, and a $100 reader by 2011. What's more, AUO also says that it expects both Amazon and Sony to get "some" of their displays from AUO (with the rest coming from industry leader Prime View) which, if you put two and two together, could pave the way for some cheaper Kindles and Sony Readers in the not too distant future.
Amazon clarifies Kindle book-deletion policy, can still delete books
Amazon might have been extremely contrite about remotely deleting 1984 from Kindles, but a Jeff Bezos apology and an offer to restore the book doesn't necessarily add up to a meaningful change in policy. As part of the settlement with that student who sued over the 1984 situation, Amazon's had to clarify its remote-deletion guidelines, and they're pretty much the same as ever: they'll hit the kill switch if you ask for a refund or if your credit card is declined, if a judge orders them to, or if they need to protect the Kindle or the network from malware. Sounds simple, right? Well, sort of -- saying they'll delete content at the behest of judicial or regulatory decree pretty much leaves the door open to exactly the same situation as the 1984 debacle, just a couple procedural steps down the line and with less blame placed on Amazon. If you'll recall, 1984 was deleted after the publisher was sued for not having the proper rights, and Amazon took the proactive step of deleting the content -- and although Amazon won't do that on its own anymore, all it takes now is one strongly-worded motion before a sympathetic judge and we're back at square one. That's pretty troubling -- no judge can order a physical bookseller to come into your house and retrieve a book they've sold you, and saying things are different for the Kindle raises some interesting questions about what Amazon thinks "ownership" means. We'll see how this one plays out in practice, though -- we're hoping Amazon never has to pull that switch again.
Kindle coming to the UK in October? Amazon might just tell us next week
Wanna know what we love? Authoritative sources. That fine breed of people who don't like keeping important secrets is back with another hit, this time suggesting that Amazon has finally tied up all the loose ends and is ready to bring the Kindle to Blighty. This implies Qualcomm has done its rumored job of putting together a 3G and WiFi connectivity package with one of the UK's mobile operators, and all that remains to be done now is the old dotting and crossing of i's and t's. An official announcement -- which should tell us whether the Kindle 2 will be joined by the chunkier Kindle DX -- is expected some time ahead of the Frankfurt Book Fair, which commences on October 14. [Via Pocket lint]
Bookeen now shipping $280 Cybook Opus e-reader
We admire Bookeen's resilience here, we really do. After last hearing about this e-book reader in May, we sort of assumed it had just given up on the matter. After all, it's WiFi-less and yet still as pricey as many of its rivals. That said, the Cybook Opus certainly looks different than most every other reader out there, so surely that counts for something. We're not saying it counts for $280, but if you are, you're approximately 1.389 clicks away from having one shipped to your domicile.[Via GizmoScene]%Gallery-73754%
Barnes and Noble e-book reader hits the FCC
Barnes and Noble, the United State's largest book seller has filed with the FCC its own e-book reader, as it's insinuated in the attached Agent Authorization Letter. The dipping of the toes into the digital text industry isn't as peculiar as, say Discovery Communications, since Barnes and Noble already has some known precedence in the e-book reader market, partnering with Plastic Logic as their "exclusive eBookstore provider" -- this may very well be the Plastic Logic reader, but there's no indication one way or another. Chances are it'll be some time before we know, as all external and internal photos are under a confidentiality extension for 180 days as of September 3rd, or about six months from now. See you in Spring 2010!
