Barnes & Noble remains in dire straits, which is no surprise. What does come as a shock is that the bookstore chain has abruptly decided not to split its retail operations from its star-crossed Nook division. The company has mulled over the split for 18 months, but opted not to pull the trigger. B&N is pretty much a text-book case of a corporation paralyzed by steep and apparently irreversible decline. Nook sales, which were once the only hope for future growth, are now declining at a disastrous 32% clip. Amazon’s Kindle product range is simply devouring the Nook alive. More →
Amazon is reportedly working on a new Kindle Paperwhite model, which should arrive at some point in early 2014, according to TechCrunch. The flagship feature of the new reading device is said to be a new high-resolution display that will have a 300 pixel-per-inch (ppi) density. The publication also reports that it has seen a prototype of the e-reader, which has a display made of matte glass instead of plastic and which seemed “flush with the edges” rather than recessed. In spite of using glass, the new device is lighter than its predecessor. More →
Even some people who relish having the latest cutting-edge gadgets have had a hard time giving up their large collections of old-school paper books. Amazon is aiming to fix that, however, by unleashing its new MatchBook service that offers cheap digital copies of physical books that users have bought through Amazon in the past. There are a couple of caveats here: First, you can only get the eBook discounts on new books that you’ve bought through Amazon and not used books. And second, not every book you’ve ever bought through Amazon will be available at first, although with 70,000 books enrolled so far Amazon is certainly offering an impressive library. The company’s full press release follows below. More →
Barnes & Noble has finally slashed the price of its moribund Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight to $99. The entire eBook reader industry received a fatal blow when Amazon launched its Kindle Fire, a fairly impressive tablet at $199. All eBooks on the market were simply priced too high to prevent consumers from being seduced by slightly more expensive tablets with fancy color touchscreens and more expansive feature sets. Not even $79 was cheap enough to prevent buyers from bolting. More →
When people buy an E Ink eReader instead of one of the many affordable tablets available on the market, they’re likely looking for a somewhat pure eBook reading experience. As Barnes & Noble’s Nook business continues to flounder, however, the book seller will soon bank on new tablet features to help boost interest in its Nook Simple Touch lineup. According to a purported leaked email obtained by TechCrunch, Barnes & Noble plans to issue an update to its Simple Touch eReaders that will add a Web browser, email and a new store app to the devices. No other details were provided, though the update is expected to begin rolling out over the air (OTA) on June 1st. A copy of the leaked email follows below. More →
The European Union accepted a settlement offer from Apple (AAPL) and four other book publishers on Thursday that will end an antitrust investigation over eBook price gouging. European regulators had alleged that Apple, along with Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Hachette Livre and Macmillan, were conspiring to fix eBook prices to prevent Amazon (AMZN) and other online bookstores from undercutting books in the iTunes library. Per the terms of the settlement, publishers have agreed that they will avoid limiting retailers’ pricing of eBooks for five years and will continue to allow retailers to discount eBook prices for two years. The publishers and Apple have also agreed to terminate all existing pricing agreement. More →
Many of us were somewhat shocked when we heard that McAfee, Inc. founder John McAfee was wanted on murder charges in Belize. But according to a new ebook called John McAfee’s Last Stand written by Wired’s Joshua Davis, we shouldn’t have been surprised one bit. Davis, who travelled to Belize to write his book on McAfee six months ago, found that the security software guru had apparently become a gun-toting paranoid who said strange things about misunderstanding reality. In an excerpt posted on Wired, Davis describes how McAfee convincingly pretended to play Russian Roulette in front of him while he frantically tried to convince McAfee to holster his gun. More →
EU regulators are reportedly set to accept an offer from Apple (AAPL) and four other book publishers that will end an antitrust investigation over eBook price gouging, according to Reuters. European regulators opened an investigation against Apple, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Hachette Livre and Macmillan earlier this year over the companies’ eBook pricing model. It was alleged that Apple and other book publishers were conspiring to fix eBook prices that would prevent Amazon (AMZN) and other online bookstores from undercutting the Cupertino-based company. Reuters’ source claims that the Commission will announce the news next month, which will end the investigation and allow the companies to avoid fines. The United States Department of Justice is currently involved in a similar lawsuit with Apple and other publishers.
Amazon’s (AMZN) new Kindle Paperwhite has received high marks from both the general public and earlier reviewers, but users have noticed that the device has a few shortcomings. The online retail giant this week updated its website to include information about the eReader’s limitations. When developing the Kindle Paperwhite, Amazon was able to make the device smaller and lighter than before, although in doing so it omitted audio and text-to-speech capabilities. Unlike some earlier Kindle models, the Paperwhite is only equipped with 2GB of internal storage, which allows it to store roughly 1,100 books locally on the device, rather than 4GB of storage. Lastly, Amazon acknowledged that under certain conditions the eReader’s built-in light “is not perfect even,” and notes that lighting variations are normal and primarily affect the margins of the device. More →
Anyone placing an order for Amazon’s (AMZN) slick-looking Kindle Paperwhite eReader will have a wait on their hands. Amazon on Wednesday posted a message on its Kindle Paperwhite order page stating that “due to popular demand, orders placed today are expected to ship in 4 to 6 weeks,” meaning that all new Paperwhite orders won’t arrive at users’ doorsteps until at least early November. The Kindle Paperwhite features a front-lit black and white touchscreen E Ink display that will purportedly provide 25% better contrast than older Kindle models. The new eReader officially launched on October 1st. More →
As if fall wasn’t already busy enough in the consumer electronics industry, companies caught wind of a mid-September iPhone 5 announcement from Apple (AAPL) so we’re now in the midst of a gadget avalanche as vendors try to show off their wares ahead of Apple’s big event next week. Among them is Amazon (AMZN), which just kicked off its press conference by announcing the Kindle Paperwhite, a new front-lit eReader with Amazon’s latest E Ink display. More →
Amid rumors that rival Amazon (AMZN) is planning to launch new versions of its Kindle eReaders as soon as next week, Barnes & Noble (BKS) on Sunday slashed prices on two of its Nook models. The company cut the prices of both its Nook Color and Nook Tablet, which are now being offered starting at $149 and $179, respectively. “Our Reader’s Tablets have consistently been the highest rated products by the leading technology experts and now they’re available for the lowest prices ever,” said Jamie Iannone, President of Digital Products at Barnes & Noble. “With NOOK Color for $149 and NOOK Tablet starting at $179, customers can enjoy our best-in-class digital reading and entertainment experience with an expansive selection of digital content and apps at an unbeatable price.” The company’s press release follows below. More →
