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Kindle Touch updated with new UI, Whipersync for Voice and comic book navigation
Still have an old Kindle Touch sitting around? You have some new features to play with. Despite replacing it with a brighter son, Amazon is still updating its original touch sensitive e-reader -- outfitting it with a new UI, enhanced parental controls and Whispersync for Voice, which shares bookmarks between audio and text versions of the same digital tome. Amazon's improved the Kindle Touch shopping experience too, adding recommended content offers to users and remembering where they left off in a sample after they purchase the full text. Finally, the company injected the Kindle Touch with better comic and graphic novel navigation -- allowing readers to view their funnybooks panel by panel, rather than by the full page alone. The update will be delivered wirelessly, though users that fancy their USB cable can install the new features the old fashioned way. Check out Amazon's "what's new with Kindle Touch" page for a run down of the update's features.
Smart textbook maker Kno introduces Kno Me, adding stats to studying
Kno turns old-fashioned educational textbooks into interactive learning experiences. Adding links, multimedia and features like flashcards and quizzes, Kno already offers a powerful experience for students. Of course there are tools for adding notes, comments and such, but each student also has their own account, so those annotations and highlights are available across devices through Kno Cloud. Kno Me, launching today, adds a slew of metrics to help students see how much they are studying and can compare those stats to other students. That might sound a little crazy, but it's really quite useful for students to see how much time they've spent reading, using flashcards and more. Of course all of this looks great on the iPad. After a few minutes of playing with a Kno textbook (they partner with publishers to bring quality, approved content in) I was suitably impressed that this wasn't a CD-ROM fallacy of advancing education. Instead of a ton of flashy elements, Kno adds just enough to the experience to make the information intriguing and useful to students. Kno Me is a great addition to a strong contender in the interactive textbook business. Full press release below. Show full PR text KNO, A LEADER IN EDUCATION SOFTWARE, ASKS STUDENTS "ARE YOU STUDYING TOO MUCH?!?" Introducing Kno Me, a Visual Dashboard for Students to Review Their Own Study Engagement and Even Share with Classmates Consumer Electronics Show 2013, Las Vegas, NV - January 9, 2013 – Today, Kno, Inc., www.kno.com, a leader in education software, launched Kno Me, a personal study dashboard that helps students measure their engagement with each Kno eTextbook they use. Students can check-in frequently to see near real time stats on their study behavior, interaction levels, time management and personal progress. And with Kno Me social sharing, students can opt-in to share their results with peers and even follow the engagement levels of other classmates (perhaps the best student in the class). "The question we want to help students answer is 'How much am I really studying?' If you're a student, you don't know the answer until you get your grade, and if it's bad, it's too late," said Osman Rashid, CEO and Co-Founder of Kno. "Now, with Kno Me, you see near real time progress and get smart feedback on your own study habits, and you can compare results with your classmates. Kno Me is like a personal learning GPS that helps you locate where you are in your studies and see where you need to go." The study insights available from Kno Me are based on Kno's proprietary analytics platform, including the average time a student spends interacting with the textbook and time within specific chapters, the percentage of pages in the chapter the student annotates, and the percentage of glossary terms the student has mastered. Kno Me is available on all Kno interactive textbooks for iPad, Windows 8, and web browsers and will soon be available for Android and Windows 7. Kno is committed to making learning more engaging and efficient. Independent research shows that making content interactive promotes engaged learning and helps students retain information. And when students use features like highlighting, journaling, and flash cards, students no longer need to spend time preparing study materials-they can simply study. Kno offers interactive textbooks for K-12 and higher education students. At Kno.com, students can find over 200,000 digital titles from 65 leading textbook publishers. Kno's digital textbooks provide over 70 interactive features that are designed to increase learning efficiencies and engagement, saving students up to 90 minutes a week in study time per book. About Kno Kno, Inc. is an education software company on a mission to make learning engaging, effective, and social for students. Osman Rashid, the co-founder of Chegg, and Babur Habib, a consumer electronics veteran, founded Kno, Inc. in May 2009. The company has received funding from Andreessen Horowitz, Intel Capital, Goldman Sachs, FLOODGATE and GSV Capital and is based in Santa Clara, California. For more information, go to www.kno.com, or follow Kno at http://facebook.com/GoodtoKno and http://twitter.com/GoodtoKNO
Dawn of the Aspects Part 1 to release February 2013
Part one of World of Warcraft: Dawn of the Aspects will see its release a little later than previous reported at NYCC last year. Simon & Schuster currently has the release date set for February 19, 2013. Unlike previous Warcraft novels, Dawn of the Aspects will be released in parts as an ebook rather than a print novel. Part one will be available for $1.99, with four more parts to follow over the coming year. And for those that can't wait, we've got an exclusive look at the full cover for the upcoming novel after the break. Penned by Richard Knaak, Dawn of the Aspects explores the relationship between the proto-drakes of Northrend and the Aspects of here and now. Even though Deathwing has been taken care of and the Hour of Twilight has been halted, the question of what comes next for the Dragon Aspects is still unanswered. With their powers expended, how can any of the Aspects, or even dragonkind for that matter, hope to still make a difference in the world?
