kindle

mobile
August 10, 2011
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Amazon launches web-based Kindle Cloud Reader

By on August 10, 2011 at 8:00 AM.

Amazon launches web-based Kindle Cloud Reader

Amazon launched its new Kindle Cloud Reader service on Wednesday that provides users with access their Kindle library using Chrome or Safari on Mac, PC, Linux and the Chromebook. Kindle Cloud Reader is also optimized for the iPad and offers a caching feature for offline reading. To get started, simply navigate to http://read.amazon.com and install the small required plug-in. We gave the service a quick run this morning and were impressed by how fast it loaded our eBook library. We definitely still prefer the standalone app on the iPad, but we’re sure Amazon created this option as a loophole to get around Apple’s iTunes App Store rules. Don’t use Safari or Chrome? Amazon still has you covered with its Kindle for PC client. Read on for the full press release. More →

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mobile
August 5, 2011
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OfficeMax to sell Amazon Kindle beginning August 7th

By on August 5, 2011 at 2:15 AM.

OfficeMax to sell Amazon Kindle beginning August 7th

OfficeMax announced on Thursday that it will stock Amazon’s popular Kindle eReader in its nationwide stores beginning on August 7th. The company mentions 3G in its press release so we assume it will only carry the 3G/Wi-Fi version of the eReader and not the ad-supported “Kindle with Special Offers” model. The Kindle provides access to more than 950,000 books and offers a 6-inch E Ink display. OfficeMax did not specify the device’s price, but Amazon currently sells its 3G/Wi-Fi model for $189. Read on for the full press release. More →

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Tablets
August 4, 2011
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Amazon tablet shipments could reach 3 million units in Q3

By on August 4, 2011 at 9:45 PM.

Amazon tablet shipments could reach 3 million units in Q3

Amazon’s manufacturing partner is expected to ship as many as 3 million tablets for the online retail giant this quarter, Taiwan Economic News reports. BGR exclusively reported this past May that Amazon is currently prepping two tablets for launch, a low-end dual-core “Coyote” and a high-end quad-core “Hollywood.” The former is expected to hit the market first and Amazon is preparing to make quite a splash, as it reportedly has ordered between 800,000 and 1 million units each month this quarter from manufacturing partner Quanta Computer. The new order estimates are up from the 700,000 – 800,000 units reported in May by DigiTimes. Foxconn is said to have landed the contract to manufacture Amazon’s high-end 10.1-inch “Hollywood” tablet, which is expected to start shipping next year. More →

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Software
August 4, 2011
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Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 TouchWiz update available August 5th

By on August 4, 2011 at 1:30 AM.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 TouchWiz update available August 5th

Samsung held a special event in New York City on Wednesday where it upgraded Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 owners with its custom TouchWiz user interface. If you weren’t in the New York area, fear not, as Samsung announced on Wednesday morning that it will begin pushing out the update over-the-air on August 5th. The patch will add the Amazon Music Player, Words with Friends and Kindle software. TouchWiz includes the following updates user interface enhancements:

  • Live Panel: Magazine-like widget view for immediate access to weather, social updates, email, news, photo gallery, all on the home screen. The visual layout of Live Panel is completely customizable for one-touch entry into each user’s most important information.
  • Mini Mode Tray: One-touch access to commonly used applications—Task Manager, Calendar, World Clock, Pen Memo, Calculator, Music—which overlay in a pop-up window on display screen for powerful multi-tasking.
  • Clipboard: Advanced copy & paste functionality allows Galaxy Tab 10.1 users to store photos, Web pages, YouTube links, etc., on the clipboard for easy sharing via email and social network sites.
  • Indicator Quick Panel: Quickly toggle on/off Wi-Fi, notifications, sound, brightness and settings in lower right hand corner of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 display.
  • Photo Editor: Rotate, crop and adjust colors on high quality digital images

Samsung’s update will also add Swype, a host of enterprise features, Social Hub and Samsung Media Hub. Read on for the full press release. More →

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Software
July 27, 2011
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Major software update hitting Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 on August 3rd

By on July 27, 2011 at 8:10 PM.

