While the iPhone platform has proven attractive to game developers, e-books have begun to dominate the latest apps, according to data collected by Flurry. From August 2008 to August 2009, most of the new apps were released into the Games category. Starting in September, however, the Books category took the lead for the first time in the App Store's history.
Norway's Consumer Council, Forbrukerrådet, has spoken out against Amazon's terms-of-service regarding e-books purchased on the Kindle, as detailed in a post on the Council's website. The group's director, Hans Marius Graasvold, claims several points in the e-book agreement violate Norwegian consumer-rights laws.
MSI is developing an e-book reader that would use NVIDIA's Tegra processor at its core, the company's chairman Joseph Hsu says today. Confirming an earlier rumor, the executive admits that a device with the fast graphics and ARM chip combo is in progress but has "some problems" that have pushed a formal unveiling back until sometime in the first half of 2010. Other details will likely only be supplied closer to the actual release.
Following Amazon's announcement of Kindle software for Windows users, the company has acknowledged that it is also working on a Mac version, according to Fast Company. Although the spokesperson did not provide specific details regarding the Mac app, the PC edition allows users to purchase, download, and read content from the Kindle store.
Amazon today dropped the price of the international version of its Kindle reader to match the US-only version's $259 price tag while merging sales of the two. The lower-priced model is already being offered on Amazon and is a move believed prompted by the recently introduced Nook reader from Barnes & Noble, which also costs $259.
Barnes and Noble lived up to promises today and launched the Nook, its own e-book reader. The device is unique in having both a six-inch E-Ink display and a 3.5-inch color touchscreen LCD that serves to navigate and browse books. Also unlike most other readers in its class, it has both 802.11g Wi-Fi as well as AT&T-driven 3G to download books from Barnes and Noble's online bookstore.
Barnes and Noble's rumored dual-screen e-book reader gained credibility Monday night with the leak of a paper ad in advance (subscription required). A full-page placement due for the New York Times' Book Review next Sunday labels the reader as the Nook and says it will ship for $259, reaching the same price as the US Kindle. It also makes a direct reference to the previously leaked e-book lending feature, which would let users temporarily give rights to a book to someone else.
Google today set out official plans to launch its own paid e-book store. Known as Google Editions, the service will be one of the few truly universal stores and will work with any device that has a reasonably modern web browser, including most computers, smartphones and even normally locked-down devices like the Amazon Kindle. Unlike some web book services, Google's store will let users cache a book locally for reading when they're offline.
Barnes and Noble this afternoon sent invitations to the press for its frequently rumored October 20th press event. The bookseller is short on details but exactly mirrors leaks in describing it as a "major event in our company's history." Most expect the event to involve Barnes & Noble launching a self-branded e-book reader that would be designed by Plastic Logic.
Plastic Logic today denied reports that it would have a color e-book reader ready by spring. The company tells PCPro that the Barnes & Noble contact was "misinformed" and further insists he wasn't speaking in an official capacity for the American book retailer. A color reader is still in development but isn't due to ship this year, a spokesperson says.
Barnes & Noble's first e-book reader should launch soon and could introduce a watershed feature for any reader, a contacts claim this evening. The bookstore supposedly has a "major event" scheduled for October 20th where it's likely to introduce the e-book reader it promised for the end of the year. The device is likely to be a grayscale reader but to use AT&T 3G for downloading books online.
Barnes & Noble spokesman Daniel Joresson at CTIA appears to have confirmed a timeframe in a video (available below) for what's likely the first color e-book reader available in the US. The Plastic Logic device would be smaller than the 8.5x11-inch large model proposed early on and would have just a paperback-sized display. However, it would have its own direct access to Barnes & Noble's bookstore and would be ready by spring 2010, or considerably earlier than an Amazon Kindle with color or most other rivals.
Amazon today confirmed that it should have an international version of the Kindle DX. Company spokesman Drew Herdener explained that the larger e-book reader would follow the strategy of the Kindle 2 international model and switch to HSPA so that it too could be used to download books outside of the US. Little else was mentioned to TechFlash other than that the new hardware would come "sometime next year."
(Updated with Android rumor) Barnes & Noble is developing its own high-end e-book reader to help boost its online store, a source close to its plans purportedly revealed this afternoon. Most features are unknown, but it would have a touchscreen and use an iPhone-like on-screen keyboard for searches and similar tasks. A wireless link is also seen by the Wall Street Journal as a key ingredient, though whether this would involve 3G or simply Wi-Fi isn't immediately evident.
