Sep 27

Microsoft Research celebrates 20 years of crazy innovation

Posted in: e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, Microsoft, research, Today's Chili

Microsoft Research was founded way back in 1991 as a way of turning cutting edge concepts into products. Over the years, the division has been behind some of the most exciting ideas that have come out of Redmond, from fluffy mice to HIV / AIDS research. The department is celebrating its 20th anniversary by highlighting some of its favorite projects over the next four weeks, so we’re beating it to the punch with some of picks. Check out our list below.

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Microsoft Research celebrates 20 years of crazy innovation originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 01:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 24

Motorola Xoom 2 evidence mounts — new photos, rumored specs and a Media Edition?

Posted in: e reader, honeycomb, leak, moto, motorola, motorola xoom, MotorolaXoom, slate, speculation, tablet, Today's Chili

Talk of a younger, slimmer Motorola Xoom just keeps on coming. A helpful tipster is adding fuel to the rumors of a Xoom 2 with these shots of a similar, but not exactly identical Motorola tablet. When compared to the images we saw yesterday, this unnamed Android 3.2 slate looks a tad less polished in the rear and seems to favor a portrait format, with the camera resting up top. What’s more, our source says the slab appears to be smaller than what we’ve already seen, which could line up with a report from This Is My Next, pegging a Xoom 2 Media Edition. That device is rumored to have an 8.2-inch HD IPS display and weigh .95 pounds. It is apparently being billed as an “e-reader replacement,” and comes with an onboard IR remote and subwoofer. In further Xoom 2 news, TIMN is saying the classic version will measure 9mm thick, pack a 1.2GHz processor, 1GB RAM, and enable 1080p video recording. If all of that isn’t enough to satisfy your Motorola-tablet craving, we’ve got a gallery of photos below.

Gallery: Is this Motorola’s Xoom 2 Media Edition tablet?

[Thanks, Anon]

Motorola Xoom 2 evidence mounts — new photos, rumored specs and a Media Edition? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Sep 2011 17:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 24

Sony Reader WiFi almost ready to let you (multi)touch it, up for pre-order now

Posted in: e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, Today's Chili
Sony Reader WiFi Pre-Order

Well, it’s been almost a month since we first pinched our greasy fingers across the Pearl E-Ink screen gracing the front of Sony’s latest e-reader, and your opportunity to do the same is quickly approaching. The 6-inch, Android-powered Reader is now available for pre-order (at the source link) for $150, just as expected. The current shipping date is listed as “on or about” October 16th, so if you put in your order now, you’ll still have a couple of weeks to wait. Still, if you could hold out six years for A Dance with Dragons, what’s three weeks to you?

[Thanks, knowmadd]

Sony Reader WiFi almost ready to let you (multi)touch it, up for pre-order now originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Sep 2011 02:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 23

Kobo Vox eReader Tablet hits the FCC, shrouded in bookish mystery

Posted in: e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, Today's Chili, wifi
What’s this mystery e-reader? It’s the Kobo Vox, and it just made its debut on the FCC’s site. Is it a reworked version of the relatively recently released Touch Edition? Is it a brand new reader from the company? The device is listed as being an “eReader Tablet,” so perhaps it’s something more akin to Barnes & Noble’s Nook Color or the Kindle tablet reportedly in the works from Amazon. And will Kobo’s recent appearance at f8 play into the equation? It’s hard to say, but there are a few things worth noting here. First, if the above rough image is to be believed, the device is touchscreen, as with the company’s current product. The design, however, looks a lot more like the latest version of the Nook than the new Kobo. A side shot reveals what appears to be a microUSB slot (no shocker there) and a headphone jack, something missing on both the latest Kobo and Nook (though both the latest Kindle and the Nook Color rock one), while a “multimedia headset” was used in the testing. Also listed among the testing materials is a microSD card, so there seems a pretty good chance that this thing has expandable memory — again, not a surprise, nor is the fact that the reader is listed as being WiFi-enabled.

Continue reading Kobo Vox eReader Tablet hits the FCC, shrouded in bookish mystery

Kobo Vox eReader Tablet hits the FCC, shrouded in bookish mystery originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 22

Wisconsin library loans iPads for at home e-reading

Posted in: Apple, e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, ipad, ipad 2, Ipad2, kindle, nook, sony, tablet, tablet pc, TabletPc, Today's Chili

If you thought hitting up the local library was far too Web 1.0 for your avant-garde lifestyle, you may want to check out the Eau Claire public library in Wisconsin — it’s not only lending books, but also, iPads. Each one of the 44 available tablets will be stuffed to the digital gills with 1,000 books, ten audiobooks and various apps for your reading (or, not reading) pleasure. Although other houses of learning have launched similar programs, this is the first of note to go with Apple slates for its e-reading experiment. If you’re the proud owner of a library card and have less than $10 in fines, you too can get in line for one of the loaners. We wonder, does the old saying “you break it, you buy it” apply here?