Major software update hitting Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 on August 3rd

Samsung announced on Wednesday that it will hold an event on August 3rd during which all Galaxy Tab 10.1 owners can bring in their tablets to have them updated to the latest software build. The update will add Samsung’s custom TouchWiz user interface, which includes live panels and mini apps, as well as a redesigned Samsung Hub application. It will also install Words with Friends, Amazon’s Cloud Player for music and Amazon’s Kindle software. Galaxy Tab 10.1 owners in the New York area can bring their units to the Samsung Experience Store at Columbus Circle between 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to have their devices updated for free. Those outside the New York metropolitan area will receive an over-the-air update “soon.”

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mobile
July 25, 2011
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Magazine and newspaper subscriptions now available on Kindle for iOS

By on July 25, 2011 at 10:55 PM.

Magazine and newspaper subscriptions now available on Kindle for iOS


Amazon has updated its Kindle for iOS application with support for magazine and newspaper subscriptions. iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users can now browse, purchase, and read from more than 100 newspapers and magazines, complete with high resolution color photos, and the company confirmed that more content is on its way. Amazon customers with existing subscriptions can find recent issues under the “Archived Items” menu inside the application. The update also removes Amazon’s Kindle Store button from the the app now allows users to share quotes and passages with Facebook and Twitter friends. Kindle for iOS version 2.8 is available in the iTunes App Store for free.

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mobile
July 15, 2011
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Sony expected to intro new eReaders next month

By on July 15, 2011 at 1:01 AM.

Sony expected to intro new eReaders next month

Sony is expected to introduce a new family of eReader devices to challenge the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook devices next month. In an interview with Bloomberg, Sony Electronics’ vice president of digital reading Phil Lubell said that the new eReaders will offer both software and hardware enhancements, although he wasn’t specific on what exactly the changes are. Lubell said the devices will hit the market ahead of his company’s S1 and S2 Android tablets. AT&T announced yesterday that it would ship the dual-screen S2 to its customers in time for the back-to-school season, and Sony said its tablets will receive a software update later this year with support for the company’s eReader bookstore and software. “Sony appears to be struggling to expand its e-reader business as fast as it had originally planned,” Nobuo Kurahashi, an analyst at Mizuho Financial Group Inc. in Tokyo, told Bloomberg. Sony’s Reader products currently cost between $180 and $300 and the company will need to drop that price in order to compete with Amazon’s $114 Amazon Kindle with Special Offers and Barnes & Noble’s $139 ‘All new NOOK.’ More →

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mobile
July 14, 2011
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AT&T teams with Amazon to offer $139 Kindle 3G with Special Offers

By on July 14, 2011 at 12:31 AM.

AT&T teams with Amazon to offer $139 Kindle 3G with Special Offers

Amazon announced on Wednesday that AT&T will sponsor a new Kindle 3G with Special Offers, a deal that has lowered the price of the device $50 to $139.99. In a statement, AT&T’s CEO Ralph de la Vega said that the Kindle 3G is “by far the fastest growing connected device” on AT&T’s network. Amazon’s “Special Offers” devices come at the cost of ad-sponsored content. Users will see advertisements at the bottom of the screen and can launch the “AdMash” Kindle application to choose which advertisements are displayed. The $114 Kindle Wi-Fi with Special Offers device, which launched in April, is currently the best selling version of the popular eReader. Read on for the full press release. More →

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Tablets
July 11, 2011
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Barnes & Noble NOOK Color leads eReader market for first time ever, IDC states

By on July 11, 2011 at 10:05 PM.

Barnes & Noble NOOK Color leads eReader market for first time ever, IDC states

IDC recently published a report that provided a snapshot view of the tablet and eReader markets. The company noted that in the first quarter, for the first time ever, Barnes & Noble’s NOOK Color lead the eReader pack ahead of Amazon’s Kindle. Even though Barnes & Noble just introduced the “all new NOOK,” a black and white device, IDC says that the lack of a color screen on Amazon’s Kindle “clearly impacted the company’s previous dominance in the eReader market.” The research firm also found that the eReader market declined to just 2.2 million units shipped in the first quarter, and said that the “post-holiday season proved to be challenging” for the eReader market. IDC still expects the global eReader market to ship 16.2 million devices this year, up 24% from last year. Read on for the full press release, which offers a few details on the tablet market, too. More →

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Tablets
June 30, 2011
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Amazon tablet to launch in second half, production could be limited by iPad, report claims

By on June 30, 2011 at 7:30 AM.

