Hasta La Gadget!

It’s not often that we get word of a new gadget by way of an SEC filing, but Barnes & Noble has broken with tradition with an 8-K report that reveals its intentions to introduce a new e-reader. The form, filed earlier today, says that the company “indicated it expects to make an announcement on May 24, 2011 regarding the launch of a new eReader device,” and goes on to say that the form was filed “solely to satisfy the requirements of Regulation FD.” Said regulation was instated back in 2000 to address concerns over insider trading. All that sounds good to us, but we wish there was a clause that required them to include a spec sheet. Considering the Nook Color just got Froyo, is it possible we’ll be seeing a Honeycomb version come the 24th? It looks like we’ll just have to wait and see.

Barnes & Noble to release new e-reader, according to securities filing originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 20:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yesterday, we found out that E Ink Holdings won’t be releasing a new electronic paper display until 2012 and now, we know why. Turns out, the Pearl manufacturer has been busy refining its screen tech acumen, and extending it to a variety of different surfaces. The Digital Reader recently caught up with Sriram Peruvemba, E Ink’s VP of global sales and marketing, who confirmed that his company has developed a SIRF display that can be printed on cloth, effectively turning any t-shirt into a flashing, black-and-white billboard. E Ink’s engineers have taken a similar approach to Tyvek cloth, creating a display that could make your vanilla postal envelopes a little more dynamic. And, as you might expect, the company has been experimenting with an e-ink screen capable of supporting colorful, full-motion video — though it looks like E Ink still needs to smooth out some of the grainy kinks in that one. All three demo videos are available for your viewing pleasure, after the break.

[Thanks, Nate]

Continue reading E Ink develops flashing displays for cloth and Tyvek, experiments with color FMV (video)

E Ink develops flashing displays for cloth and Tyvek, experiments with color FMV (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 11:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After months of speculation, Time Inc. has finally inked a deal with Apple that will allow print magazine subscribers to access the company’s iPad editions for free. Beginning this week, subscribers to print versions of Sports Illustrated, Fortune, and Time will be able to download the iPad counterparts at no cost, directly within the magazines’ apps. Today’s deal comes just a few months after the company struck a similar arrangement with HP, but iPad users, unlike TouchPad readers, still won’t be able to purchase exclusively digital subscriptions to Time Inc.’s stable of publications. It’s no secret that Time Inc. wants to incorporate digital subscriptions to its iPad model, but negotiations have hit some roadblocks, largely thanks to disputes over how Apple shares subscriber data. Publishers say they need that data to apply the TV Everywhere model to magazines, but Apple thinks subscriber information should only be shared on an opt-in basis. We don’t really expect Apple to budge any time soon, but execs at Time Inc. seem optimistic, telling the Wall Street Journal that today’s deal proves that the two parties are “moving closer” on the issue — apparently not close enough, however, for Apple to comment.

Time Inc., Apple to offer free iPad downloads to print magazine subscribers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 May 2011 10:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve been waiting for this day: our little reader would finally become a big boy tablet — without having to resort to any sort of hackery. We knew it was coming and, as of now, owners of the Barnes & Noble Nook Color should be receiving notices that their devices are ready to drop those training wheels and run some proper apps. Flash web browsing, downloads, games, e-mail, it’s all here. Click on through for our impressions and a video of the update in action.

Continue reading B&N Nook Color update released, brings Froyo, apps, and Flash, we go hands-on (video)

B&N Nook Color update released, brings Froyo, apps, and Flash, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 08:30:00 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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