Hasta La Gadget!

Oh, snap! Merely hours after Barnes & Noble came out swinging with a $149 WiFi-only version of its Nook and a price-reduced $199 3G Nook, along comes Amazon to rip a massive hole in B&N’s billowing sails. As of this very moment, the $259 Kindle 2 — complete with global 3G and the 6-ink E Ink display you’ve come to know and love (or hate) — is now the $189 Kindle 2. Oh, and there’s also free 2-day shipping. Looks like the undercutter just got undercut, huh?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Amazon’s Kindle conveniently falls to $189, Nook looks stunned and bitter originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No doubt feeling some heat from added competition in the e-book reader market thanks to new devices like the Apple iPad, Barnes & Noble announced today a lower-priced version of its Nook. The new Nook Wi-Fi dumps its predecessor’s 3G capabilities in favor of a lower price: $149.

The Nook Wi-Fi looks nearly identical to its predecessor, save for the color of its back, which has been changed from gray to white. The device is also slightly lighter, down to 11.6 ounces, from 12.1 ounces. The price of the Nook 3G has also been dropped, down from $259 to $199.

Barnes & Noble said it will offer a $10 refund to customers who purchased a Nook in the last 14 days – the difference between the new Nook price and a recent promotional price. B&N has recently been offering $50 gift cards with every Nook purchase, which could be used toward the price of the e-reader.

Barnes & Noble has also rolled out the latest version of the Nook software. The update enhances the device’s Wi-Fi connections.

UPDATE: Hours after the Nook announcement, Amazon also dropped the price of its Kindle e-reader from $259 to $189.

We knew it was coming, but not how soon, and we’d only guessed at a price. Today a tipster sent over this screenshot, however, clearly showing a Nook WiFi on Wednesday for $149. While internal databases aren’t the most reliable source for release dates even assuming the screenshot is legit, we’ll know for sure in just days. The question now is how Kobo stacks up.

WiFi-only Nook surfaces in Barnes and Noble database, costs $149? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Jun 2010 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It was easy to get lost amidst all the attention surrounding the 3DS itself, but Nintendo also had an actual 3DS game cart on hand at E3 and, well, it looks pretty much like a regular DS cart (probably a good thing, since the two are compatible). About the only difference, it seems, is that small extra tab on the corner, and a slightly slimmer case that they’ll come packaged in. In other overshadowed-by-E3 news, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata has apparently told Nikkei that the 3DS’ wireless connection could be used to automatically download newspaper and magazine articles (and books, presumably) which, when combined with the 3DS’ ability to actively seek out and connect to any open WiFi network, could potentially turn into a Whispernet-like service from Nintendo — something that Iwata has, incidentally, publicly mused about in the past.

Nintendo 3DS game cart pictured, wireless ebook reader on tap? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 15:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon has finally stopped teasing and let the 2.5 Kindle firmware update loose for all and sundry. It had become available as a download for international users a few days ago, and as of today their American counterparts can partake in the same manual update. But only if they wish to be proactive. All Kindles that have their wireless connections turned on will be getting the drop over the next few weeks. So what’s all the fuss about? In version 2.5, you’ll be able to organize books into collections (or folders as most of us call them), share favored passages via Twitter and Facebook, zoom and pan around PDFs, lock down your Kindle with a password, and enjoy the benefits of two added large font sizes and improved sharpness all around. If that sounds too appealing to wait for, hit the source link to find the manual download and install instructions.

[Thanks, Jason]

Kindle 2.5 firmware now available for keepsies originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Jun 2010 02:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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