Apple's iBookstore to hit Japan this year
Before Apple rolled out the iBookstore in Japan in 2010, it failed to negotiate the necessary contracts with Japan's biggest book publishers. As a result, the iBookstore in Japan was stocked predominately with free, public domain e-books. The only paid e-books in the store have been from very small publishers or self-published authors. That's set to change later this year, according to AllThingsD. Citing "sources with knowledge of the situation," AllThingsD follows up on an earlier report by Nekkie, which claims that books from major Japanese publishers will be on sale on the iBookstore later this month. Now, AllThingsD says a January launch date is "far too optimistic a date for launch." However, they claim that Apple's conversations with publishers Kodansha, Shogakukan and Kadokawa are "going well" and that the companies will have deals settled "soon." In October, Apple updated the iBooks app to support Japanese-language e-books.
Apple suspends 'most favored nation' in European iBookstore for 5 years
Apple has sent an email to e-book publishers selling in European iBookstores noting that the "most favored nation" clause has been suspended until December 8, 2017, setteB.IT notes on Twitter. The change removes the phrase from the book-selling contract, which prevented publishers from selling e-books via other distributors at a price lower than Apple's. The European Commission has been conducting an anti-trust investigation of e-book pricing, and the group reached a settlement with Apple earlier this week. This change is seen as a result of that settlement. [Via MacRumors]
Barnes & Noble cut the price of Nook Tablet, Nook Color once more, really wants them on your Christmas list
Barnes & Noble recently took the wraps of two new tablets, updating its range (along with everyone else it seems) in preparation for next year. That doesn't mean it's washed its hands of the OG Nook tablet and Nook Color -- in fact, both just got another price cut. Starting tomorrow, you'll be able to pick up the original 8GB tablet for $159, the 16GB version for $179 and the Nook Color for $139. With two price cuts in three months, anyone would think it was trying to get rid of stock. This still puts last year's lower capacity model shoulder-to-shoulder with Amazon's 2012 Kindle Fire (with ad subsidies), but with Christmas just around the corner, we're not complaining about more choice for less dollars.
iBookstore lines its shelves with paid content in New Zealand, 17 Latin American countries
iDevice owners in New Zealand and 17 Latin American countries are no longer restricted to a diet composed of free content when it comes to their respective iBookstores. A quick search of the storefronts will reveal virtual shelves stocked with paid-content that haven't yet found their way to the shops' homepages. Reside in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru or Venezuela? Head on over to the appropriate store and books with price tags will be available for purchase. If this is any sign of what Apple has up its sleeve for tomorrow, we suspect that "a little more" will involve a bit of reading.
Amazon debuts Whispercast service, lets organizations manage Kindles and Kindle content
Individual Kindle users already have Whispernet, and Amazon has now announced another free service designed to make Kindles easier to manage for large organizations. Dubbed Whispercast, the service will let schools, businesses and other groups both distribute and manage the Kindles themselves and also distribute content to the devices. That includes the ability to control internet access on the devices (blocking the Twitter and Facebook integration, for instance), and the ability to distribute Kindle books and other documents to specific groups or classes. Amazon also says that it will "soon" include the ability to distribute apps to Kindle Fire tablets, as well an option for folks to bring their own device and add it to the network. Those interested can sign up for the service immediately at the source link below.
