Items tagged with reader
"Wait just a moment, will you?" That's a question being posed by Barnes & Noble, which has come out swinging to address prior rumors that the Nook hardware business was being phased out completely. The bookseller has been mired in difficulties over the past few years, as the digital age weighs heavy on its traditional paper business. But the Nook has seemingly been a bright spot in the lineup, and despite competition from Amazon and tablet makers the world over, it appears that the Nook business has life left in it. The company's latest financial report makes clear that "new Nook products are planned," and it is "confirming" its commitment to Nook: both the device and content sides of the...
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Facebook is officially in the big leagues in terms of events. In fact, we're pretty sure the social networking company has held more events in 2013 than even Amazon. Who would've thought that just a year or so ago? As Facebook morphs into more than just a community of friends, the company is taking ever larger risks. Just look at Facebook Home, for example, as well as the Social Graph from a few months ago. Now, Facebook is readying another new product, and it may be the biggest one yet: a news reader. With Google Reader shutting down, there's a huge open hole for a big name to fill. Yes, Feedly is stepping up in some regard, but Facebook's mysterious invite sure makes us think "news." The company's...
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While the e-reader market isn't exactly exploding in the way smartphones are, there are still plenty to go around -- and plenty of demand to be filled. Kobo seems to be doing just fine keeping up with Amazon's Kindle line and B&N's Nook range, and today it's introducing a limited-run unit to please those looking for something a bit more uncommon. It's the Aura HD E Link eReader, boasting a 6.8" E Ink display and shipping in ivory, expresso and onyx colors. It'll be up for pre-order soon for $170, boasting a 1GHz processor, 4GB of storage, and Wi-Fi. Wayne White, EVP and General Manager of Devices, isn't holding back on his adoration: "To us, the Kobo Aura HD is the Porsche of eReaders and...
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Anyone who finds themselves strapped in an airplane on a regular basis knows that "chime" all too well. It's the sound of hitting 10,000 feet on the way up (liberating) and the sound of hitting 10,000 feet on the way down (depressing). Kidding aside, this arbitrary measure has somehow forced modern passengers to hold tight on booting up their tablets, phones, MP3 players and laptops... and for what reason? The myth of cellular radios screwing with a plane's GPS system has been busted time and time again, yet still, the runway is seemingly no place for a notebook. Oddly, it's okay to read a 50lb. copy of War and Peace while taking off, but you can't read the same novel on a near-weightless Kindle....
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We already covered the sad, sad notion that Google is shutting down its famed Reader RSS platform, and that has left many RSS loyalists looking for an immediate alternative. And now, Digg is taking advantage of the situation. Digg was once a huge force in the social sharing game, but as Facebook, Twitter and newer forms of networking took off, Digg usage began to sink. After a fresh redesign, the team is now placing a "top priority" tag on the building of an all new RSS reader. And the goal, of course, is to capture as many ex-Reader users as possible. In order to do so, the company is accelerating a plan it said was already in the works -- a plan to construct its own reader. In fact, it's even...
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Are you a frequent user of Google Reader? Tough luck! Google has had an ongoing "spring cleaning" for a few years now, shutting down peripheral services and items that it simply can't find time to focus on as a more mature, publicly-traded company. For the most part, the shut-downs have only angered a minority, but it seems the decision to sunset Reader has awaken a hornet's nest. While RSS as a whole isn't quite as popular as it once was, Reader was one of the more popular ways to view 'em. And, perhaps more importantly, a lot of services used Reader in some way or another. In addition to Reader, which is scheduled to be killed in July, there's also Google Building Maker, Cloud Connect, and...
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Convergence seems to be the name of the game these days, and ADATA's riding that bandwagon. The company has just launched an interesting mishmash of products: a wireless storage reader and power bank. The DashDrive Air AE400 is a wireless reader that can read and stream data from USB storage media and SD memory cards, and also functions as a power bank that can charge other mobile devices. The AE400 can be an easy to operate wireless hotspot, with support for 802.11 b/g/n wireless networking. When functioning as a network bridge, the internet connection can be shared by up to 10 devices at the same time. As a storage reader, the AE400 enables wireless data transfer between mobile devices and...
