VTech launches kid-friendly MobiGo handheld gaming system, Flip e-reader


You may be 32 36, but that’s not to say that the kid in you is long gone. At this week’s Toy Fair in New York City, VTech took a welcome step away from the landline handset department and tried its hand with a few swank toys. Up first is the $59.99 MobiGo (shown after the break), a handheld gaming system designed for minds within humans aged 3 to 7. Seen as a little tike’s GameBoy, the device supports touch inputs and even features a QWERTY keyboard, both of which can be used to fish, color, draw, play on-screen instruments and generally enrich those malleable brain cells. Potentially more interesting, however, is the Flip; described as the planet’s first children’s animated e-reader, this $59.99 device has a 4.3-inch color touchscreen, a built-in dictionary and a QWERTY keyboard. Look out, Kindle!

Continue reading VTech launches kid-friendly MobiGo handheld gaming system, Flip e-reader

VTech launches kid-friendly MobiGo handheld gaming system, Flip e-reader originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kindle for BlackBerry e-reader app now available

Amazon is today adding BlackBerrys to its stable of Kindle-compatible devices and also taking the opportunity to remind us that it’s working hard on Mac and iPad versions of its software. The app is a freebie download for Americans (sadly it’s not international just yet) and should offer the same functionality as its PC and iPhone brethren — namely automatic syncing via Whispersync and what Amazon hopes will be a seamless reading experience from one device to the next. There’s also an in-app book store, as well as the ability to create bookmarks and view annotations from other portable Kindle readers. Go download it at the Amazon link if you care, or move right along if you don’t.

Kindle for BlackBerry e-reader app now available originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 03:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP to undercut iPad price, iPad to undercut Amazon e-books prices, Courier to rule them all?

Today’s Apple rumor roundup is brought to you by the word “money.” First up is a piece carried by the New York Times citing no less than three people familiar with provisions that would require publishers to discount best seller e-book prices sold on Apple’s iPad. In other words, below the $12.99 to $14.99 price dictated by the new agency model — prices Amazon is being strong-armed into accepting. Apple’s prices could be as low as Amazon’s previously magical $9.99 price point for some titles just as soon as they hit the New York Times best-seller lists. Discounted hardcover editions could be priced at $12.99 even if they do not hit the best-seller list.

The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, has a pair of sources saying that HP will be meeting with its US and Taiwanese partners to “tweak prices and features” on its upcoming Slate. The move is meant to capitalize on a recent uptick in tablet interest with hopes of undercutting the $629 price of the similarly spec’d 3G-enabled iPad. Although it was introduced before the iPad, HP deliberatly held back on announcing a ship date or pricing so that it could tweak the Slate accordingly.

Also noteworthy is renewed attention given to Microsoft’s Courier. The WSJ says that Microsoft continues work on its two-screen Courier tablet at its Alchemy Ventures incubation laboratory in Seattle. However, it’s still unclear whether Microsoft will launch the device.

HP to undercut iPad price, iPad to undercut Amazon e-books prices, Courier to rule them all? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 02:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iREX DR 800SG e-reader now shipping via BestBuy.com

Despite being listed on Best Buy’s interweb pages for well over three and a half months, it seems only just now has iREX taken the chance to officially ship its DR 800SG e-reader out to the hungry e-tailer masses. Price is back to being listed at the proper $399.99 tag and given the recent proliferation of e-readers in the market, we can’t blame you if you’re not immediately reaching for your wallet. Press release after the break.

Continue reading iREX DR 800SG e-reader now shipping via BestBuy.com

iREX DR 800SG e-reader now shipping via BestBuy.com originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung’s sliding, handwriting-recognizing SNE-60K e-reader hits South Korea

Well, here’s one e-reader that won’t have too much trouble standing out from the pack — not only does Samsung’s SNE-60K boast a 6-inch touchscreen with support for handwriting recognition, but it has a fairly unique slider design that hides some of the additional controls (no QWERTY keypad on this one, though). Otherwise, you can expect built-in WiFi and Bluetooth, MP3 support (no word on storage) and, judging from the icons on the screen, at least a few other basic applications. Still no indication of a release over here, but this one is now available at Kyobo Bookstores in South Korea for 429,000 won (or about $375).

