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Fiske’s Reading Machine was a pre-silicon Kindle
E-readers have become one of the most pervasive pieces of tech for many reasons. They survive alongside tablets because they're accessible -- Amazon's entry-level Kindle is just $80 -- and don't require daily charging. E-ink displays don't strain your eyes nearly as much as backlit screens, nor do they keep you up at night. Above all else, though, they can hold the entire works of Shakespeare countless times over while being thinner and lighter than any paperback. But this idea of portability, of condensing the written word into a format only a device can understand, is older than The Great Gatsby. It can be traced back to the early 1920s, and the invention of the Fiske Reading Machine.
Amazon Kindle finally supports Arabic language books
Arabic language authors don't get many opportunities in the e-book world, whether it's due to a basic lack of support for the language (which reads right-to-left, is written in cursive and includes pronunciation marks) or the complexities of distributing the books in the first place. Amazon may be making it easier, though -- it's launching support for Arabic language books on Kindle devices and apps, including a dedicated section on the Kindle Store. The texts support all the same font adjustment, search and highlighting features you'd expect in other languages, while over 12,000 books are available worldwide.
Amazon's gold Kindle Oasis reminds everyone how rich you are (updated)
The Kindle Oasis is a conspicuous display of wealth by its very nature (you have money to burn if you can spend $250 on an e-reader in 2018), but apparently Amazon didn't think it was ostentatious enough. The internet giant is taking US pre-orders for a Champagne Gold version of the Oasis that includes the same 7-inch screen, water resistance and Audible support of the regular black model, just in a slightly garish I-have-money color. Amazon pitches it as a stylish option ideal for "Mom or the fashionable traveler." Let's be real, though -- you're buying it because you want to be seen using it.
The Nook GlowLight 3 is better suited for night-time reading
The battle of competing e-readers has all been won by Amazon's Kindle line of products, but there still manage to be a few sorties here and there from the sidelines. Kobo just announced a more capacious Aura reader, and now Barnes and Noble is actually trying one more time with a new version of its E Ink Nook reader, the $120 GlowLight 3, available for pre-order now and for purchase in stores on November 8th.
Sony's latest E Ink tablet comes to the US in June
Did you see Sony's second-generation Digital Paper and realize you found your dream e-reader? If so, you'll get to do something about it very soon. Sony has announced that its latest 13.3-inch E Ink tablet (the DPT-RP1) will reach the US sometime in June, when it will sell for the previously announced $700. As mentioned in April, it's really about a lot of incremental improvements: you're most likely to notice the higher resolution (1,650 x 2,200), but the thinner, lighter design and NFC unlocking will also be helpful. The centerpiece remains the ability to read and annotate documents in exceptional detail -- this is aimed at pros and students who need to plow through complex documents like research papers.
Kobo's latest waterproof e-reader is sized for poolside reading
Kobo's Aura One e-reader was potentially the dream device for anyone who likes to read in the bath or at the beach, but it had some catches. Its big 7.8-inch screen didn't make it the most portable device around, and that $229 price could be off-putting if you just wanted to read a novel now and then. Enter the just-introduced Aura H2O -- the new e-reader is still as waterproof as the One, and shares the same smart lighting that reduces blue light at night (in theory, to help you sleep). Its 6.8-inch touchscreen is decidedly easier to hold during longer siestas, while the $180 price (£150 in the UK) might simplify your purchasing decision.
Kobo is the next to offer an e-book subscription service
All-you-can-read e-book subscriptions are nothing new (just ask Amazon), but Kobo is just now joining the fray. It's launching Kobo Plus, a service that offers unlimited reading of eligible books (currently 40,000 titles) for a flat monthly fee. While there aren't any surprising attempts to shake up the basic subscription formula, you probably won't complain if you prefer Kobo's e-readers or mobile apps -- you no longer have to buy every single title that piques your interest.
Amazon Japan's manga-ready Kindle has 8 times the storage
Amazon Japan has an unusual challenge with the Kindle: it not only has to cater to your typical bookworm, but to a local fondness for image-heavy (and thus storage-intensive) manga books. What it's going to do? Release a special model just for those readers, apparently. The company has introduced a manga version of the Kindle Paperwhite with 32GB of storage, or eight times as much space as the run-of-the-mill 4GB model. You could cram every single volume of Asari-chan, Kochikame and Naruto into this e-reader, Amazon says. On top of that, a 33 percent faster page turning speed promises to keep you engrossed in your comics.
Amazon's Kindle for Kids bundle offers children's books for $99
To offer kids a way to read via Kindle, Amazon is back with another $99 bundle. The Kindle for Kids offer combines the latest e-reader with a cover and a "2-year worry-free guarantee." It's meant to boost reading habits for children complete with tools for tracking reading goals, building vocabulary and access to 250,000 kids titles. Users can also borrow digital versions of books from their local library. Unlike the regular Kindle, this model doesn't come equipped with a backlight so it can't be used in the dark. When the lights are turned off for bed, reading time is over.
