eBook reader

eBooks
April 25, 2012
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Barnes & Noble says new glowing Nook eReader will ship early in limited supply

By on April 25, 2012 at 12:15 AM.

Barnes & Noble says new glowing Nook eReader will ship early in limited supply

Barnes & Noble on Tuesday announced that its new Nook Simple Touch eBook reader will begin shipping ahead of schedule over the next week. The bookseller unveiled its new Nook eReader earlier this month, and the response has been positive thus far. BGR reviewed the original Nook Simple Touch and found it to be a terrific device, though Amazon’s Kindle ecosystem posed the eReader’s biggest hurdle. The new Simple Touch model is very similar to the earlier version, however it includes a new “GlowLight” display that allows users to read in the dark without sacrificing the clarity and look of the E Ink display. Strong demand for the new Nook will result in a limited supply, but Barnes & Noble said that pre-orders placed on its website will ship in time for Mother’s Day. Amazon is reportedly preparing to launch its own front-lit eReader in the coming months, as well as a new model with a color E Ink display. Barnes & Noble’s full press release follows below. More →

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Retail
November 28, 2011
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Black Friday Kindle sales smash record thanks to Kindle Fire demand

By on November 28, 2011 at 8:15 AM.

Black Friday Kindle sales smash record thanks to Kindle Fire demand

Strong demand for Amazon’s new Kindle Fire tablet and the continued popularity of Kindle eReaders lead to the retail giant’s best-ever Black Friday for the Kindle family of products. Amazon on Monday announced that sales of Kindle devices on Black Friday quadrupled last year’s sales, setting a new record. The company neglected to report sales figures, however it did say it sold millions of new Kindle eReaders and Kindle Fire tablets combined before the Black Friday shopping weekend began. ”Even before the busy holiday shopping weekend, we’d already sold millions of the new Kindle family and Kindle Fire was the bestselling product across all of Amazon.com,” said Amazon VP Dave Limp in a statement. “Black Friday was the best ever for the Kindle family – customers purchased 4X as many Kindle devices as they did last Black Friday – and last year was a great year. In addition, we’re seeing a lot of customers buying multiple Kindles – one for themselves and others as gifts – we expect this trend to continue on Cyber Monday and through the holiday shopping season.” Amazon also noted that the Kindle Fire tablet, which BGR reviewed earlier this month, has now been Amazon’s best-selling product for eight weeks running. The company’s full press release follows below. More →

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Review
June 17, 2011
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Barnes & Noble ‘All-New NOOK’ review

By on June 17, 2011 at 12:30 PM.

Barnes & Noble ‘All-New NOOK’ review

Barnes & Noble took the wraps off of its latest eReader, the “All-New NOOK,” just last month. Its grayscale screen strays from the NOOK Color, and while the device still runs Android, it looks and feels much more like a traditional eReader. However, the new NOOK has a brand new E Ink Pearl display that not only works as a touchscreen, but refreshes less often than other eReaders and transitions faster. I’ve been using the new NOOK for the past week extensively, staying up late at night reading and pulling the NOOK out on the subway for quick page turns between stops. At $139, the NOOK is competitively priced with the Wi-Fi Kindle, but is it good enough to be your next (or first) eReader? My full review is after the break.

More →

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eBooks
May 23, 2011
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Kobo launches Kobo eReader Touch Edition [video]

By on May 23, 2011 at 11:25 PM.

Kobo launches Kobo eReader Touch Edition [video]

Kobo on Monday took the wraps off its latest eBook reader, which touts one feature in particular that should be of interest to future eReader buyers: touch. The unveiling comes just one day ahead of Barnes & Nobles’s press event in New York City — which we’ll be covering live — where the company is expected to introduce its new black and white NOOK. The Kobo eReader Touch Edition, also a black and white reader, features a 6-inch “Real Touch” E Ink touchscreen display with 16 shades of grey, Wi-Fi connectivity and a library of over 2.3 million books, newspapers and magazines, including over a million free titles. Kobo’s new eReader can store up to 1,000 books locally and another 30,000 on a removable SD card, and it weighs in at a feather-light 200 grams. The Kobo eReader Touch Edition is available for pre-order immediately from Best Buy, Walmart, Borders and Indigo for $129.99, and it will begin shipping in July. Kobo’s previous-generation reader has dropped to $99.99 as of Monday. Hit the break for Kobo’s full press release and a video. More →

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Retail
February 28, 2011
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Amazon Kindle 3G hits AT&T stores starting March 6th

By on February 28, 2011 at 9:54 AM.