Amazon extending Kindle Owners' Lending Library to the UK, Germany and France this month
Amazon's Kindle Owners' Lending Library has grown considerably since launching in the US, and it looks like the company's finally decided it was time to let some other countries in on the service as well. It announced today that Amazon Prime members in the UK, Germany and France would all have access to the service "later this month," although it's not providing a specific date just yet. As in the US, it will let folks borrow up to one book a month for free, with over 200,000 titles available to choose from (including "thousands" in the countries' local languages). Alongside that expansion, Amazon has also announced yet another increase (of $100,000) to its Kindle Direct Publishing Select fund -- which pays independent authors who include their books in the Lending Library -- with an even bigger one planed for November. No word yet on any additional countries next in line.
Humble Bundle goes literary, offers octuplet of books at a humble price
The Humble Bundle tends to be associated with not just low prices, but also indie video games (and occasionally music). Today's bundle, however, centers on the literary-minded among us, offering a set of eight e-Books for just under $10. Of course, a main staple of the bundle is its pay what you want price model, which applies here as well -- should you only want six of the books, you can pay any price (one penny for six books! hot dog!). If you want access to John Scalzi's Old Man's War and Signal to Noise by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean, you've gotta shell out over the average payment price (currently sitting at $9.84). If you want that sub-$10 price, we'd suggest heading over sooner than later. Another good reason? You've only got two weeks before this humble e-Book bundle disappears forever.
Kindle Paperwhite gets its own jailbreak, E Ink spews everywhere
If you're an avid tinkerer who managed to secure a Kindle Paperwhite before they sold out, then we have some news that may well brighten up your day. A jailbreak based off of the hack for the Kindle Touch has been developed for Amazon's new e-reader and is now available for fearless Paperwhite owners. If you're up to the task, your bravery will award you some elite features which include: using your device as a weather station display and serial terminal access with Raspberry Pi systems. If all of this sounds like a fun weekend project waiting to happen, head on over to source link for step by step instructions.
B&N makes the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight's $20 price drop official
The Nook's $20 price drop is more than the whim of a few major retailers -- it's Barnes & Noble's new MSRP. Following Walmart and Target's recent discounts, the company's own website is now listing the glowing e-reader at its new $119 price. The reduction is almost assuredly in preparation for Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite, as B&N's announcement makes a point of bragging about the Simple Touch with Glowlight's included AC adapter and aversion to built-in ads. See the punchy press release for yourself after the break.
Google Play Books app arrives in Japan, adds translation, place info, highlighting and more
Not content at stopping with its recent European tour, Google Play Books has made the trip to Japan and brought back a handful of new features. In addition to support for reading Japanese books in a vertical, right-to left layout, Mountain view now lets users tap on names of geographical spots within text and see them pinned to a Google Map alongside the option to find more information using Larry Page's favorite search engine or Wikipedia. A freshly added translation feature takes user-highlighted words and phrases and spits them out in the reader's language of choice. Particularly studious literature lovers can now mark up their digital books with notes and highlights that sync to the web and across their personal fleet of devices. A new sepia tone theme also joined the existing day and night views on their journey abroad. Hit the source links below for more details and the download.
Nikkei: Amazon to launch Kindle in Japan 'early October'
If it feels like we've heard about Amazon's intention to punch through the Japanese wall with Kindle before, it's because we have. However, if a new report on Reuters via The Nikkei is to be believed, it could finally be getting closer. It's said that the internet retailer had planned to launch its e-reader line in September, but supply chain problems put paid to that. Now we're told it'll land in "early October" with Amazon hurriedly securing Japanese content in time for the busy end of year sales period. The Kindle's still not out of the woods just yet though, as it's also been suggested that publishers are being asked to change data formats for their content, which is ripe for causing another bottleneck, should they not comply in time. Sadly, given the history of this tale, we're not expecting Japanese farm owners to be making any irrational bets just yet.
Apple says it will stop e-book price fixing in Europe
In a move that looks hopeful for the American market, Apple has vowed to stop fixing e-book prices in Europe, Macworld reports. As part of the agreement, Apple will terminate the agency-pricing agreements with the five companies involved in the European antitrust suit: Hachette Livre, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, Penguin and MacMillan. Apple first offered to settle in April. As part of the settlement, Apple said it will allow retailers to set e-book prices in European markets for two years. Despite a partial deal being reached in the US, Apple is still part of the ongoing antitrust suit here.
