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The new entry-level Kindle is thinner, lighter and still $80
The luxurious Kindle Oasis is no longer the new kid on the block. Amazon just unveiled its new entry-level Kindle device, which is more portable and packs in twice as much RAM (512MB) as the last model. And yes, it's still $80/£60 (with Amazon's "Special Offers" ads). Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the resolution for its 6-inch E Ink screen has been improved at all -- you'll have to bump up to the $120/£110 Paperwhite for sharper text (that model is now available in white, as well).
Kindle Oasis review: The perfect e-reader for the 1 percent
Amazon's Kindle Oasis is like a feast with the world's finest caviar. It's an all-you-can-eat Wagyu steak dinner. It's an $80 cup of coffee. Simply put, the Oasis is a $290 extravagance meant only for the few who can afford it. For the rest of us, it's just something to lust after. We called the $200 Kindle Voyage the "Rolls Royce of e-readers" two years ago, but instead of going cheaper (the standard Kindle is currently $60, and the backlit Paperwhite model is $100), Amazon pushed even further into luxury status. For $290 you get an e-reader so light it almost feels like you're holding nothing at all. Unfortunately, Amazon still hasn't made a strong argument for why anyone actually needs a high-end reading device.
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.
'Attack on Titan' gets same-day release for English speakers
English-speaking fans of Attack on Titan no longer have to badger their favorite scanlation group to speed it up. The hit manga's publisher, Kodansha, has teamed up with comiXology and Amazon to make each chapter available in English on the same day it's released in Japan. That means you can download the latest chapter every week as soon it's out for either the comiXology or the Kindle app. You can even buy all the previous releases if you want the full collection.
WSJ: Next Amazon Kindle comes with rechargeable cases
Amazon Kindles can already last for weeks on a single charge, but the upcoming "top-of-the-line" model could last even longer than that. According to The Wall Street Journal, it will come with a rechargeable protective casing for extra juice. The publication says this case allows it to be slimmer than its predecessors, which could mean that the device alone will have a battery life shorter or similar to older models. Amazon is reportedly working on a solar-powered casing, as well, though that one won't be ready in time for the new e-reader's launch next week.
Amazon CEO says a brand-new flagship Kindle is coming next week
If you're thinking about buying a Kindle Voyage, you probably should hold off. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos just tweeted this morning that the company is ready to release an "all-new, top of the line" Kindle next week. Presumably, that'll be a replacement for the aging but still powerful Kindle Voyage, which was released back in the fall of 2014. It's still an excellent e-reader (albeit an expensive one at $200), but the mid-range Kindle Paperwhite has since adopted its high-resolution screen at a much lower price.
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.
Make massive mechanizations with Minecraft's Overworld update
Following on from last fall's update to Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition beta and Minecraft: Pocket Edition, which saw the introduction of basic redstone components, Microsoft today announced that the game's next update will deliver even more advanced mechanisms as well as new enemies and achievements. Players will also be able to more easily share their favorite worlds with a new map import/export function.
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 Echo can read your Kindle books aloud on request
You don't even need to lift a finger when you're done playing Jeopardy! on Amazon Echo and want to relax with a book. Simply say "Alexa, read [Kindle book title]," and the voice assistant will start narrating almost anything you purchased from the Kindle Store, borrowed from the Kindle Owners' Lending Library/Kindle Unlimited or got access to through Family Library. Based on the commands Amazon listed, you can tell Alexa to pause, resume from where you stopped and skip chapters. But you can't specify which chapter to skip to, according to ZDNet.
ICYMI: Tiny sperm motor, tablet for the blind and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-597195{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-597195, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-597195{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-597195").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: Male fertility issues usually contribute to about half the cases of infertility in couples, which is why some German researchers invented a tiny little Spermbot designed to help sperm swim faster. The Spermbot is a tiny metal helix that uses a rotating magnetic field to help drive sperm towards fertilizing an egg.