Amazon on Tuesday evening dropped the price of its Kindle 2 reading device by $40, bringing it down to $259, while offering a new Kindle with global wireless access for a $20 premium. Amazon says the combo US/International version uses GSM technology for coverage in over 100 countries, but that US customers traveling abroad will be charged an additional $1.99 fee for wirelessly downloading books or single issues of periodicals from "your Archived Items or the Kindle store while roaming internationally." A $4.99 fee applies for newspaper, magazine, and blog subscription content, while the company will charge $0.99 per megabyte (MB) for transferred personal documents.
AU Optronics (AUO) said on Friday that it hopes to slash the price of e-book readers in half within two years. The Taiwan area company explained to FT that it hopes to use its experience in making LCDs, as well as the sheer scale of its production, to make the e-paper displays affordable enough that they can lead to much less expensive hardware. A $150 reader could be available in 2010, while a $100 reader will ideally ship in 2011.
After its recent e-book deletion fiasco and subsequent apology, Amazon has revised its rules regarding remotely deleting e-book content on a user's Kindle reader. The new legal rules give Amazon four reasons that would validate and justify its removal of content. They include a user's consent, a user's request of a refund or failure to pay and a judicial or regulatory order that requires deletion or modification. Lastly, deletion is justified if the operation of the Kindle or the distribution network is threatened by the code, such as harmful code that can include viruses.
A second and potentially more significant rumor today claims that Apple has been courting publications with the aim of putting text on iTunes for the sake of its upcoming tablet. The iPhone creator has reportedly talked to the New York Times, an unnamed magazine publisher (possibly Conde Nast or similar) and textbook publishers McGraw Hill and Oberlin Press to bring their content formatted for the iTunes Store.
Bookeen has delivered its promised e-book reader, the 5-inch Cybook Opus. It is meant as a simpler and more affordable alternative to the likes of the latest Amazon Kindle and Sony Readers. It lacks a touchscreen and at just a third of a pound is much lighter than either. Internal storage capacity is 1GB, which can hold as much as 1,000 books. A microSD memory card slot lets users expand the memory capacity.
iRiver has set a local price for its e-book reader, the Story, which is now available to pre-order for Korean buyers. The device carries a price of 358,000 KRW (~290 USD) directly from the company. The package includes a 2GB SD card, folding case, and two free book downloads.
iRex today branched out to the US for the first time with its first e-book device intended specifically for the US. The DR 300SG has an 8.1-inch touchscreen e-paper display but centers first on its 3G access for accessing stores. It should support the Barnes & Noble bookstore out of the box for downloads but also recognize several other store format,s including Fictionwise, LibreDigital and Newspaper Direct as well as the universal EPUB format.
The CTIA industry advocacy group today reacted harshly to the FCC's suggested net neutrality rules. A statement from the carrier-backed group attempted to foster worries that there might be "unintended consequences" to forcing carriers not to discriminate against certain app types. The claim also suggested that all cellular devices might "be the same" if the rules took effect, as it would theoretically force device makers to allow a level playing field.
Amazon on Sunday announced the launch of its own brand of products, called AmazonBasics, which thus far includes AV cables and blank DVD media, but will expand soon with more basic consumer electronics with budget pricing. There is no word on what upcoming accessories AmazonBasics will offer, but the company is listening to customer feedback to help it make its decisions.
The upcoming Windows Marketplace for Mobile will let Microsoft remotely delete apps from Windows Mobile phones without the user's consent, the company said in a presentation as part of its Tech·Ed New Zealand conference. In the event an app is approved but later pulled, Microsoft will automatically wipe the app from every phone that had previously downloaded the app. It's not clear if Microsoft will also automatically refund paid downloads.
Time Inc. is planning on releasing an e-book reader in order to compete with Amazon's Kindle and other similar devices, according to a leaked internal document from the publisher. A recent NBC report says the magazine publisher will show the device before the end of the year. Time has previously gone on record to say it will not bring out its own e-reader, but has apparently since changed its mind.
The third-gen iPod touch has not been given a camera because Apple wants to think of it as a gaming device, according to company CEO Steve Jobs. Speaking with David Pogue of the New York Times, Jobs attributes the marketing shift to public demand. "We started to market it that way, and it just took off," he says. "And now what we really see is it’s the lowest-cost way to the App Store, and that’s the big draw."
Apple chief Steve Jobs today took shots at Amazon while also explaining some of the decisions behind the new new iPods and his own health. The co-founder is famous for having attacked Amazon's Kindle in the past but has now said that the e-book reader's main flaw its specialized role: its cost is too high for a single function, Jobs said. He moreover suggested to the Times that Amazon's refusal to provide definite numbers for Kindle sales was a sign it hasn't succeeded in the market.
