Friday

Kindle Ebook Reader 3

Kindle Ebook Reader - Kindle 3 Could Launch This Year

New Larger Kindle Ebook Reader On Its Way

Prime View International expects strong shipments of its electrophoretic displays (EPDs) following the launch by Amazon of the Kindle Ebook Reader 2.

The Kindle 2 has a 6 inch electronic paper display EPD with 600x800 resolution and 2GB of memory, it is 0.36-inches thick and weighs just over 10 ounces.

There are also rumours that Amazon will be launching a new ebook reader the Kindle 3 no doubt, by the end of 2009. The even newer Kindle will be larger in size and equipped with touch functions and more aimed at the educational market.

It is said the size will be standard paper size 8.5 x 11-inch.

There are also claims that Hearst Corporation is preparing a brand new competitor to Kindle Ebook Readers, namely a wireless e-reader that will download magazines like Cosmopolitan and Esquire wirelessly.

This certainly would shake up the print industry. Hearst has decided to launch its own e-reader to “preserve the business model that has sustained newspapers and magazines”.

Hearst plans to sell the ebook readers directly to other publishers who will then devise their own pricing schemes, this will allow people to decide which newspaper you read on the train in the morning.

The Hearst "Kindle killer" will be a large, black and white e-ink device and could be released some time this year, followed by a color version later.

In the UK the national newspaper the Daily Mail will distribute its web content on the Kindle Ebook Reader when it is launched in the UK.

And is in discussions to offer US readers access to its daily editions.

James Bromley, Managing Director of the Mail Online, said: "We're in talks with Amazon to launch in the US in the near future and we're also talking about the UK version. The advantages are quite simply the quality and size of the screen."


See also : Onyx Boox Ebook Reader
Home : Ebook Readers

Monday

Kindle Ebook Reader 2 Shipping

Kindle Ebook Reader 2 - Ebook Reader Now on Sale

Amazon Ebook Reader 2 Now on Sale

Amazon's new Kindle Ebook Reader 2 is now on sale and they say if you order today you will get it tomorrow. There is the outside possibility that they will sell out of course, like they did with Ebook Reader 1, so it might be worth while ordering early if you are in any doubt or want to be sure of getting one.

The Features of the Kindle Portable Ebook Reader 2 :-



  • It is light at 10.2 oz, lighter than the average paperback
  • It is very slim just over 1/3 " , i.e. the same as most magazines - 8" x 5.3" x 0.36".
  • 3G wireless capability allows you to download books anytime, anywhere; there is no monthly fee, no service plans, and no need to find Wi-Fi hotspots
  • A book downloads in less than 60 seconds
  • The display is even better - it looks like real paper and now has 16 shades of gray for even clearer text and sharper images - 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi,
  • The battery life has been extended by 25% so you can read for days before you need to recharge - fully charges in approx. 4 hours and can be charged via the included USB 2.0 cable from your PC
  • Increased storage - the Portable Kindle Ebook Reader now holds over 1,500 books
  • Page turn speed improved by 20%
  • New text-to-speech feature, the Kindle Ebook Reader can now read books, blogs, magazines, and newspapers out loud
  • Selection - more than 230,000 books plus U.S. and international newspapers, magazines, and blogs are available via the Kindle Ebook Reader 2
  • Book Prices are low - best-sellers and new releases are $9.99, unless otherwise stated



See also : Onyx Boox Ebook Reader
Home : Ebook Reader

Friday

Authors Guild Attacks Ebook Reader

Kindle Ebook Reader - Authors Guild Criticizes Ebook Reader Speed Function as Unauthorized

The US Authors Guild has issued a warning to its members and on its website that the text to speech function of the new Kindle Ebook Reader - Kindle 2 may be undermining audio markets and represents an unauthorized use of audio rights.

The Kindle Ebook Reader version 2 differs from the first version of Amazon's Ebook Reader in a number of ways, but one of them is its ability to read the text out in a computerized voice. The Authors Guild (if you are one of those types who is wondering about the lack of the apostrophe see below!) said that the Ebook Reader's text-to-speech function "presents a significant challenge to the publishing industry" and it has advised its members to hold off granting ebook rights for the Kindle.

Amazon are not impressed, Andrew Herdener said: "Is it illegal to read a book out loud to yourself? Is it the case that one is only allowed to legally read if one does so silently? When you listen to yourself read out loud, you’re not performing—you’d need an audience for that—and you’re not making a copy.”