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Amazon's Kindle line has been tearing it up, or so we're led to believe. The company still has yet to reveal hard sales figures, but it's pretty clear from the expansion that things are doing well enough to support the standalone business. Now, the company has said that Voice Guide and Explore By Touch features are slated to land on Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD 7" by early next year, giving users another reason to snag one for Christmas and await a surprise shortly after. For years features such as text-to-speech and adjustable font sizes have helped vision-impaired Kindle owners enjoy books more easily and those with learning disabilities to improve their reading skills. Now, two new accessibility...
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Dear, brave shoppers -- it's Black Friday once more. Are you staying in, and heading our with armor in tow? If so, you may want to place yet another item on your list: it's not just a discounted Nook Simple Touch, but a Limited Edition model. Announced specifically with Black Friday in mind, Barnes & Noble has released a limited run of white Simple Touch units. That's right -- a limited white unit, on Black Friday. The paradox is obvious, no? The price is $79, and according to B&N, it'll only be available today. The normal price is $99, but if in fact they only made enough for a 24 hour shopping spree, unopened units may fetch more on the secondhand market, particularly as the holidays...
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Amazon's Kindle ecosystem is growing at an alarming rate. The company's cloud services are obviously catching on, and with Amazon's prowess in hosting files for everyone else in the world, it makes sense that they'd flex that muscle internally, too. The newest initiative is Whispercast for Kindle. It's described as a free, self-service tool aimed at schools and businesses that need to manage large deployments of Kindles. The whole idea is a fascinating one; learning via digital means is gaining traction, and while tablets or laptops sound great, they're pretty pricey. The Kindle Fire or Kindle e-readers, however, are much more affordable for school budgets. In addition to managing across Kindle...
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E-readers are a dime a dozen, but they aren't quite a dime in cost. But it's getting close. While e-reader prices overall have been sinking lately, this sets a new bar. A new low bar, that is. The new Txtr Beagle is said to be the world's smallest e-reader, and perhaps the cheapest as well. It doesn't require any cables or chargers, and is the first e-reader to receive e-books sent from a smartphone. The unit itself is just 5mm thick, weighing 128 grams and operates using two AAA batteries. Users can start reading any of the preloaded eBooks or book previews in seconds by simply switching the device on and selecting the book of choice. The txtr beagle communicates with the txtr Android reading...
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Microsoft likes to read too, you know? If not, you do now. Barnes & Noble has today announced the completion of their previously announced strategic partnership in NOOK Media LLC, a recently formed Barnes & Noble subsidiary that relies on a partnership with Microsoft. The new company is being established in order to further embrace education and consumer electronics segments, as it comprises the digital and College businesses of Barnes & Noble. All told, Microsoft is forking over $300 million for the opportunity "As demand for digital content continues to increase, we are focused on bringing ground-breaking reading and learning content and technologies to more people in more formats...
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E-readers seem to be going the way of the netbook. And strangely, it seems that netbooks and e-readers both have a single product segment to blame: tablets. As more and more users found tablets to be a suitable, more portable substitute for netbooks, so have avid bookworms. Instead of springing for a device that just reads, why not pick up a multifaceted product like the iPad, Kindle Fire or Nexus 7 for just a bit more? Still, the e-reading market isn't quite dead yet, and indeed, Sony's still looking to make new headway in a maturing market. The new Reader, PRS-T2, was launched today. It's a 6" device that sleeker and slimmer than prior iterations, and it'll ship in red, white or matte black....
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Microsoft sure has been making the news quite frequently, and not all of it has to do with Windows or Xbox. This week, the company is announcing a strategic partnership in a new Barnes & Noble subsidiary, which will reportedly "accelerate the transition to e-reading, which is revolutionizing the way people consume, create, share and enjoy digital content." It's interesting to think about this given that Microsoft itself killed a 'Courier' project a few years back that had the chance to eat the Kindle's lunch (let alone the Nook), but now, Microsoft is left to buddy up with companies still in that game in order to get a slice of the pie. The new subsidiary will initially be called Newco, and...
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The e-reader game may have its leaders, but the war is far from over. Chegg has just come out of the woodwork in order to launch their new eTextbook Reader, providing students with a cloud-based service to access their eTextbooks on any connected device. Optimized for computers and iPads, Chegg's eTextbook Reader utilizes HTML5 to deliver a highly interactive user experience, offering access to the most relevant textbooks on any connected device. Led by recently acquired engineering team, 3D3R, the eTextbook Reader was created with the student in mind to offer easy navigation, enhanced highlighting, note taking, search and an advanced set of features including: Instant Definitions: Select any...