Samsung’s sliding, handwriting-recognizing SNE-60K e-reader hits South Korea originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bookeen Orizon to ship this May with multitouch Sipix display

We’re still patiently waiting for Sipix’s color e-paper to hit the commercial realm, but ’til then, we suppose we’ll pretend to be content with the monochrome variety. Bookeen, which obviously has a hard row to hoe in the slam-packed e-reader market, recently announced what appeared to be a relatively ho hum reader in the Orizon. Today, however, we’ve learned that it’ll ship with a multitouch 6-inch Sipix display (800 x 600 resolution), and it’ll be available for purchase this May in the United States and UK. For those who’ve forgotten, it will arrive with WiFi, 2GB of internal memory, Bluetooth, an accelerometer and support for PDF / ePUB formats. Still, if the rumored $250 price point sticks, we sort of doubt those to-be Kindle customers will turn their back on an always-on connection, but hey — if the hackers step it up, this whole multitouch thing could really be enticing.

Bookeen Orizon to ship this May with multitouch Sipix display originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Energy Sistem debuts Energy Book 2061 e-reader

Energy Sistem may be best known for its PMPs (and curious spelling choices), but it also recently dipped its toes into the e-reader waters with its Energy Book 1060, and it’s now already followed it up with its new Energy Book 2061. Not exactly any game-changing features here, but you will get a 6-inch Vizplex display, along with 64MB of internal memory (plus an SDHC card slot for expansion), an MP3 player, ePub and PDF support (among other standard formats), and a promised 6,000 page turns on a battery charge. Still no official word on a release over here, but this one should be available in Europe next month for €258, or about $350.

Energy Sistem debuts Energy Book 2061 e-reader originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 03:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How would you change Barnes & Noble’s Nook?

We know that some of you chaps are still waiting for your Barnes & Noble Nook to arrive, but by now, we’re hoping that the vast majority (read: all) of you that were jonesing for one can finally say that yours is in-hand. For those that got one during the madness that is the holiday rush (or yesterday… that works too), we’re interested to know how you’d do things differently. Are you kosher with the dual-screen approach? Is the user interface smooth enough? Would you tweak the e-book buying process? Do you wish you would’ve held off for some magical Mirasol-based device to hit “later this year?” Be sure to toss out your opinions in comments below, but make sure you think before you type — the Nook sees and hears all, don’tcha know?

How would you change Barnes & Noble’s Nook? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 23:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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White House releases economic report as e-book

Looking for a bit of light reading this weekend? Then look no further than the 400+ pages of the Economic Report of the President (the hotly anticipated sequel to the Economic Report of the President) which, for the first time, has been made available as a free e-book. That includes versions ready to be delivered to your Kindle or Nook (the former of which is already sitting at #46 on the bestseller list), and an ePub version for Sony readers and other devices. Will this be the final step that truly pushes e-books into the mainstream? Probably not. But if this rapid adoption of technology by the White House is any indication, we could well see weekly Presidential addresses in 3D next year.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

White House releases economic report as e-book originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brother’s SV-70 e-book reader is a little bit cheaper, still $1,100

Brother's SV-70 e-book reader is a little bit cheaper, still $1,100

Remember the SV-100B “Document Viewer” from this time last year? It’s okay, we had to look it up too. With its $1,500 MSRP and exclusive release in Japan, it hardly made waves over here. We’re expecting the SV-70 to have a similarly ripple-free reception in the States, since it too probably isn’t coming here, but there’s no telling how Japanese businesspeople will take to it, ditching the Bluetooth module that gave its predecessor a bit of charm, and even the lowly 2GB microSD card that was formerly included on the way to a lower (but still high) $1,100 MSRP. Other specs remain the same, including a relatively expansive 9.7-inch, 1200 x 825 display, 100MB of internal memory, microSD expansion slot, and 83 hours worth of battery life. Why, that’s plenty of time to read even the lengthiest of pseudo-inspirational corporate memos.

Brother’s SV-70 e-book reader is a little bit cheaper, still $1,100 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 08:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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