Herdener also pointed out that Amazon's subsidiary Audible is playing a role in the audiobook business and he pointed out that text-to-speech "provides a completely different experience from a professionally recorded audiobook".

The Authors Guild however say the Kindle 2 Ebook Reader speech function presents a "significant challenge to the publishing industry". Could it be that there is trouble ahead? Do I hear the sound of chuckling lawyers?

Now for the nitpickers amongst us who will have noticed that there is no apostrophe after 'Authors' in The Authors Guild. What's wrong with these authors? Can't they write proper English?

Well this is their argument : "You include an apostrophe if you want to indicate that the Guild is a possession of the authors, but in this case it is being used as an adjective — the Guild is a Guild of authors (not one that belongs to authors)."

This point is disputed, of course, and you can while away a day or two tracking it down on Google if you are so inclined!

If on the other hand you are interested in books and first edition books in particular as a form of investment then check out the link - first edition books

Tuesday

Ebook Readers Currently Available

Ebook Readers - The Different Ebook Readers Currently Available

There are 5 different Ebook Readers currently available.
Amazon Kindle Ebook Reader Mark 2
First up is the Amazon Kindle Ebook Reader - this is the best-selling ebook reader on the market, due in part to its endorsement by Oprah Winfrey.

It was launched in 2007 and version 2 has just been launched and will be available from Feb. 24 - hopefully Amazon will have made enough this time around, as version 1 was sold out for months.

It displays books, newspaper, magazines and blogs on "electronic paper" and you can download books etc... over Amazon Whispernet via the Sprint EVDO network. The Kindle is a portable digital book reader that does not require a computer and books are downloaded wirelessly. There is no fee for Whispernet. The new Kindle Ebook Reader is very thin and will read the books out to you if you prefer. The Kindle Ebook Reader i selling well so if you are into stock trading then you might also consider buying shares in Amazon! The price for the new Ebook Reader is $359.

The Sony Reader is the main competitor to the Kindle Ebook Reader at the moment. It uses an electronic paper display from E Ink Corporation.

The latest version of the Sony Ebook Reader is the PRS-700. It has a touchscreen that doubles up as a virtual keyboard. The touch screen allows note taking. It has LED lighting for poor lighting conditions. Internal storage - 512MB. Sale price in the USA $399.

The iRex 1000S Ebook Reader gets mixed reviews - it seems to be a good device that is however a bit sluggish, way too expensive (over $700), and not very user-friendly.

The Cybook by Bookeen is an ultra-light Ebook Reader that uses E Ink screen technology. It is readable under direct sunlight. It reads a wide range of file formats and allows access to a wide range of digital documents. Cost $350.

There is also the Cybook DeLuxe which is the Cybook + a set of accessories i.e.
- cover
- USB Charger
- 2 GB SD memory card
- Stereo earphones
- Extra battery
The accessories will cost you an extra $100.

EReader from Plastic Logic is expected to have a selected release for the second half of 2009 with general release in 2010. The intention is that it shall replace paper, it will be less than 7 mm thick, and weigh less than 16 oz. (about 500 gr.) It will display MS Office documents, PDF files etc... but doesn't seem interested in the ebook market.

The device uses flexible plastic substrates for the display. This produces active matrix displays that are thinner, lighter and stronger than glass silicon displays.
It is described as a business reader, for reading bsuiness documents.

Where can you use your Plastic Logic eReader?
Wlle they say : "With wireless capability, ... the Plastic Logic eReader is designed to be used virtually anywhere." Make of that what you will. Does it mean the PL Ereader has wireles capability? To me it sounds ambiguous, but we shall in 2010.

Finally, the eSlick by Foxit is expected any time soon. It will be about the size of a medium paperback and 0.4 inches thick with a 6-inch 800 x 600 resolution display. The eSlick Ebook Reader panel is made by the same firm as Amazon uses, and it will have 128MB of inbuilt memory plus a 2GB SD card. It also doubles as an MP3 player.

Their site is a ridiculous grey on black therefore illegible - so I didn't bother reading it - let's hope the device is more intelligent. Price is $250 - still expensive but less so than all the others.

At the moment it is the Kindle Ebook Reader that it stealing all the glory, which is why I put a picture of it here, but who knows maybe the others will come up with something better!

