iPad Competition Continues to Grow
In keeping with yesterday’s post that drew attention to the competition between E Ink eBook Readers, here’s a link to a CNN story called “iPad competitors are lining up.”
It goes on to list specifics for five contenders anxious to sink their teeth into the tablet market.
The rumored ”Blackpad” from Research In Motion certainly sounds intriguing.
Another Tablet to Challenge iPad!
eWeek.com has a post about Toshiba Europe introducing a multimedia tablet, the Folio 100. This new kid to the iPad block has a 10.1-inch touch screen, runs on Android 2.2 and sells for $500.
It’s rumored to be available in the fourth quarter of 2010 so keep your eyes peeled for it.
Groundbreaking Technology Around the Corner!
Are you ready for your multi-sensory experience?
Thank Jorgen for a link to an Alive! eBook Networks press release at Newswire that you can consider your first word on it.
Alive! eBook Networks announced a ‘groundbreaking’ new format that “transforms reading into a stimulating experience unlike any eBook on the market today.”
Big talk, but it surrounds a new Multimedia eBook format that will offer the ‘multi-sensory’ experience with text, video and audio. The technology was developed by Yeh.
The tech doesn’t sound so new to me, but I’ll withhold judgment on it until writers, artists and content creators have had a chance to play. Read the full press release here.
Borders Drops Price of Kobo eReader!
PCMag says Borders is dropping the price of its Kobo eReader from $150 to $129 in response to the ongoing price war in the eBook Revolution.
They’ve also re-priced the smaller $119 Aluratek Libre eBook Reader Pro to $99. Borders said the changes make having a second eReader in the home an affordable option.
Then it’s all about selling the books, right?
New Kindles Selling like Reasonably Priced Hotcakes!
Ok. I know I used to have an axe to grind with Kindle, but that was because it debuted with a $379 price tag. That was just a wicked cash grab that did more to hurt the eBook Revolution than help it.
Now that Amazon has released its third Kindle version I’m happy to promote the machine, its $139 to $189 price tag, and the vast interactive library it calls home: Amazon.com.
Having said that, the prices still need to come down, and will, once the rest of the market reacts to Amazon’s push for first place. I know Sony’s got two new eBook Readers coming soon, and we still haven’t heard anything more from upstart Kobo and the $150 eReader that started a price war.
Read GoodeReader’s story about Kindle’s smashing sales record.
Velocity Micro Launches Android eReaders
A story over at Liliputing has Velocity Micro announcing plans to ship two Android tablets within the next couple months.
Velocity Micro’s $200 Cruz Reader boasts a touch-screen display on a platform designed for easy eBook reading. Its Android OS gives the option of running apps, video and web surfing–among other actions.
The $300 Cruz Tablet is the Cruz Reader on steroids offering the user a more powerful array of capabilities and options.
iPad is not alone.
Industry Leaders Kindle and Nook Battle it Out!
It’s not surprising that mammoth online bookseller Amazon and offline (bricks and mortar) book giant Barnes and Noble would battle for top spot in the eBook Revolution.
MarketWatch reports here that Amazon’s new generation (WiFi $139 or 3G $189) sleeker Kindle is outselling all its previous versions.
And FastCompany reports on Barnes and Noble’s foray into digital publishing being a qualified success in the face of much industry doubt, as indicators suggest the storefront goliath is holding its own with innovative answers to digital challenges.
This in a market that many predicted would start to shift toward the more expensive iPad full-color, multi-function territory. The battle between Kindle and Nook tells us that there is a huge market for single-purpose eBook Readers. And that is market direction dictated by consumers.
Is an App by any other name still a book?
Many thanks to Jorgen for dropping off this link to a thought-provoking story over at futureofthebook.org entitled: “the future of the app.”
It’s easy at first pass to see this discussion as mere semantics until you really open yourself to the developments that are piling up around and in front of us. We’re entering strange territory indeed as the eBook Revolution introduces a future where familiar things like books become unrecognizable.
Excellent piece of writing by Bob Stein and well worth the visit. Take the leap here.
A Worrisome Piece of eBook News…
Okay, I think this is something that will be more of a problem for iPad and Android tablet users (anything multi-function and full-color like smart phones, now that I think of it) but this article at MediaBuyerPlanner talks about the looming threat of advertisements in eBooks.
I’m more worried about the end user getting soaked for an ad-subsidized eBook. (Much the way they do buying cable subscriptions to advertisement-based television networks.) In terms of its impact on the reading experience, I can envision ad-free eBooks, software to remove ads and “plain text” Apps around the corner.
I guess the powers that be will look for methods of strip-mining the marketplace. Honestly, once an eBook is written and arrives in eBook stores for $9.99 what purpose would ad revenue serve other than maximizing profit? They’ll try it but it’s up to the consumers if we’ll buy it.
Is eBook Piracy the key to a Bestseller?
Many thanks to Jorgen for a link to a FUTUReBOOK story that highlights the continuing debate over online piracy. It seems that the laws aren’t working, and the powers that be are trying to ramp up the legal response to digital piracy and file sharing.
That eventuality can only slow the Internet and curb the freedoms of its honest users, despite the fact that there are many examples where piracy and file sharing are not just good for business, but are encouraged as a business model.
Read the article here.