Funimation is launching its own streaming anime service
Funimation announced on Thursday that it is partnering with Sony DADC to create its own ad-free Crunchyroll-style streaming platform, called FunimationNow. The new service will begin rolling out in February and complement the company's existing streaming offerings through its website. It will be available through not only iOS, Android and Kindle apps as well as directly through the Apple or Amazon Fire TVs. Subscribers will have access to more than 400 titles from the studio's expansive archive including full series of Dragon Ball Z, Attack on Titan, Fairy Tail, One Piece, Tokyo Ghoul and Space Dandy. There's no word yet on pricing.
The Oculus Rift made you forget what the first iPhone cost
Yesterday, Oculus VR finally announced the price of its first consumer virtual reality headset: $599, plus shipping. Fans reacted quickly, shocked that the price was twice as much as the original developer kit and furious that the company was charging so much. During Palmer Luckey's evening AMA on Reddit, fans were petitioning the company to remove the Rift's audio tech and packaged Xbox One controller to bring the price down. That's denial, anger and bargaining, guys. Let's skip the fourth stage of grief and jump to the end: acceptance. The Oculus Rift's launch price is completely normal.
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.
Waterstones stops selling Amazon Kindles over 'pitiful' sales
Waterstones, the UK's largest book retailer, surprised many when it put plans for its own e-reader on ice to start selling Amazon's range of Kindle readers. It's been more than three years since it began making extra space in stores for one of its biggest rivals, but it won't for much longer. The Bookseller reports that the company will remove Amazon's e-ink Kindles from most of its locations as sales "continue to be pitiful."
Amazon's next Fire tablet could look a lot more like Android
While there's talk that Amazon will soon release a $50 6-inch Fire tablet, the company apparently wants to make sure all bases are covered. Well-known leaker Evan Blass has shared an render of an upcoming 10-inch Fire slate, which would become the retailer's biggest to date. While the specifications are unknown, it's clear that the tablet runs Android Lollipop and the UI is a little different from what we've seen before. It signals that the company might be moving away from the carousel of apps and services on existing Fire tablets and embracing a cleaner look and feel for fireOS.
EPIX enables mobile downloads for offline movie watching
Joining the likes of Google Play Movies and iTunes, streaming content provider EPIX announced on Tuesday that it will allow subscribers to download movies onto their mobile devices for later playback, whether or not there's an available internet connection. The feature will reportedly be available on iOS and Android devices as well as Amazon's Kindle, beginning this month. Available titles will include The Hunger Games, James Bond and Star Trek. There's no word on limits to how many titles subscribers will be able to concurrently download or how long they'll be able to keep each one.
Amazon rolls out Bookerly font to more Kindle e-readers
Amazon debuted the more spacious "Bookerly" font to replace "Caecilia" on the 2015 Kindle Paperwhite. Now, it's being rolled out to the Kindle Voyage, Kindle Touch, Kindle 7th gen and previous-gen Kindle Paperwhites as part of those devices' latest software update. In addition to the Bookerly font, the update comes with a better Smart Lookup that makes it easier to access tools for highlighting, creating and sharing notes, among others. The update also improves books' layouts and typography, including their justification, spacing, kerning and footnotes. It should download automatically when you connect your Kindle to the internet, but you can also check Amazon's website to see if your e-reader's getting the update.
Kindle Paperwhite review (2015): our favorite e-reader gets even better
When Amazon's Kindle Voyage launched last year, I more or less fell in love with it right out of the gate. Sure, a handful of competitors came out with similar displays before Amazon did, but man -- with that high-resolution screen and its sleek new looks, the Voyage was the first Kindle that ever felt really high-end. I didn't stand a chance. Now, thanks to some trickle-down gadget economics, the new Kindle Paperwhite ($119 with ads, $139 without) just got a huge bump in screen resolution too. It was really only a matter of time, but now we're left with a question to ponder: Is a new screen enough to catapult an already-very-good reader into the realm of greatness? Spoiler alert: I think it is.