UPDATE : For information on another alternative to the Kindle Ebook Reader see the Onyx Boox Ebook Reader



Home : Ebook Reader

Monday

Amazon's Ebook Reader Press Conference

Ebook Readers - New Kindle Ebook Reader Press Conference News

Amazon Kindle Ebook Reader Press Conference HighlightsAmazon Kindle 2 Ebook Reader

First, some figures : Over 10% of the units Amazon sell are Kindle book sales designed to be read on the Kindle Ebook Reader - an astonishing result, so clearly Amazon are determined to make the most of the Kindle.

The new Kindle Ebook Reader has indeed been slimmed down - it's 0.36-inches thick... the Apple iPhone is 0.48 inches

Kindle 2 - has 7 times more storage than Kindle 1

Strange new feature called Whispersync. You can read a bit on one Kindle then switch to another one and read the rest there -- it keeps your page wirelessly.

Next new feature - the new Ebook Reader reads the text out loud - cool

Next new feature - Stephen King in person live and kicking and reading his story written specially for the Kindle Ebook Reader that is being read from the Kindle and involves the Kindle. Not Kingle's most chilling work apparently, but maybe it gets chillier! It turns out the Kindle in the story has access to other worlds and it's pink - now everyone's going to want a pink Kindle !

Stephen Kingle leaves to applause. Stephen King's Story for the Kindle Ebook Reader is called UR.

Mr Bezos returns to announce the price is $359 - same as the Kindle 1. They want to put every book ever made onto the Kindle ! That's a lot of books a lot of ebooks and a lot of Ebook Readers too no doubt !

USA Today is latest newspaper avaiable on the Kindle Ebook Reader. New Yorker, too. Also new blogs like Gizmodo - you can put your own blog on the Kindle too - details from Amazon - another way of how to make money blogging so I will need to look into it.

The Kindle Ebook Reader 2 can be pre-ordered - will ship on Feb. 24

Special for Kindle 1 owners - if they order before midnight tonight (EST presumably) their order will be prioritized - anyone who hasn't received their Kindle 1 yet will be upgraded to Kindle 2.


See also : Onyx Boox Ebook Reader

New Novel Kindle King Novel

Ebook Readers - Amazon Kindle Ebook Reader 2 with Added Stephen King Potency!

Stephen King

According to journalists Geoffrey A. Fowler and Jeffry A. Trachtenberg at the Wall Street Journal, Amazon will today be announcing not only a new version of its Kindle Ebook Reader , but also that it has signed an agreement with best-selling author Stephen King for a work that will be available exclusively on the Kindle Ebook Reader!

Quite a coup as Stephen King's novels are always best-sellers! Will he be doing signed first editions of the new Ebook Reader we wonder ? Is he to be known as Stephen Kingle from now on ? The answers to all these question and more may be revealed by a strange entity sniffing around the press conference at 10 a.m. ET. Poo what is that smell ?!

Amazon's Ebook Readers tend to sell like hot cakes - I wonder if they've got Oprah lined up to endorse it again, or maybe the great Obama himself ?


Amazon Kindle Ebook Reader Version 2 With Supermodel Standing on Her Head
In the latest King ouvrage a Kindle-like entity allegedly plays a role.

(<---- New Kindle Ebook Reader with Supermodel Standing on Her Head)

Taiwanese manufacturer Prime View International makes the screens for the Kindle Ebook Reader, and according to them the shortage in Kindles was a result of Amazon's conservative sales forecast. Like I've said before, silly Amazon ! don't they understand the Power of the Presence of Oprah !? Although apparently Oprah wasn't paid for the endorsement, it was a spontaneous outpouring of enthusiasm - so maybe Amazon were not totally to blame for the sudden unexpected upsurge in sales.

On the day of the endorsement, traffic from Oprah.com to Amazon.com increased more than 15,000% according to Experian PLC's Hitwise.

Amazon has asked Prime View to make more screens this time, but with Stephen King joining the Ebook Reader party have they underdone it again?

The new version of the Kindle Ebook Reader will also have a slightly larger screen.

Amazon is apparently also working to make Ebook Reader titles available on cellphones.

I think they should just make the Kindle into a cellphone and save themselves a lot of trouble.

The Ebook Reader is certainly an excellent product by all accounts and, as I've also said before, this may be a good time to buy stock in Amazon.

Sunday

Are Ebook Readers Worth It

Ebook Readers - Why Bother With a Kindle Ebook Reader?

Ebook Readers

Are ebook readers any good or any use? You may be wondering whether you should join the over 500,000 other people who have already bought an ebook reader. Well generally speaking, people find that once they have got an ebook reader (ebook readers make nice presents too!) they soon discover that it has become indispensable! amazon kindle 2 ebook reader

Especially for people who travel a lot or are out of the house a lot an ebook reader (in particular the Kindle with its wireless capabilites) really is indispensbale. Some ebook readers may not look nice, but it is the sheer usefulness and practicality of portable book readers that win the argument.

