International Kindle won’t let you use terrible web browser overseas

Amazon got the world’s attention when it announced a $279 International version of its heralded Kindle, but if you thought you’d be able to roam globally and really put it to AT&T, think again. Wired has noticed that the fine print explains that accessing blogs and the experimental web browser won’t be allowed overseas, though even Americans are cautioned against using the Kindle’s browser unless smoke signals and morse code have already failed you. In related news, all International Kindles will ship with US power plugs from a US warehouse, so folks in Europe will need to factor in import fees as well as some sort of power adapter. Ah well, at least you guys get universal healthcare.

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International Kindle won’t let you use terrible web browser overseas originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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3G / WiFi-equipped BeBook 2 launching tomorrow?

Man, are people into reading, or what? Hot on the heels of the BeBook Mini launch in the US and news that Barnes & Noble could be introducing an e-reader of its own as early as next week, Endless Ideas is now rumored to have its BeBook 2 on deck for an October 14th release. And considering that it has a booth at the Frankfurt Book Fair this week, we’d say there’s at least a decent chance that the rumors are true. If you’ll recall, we snagged the first look at the company’s first-ever 3G / WiFi-equipped e-book reader back at CeBIT in March (pictured above), and considering that there can really never be enough competition in the space, we’ll take the promised touchscreen and free RSS support any way we can get it. We’ll be cautiously watching the action tomorrow for a full reveal, and we’d recommend you do as well — besides, it’s not like that International Kindle is shipping before next week anyway.

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3G / WiFi-equipped BeBook 2 launching tomorrow? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Barnes & Noble hosting event on October 20: ebook a lock?

This rumor sure is shaping up nicely. We started with the FCC berth, then the Wall Street Journal weighed in with a meatier rumor, and now Barnes & Noble itself has sent out an invite to select media to a little get together touted as “a major event in our company’s history.” It’s happening in NY on October 20, and at this point the larger surprise would probably be if there wasn’t an ebook reader on display.

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Barnes & Noble hosting event on October 20: ebook a lock? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plastic Logic deflates dreams, denies Spring 2010 release for color e-reader

We had a sneaking suspicion that it was too good to be true, and now Plastic Logic has stepped forward to officially kill our pipe dreams. Just days ago, the web was set ablaze when a Barnes & Noble representative mistakenly (or deliberately, for all we know) stated that a Plastic Logic-sourced color e-reader was on track for a Spring 2010 release. Today, the aforesaid outfit has stated that the video report was “inaccurate and the individual (who was apparently filmed while attending a trade show was not an authorized Barnes & Noble spokesperson) was misinformed.” Continuing on, we’re told that while “color is on Plastic Logic’s roadmap, it is not on the map for the Spring of 2010.” Welp, that settles that… unfortunately.

[Thanks, Charlie]

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Plastic Logic deflates dreams, denies Spring 2010 release for color e-reader originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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5-inch BeBook Mini now shipping in the US for $199 (hands-on)

We’d heard back in May that Endless Ideas’ smallest e-reader yet would begin shipping (presumably in Europe) during the summertime, but it just recently started to make its way onto US doorsteps. Thankfully, our doorstep was among those greeted by the 5-inch reader, which boasts the same specifications as the original BeBook save for the smaller display. Priced at $199, it seemed a lot more competitive before Amazon hacked the price of its Kindle to $259, and given the dearth of WiFi / 3G WWAN, it’ll only appeal to those content with hitting up their PC via USB to get new content loaded on. Upon unboxing this cutie, we were struck at just how light and compact the whole unit is, though even with the font at its default size, we had no issues reading the crystal clear e-ink display. Screen refreshes were satisfactorily quick, and menu navigation was a breeze. As an e-reader (and MP3 player, if you wish), it’s hard to bang on the pocket-friendly BeBook Mini, but with the Kindle’s recent price drop and Sony’s $199 Reader Pocket Edition, competition is fierce.

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5-inch BeBook Mini now shipping in the US for $199 (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG’s Solar Cell e-Book goes an extra day for every 5 hours of sunlight

Funny thing going on in the marketplace right now: reading for pleasure is on a rapid decline yet the choice of e-reader devices grows weekly. That’s good news for those of us not spending our down-time in front of a television, mouth agape — awkward for manufacturers testing the waters of this unproven niche. LG’s showing off its Solar Cell e-Book reader anyway, in a bid to flex its thin-film solar muscle. The prototype features an energy conversion efficiency of about 9.6 percent giving it an extra day’s worth of power for that 6-inch TFT-LCD after about four to five hours in the sun. LG is working towards boosting its thin-film solar cell energy conversion efficiency rate to 12% by 2010 on up to 14% by 2012. We say bring it LG, if you can.

