Hasta La Gadget!

If you had told us at roughly this time last year that the e-reader race would be heating up going into the 2012 holiday season, we would have disagreed. If anything, 2011 seemed like the beginning of the end. Spurred on by the tablet explosion, companies like Amazon, Barnes & Noble and even Kobo were looking toward that space for inspiration, introducing flagship devices on which reading was just one of many features. Heck, even the readers themselves started to look more tablet-like, with many abandoning of physical keyboards in favor of infrared touchscreens.

But here we are at the end of September, and this product category has never been more exciting. Back in May, Barnes & Noble captured our hearts and midnight reading marathons with the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight, a wordy name for a great little device that made reading in bed at night a little easier. (A problem, according to Barnes & Noble, that was tearing the country’s families apart.) But don’t let it be said that Amazon doesn’t believe in the American family. Earlier this month, the company launched the Kindle Paperwhite, the latest addition to a product lineup that has more or less become synonymous with the term “e-reader.”

At that launch event, CEO Jeff Bezos described the four years of R&D that went into the front light technology powering that bright screen. It was clear from our hands-on time with the device that, although Amazon is placing extra emphasis on the Fire line these days, it still has a lot invested in the e-reader fight. The sharpened, illuminated text is impressive, and Amazon has gone so far as to describe this as the Kindle it’s always wanted to build. That’s all well and good, but how does it compare to similar offerings on the market? Is this worth the $119 asking price (with ads)? Let’s find out.

Continue reading Amazon Kindle Paperwhite review

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite review originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Sep 2012 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If it feels like we’ve heard about Amazon’s intention to punch through the Japanese wall with Kindle before, it’s because we have. However, if a new report on Reuters via The Nikkei is to be believed, it could finally be getting closer. It’s said that the internet retailer had planned to launch its e-reader line in September, but supply chain problems put paid to that. Now we’re told it’ll land in “early October” with Amazon hurriedly securing Japanese content in time for the busy end of year sales period. The Kindle’s still not out of the woods just yet though, as it’s also been suggested that publishers are being asked to change data formats for their content, which is ripe for causing another bottleneck, should they not comply in time. Sadly, given the history of this tale, we’re not expecting Japanese farm owners to be making any irrational bets just yet.

Nikkei: Amazon to launch Kindle in Japan ‘early October’ originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Sep 2012 11:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, you can certainly snag one of those shiny new Amazon slates straight from the source, but if that famed, speedy shipping isn’t your style, then a trip to the nearest Staples would be recommended. The “That Was Easy” retailer announced earlier it’s now inviting all parties interested in picking up an all-new, 7-inch Kindle Fire HD, a revamped Kindle Fire or that $69 Kindle to visit its brick-and-mortar stores — where, starting today, folks will be able to buy any of the aforementioned devices. While these Kindles can be found listed on the Staples website (see below), the company didn’t mention whether it actually plans to sell them online — perhaps they’re just there in case you’re in need of a little bit of guidance.

Continue reading Staples to offer new Kindle Fire, 7-inch Kindle Fire HD in-store starting today

Filed under: Tablets

Staples to offer new Kindle Fire, 7-inch Kindle Fire HD in-store starting today originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 15:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Huge week for Amazon, last week. But all that Kindly goodness was nearly upstaged by lock-screen ad nonsense. When I searched on the keyword “amazon” in my RSS tech folder, Friday and Saturday of last week looked like two big parade floats: “OMG, there are ads on the new Kindle tablet!” and “Praise the heavens, you can disable the ads!”

Tempest in a teapot, those ads. And Amazon took the wrong approach to removing them.

Continue reading Editorial: Bring on the ads, Amazon

Filed under: Tablets, Internet

Editorial: Bring on the ads, Amazon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Sep 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s a certain amount of self-contradiction going on if you’re visiting a brick-and-mortar store to pre-order a device that’s all about e-commerce. If you relish the irony, Best Buy will gladly let you reserve Amazon’s $69 Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, upgraded Kindle Fire and both sizes of the Kindle Fire HD (including the LTE model) at both regular locations and Best Buy Mobile. The retailer isn’t as specific with its in-stock dates as Amazon: beyond the $69 Kindle’s September 14th date, we’re only promised a generic October release for the Paperwhite and 7-inch Kindle Fires, while the 8.9-inch tablets will be available “before Christmas.” Not the quickest path to getting a new Kindle in your hands, then, but it may be the best way to get a hands-on before clinching the deal.

Continue reading Best Buy takes 2012 Amazon Kindle pre-orders for those that hate online shopping, appreciate irony

Filed under: Tablets

Best Buy takes 2012 Amazon Kindle pre-orders for those that hate online shopping, appreciate irony originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 16:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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