Netronix sneaking 9.7-inch display, hopes and dreams into forthcoming EB900 e-reader
You've just got to admire an outfit like Netronix. Hardly anyone this side of Asia has heard of 'em, and with outfits like Amazon, Sony, Hearst and ASUS doing their darnedest to corner to rapidly expanding e-reader market, you know it has an uphill climb just to get some respect. That said, we're somewhat intrigued by what's on deck for Q1 2010; just a few months after its EB-600 and EB-500 readers were spotted at Computex, the company itself has confessed to having an expansive EB900 in the works. As with the Kindle DX, this bugger is destined to boast a 9.7-inch e-ink display, and you'll also find a 600MHz processor, WinCE 6.0-based operating system, touch support, a handwriting mode, built-in WiFi / Bluetooth / 3G WWAN and a USB socket for connecting to one's PC. The minuscule snapshot you see there to the right is all we've got to go by as far as images are concerned, but you can rest assured we'll be keeping an ear to the ground for more.[Thanks, Tom]
iriver Story e-book reader turns up in Berlin, deems itself too cool for IFA
Well, it may not have been officially on-hand at IFA, but it looks like at least one iriver Story e-book reader did make its way to Berlin, and Heise Online was lucky enough to spend a bit of time with it -- and take a few pics, of course. While it still bears an undeniable similarity to the Kindle 2, the differences become a bit more apparent up close, with the keyboard in particular sporting more traditional, squarer keys, and a complete lack of face buttons otherwise -- apart from what appears to be two built-in page turn buttons on each bottom corner. In addition to the previously revealed specs, Heise Online also confirmed the existence of a built-in Comic Viewer, an integrated microphone for dictation and, unfortunately, a lack of built-in WiFi (let alone 3G), meaning that the only way to get content on the device is via USB or SD cards. Hit up the link below for the rest of the pics and a few more details.
Alleged iRiver Story e-reader pics exemplify imitation as the sincerest form of flattery
We can't fault iRiver for striving to beat Kindle at its game, but to be Kindle is a different story altogether. A Korea-based MobileRead forum member posted a trio of pics that apparently show off the company's up e-book reader, aptly titled the Story. Here's the scoop as "dasony" tells it: the talented Mr. Ripley here sports a 6-inch screen, physical QWERTY keys, up to 32GB expandable memory, 9,000 page turns (per charge, we presume), a comic viewer, and support for PDF, EPUB, and a number of word / document files. Its local affiliation includes book store chain Kyobo and pre-orders will launch September 16th for around 350,000 to 400,000 KRW, or $282 to $322 in US currencies. Apparently iRiver's looking to expand it to other countries and is in talk with US and Russian retailers, although with that price, it's gonna have to pull out some surprise features and dark magick to compete with what Sony and Amazon are dealing. More pics of the book and its not-quite-svelte case in the gallery below. [Via Engadget German]
Discovery Communications patents e-book reader, why not?
Let's face it, at this point everyone is looking to get in on the e-book reader action. Back in February, broadcast television group Discovery Communication -- known for BBC America, Travel Channel, TLC, and Discovery Channel, naturally -- filed a patent for its own digital book reader back in February that's now surfacing online. There isn't a lot of concrete detail here, other than it runs the gamut of possible distribution options, including public libraries à la Sony's Daily Edition. In the picture above we've got hints of Cos News Services and US News and World Report, but that could very likely just be filler for the filing. It won't be nothing without partners, but if Discovery's serious, we're sure they've got a few phone numbers to call up and try to make a deal with. [Via Baltimore Sun; thanks, Tom]
Study finds Kindle more eco-friendly than actual books, maybe
A mass-produced piece of plastic and electronics more environmentally-friendly than a simple book? Possibly, at least according to a new study released by the Cleantech Group. While the group found that the Kindle's upfront environmental impact was indeed fairly significant, they also found that the numbers can change dramatically over the course of the device's lifecycle -- depending largely on the users' reading habits, of course. More specifically, they say that the Kindle can produce a potential savings of 1,074 kg of CO2 if it replaces three books a month for four years, or a whopping 26,098 kg of CO2 if the Kindle DX is used to its fullest capacity. They also found that the Kindle would still break even if it replaced just 22.5 books over its lifespan, although they're quick to point out that its impact can turn to a negative if folks continue to buy books and print periodicals in addition to e-books and don't recycle them.