Wisconsin library loans iPads for at home e-reading originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 00:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TUAW, All Things D  |  sourceECU Public Library (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

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Sep 21

Amazon lets you check out Kindle books from library websites, asks you to shush yourself at home

Posted in: amazon, Books, e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, kindle, Today's Chili
Love libraries, but hate having to look at all of those dusty old books? Good news: following the recent Seattle-only launch, it’s now possible to check out Amazon Kindle books from some 11,000 library sites, as long as you have a valid library card and an Amazon account. You can check a library’s inventory (like their physical counterparts, the libraries only have a limited number of Kindle copies for each title) and download copies to your Kindle or Kindle app-enable device via WiFi or USB. Like the libraries’ physical books, Kindle copies will carry an expiration date — but after that time, they can either be renewed or purchase through Amazon, with all of your bookmarks and notations still in place. Press release after the break.

Continue reading Amazon lets you check out Kindle books from library websites, asks you to shush yourself at home

Amazon lets you check out Kindle books from library websites, asks you to shush yourself at home originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 20

Amazon’s Kindle Library Lending service rolls in to Seattle, in full beta regalia

Posted in: amazon, amazon kindle, AmazonKindle, e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, feature, kindle, Today's Chili
Saddle up, kids, because it looks like Amazon’s Kindle Library Lending service is inching its way toward launch. According to the Digital Reader, the retailer’s OverDrive-powered feature has begun rolling out to two Seattle-area libraries, where some users have already succeeded in downloading e-books from their local repositories. Early testers are also reporting that they’ve been able to access a wide collection of digitized works using the beta service, with equipped libraries reportedly boasting “thousands” of e-books. Neither Amazon nor Overdrive have formally announced a rollout, but we’ll let you know as soon as we hear more.

[Thanks, Nathan]

Amazon’s Kindle Library Lending service rolls in to Seattle, in full beta regalia originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 18

Reading Rainbow roaring back with RRKidz iPad app, ‘disruptive’ ebook technology in tow

Posted in: app, Apple, AppStore, e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, education, ios, ipad, Today's Chili

LeVar Burton may best be known ’round these parts for his role in Star Trek, but he’ll soon be known as the guy who made childhood reading relevant again. It wasn’t that long ago that today’s up-and-coming adults were soaking up all sorts of useful knowledge during their summers, glued to a PBS station and doing their darndest to climb inside of mum’s CRT television. And now, their kids will be doing likewise — but with an iPad. Burton has plans to produce an educational RRKidz iOS app that enables readers to “explore topics of interest in a multimedia-rich environment, with voice-over-enhanced children’s books, familiar videos of Burton at real-life places, and games.” In order to do so, he’s planning a “disruptive” technology that’ll bolster a conventional PDF book with basic animations, voice-overs and games “in a matter of hours.” There’s no specific time table on a release, but we’re guessing Burton’s moving along as usual pace: Mach 5.

Reading Rainbow roaring back with RRKidz iPad app, ‘disruptive’ ebook technology in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Sep 2011 23:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 15

Ad-supported Kindle getting AmazonLocal to distract you from all that pesky reading

Posted in: e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, minipost, Today's Chili

Reading’s all well and good, but wouldn’t you rather be, say, getting a massage or seeing a comedy show? Good news, Amazon is bringing its AmazonLocal service to the ad-supported Kindle With Special Offers and Kindle With Special Offers 3G. The ads are rolling out first to New York City residents, with the remainder of AmazonLocal cities being added before the end of the year. Press release after the break, if you’re still into that whole reading thing.

Continue reading Ad-supported Kindle getting AmazonLocal to distract you from all that pesky reading

Ad-supported Kindle getting AmazonLocal to distract you from all that pesky reading originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 11:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 15

Sharp to discontinue original Galapagos e-readers, 7-inch species survives

Posted in: 7-inch, Android, android tablet, AndroidTablet, business, e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, industry, ipad, iPhone, Japan, market, sales, Sharp, slate, tablet, Today's Chili

We’re raising our glasses to the original Galapagos e-reader this morning, because Sharp has decided to discontinue it. Today, the manufacture announced that it will stop taking orders for its 5.5- and 10.8-inch Android tablets on September 30th, just nine months after they first launched. A company spokeswoman, however, confirmed that Sharp isn’t leaving the market altogether, as it plans to continue churning out the 7-inch A01SH that launched last month. The Japan-based firm is confident that “the market for electronic books will continue to expand,” but decided to terminate its older slates because they’ve already “fulfilled the purposes that they were designed for.” Sharp declined to disclose sales figures for the doomed devices, though local media outlets are reporting that they may have been squeezed out of the Japanese market by the iPad — a decidedly Darwinian explanation.

Sharp to discontinue original Galapagos e-readers, 7-inch species survives originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 04:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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