Amazon Kindle 3G hits AT&T stores starting March 6th

AT&T on Monday announced that it will soon begin selling Amazon’s popular 3G-enabled Kindle eBook reader in its retail locations. Starting March 6th, customers will be able to purchase the Kindle 3G eReader from AT&T stores across the country for $189. 3G service on AT&T’s nationwide network is still bundled with the purchase price of the device, so no additional service plan will be required. “Amazon has without question pioneered the eReader space with Kindle, and it’s exciting to not only connect this device through our network, but now offer it in our stores to readers around the country ,” said Glenn Lurie, president of emerging devices for AT&T, in a statement. “As the first dedicated eReader offered in our stores, we are confident the Kindle will be an attractive addition to our in store connected devices lineup.” Amazon also charges $189 for the Kindle 3G on amazon.com, however customers who purchase the device online will not have to pay sales tax. AT&T’s full press release is after the break.

More →

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Software
February 1, 2011
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Apple rejects Sony eBook reader app, offers explanation

By on February 1, 2011 at 5:20 PM.

Apple rejects Sony eBook reader app, offers explanation

It looks like the dormant theme of raging against the App Store machine is working its way back into blogs across the Web, as The New York Times reports Apple has rejected Sony’s eBook reader app for iOS. Sony reportedly submitted its Sony Reader app for iOS to Apple recently, only to have it rejected for providing in-app purchases that weren’t piped through the App Store. But Apple has uncharacteristically commented on the rejection, basically saying it has begun enforcing a rule that requires Apple-facilitated in-app purchase options be included in apps that also allow content to be purchased from non-Apple sources, like Sony’s eBook store. “We have not changed our developer terms or guidelines,” Apple spokesperson Trudy Miller told AllThingsD. “We are now requiring that if an app offers customers the ability to purchase books outside of the app, that the same option is also available to customers from within the app with in-app purchase.” How this might affect currently available apps like Amazon’s Kindle app and Barnes and Noble’s Nook app is unclear. More →

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Software
January 6, 2011
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Amazon Kindle app for Windows Phone 7 now available

By on January 6, 2011 at 6:40 AM.

Amazon Kindle app for Windows Phone 7 now available

It took quite a while, but Amazon’s Kindle application is finally available for the Windows Phone 7 platform as of Tuesday evening. The app offers exactly what you think it might — the ability to purchase and read over 750,000 eBooks in Amazon’s library, free access to preview the first chapter of each, Amazon’s Whispersync service to keep data in sync across devices, personalized recommendations and more. As is expected, the app is a smooth operator on Windows Phone 7 devices, and the design works very well with Microsoft’s Metro UI. The Kindle app for Windows Phone 7 is free, of course, and can be installed from the read link below. More →

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Retail
December 21, 2010
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Amazon’s Kindle Wi-Fi is sold out ahead of Christmas

By on December 21, 2010 at 12:04 PM.

Amazon’s Kindle Wi-Fi is sold out ahead of Christmas

The Amazon Kindle’s position as one of the top electronics gifts of the 2010 holiday season is reaffirmed today as Amazon notes that the Wi-Fi-only version of its popular eBook reader is currently sold out. New orders will not be delivered until after Christmas, and Amazon suggests interested parties purchase the more expensive Kindle 3G instead, if delivery by Christmas is desired.

Due to overwhelming customer demand, Kindle (Wi-Fi) is temporarily out of stock. Orders placed today will arrive after December 24th. Order now to reserve your place in line. Our Kindle 3G for $189 is still available in time for Christmas.

Amazon’s Kindle Wi-Fi is very affordable at $139, and it currently sits at No. 2 on Amazon’s list of best-selling products. The Kindle 3G — which, at $189, costs $50 more than the Wi-Fi-only version — is No. 1 on the list.