Amazon tablet to launch in second half, production could be limited by iPad, report claims

Amazon will soon place initial component orders for its upcoming tablet, which is slated to launch in the second half of 2011 according to a new report from DigiTimes. Citing anonymous industry sources, the report claims Amazon’s initial order will likely fall in the 1.5 million to 2 million-unit range, and the retail giant is expected to take its first delivery in September. Taiwan-based touchscreen manufacturers Wintek, HannStar Display and J Touch are said to be vying for the contract, though Amazon could face supply issues right out of the gate. DigiTimes says Apple’s iPad tablet is expected to occupy the bulk of tablet production in the second half of the year, and this could make it difficult for manufacturers to meet Amazon’s production demands. Earlier this year, BGR exclusively reported that Amazon is planning to launch two tablets in the near future, a dual-core slate codenamed “Coyote” and a quad-core Kal El-based tablet codenamed “Hollywood.” More →

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Tablets
June 13, 2011
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Amazon plans to stream movies to own-branded tablets, researchers claim

By on June 13, 2011 at 9:00 PM.

Amazon plans to stream movies to own-branded tablets, researchers claim

Amazon has plans to offer a streaming movie service tied to its forthcoming own-branded tablets, researchers at Detwiler Fenton claim. According to the research team, Amazon’s streaming movie service will be available to early adopters of Amazon’s tablet for free. The revelation seems obvious, but the Boston-based research firm’s claim could be the first well-sourced confirmation of the service, reports of which were purely speculative until now. It is also believed that Amazon’s tablets will feature deep integration with Amazon’s Cloud Locker streaming music service, and the Amazon Appstore will likely be a point of focus as well. BGR exclusively reported last month that Amazon is working on a pair of tablets — the dual-core “Coyote” and the quad-core “Hollywood” — that will give the company new revenue streams to compliment its dedicated Kindle eReaders. More →

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eBooks
May 25, 2011
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Amazon intros ad-supported Kindle 3G for $164

By on May 25, 2011 at 10:44 PM.

Amazon intros ad-supported Kindle 3G for $164

Amazon on Monday revealed a new discounted version of its popular Kindle eBook reader. Amazon’s announcement came on the same day Barnes & Noble announced its all-new NOOK eReader. When asked during a Q&A session after Monday’s press conference if Barnes & Noble would ever consider releasing an ad-supported NOOK, CEO William Lynch laughed and said it was highly unlikely — but Amazon seems to be having some success with the ad-supported model. Joining the company’s $114 ad-supported Wi-Fi Kindle is the new $164 Kindle 3G, which gives consumers the option of saving $25 and dealing with advertisements. The device is otherwise identical to the standard Kindle 3G, which features a Pearl E Ink display, a full QWERTY keypad and free 3G connectivity. Hit the break for the full press release. More →

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mobile
May 19, 2011
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Amazon: Kindle books outselling print books

By on May 19, 2011 at 8:36 PM.

Amazon: Kindle books outselling print books

Amazon announced on Thursday that Amazon.com customers are now purchasing more books for the Kindle than print books — including hardcover and paperback — combined. Since April 1st, for example, for every 100 print books that were sold on Amazon.com, the site sold 105 Kindle eBooks. “Customers are now choosing Kindle books more often than print books,” Amazon’s CEO and Founder Jeff Bezos said. “We had high hopes that this would happen eventually, but we never imagined it would happy this quickly — we’ve been selling print books for 15 years and Kindle books for less than four years.” Bezos also noted that Amazon has been pleased with the customer response to the $114 Kindle with Special Offers product, which is the most popular selling Kindle right now. Hit the jump for the full release. More →

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