[Via OLED-Display]

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LG’s Solar Cell e-Book goes an extra day for every 5 hours of sunlight originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 04:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Barnes Noble Executive Confirms E-Reader Details

Although the author isn’t explicitly mentioned, this interview appears to have been conducted by Jennifer Van Grove, an associate editor for Mashable, who indicated in the comments attached to this video on YouTube that it was conducted at the recent CTIA show. As suspected, Barnes & Noble plans to launch a color e-reader with Plastic Logic next spring. It will “run the B&N application,” according to Daniel Jorrison, an executive with Fictionwise, which was acquired by B&N in March.

Separately, The New York Times Bits blog reports that there’s an invitation to a Barnes & Noble Oct. 20 event in New York City, in addition to the earlier Wall Street Journal report.

Keep in mind that the stage for this was set quite a while back. In February, Plastic Logic announced its content partners, including Fictionwise, which signed up to supply e-books. B&N then acquired Fictionwise, which meant that, well, Barnes & Noble had its e-reader.

Barnes Noble’s E-Reader Gets Real

There’s yet another e-book reader in the market and this time it is likely to be from retail book giant Barnes & Noble. The company is expected to announce its own e-book reader in time for holiday season sales next month, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Barnes & Noble hasn’t yet commented about the device. But an announcement from the company would confirm months of speculation about it. Like most of its peers, the Barnes & Noble e-reader is expected to have a black-and-white 6-inch display from E-Ink. It will also reportedly have a touchscreen and run on AT&T’s wireless network.

Barnes & Noble’s e-reader will join a crowded market. Since Amazon’s launch of the Kindle in 2007, the e-reader market has exploded with new devices. In the past six months alone, companies such as Sony and iRex have announced newer models. E-book readers are expected to be a hot gadget this holiday season and electronics retailer Best Buy has said it will dedicate a section for these devices. A few weeks ago, Barnes & Noble said it will partner with iRex, a spin-off from Royal Phillips Electronics, to integrate the former’s e-book store into the latter’s e-readers.

So far, Barnes & Noble hasn’t disclosed pricing for its upcoming reader. Sony’s touchscreen reader is priced at $300.

Separately, a Barnes & Noble representative said in a video (above) that the company will  have a color touchscreen reader, developed jointly with Plastic Logic, available next spring.

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Amazon confirms international Kindle DX is on the way too

Amazon made a fairly big splash in announcing that the standard-issue Kindle would finally be available in an international edition, but it’s now also rather quietly confirmed that the larger Kindle DX will be soon become a bit of a globetrotter as well. Unfortunately, it’s also considerably more light on details this time around, although Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener does say that the international Kindle DX will come out “sometime next year,” and we can only presume that it’ll demand a similar premium to its smaller counterpart (which is $20 more expensive than the US-only version).

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Amazon confirms international Kindle DX is on the way too originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Barnes and Noble ‘confirms’ color Plastic Logic e-book reader for Spring 2010 (video)

In no uncertain terms, a Barnes & Noble representative at what looks like the CTIA show says that a color (color!) Plastic Logic e-book reader will launch in Spring 2010. Now, we’re not sure if Daniel Joresson is authorized to make announcements about its Plastic Logic partner but he did so nonetheless. The Plastic Logic e-reader will feature a color screen about the size of a paperback and runs the “Barnes & Noble e-book reader application.” It’s not clear, but it sounds like the B&N application will also be available for cellphones including the iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android devices. Right, similar to the Kindle app. So how does this jibe with rumors about a 6-inch Barnes & Noble e-reader from Plastic Logic launching as early as next month? Easy, the first version will be grayscale while a new model featuring a color display will launch in Spring. In fact, Plastic Logic’s own web site says that its color reader is “around the corner” and expects to be “first to market with a large, flexible color display” — take that Sony and Amazon with your PVI built E Ink-based displays. Watch the flirtatious B&N reveal after the break.

[Thanks, Tom]

Read — Plastic Logic FAQ (color reader)
Read — Video

Continue reading Barnes and Noble ‘confirms’ color Plastic Logic e-book reader for Spring 2010 (video)

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Barnes and Noble ‘confirms’ color Plastic Logic e-book reader for Spring 2010 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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