Video: Sony Reader Touch Edition gets touched, desktop software upped to 3.0
Sony's Daily Edition may be taking a front row seat in everyone's hearts and minds right now, but let's not forget just three weeks prior the company revamped its other two, decidedly network connectivity-free e-book reader models. MobileTechReview got its hands on the PRS-600 "Touch Edition," which scores points for an easy-to-use dictionary and enhanced note-taking abilities that are purported to sync to the desktop, at least eventually. Turns out the screen isn't as sharp as the PRS-505 and there's a bit of glare, but there's certainly more contrast with the new device. Last we heard both readers were due for check out by the end of this month, although as of this writing only Pocket Edition seems to be available on Sony Style -- and if you're already enjoying a Sony reader, you'll be happy to know that 3.0 desktop software is now making the rounds for PC and Mac. Video after the break. [Thanks, Tom] Read - PRS-600 review Read - SonyStyle store Read - eBook Library Software 3.0
CourseSmart releases eTextbook reader for iPhone
We have no idea who would choose an iPhone app over a real, honest-to-goodness textbook, but if you really want to spend marathon cram sessions hunched over a 3.5-inch display, a company called CourseSmart has just made its entire catalog available for viewing with its eTextbooks app. Certainly, it seems that the company's selection is nothing to sneeze at -- electronic access to over 7,000 titles from 12 publishers -- so if you're already using the service, additional on-the-go access to the books (as well as the handy search, notes, and bookmarks) might prove quite worthwhile. Keep in mind that you're not actually downloading the books -- so your mileage will vary, depending on the quality of your Internet connection. Maybe this device is actually marketed to students who need a helping hand (or, in this case, handheld) during finals? Regardless, this is further evidence that the electronic textbook market is one to keep an eye on -- if only someone could figure out how to do it right. Now, if you'll excuse us, we'd like to get back to Knife Music. Video after the break. [Via PC World]
Sony takes Reader openness one step further, will offer EPUB titles only
Slowly but surely, the mega-corp who has historically clung tight to its own formats while the world opts for others is finally seeing the light. Just over a year after Sony pushed out an update that enabled its Reader to use purchased books in the open EPUB format, the outfit is now promising to sell digital books only in that format by the year's end. Moreover, Sony is aiming to nix its "proprietary anti-copying software in favor of technology from the software maker Adobe that restricts how often e-books can be shared or copied." Once the switchover takes place, books purchased in Sony's online store will be readable on any device that supports EPUB, one of which will be Plastic Logic's forthcoming e-reader. And to think -- if only this change of heart would've happened prior to the introduction of ATRAC...
How would you change Amazon's Kindle DX?
You didn't have to read much of our recent Kindle DX review to get a handle on our opinions of the super-sized e-reader, but as you've likely gleaned from the headline, this one's not about us. Instead, we're asking you to chime in with your take on this here device during this week's How Would You Change. Did you really gain anything from the larger screen? Have you found it useful in your line of work / education? Are you down on the keyboard? Given Amazon's history, we can't imagine that the DX will stay in this form forever, and listen, wouldn't you want to have a say in what gets changed on Revision B? Drop your most intimate thoughts on the matter below -- who knows, maybe Sir Bezos is tuning in just to cash in on your two pennies.
