The Christian Science Monitor has posted on a rumor about the Apple iPad3 thought to be slated for a 2012 release.
It’s going to be smaller (Like the Amazon Kindle Fire?) with a 7-inch screen. Apple has not confirmed the story.
Dec 19
Investigation continues into eBook price gouging.
The Guardian offers an in-depth feature on the investigation by European and American authorities into possible criminal market and price manipulation committed by Apple and 5 of the biggest publishers in the game: Hachette Livre, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, Penguin and Macmillan.
It will be interesting to see how this impacts the eBook Revolution.
Dec 18
eReader sales up 208% in 2011
GoodeReader has posted on the eBook Revolution’s banner year where 2011 sales of E Ink reading devices topped 27.1 million sold.
That’s an explosive development after 2010’s 13 million sold.
Dec 16
B&N Nook to cross the pond.
The Bookseller reports that US book giant Barnes & Noble’s Nook eBook Reader will soon be available in the UK. Details have to be worked out so it remains to be seen whether the devices will sell through an existing UK partnership or if B&N intends to set down roots across the pond.
Dec 15
Illuminate an eBook reader’s Holidays.
Slashgear posted on Flex Lighting’s integrated light for E Ink eBook Readers. One of the charms of the E Ink eBook Reader is its near perfect reproduction of the printed page. Unlike other computer screens there is no ‘back lighting,’ so the devices need external light to read. That makes them perfect for reading by lamp, on the beach, or by other source of light.
However, when the lights are low, the devices require a source of illumination to be read. Enter the Flex Lighting Light Layer. Check out the link for pics and video.
Dec 14
eBook Revolution at “embryonic” stage
The Sun Daily has an interesting story by Oon Yeoh called “eBooks: The Slow Wave” in which a digital media analyst is quoted saying digital publishing is not in its infancy, it is at the “embryonic stage.”
I have to agree with this viewpoint. Over the last year we’ve heard bloggers and techies say things like “E Ink eReaders” are yesterday’s news, and “are people still talking about tablets?” This comes from commentators who are following the trends so closely that they do not recognize how long the wave can last, or fail to see that trends may exist beyond the leading edge.
The truth is: the majority of people out there are still either unaware of what an eBook is, or are sure they’ll “never read a book on a computer.” The eBook Revolution has only just begun.
Dec 13
Switch off Kindle 4’s ‘Special Offers’…
We’ve all heard of the Kindle 4 with Special Offers that Amazon has been selling at a lovely low price of $79. The only catch for that low-cost entertainment was that ‘special offers’ or advertisements were displayed on the device’s E Ink screen.
Well, now GadgetReview has a post claiming two digital dodges that turn the advertisements off.
Dec 12
Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet updates on the way.
CNN has a story on the new Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet that has been receiving some unfavorable reviews since it started shipping in November. Now Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener says an update is on the way that will increase speed and augment touch-screen controls among other things.
We’re all pretty sure that these are just some growing pains for the tablet that is destined to take a huge chunk of the market away from rival Apple iPad.
Dec 11
Sony Reader reviewed; Canadian Publishers propped.
PCWorld posted a detailed review of the Sony Reader Wi-Fi PRS-T1.
MySteinbach.ca reports on the Canadian government propping up Canadian book publishers yet again. (One wonders how many Canadian Indie authors are already selling books via Amazon Kindle, etc. without help from the government…probably most.)
Dec 09
eBook Revolution Enters the Holiday Season
ConsumerReports has a story on the U.S. Department of Justice investigating eBook pricing citing possible “anticompetitive practices involving e-book sales.” (I think everyone’s catching onto the inflated pricing, and price fixing.)
The Winnipeg Free Press wonders whether eBook readers still judge books by their covers.
and…
Amazon has made an appeal to its many indie Kindle authors to take part in the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. According to Geekwire, this can be attributed to the big publishers’ reluctance to climb aboard the KDP Select service that allows Amazon Prime members the ability to borrow the eBooks in the program free of charge without a due date. While it appears some Indie authors are taking the plunge there is a clause in the contract demanding Amazon exclusivity of participating titles for 90 days. (True, the participant profit sharing looks good on paper, but ‘free’ is an awfully low price to sell your digital rights–even temporarily.)
Good Reads
SPECIAL OFFER!