Amazon has made reparations for deleting classic classic Orwell novels Animal Farm and 1984 from users' Kindle readers by sending them a letter of apology and checks for $30 or an Amazon gift certificate in the same amount. Users also have the option of having 1984 re-delivered, complete with any annotations they have made to the text. There is no indication if the other pulled titles also fall under the same deal, but it is likely.
iRiver dipped into dedicated e-book readers for the first time today with word of its own device. The Story shares its aesthetics with the Amazon Kindle and has a 6-inch display with a QWERTY keyboard underneath for searches and other tasks; the system is extra-thin and has a 3.5mm headphone jack for listening to audio. A comic book-specific reader is a new addition optimized for the graphics-heavy format.
Sony today claimed the trophy of the second company in the US with a 3G-aware reader by unveiling the Reader Daily Edition, its third new e-book reader this year. The new model is intended for reading newspapers and other periodicals and comes with a larger 7-inch, touchscreen display. Unlike Amazon's choice of Sprint for the Kindle, though, the Sony device will have free 3G access through AT&T. Adding the always-on data link lets users sync books over the air instead of having to transfer through USB.
Amazon, Microsoft and Yahoo made conscious moves to thwart Google on Friday with word all three are joining the Open Book Alliance. Created independently by the Internet Archive, the group is resisting the outcome of a copyright dispute that has resulted in Google creating a Book Rights Registry that would see it manage many digital books' rights and let it publish digital versions of books with unknown publishing rights. The Alliance claims the registry would give Google too much control over e-books and hurt literature in the future.
Amazon and McGraw-Hill Education announced on Thursday that they have teamed up to deliver McGraw-Hill's library of higher education content. To date, McGraw-Hill's 3,000 professional business, medical and technical titles are available on the e-book readers. The new arrangement will add more than 100 textbooks and other titles covering most common arts, math and science fields.
E-book device maker iRex has signaled it's planning to launch a smaller, touchscreen reader that would do battle not only with the Kindle but Sony's PRS-600 and other touchscreen devices. The unnamed device, a mockup of which has been sent to CNET, would be substantially smaller than the Digital Reader 1000 with an 8.1-inch display controlled by a stylus. It would have built-in 3G and, like the Amazon device, would be tied to a particular store for e-book downloads. Whether or not it would involve an exclusive carrier deal is unknown.
Sony has almost immediately followed up on late rumors with an official update to its Reader line of e-book devices. The new PRS-300 Pocket Edition and PRS-600 Touch Edition readers are less expensive than the PRS-505 was when new but have a similar 600x800 e-paper display and in some cases make significant improvements: while both have just 512MB of memory built-in, either will take not only Memory Sticks for extra storage but also SD cards. They also get a new, native Mac client for loading books over USB in addition to the existing Windows version.
A leak Tuesday evening suggests Sony's new Reader devices should come in step with a price drop on the e-books themselves. Pointing only to an individual "briefed on the matter," the Wall Street Journal both confirms the pair of devices leaked earlier and says that prices on bestseller books will drop from $12 to $10, falling in line with both Amazon's Kindle Store and the Barnes & Noble store. Sony has already helped drive lower-cost books by adding Google's catalog of free, public domain titles.
Samsung on Monday announced it will soon bring out its own e-book reader, the 5-inch SNE-50K, in its home market of South Korea. Users can also make notes on the device, unlike competing e-book readers from Amazon and Sony. While content will not be downloaded wirelessly straight to the device, it can be transferred from a PC, originating from a local bookstore chain. Other than the 5-inch screen and its 600x800 resolution, there is 512MB of onboard storage, slotting it between the Kindle and Reader in terms of space.
Plastic Logic announced on Wednesday that it will partner with wireless provider AT&T to deliver content over 3G for its e-book reader. The news comes just after Plastic Logic's alliance with bookstore Barnes & Noble. The feature will give readers relatively wide-area wireless options to download newspapers, magazines and other periodicals in addition to books.
Amazon found itself in controversy on Friday when it deleted Kindle books on accounts based on the demands of publishers, according to an update from David Pogue. The New York Times journalist says that "hundreds" of users, who had ironically purchased Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm, noticed the removal this morning after the publisher MobileReference decided to back out of offering digital versions of the books and pressured Amazon into removing the titles. While MobileReference hasn't commented on the deletion, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has said the editions themselves were unofficial versions of work it has rights to publish itself and couldn't legally stay on the store.