PSA: Amazon's Kindle Fire HD 7, new Fire and Reader now stocked
If you had your heart set on a Kindle Fire, Fire HD 7 or Reader, you can now plunk down your plastic and receive one as fast as your shipper can wheel it over. The 1,280 x 800 Fire HD 7-inch model, which we recently put through the wringer, is available in a 16GB version for $199, and Amazon says the 32GB version will arrive October 25th. As we noted, it carries a new dual-band WiFi system for greater surfing speed, dual speakers, a front HD camera and a TI-made dual-core ARM Cortex A-9 processor. The updated Kindle Fire can be had as well for $159, with double the RAM of the last version, a new processor and a bigger battery. Finally, the new Kindle Reader is also up for grabs at an ad-supported cost of $69, while the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD should be along in November at $299 ($499 for a 4G version). So, if you're already looking ahead to a certain holiday, check the sources to see how to get one.
iTunes getting a major makeover, slated for October release
Love it or hate it, we all spend a lot of time in iTunes on our Macs, iPhones, iPads and what have you. Apple announced a major update for iTunes, calling it "dramatically simpler" for using your own media files, and for navigating the iTunes store. The new iTunes will look like a large grid, with a simplified UI. Click on any album image and the screen splits to show all the tracks on the album. Click on a song and it starts playing. You can move back to your library without closing a playlist and drag-and-drop tracks to wherever you want them. iTunes has also added a "coming next" button so you can change what the next track will be. The iTunes mini-player, which has long been a part of the software, now features album art -- a nice touch. The iTunes interface will be similar on all Apple devices, with a carousel at the top of the screen showing selections. This view will be consistent for music, movies and even books. The iTunes update will be available in October.
Judge approves settlement for Hachette, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins in e-book lawsuit
It's a big day in the world of e-books, and not just for the crew at Amazon. Today, Judge Denise Cote approved settlement terms for three of the publishers accused by the Justice Department of price fixing. Hachette Book Group, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins each agreed to settle with the government, rather than face trial -- as Apple, Macmillian and Penguin Group will do in June of 2013. As part of the settlement agreement, each of the publishers will be required to terminate their contracts with Apple within one week. Similarly, they will be required to end contracts with other e-book retailers where clauses exist that would hinder the seller's ability to set pricing. Further, the settling companies won't be able to form contracts for the next two years with e-book retailers that would hinder the seller's discretion to set pricing. During the settlement approval period, individuals and companies alike were given 60 days to weigh in on the matter, which included objections from the American Booksellers Association, the Authors Guild and Barnes & Noble. Ultimately, Judge Cote determined that arguments against the settlement were "insufficient" to block the approval.
New York bookshop launches rescue mission to digitize out-of-print sci-fi titles
Singularity & Co aims to rescue near-extinct 20th century sci-fi titles to ensure they still exist in the next one. Established from a Kickstarter campaign, the small team has already digitized and published A Plunge Into Space and The Torch, both with new cover art, while its third title required a thousand-mile journey to scan its contents from a university archive. While Mr. Stranger's Sealed Packet is out of copyright, many education establishments weren't willing to let anyone scan its edition of such rare books. Talking to Ars Technica, Ash Kalb added: "If you're part of that university or that consortium then you have access to that book. If you don't then you don't." The republishing group, which ensures it doesn't tread on any existing copyright toes, also offers up a better deal to authors and author estates, in addition to reviving interest in long-gone books. Singularity and Co's now opened its bricks-and-mortar doors in Brooklyn, or you grab more details and updates on their progress at the source below.
Barnes & Noble continues British invasion, forges pacts with Argos, Blackwell's and Foyles
Barnes & Noble has continued its quest to stock the shelves of United Kingdom bookstores with Nooks, by adding Argos, Blackwell's and Foyles to the list of where you can get one. Those retailers will join John Lewis in carrying the Nook Simple Touch and its Glow Light-toting cousin, giving UK'ers nearly a thousand bricks and mortar sites to get one -- including bookstores at 55 colleges and universities. Those locations will join Barnes & Nobles recently launched online website in selling the e-readers -- but if you like to Touch before buying, the PR is after the break.