iRex readying wireless e-reader while Plastic Logic's own snags $299 price point
Who says the world stopped reading decades ago? With CES 2010 looming ever closer, it looks as if 2010 may end up being the year of the e-book reader. Amazon's got a few Kindles out, Sony's now vying to compete on price, Hearst is doing whatever it's doing, Plastic Logic is jumping in early next year and even iRex is purportedly hoping to issue a consumer-centric alternative. Speaking of those last two, we're hearing that Plastic Logic's long-awaited entrant into the e-book reading world will "be launched in the US at the beginning of next year at a similar price to the Kindle, which starts at $299," while a UK launch is expected in late 2010 or early 2011. As for iRex, the mockup you see above portrays a wireless device with an expansive 8.1-inch display, inbuitl 3G, a full touchscreen and a fall 2009 release date. 'Course, we're also hearing that this one will hover well above the $300 mark, so it's certainly not aimed at the budget-minded bookworms. So many syllables, so little time...[Thanks, Tom]Read - iRex readerRead - Plastic Logic pricing
Astak's $199 EZ Reader Pocket PRO wants to give Kindle 'a run for its money'
Last we heard from Astak, it was quietly peddling some off-the-wall Mentor e-book reader based on a drab OEM model that every other no-name reader manufacturer uses. Now, however, it seems the company has a bit more pep in its step (though it's still copying others, this time the BeBook), as it has proudly proclaimed that the new 5-inch EZ Reader Pocket PRO is primed to "give Amazon's Kindle a run for its money." With Adobe's blessing, the device is able to support over 20 open file formats along with DRM-laced PDF files; also of note, a sure-to-be-controversial text-to-speech feature can read back documents aloud. The six-ounce device will be available in a half dozen hues, and within you'll find a 400MHz processor, 512MB of memory, an SD expansion slot, 8-level grayscale E-ink screen, a replaceable battery good for 8,000 page turns per charge and an MP3 player that can operate in the background. Sadly, no wireless connectivity is baked in, but the $199 price point is definitely tantalizing. Anyone looking to get in on a pre-order before it ships later this month?
Sony Reader Pocket and Touch editions lower cost of entry, online e-book store follows suit
As it turns out, those Sony Reader leaks from earlier this week were spot on. The company just went official with the PRS-300 and 600, which will more affectionately be known as the Pocket and Touch editions, respectively. The latter (pictured left, not to scale) is the 6-inch resistive touchscreen model replacing the PRS-700, with Memory Stick / Duo and SD card slots. The backlighting layer from its predecessor has been dropped to improve touch responsiveness and to alleviate concerns of glare. It also comes packing a stylus and a digitized copy of the Oxford American English Dictionary and will be available in red, black, and silver. The Pocket Edition, on the other hand, is your standard fare with no touchscreen or expandable disk port, and palettes including blue, silver, and rose. Both models have USB 2.0, 512MB internal memory, and no WiFi whatsoever -- Sony assures us a WiFi version is coming and there'll be news on those coming soon, but this isn't it. There's also Mac compatibility, a first for the series, that's trickling down to older models via a firmware update. Touch and Pocket will be available by the end of August and will retail for $299 and $199, a substantially more competitive price point than its previous generation. Speaking of which, as of tomorrow, the Sony's e-book store is dropping the prices of its bestsellers from $11.99 to $9.99. A win all around, but will it be enough to make a dent in Kindle's stronghold? Things are certainly getting more interesting.
Full specs leak on Sony Reader PRS-300 and PRS-600
Still doubting that Sony has a new duo of e-book readers on the horizon? Have a look at this. Sony Insider is reporting that retailer J&R posted up product listings for both the PRS-300 and PRS-600, but both were quickly pulled in order to avoid a stern wrist slap from the suits at Sony. 'Course, neither were pulled quickly enough, and what we're left with is a list of full specifications and MSRPs for the both of 'em. If said sheets are to be believed, the 5-inch (800 x 600 resolution) Sony PRS300-RC Reader Pocket Edition will ship with 512MB of onboard memory, PC and Mac support, a battery good for 7,500 page turns and USB 2.0 connectivity. The 6-inch (800 x 600 resolution) PRS600-SC Reader Touch Edition checks in at 0.4-inches thin and boasts a virtual keyboard, doodle capability, 512MB of storage, a built-in English e-dictionary, PC and Mac support and the same battery as on the smaller sibling. We're looking at price tags of $199 and $299, respectively, but with no apparent WiFi or WWAN built in, it'll still be a hard sell over Amazon's connected Kindle here in America.