Google wants to help find your next book to read
It doesn't matter if you've got the biggest or best shop in the world if you can't connect people to the things that they want. It's an issue that Google is hoping to address in its electronic bookstore with the launch of Discover, a new way to show people stuff they want to read. The service is designed to replace the human booksellers you used to find in Barnes & Noble, offering up recommendations and reviews for stuff you should read.
Amazon will donate Kindles to promote digital reading
Amazon aims to promote digital reading around the world and has established a new program called Kindle Reading Fund to achieve that goal. The Fund will be in charge of donating Kindle e-readers, Fire tablets and ebooks to various recipients, such as reading programs in developing nations. To make sure its devices reach the people who need them, the tech titan has joined forces with Worldreader, a non-profit that provides e-books to children and families in the developing world to promote literacy. The two already worked together in previous projects, according to TechCrunch, including bringing digital reading materials to 61 Kenyan libraries.
Kobo's new Aura One e-reader is big and waterproof
Whether you read before bed, in the bathtub, during your commute or at the beach, Kobo wants to be there for you. The e-reader maker just released the $229 Aura One, a 7.8-inch waterproof slate that features a colored backlight for better nighttime reading. I've been trying to find time to read with an Aura One for the past week, and I have to admit the tub and bedtime friendliness of the device are huge benefits.
Amazon Singles Classics brings stories from magazines to Kindle
If you're looking for some new reading material on your Kindle or inside Amazon's reading app, you're in luck. The online retailer announced Singles Classics: a collection of essays and stories from "well-known authors" that were published in "top magazines and periodicals." In fact, some of the selections will be available digitally for the first time. The articles are priced at $0.99 and up, but Kindle Unlimited subscribers are privy to the content at no extra charge.
Waterstones is done selling e-books
Waterstones is well and truly getting back to basics today, as it has dropped e-books and audiobooks from its online store. The digital libraries of Waterstones customers will remain accessible until June 13th, with Kobo taking over the following day. Those affected will be emailed instructions of how they can migrate their e-book collection over to Kobo's platform, where their purchases will live on. Audiobook libraries will also disappear mid-June, but there's no fallback service, so make sure you download the MP3s associated with your Waterstones account before it's too late.
Graphene e-paper is brighter and bendier
Who said that e-paper was old stuff? Certainly not China -- the country's Guangzhou OED Technologies has created what it says is the world's first graphene-based e-paper. The extremely strong yet light material promises very thin screens that are both brighter and more flexible. You could get e-readers that are easier to read on a sunny day, for instance, or activity trackers that can put up with more abuse. It should even be less expensive, as graphene's carbon is much easier to find than the exotic indium metal you see in conventional e-paper.
Amazon's high-end Kindle Oasis is sleek, sharp and pricey
Jeff Bezos probably wasn't pleased to see his surprise spoiled this week, but e-book fans still have reason to get pumped. Amazon just pulled back the curtain on its new premium reader, the Kindle Oasis, and it's the slimmest and sleekest model the company has put out yet. Of course, with a price starting at $290 (£270), it's also one of the most expensive. As Amazon tells it, all the decisions were made with one goal in mind: to let the hardware itself almost disappear from view so that readers can lose themselves in their stories.
Your old Amazon Kindle needs an update to stay online
Most Kindle updates focus on nice-to-have improvements, but this is one you won't want to ignore. Amazon is warning owners of pre-2013 Kindles (that is, the original Kindle Paperwhite and earlier) that they need to update to recent software before March 22nd if they want to stay online. If you're rocking one of the older e-readers and don't heed the advice, you'll lose access to the Kindle Store, your books in the cloud, and anything else that depends on Kindle services -- basically, some of the reasons you bought a Kindle in the first place.
Kindle e-reader update gives quick access to your books
Who said that dedicated e-readers were dead? Certainly not Amazon. It's rolling out a major Kindle reader update that breathes new life into your e-paper experience. The most conspicuous improvement is a brand new home screen that highlights your most recent books, your reading list and personalized recommendations. You also have quick access to common settings like airplane mode, easier sharing (particularly for Goodreads) and an easy way to see the books that aren't on your device.
Amazon's $250 Fire bundle will feed your reading habit
If you've been eyeing an e-reader for that special someone this holiday, Amazon has a new bundle that could do the trick. The online retailer announced what it's calling the Reader's Edition of the Fire HD 8. In addition to the reading gadget itself, the $250 price includes a year of books from Kindle Unlimited and a leather cover. If you were to pay separately, the Kindle Unlimited subscription alone would cost you $120 for 12 months.
Amazon brings its white Kindle to the UK
Amazon offers a range of different Kindle e-readers depending on your budget, but they normally always come in black. If you've wanted to stand out from the crowd, the only option has been to buy a colourful case or import a white model from Japan or China. Now, UK customers can enjoy a little bit more variety after the retailer decided to bring the white version east for the first time. It offers all of the same features as its black counterpart, including the 800 x 600 e-paper touchscreen, WiFi, 4GB of storage and the £60 price tag, and will ship from today.