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Wait, what? Mirasol? On a product? It's true! Qualcomm's fabeled display technology is finally being showcased on a shipping product, the Kyobo-branded e-reader. Unfortunately, it seems to be restricted to South Korea alone for the moment, but at least this serves as proof that Mirasol is more than just a figment of someone's imagination. It's designed specifically to be read and used outdoors, in bright sunlight, and the battery should last for "weeks" in typical usage. The Kyobo e-Reader includes access to Kyobo's 90,000 ebook library, notably including early rights from Korean publisher Minumsa for the much-anticipated Steve Jobs' exclusive biography, a full one-month before any other Korean...
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Sony went on quite the rampage at IFA 2011, announcing a full suite of new products. One of those is Sony's new eReader, the world's lightest in the 6" form factor. It's called, quite simply, the Reader Wi-Fi (PRS-T1). It weighs in at under 6 ounces and utilizes a 6" E-Ink Pearl V220 touch screen. It'll ship in black, red or white, and it will also be the first eReader to offer wireless connectivity to the public library system in the US and Canada via a dedicated icon on the device to allow easy and convenient borrowing of free e-books with a valid library card. Readers can access and download over 2.5 million titles via a Wi-Fi connection from Reader Store or shop from a wide range of bookstores...
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Amazon introduced a cheaper, ad-supported Kindle a few months back, but now it looks like things are being taken next-level. AT&T just announced that they'll be sponsoring the Kindle 3G. Evidently, people don't really seem to mind having ads on their Kindle in exchange for up-front savings. With this one, Amazon takes care of the monthly 3G billing (meaning it's free for you), and thanks to AT&T's sponsorship, the Kindle 3G with Special Offers will sell for $139. That's a $50 price cut from the standard $189 Kindle 3G. What's wild is that global 3G is included as well, so you can use this to read and download books overseas as well. So, is a $50 savings worth it to you? It's a compelling...
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Not sold on the Kindle? If you're head over heels for the Kobo eReader Touch Edition, there's actually a good bit of good news to share. The company's continuing the update process surrounding the device, with a new v1.9.5 firmware update that allows substantial customization with new font, margin and layout options. Below are highlights of the updates: * Personalize Your Reading Experience by Adding New Fonts: The new firmware allows users to add their own fonts easily and quickly for total personalization. Simply create a new Font directory on the Touch Edition using your laptop, netbook or desktop computer, then drag custom fonts into the Font folder. Nook and Kindle don’t...
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Ever seen one of those television commercials that convinces you that you'll be getting something "valued at" some absurdly high price. This isn't exactly one of those cases, but in a way, it's a lot like that. Barnes & Noble has just revealed that customers who bring their "old eReader" to a B&N store and "upgrade" to a NOOK will get 30 free NOOK Books. And those, apparently, are worth $315. We suspect that the values are being tweaked a bit here to benefit the cause, but it's still a tempting offer. Kindle owners who have been looking for a good reason to try the NOOK may be enticed, and folks who purchased a super-cheap eReader from the start now have a great opportunity to snag a...
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Yet another punch is being thrown in the e-reader war. With Kobo and B&N both launching new e-readers this week, Amazon just had to step in with news of their own. And they did. The company introduced an ad-supported version of the 3G Kindle, a $164 version that costs $25 less than the non-ad-supported variant. It still includes free 3G wireless in the U.S., and the form factor has remained the same, but you'll be saving the $25 in exchange for having a few ads dotted about the user experience. This follows the launch of the Wi-Fi ad-supported Kindle earlier in the month, which also launched with a $25 savings. So, are you enticed by such offers, or will you pony up the extra for an ad-free...
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On the same day that Microsoft introduced a ton of new features within the upcoming "Mango" build of Windows Phone 7, Barnes & Noble introduced something of their own: an all-new NOOK. It's a new touch-sensitive reader with improved battery life (up to 2 months on a single charge), an ultra-light frame, full touchscreen, a 6" E Ink Pearl Display, and optimized display performance that offers 80% less flashing. It comes equipped with Wi-Fi, and offers 50% more contrast than a 1st edition NOOK. It weighs just 7.48oz., and is 35% lighter and 15% thinner than the original. It'll hold up to 1,000 digital books, and it's priced right as well: pre-orders are live now for $139. Of course, the same...
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