Your ebook reader will quickly reveal itself to be more useful than your laptop, your cell phone or your iPod and if they incorporate a cell phone into your ebook reader - which is not beyond the realms of possibility - then it will be even more indispensable, as you will dispense with your cellphone instead.

The unique sales point of an ebook reader is that you always have access to the documents, books or newspaper you need thanks to its 2GB SD card. You therefore do not have to carry around piles of heavy books and newspapers, they are already starting to make ebook readers available to students.

If you need access to reports or manuals you either have them directly stored already in your ebook reader or, if it is a wireless ebook reader (like the Kindle) then you can download it in just minutes or seconds.

If you just want to relax you can have any nuumber of 'proper' books loaded on your ebook reader or you can download the latest best-sellers wirelessly for less than the price of the printed book.

This all applies to the USA only of course but eventually people eleswhere will be invited to join the ebook reader party which will of course swell Amazon's coffers even more. Did I mentioned that Amazon shares might make a good long-term investment ?

The Kindle 2 ebook reader is expected to be announced tomorrow (Monday Feb. 9) and it is rumoured the price will still be high. But hey that's business, with the Kindle proving so popular why would they bring the price down, just be grateful if they don't put it up.

The Kindle Version 2 will be thinner and sleeker, to entice in the Apple cult no doubt. There is also the Onyx Boox Ebook Reader to consider.

Saturday

New Kindle Ebook Reader Coming

Ebook Reader - Amazon to launch Version 2 of their Kindle Digital Book Reader on Feb. 24


Kindle 2 Son of Ebook Reader

Ebook Reader Kindle 2

It's not quite official yet but Amazon are organizing a press conference on Monday 9Feb. to announce the launch of version 2 of their best-selling digital book reader - the Kindle 2 Ebook Reader.

Ever since Oprah said "The Kindle Ebook Reader is my favorite gadget" sales have skyrocketed and the Kindle quickly sold out. Since then people have been eagerly awaiting version 2 of Amazon's ebook reader. Well it looks like that wait is soon to be over.

In the new ebook reader, Kindle 2, the main improvement over Kindle 1 is that this digital book reader is very much slimmed down to resemble Steve Jobs' Apple products.


There are now some official looking pictures of the Kindle Ebook Reader emerging which show that the Kindle 2 is a lot thinner than the Kindle 1 something for which ebook readers around the world will be eternally grateful and in addition the back appears to be metal and stereo speakers adorn bottom.
Amazon Kindle 2 Ebook Reader and Pencil
The cost of this particular digital book reader, however, does not seem to have slimmed down - it will still cost you $359, but bear in mind that there is a thriving market in second-hand and refurbished ebook readers with people selling Kindles for more than they paid for them on places like Craigs list.

So it might be worth your while to invest in a few and try to make a quick buck if the Amazon Kindle 2 sells out as quickly as the Kindle 1 did! You may also want to wait a while to see the Onyx Ebook Reader the Boox which is due to be shipped in April 2010.

Friday

Kindle 2 Second Coming Soon

Kindle Ebook Reader - Amazon Kindle 2 Launch Expected Soon

Amazon Kindle Ebook Reader Version 2 ExpectAmazon Kindle 2 Ebook Readered

The Amazon Kindle Ebook Reader also sometimes called a digital book reader has been a big hit with the general public, but, due to Amazon not making enough of them, people have been very frustrated when trying to get one and Ebook Readers have been appearing on places like Craigs List and that big yellow and red auction site at second-hand prices higher than the price of the original device. So Kindle Ebook Reader flipping has been a bit of a money-maker for some enterprising types.

Sales really took off when the Kindle Ebook Reader was declared to be Oprah's favorite gadget.

(...Photo of Kindle 2 Ebook Reader by Boy Genius Report)

Now it appears that the Kindle 2 could be just around the corner as Amazon will be making a presentation which it is believed will include the Kindle 2 digital book reader at the Morgan Library in New York on Monday 9 February.

People are expecting the new Kindle 2 to be thinner, more ergonomic, to have a modified keyboard and display, and a better leather pouch instead of the plastic cover. There might also be a joystick to replace the directional pad and the SD card slot for 1GB of internal memory might disappear.

See also : Onyx Boox Ebook Reader