Hasta La Gadget!

iriver Story HD e-reader hits the FCC, US retailers next? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 16:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After having already penetrated the UK’s e-book market last year, Amazon has now launched the German Kindle Store, bringing more than 650,000 titles to Europe’s most populous country. With today’s launch, the German Kindle Store instantly becomes Germany’s biggest e-bookstore, with some 25,000 German-language titles, thousands of free classics, and a similarly bountiful collection of independent newspapers and magazines. Customers will also be able to purchase the latest Kindle and Kindle 3G models directly from Amazon.de, along with a whole new suite of free, German-language Kindle apps for iPhone, iPad, PC and Android platforms. Germany’s writers and publishers, meanwhile, can use the Kindle Direct Publishing service to make their works instantly available on the new store, where, if they’re lucky, they may get to pocket some handsome royalties, as well. Full press release after the break.

Continue reading Amazon launches German Kindle Store with 650,000 titles and lots of long words

Amazon launches German Kindle Store with 650,000 titles and lots of long words originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 08:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re sure there are still scores of lifelong book lovers whose paper tomes we can pry from their cold, dead fingers, but the evidence strongly suggests that plenty of others are rapidly warming to their shiny new e-readers. US sales of e-books generated about $90.3 million in revenue in February — roughly triple the sales reported in the same month last year. To boot, they were the dominant format for trade titles, a category that includes adult and children’s works. Meanwhile, printed books declined 34 percent and 16 percent in those respective areas, with gentler, single-digit drops for education and religious titles. That follows strong January sales and echoes what Amazon said about e-books outselling print versions two to one. To be fair, of course, February is a time of year when people who received e-readers during the holidays load ’em up with bestsellers — you know, to keep them entertained during spring break.

Continue reading E-book sales triple year-over-year, paper books decline in every category

E-book sales triple year-over-year, paper books decline in every category originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here’s a scenario: what if we told you that your next Kindle could be had for $25 less than retail? What if we told you it came from the rear of a nondescript white van? Or what if we told you that you’d first need to sign up for 842 email marketing scams? Thankfully, none of those scenarios are ones we’re looking to tell you about. Instead, we’re here to introduce you to the world’s first ad-supported Kindle, going on sale within Target and Best Buy locations for $114. That represents a gentle $25 savings compared to the price of today’s cheapest Kindle, but those 2500 pennies don’t come free — you’ll be asked to endure “advertisements on the bottom of the device’s home page and on its screen savers.” Furthermore, it sets a new precedent in the gadget arena that could very well carry over to ad-discounted tablets, netbooks, PMPs, and who knows what else. At this point, Buick, Olay and Visa will be advertising, and we get the impression that said list will bloom in due time. It’s hard to say just how intrusive they’ll be, but Kindle director Jay Marine seems to think that “customers are going to love it.”

We aren’t so sure. While it’s crystal clear that the general populace adores coupon cutting, it seems problematic to us to ship a pair of identical products that cost within $25 of one another and expect Joe Sixpack to grok the difference. In fact, we’re guessing that this will inevitably lead to consumer complaints from those who can’t figure out why their “on sale Kindle” isn’t nearly as enjoyable to read as “Bob’s Kindle… that he found during a sale.” At any rate, a demo of the new device displayed a screen saver deal “where customers would pay $10 for a $20 gift card to Amazon,” and while no ads will appear in e-books, there’s still “a clear advertisement” along the bottom of the home screen. All that said, here’s the key feature that Amazon’s seemingly overlooking: an option in the software to pay back the $25 a customer skimped on to do away with the ads on their ad-supported e-reader. Solves the buyer’s remorse problem, at least.

Update: And it’s official — PR’s after the break!

Continue reading Ad-supported Kindle to ship May 3rd: saves $25, includes lot of enticement

Ad-supported Kindle to ship May 3rd: saves $25, includes lot of enticement originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As you might recall, we weren’t exactly head over heels for eFun’s new line of tablets when we got our hands on the things at CES. Well, we’ve yet to see much of the sluggish Next4, but both the Next5 and Next6 have quietly made their way to market. Like we said before, the Next6 is more of an e-reader than a tablet, and the same goes for its sibling. Both sport Android 2.1, 7-inch LCD touchscreens, 800 x 480 displays, and WiFi connectivity — the Next6 sports 4GB of memory, while the Next5 offers 2GB and a 600MHz dual-core processor, based on the ARM926EJ. We’ve said it once, and we’ll say it again, the best thing about these slabs is probably the price: the Next5 rings in at $200 and the Next6 at $230. But feel free to judge for yourself — both are currently in stock at the source link below.

[Thanks, Nathan]

eFun’s Nextbook Next5, Next6 now available, likely not the next big tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 11:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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