NoteSlate Tablet

Ubergizmo posted on the NoteSlate tablet, a 13″ E Ink like device that can be used for writing, drawing and reading.

Check out the NoteSlate website here. The device is expected to ship in June for a low price of $99, so if you can read on it, this is one intriguing development for the eBook Revolution.

Five Reasons eBooks are here to stay.

MinnPost.com offers a list of the Five signs that eBooks are here to stay.

I would add a sixth reason… Any time I tell people over 40 that eBook Readers allow you to adjust font size (e.g. MAKE IT BIGGER), their eyes light up.

Apple Continues to Tighten the Leash.

Jorgen dropped off a link to a post at eBookMagazine that discusses moves Apple is making to control content for iPad and iPhone. Recent updates to Apple’s Apps has put relationships with online eBook retailers like Amazon and Sony in jeopardy. Now they’re going after ‘jail breakers,’ IT savvy users who modify Apple operating systems to suit their needs.

Kindle eBook Reader Updated

ReviewsofElectronics posted on Amazon’s update of the Kindle eBook Reader software.  One of the biggest complaints was the difficulty students were having navigating eTexts via the reflowable text available in Kindles and other eBook Readers. It seems the page numbers changed all the time, making Kindle books difficult to use as reference material. More about that and other Kindle updates at the link.

The eBook Revolution in the UK

InternetRetailing has a post outlining the eBook Revolution’s impact in Britain. Looks like things are progressing in the same explosive way they are happening in North America. Mainstream adoption is underway!

Google Books is Strangely Quiet…

So, we mentioned Google purchasing eBook Technologies back in January, not long after the search engine giant opened their online eBook store, Google Books. eBook Technologies specialized in eBook software and held a handful of eBook-related patents.

Since then, the GoogleBooksphere has been kind of quiet. I mean, no discussion of eBook sales, or mention of quarrels with publishers, just relative quiet. This post at GoodeReader suggests that Google is using its new acquisition to build and design a Google eBook Reader.

Borders prepares for the worst.

GoodeReader reports on developments over at US bricks and mortar book giant Borders. Rumor has it that they’re preparing to file for bankruptcy.

Anyone who watched the general economic meltdown over the last couple of years knows that ‘bankrupt’ rarely means ‘the end’ for large corporations.

It will be interesting to see whether a new eBook-friendly Borders can rise out of the ashes.

Saturday eBook Revolution Reading

PRWeb has an update from BooksForNooks.com announcing the successful launch of their BooksForMyKindle site. (All to take advantage of the devices’ eBook lending features.)

BusinessInsider asks 10 HUGE Questions about the Apple iPad 2.

PCWorld provides some insight into the pitfalls of buying eBooks in the early days of the eBook Revolution. (The Growing Pains might hurt later.)

And here’s a bookish post from StateNews.com about some of the obstacles that stand in the way of eText adopting students, and their need to cite texts for scholarly works… It ain’t like the old days.

Valentine’s Day and the eBook Revolution

TechShout says Barnes and Noble announced that the Nook is in stock and ready to ship for Valentine’s Day.

Suite101 posted on retailers putting a romantic spin on eBook Readers.

And the Daily Mail is saying authors are giving themselves a Valentine’s gift by publishing independently to bypass agents and publishers.

eBook Revolution Goes Mainstream Across the Pond

InternetRetailing reports on the arrival of the £52 View Quest Mediabox 5in Media Tablet at the Asda Direct website. That £52(US $84) price tag is intended to entice the British ‘mid-market’ consumer to join the eBook Revolution. At half the price of the least expensive Kindle, it’s likely to prove a winner.

Our friend Jorgen dropped by with a link to a Daily Record story that suggests a price war is on the horizon.

eBookanoid reviews the ViewQuest Mediabox here.