To avoid ruining its relatively good reputation, or perhaps to shake off legal action, Amazon on Thursday said it would replace its Kindle 2 e-book readers with cracked screens free of charge, instead of asking $200 for a replacement. Just yesterday it was reported the $5 million class action lawsuit was filed in Seattle against Amazon because an official screen protector that mounts onto the Kindle 2 damages the device over time, leading to a cracked body and screen, making the device unusable.
A lawsuit was filed on Wednesday against Amazon by Matthew Geise, an executive director for a property management firm in Seattle. Geise bought Amazon's $359 Kindle 2 e-book reader and a $30 protective screen cover and noticed, some three months later, that the Kindle began cracking around the points where the official cover attached to the device with metal clips. These cracks grew to the point where the device stopped working, and now, Amazon is facing a class action lawsuit larger than $5 million.
Amazon is almost ready to set a UK release date for the Kindle, claims Mobile. Manufacturing responsibilities for a UK Kindle are said to be going to Qualcomm, who is also allegedly responsible for finding a regional cellular carrier. One of the selling points of the American Kindle is free EVDO data, supplied by Sprint, which lets users download books and browse the web.
In a recent interview, Rupert Murdoch has denied rumors of News Corp. developing its own e-book reader. When prompted on the possibility of the development of such a device, the CEO responded to the Wall Street Journal by saying he "[doesn't] think that's likely" to occur in the near future. Murdoch did, however, expand on it, hinting News Corp. is involved in talks with hardware manufacturers on wireless readers for books, newspapers or magazines.
Amazon's price cut of its Kindle 2 e-book reader have prompted some in the publishing industry to worry that the online retailer, which is far and away the leading provider of e-books, may put pressure on them to drop the prices for electronic versions of their books for the device, according to a Bloomberg report. Amazon reportedly pays between $12 and $13 to publishers for Kindle editions of books that are on the New York Times bestseller list and sells them for about $10 to customers. Many publishing houses are concerned the giant online vendor will put price pressure on them in order to bump its own profit margins.
Amazon in an unannounced gesture cut the price of the Kindle 2 to $299. The move is the first price drop on any Kindle since the original was reduced to $359 and puts a larger gap between this and the larger Kindle DX, which still sits at its original $489 price. The company didn't provide a reason of its own for the cut, which comes even though Amazon has periodically sold out.
AT&T is in the midst of co-developing a trio of non-phone devices that will take advantage of its 3G network, a leak indicates. The carrier's signature device would be an e-book reader with built-in 3G data access, likely following a similar strategy to the Kindle that lets users download books without needing Wi-Fi or a physical connection. It's not said by the BW source who the manufacturer may be or whether the device's 3G access would be built into the cost like with Amazon's device, but it will reportedly ship by the end of the year.
Plans are underway to spread the Kindle format, and open up access to the dedicated hardware, says Amazon's CEO. Speaking at a Wired conference, Jeff Bezos has explained that Kindle books should continue to sell for $10 as they go on sale through the iPhone plus "other mobile devices and other computing devices." A Kindle app is already available for the iPhone, though purchases must currently be made via the web.
Just days after shipping on Wednesday, the Kindle DX e-book reader is already sold out at Amazon, with another shipment expected by June 17th. The $489 device, sold exclusively through Amazon, apparently sold out on the first day, also thanks to pre-orders.
Amazon on Wednesday started shipping the Kindle DX. The most advanced of the retailer's e-book readers was unveiled in May and is billed not only as a much more natural means of reading newspapers and magazines but also as an ideal tool for schools. Its 1200x824, 9.7-inch screen both affords more room for images and auto-rotates for landscape reading when the DX is tilted on its side.
Amazon this afternoon said that it would ship the Kindle DX on June 10th, shipping its largest e-book reader ahead of the promised summer schedule. Launched just last month, the e-paper device centers on a 9.7-inch, 1200x824 display large enough to be used for textbooks and for a larger view of newspapers and other common literature. It accordingly gets an accelerometer to auto-rotate documents for viewing in landscape while gaining native PDF support to read many free documents without needing them converted.
Taiwan-based Prime View International (PVI), one of the larger suppliers of e-paper displays, today set out plans to acquire e-paper display maker E Ink for $215 million. E Ink's displays are used in the relatively successful 6-inch Amazon Kindle 2 e-book reader as well as its rival, the Sony Reader. The company also makes a 9.7-inch display for the Kindle DX, which it similarly sells as a prototype kit to hardware developers.