Thanks, Mike More →

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Retail
December 13, 2010
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Fourth quarter Amazon Kindle sales in the millions

By on December 13, 2010 at 9:01 PM.

Fourth quarter Amazon Kindle sales in the millions

In a post on Amazon.com’s Kindle user forums Monday morning, an Amazon official has shed some light on Kindle sales in Q4. Posting via an official Amazon user account called “The Amazon Kindle team,” the company official stated that Amazon has sold “millions” of Kindles so far this quarter. He or she goes on to say Kindle unit sales so far in the fourth quarter of this year have already surpassed Amazon’s 2009 sales total.

Thanks to you, in just the first 73 days of this holiday quarter, we’ve already sold millions of our all-new Kindles with the latest E Ink Pearl display. In fact, in the last 73 days, readers have purchased more Kindles than we sold during all of 2009. We’re grateful for and energized by the overwhelming customer response.

The Amazon company official also wrote that the new Kindle is “far and away” Amazon.com’s best-selling gift item so far this holiday season.

[Via Daring Fireball] More →

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Tablets
October 27, 2010
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$100 Maylong M-150 Android tablet now on sale at Walgreens

By on October 27, 2010 at 12:51 AM.

$100 Maylong M-150 Android tablet now on sale at Walgreens

Once thought to be a gadget unicorn, the elusive sub-$100 is ready to make a splash at… Walgreens? In an interesting turn of events, it looks like Walgreens is indeed the first U.S. retailer to make a $99.99 Android tablet widely available. Built by personal navigation device (PND) maker Maylong, the M-150 is a 7-inch tablet with 256MB of RAM, microSD support and Wi-Fi connectivity. Of course sacrifices had to be made in order to reach the magic $99.99 price point. The tablet sports an 800 x 480-pixel resistive touchscreen display, so it uses a stylus for input. It also has a 400MHz processor and the now-ancient Android 1.6 operating system on board. As a tablet for less savvy users looking mainly for a light Web browsing tool and maybe a simple eBook reader, the Maylong M-150 could be just what the doctor ordered. Hit the jump for more specs and a link to order up this mysterious budget slate, which is only available online.

[Via The Digital Reader] More →

60 Comments
Retail
July 1, 2010
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Amazon revamps the Kindle DX, gives it a lower price tag

By on July 1, 2010 at 9:12 PM.

Amazon revamps the Kindle DX, gives it a lower price tag

amazon-kindle-dx-e-reader

Even though most schools are now shut down for summer, that doesn’t mean that companies have given up trying to selling products to students. Amazon today announced that it has refreshed its Kindle DX. Now featuring an even better 9.7″ E Ink display that boasts a 50% increase in contrast ratio, the next-gen Kindle DX also received a price drop and now stands at an attractive $379. The only other major difference is that the Kindle DX is now graphite as opposed to white. The Kindle DX is available now for pre-order and is set to ship on July 7th. More →

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Retail
June 21, 2010
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Amazon fires back and B&N, drops the price of the Kindle 2

By on June 21, 2010 at 6:55 PM.

Amazon fires back and B&N, drops the price of the Kindle 2

kindle-price-drop

Barnes & Nobile probably felt confident that its knocking $50 off the price of the Nook and introducing a Wi-Fi only model at $149.99 was really going to really stick it to the Kindle for at least a few days, but then BAM! Amazon responds in kind by slashing the price of the Kindle 2 by $70. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen. Capitalism at its finest. More →

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Retail
June 21, 2010
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Nook gets a price drop, $149.99 Wi-Fi model introduced

By on June 21, 2010 at 8:54 AM.

Nook gets a price drop, $149.99 Wi-Fi model introduced

wifi-nook

Just like their non-digital counterparts, eBook readers may not be the most exciting product in the world, but there’s good news this morning for anyone who loves the smell of newly printed downloaded eBooks. Barnes & Noble, the retailer behind the Nook, has not only dropped the price of the Nook to $199.99, but it also announced a new Wi-Fi only model which retails for $149.99. Apart from a lack of 3G, the only difference between the two models is that the Wi-Fi model has a white back (as opposed to black) and weighs half an ounce less. More →

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